One of the biggest national contests in math for college students in the U.S. and Canada is the Putnam competition. About 80% of the winners attend MIT. Many of the rest attend Harvard, a few hundred yards away. The prize is nominal, but the reputational benefits of winning and scholarships are immense for anyone interested in pursuing a career in mathematics and it can open the door to large merit scholarships as well. Per the Wikipedia link above:
It is widely considered to be the most prestigious university-level mathematics competition in the world, and its difficulty is such that the median score is often zero or one (out of 120) despite being primarily attempted by students specializing in mathematics.
2 comments:
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That's remarkable. Are the students and/or the education there, just that much better?
Feeling refreshed after a visit (literally) to Gilligan's Island and swimming with turtles.
There is no doubt that the students at MIT are elite due to highly selective admissions. Cal Tech is even more selective, but it is a much smaller school. The quality of the teaching, per se, isn't necessarily superior. But the critical mass of truly elite math majors that can lead to synergy for teams preparing for the Putnam exam in an organized and sustained manner pushing each other and providing insights to each other is greater.
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