- #1
JadeRabbit
- 1
- 0
Hi! I am 12, and will be a 13 in 9th grade ( I skipped 6th grade). I have a curiosity for mathematics and have started preparing to take the AMC 10 and 12 exams. I enjoy solving the ingeniously crafted problems, as I share the sentiment of many math competitors of not being challenged by the school math curriculum.
As I go deeper into this current passion, I am amused and frustrated by the solution, yet I appreciate the cleverness of it. I wish to go deeper into higher mathematics, and will study lots of math this summer. I want to at least make MOP in perhaps 11th ( yes , I am aware of the difficulty and time I will need to invest) , but I feel I started competition math too late.
I started in the last few months, is it wise to continue on this path? I might do so for my own enjoyment, but because of my late start it might not be wise to compete with kids that have started at 10. What you do at a young age is influential, and can be a variable in the trajectory of your life.
Going forward, what alternative paths are there? I will most likely try and qualify for ISEF in the coming year with a research project on a currently undecided topic. I also know of physics olympiad, and while no means easier it might be more reasonable to prepare for the higher levels of this competition; I heard from a participant of the USAPHO that physics is more forgiving, meaning with intense and focused practice you can start later and achieve a more advanced level as it is a subject often explored more in depth later in life. It is heavily based in math, and I loved physics early in life. I suspect I could become found of it again rather quickly.
I will probably start by casually doing an overview on the topic(physics), and once I get a basic grasp on presumably before the start of next year- start studying one variable calculus based physics and work my way up from there. Thank you for the guidance in advance!
As I go deeper into this current passion, I am amused and frustrated by the solution, yet I appreciate the cleverness of it. I wish to go deeper into higher mathematics, and will study lots of math this summer. I want to at least make MOP in perhaps 11th ( yes , I am aware of the difficulty and time I will need to invest) , but I feel I started competition math too late.
I started in the last few months, is it wise to continue on this path? I might do so for my own enjoyment, but because of my late start it might not be wise to compete with kids that have started at 10. What you do at a young age is influential, and can be a variable in the trajectory of your life.
Going forward, what alternative paths are there? I will most likely try and qualify for ISEF in the coming year with a research project on a currently undecided topic. I also know of physics olympiad, and while no means easier it might be more reasonable to prepare for the higher levels of this competition; I heard from a participant of the USAPHO that physics is more forgiving, meaning with intense and focused practice you can start later and achieve a more advanced level as it is a subject often explored more in depth later in life. It is heavily based in math, and I loved physics early in life. I suspect I could become found of it again rather quickly.
I will probably start by casually doing an overview on the topic(physics), and once I get a basic grasp on presumably before the start of next year- start studying one variable calculus based physics and work my way up from there. Thank you for the guidance in advance!
