How Camp Works

Our goal is to combine the fun and excitement of a summer camp with a genuine spirit of serious learning.

Academically, we give the students (and the instructors!) ample opportunities for freedom and exploration, a wide choice of topics and formats of study, and very few mandatory activities – while providing a range of classes and projects to suit all levels. Recently, topics have included graph theory, dynamical systems, quantum mechanics, the continuum hypothesis, asymptotics, and geometric group theory (among many others). Students are free to design their schedule, perhaps choosing to attend advanced courses in topics they understand well, while also taking more elementary classes in unfamiliar areas. Our role is to offer the students plenty of choice, advice, and support as they steer their own way through the curriculum.

In addition to classroom teaching, we provide a spectrum of activities relating to mathematics (and learning) in the broadest sense. These include student talks, problem-solving sessions, mathematical model-making, puzzle relays, discussions on such topics as mathematics education, the philosophy of mathematics, and many more. Many mentors offer to supervise independent student research projects. As a mentor, you will be welcome (in fact, strongly encouraged!) to come up with ideas of your own and to bring them to fruition.

Outside of class, mentors act as counselors who get the chance to share mathematical (and non-mathematical) advice with the campers and just enjoy the spirit of play at camp. We have lots of opportunities to interact with campers outside of class, formally and informally: we hold office hours on weekday afternoons (often outside, weather permitting!), and campers are eager to talk about the math on their minds over mealsin the dining hall, in the lounges in the evening, or even on hikes on the weekends.

Mathcamp students have the freedom to use their time as they wish. Each year we have an absolutely wonderful group of campers. Experience shows that they are remarkably good at taking responsibility and initiative given the chance, and they're grateful to us for not trying to micromanage their lives (the way both academic programs and summer camps too often do). We do provide organizational and structural foundations, like activities and field trips, as well as a short, important list of guidelines for behavior. At the same time, we try to relate to the students as friends and older peers, providing counsel and support, rather than regarding them as subordinates who need to be told what to do. It is certainly much more enjoyable this way, for all concerned!