A math resume?

[quark]

I'm looking for some btdt thoughts on compiling a sort of resume for my DS's math journey so far. We might use this for applications to math summer camps and so on as well as for other math opportunities that come his way and tweak and polish as he gets older. He has started compiling one but doesn't know what to say lol. He is generally a modest child. Although I don't want him to sell himself short, I also don't want to give him pointers that will be an oversell if you know what I mean. We want to stay truthful, accurate but also representative of how much time he spends on something math-related out of choice (usually at least half of our "official homeschooling time" daily and a big percentage of his leisure time).

 

Some questions:

1. Follow a job resume format? E.g. think of math categories, then list books he has used, years he has used them? I suggested categories like algebra, geometry, number theory etc. but he wants to list them as textbooks, math circle, other books, contests
    
   
2. He is not a contest loving child and currently, does not have a very high score on the AMC8 (at least compared to so many contest-loving kids) because he ran out of time but he could solve the problems himself later. Should he mention that he took the contest despite the not so impressive results?
    
   
3. He spends a lot of time researching math ideas and coming up with mathy things in his many notebooks. Include copies of one or two of those with some kind of description of his thoughts?
    
   
4. Can I include other math-related subjects he is doing although they are not purely math? E.g. physics, mathematical logic
    
   
5. He will also include some proofs he has written for geometry. Can these be handwritten? He doesn't have the best handwriting atm lol and hasn't mastered LaTeX yet.
    
   
6. The best representation will probably be through a video of him explaining something...but do summer camp/ higher math opportunities' coordinators look at videos? Doesn't seem like they would have the time.
   

 

I do understand that some camps will have qualifying exams instead of a portfolio/ resume-based application, but I feel that this resume-building exercise will be helpful in more ways than one. If not for classes and camps, at least for himself to see how far he has come from working so hard.

 

Any thoughts would be much appreciated!

[lewelma]

I think this is a great idea. I have no suggestions for you, but will be interested to see what you can figure out.

 

Ruth in NZ

[Dmmetler]

:lurk5:

 

I'll be watching, too-I don't know that my DD is going to want the math opportunities vs science or other areas later, but she's definitely spending a lot of time and effort on math now.

[Crimson Wife]

There are some sample resumes in the book What High Schools Don't Tell You by Elizabeth Wissner-Gross. I would definitely recommend buying a copy of that book since it has a whole chapter on math opportunities. While I'm not personally familiar with applying to math camps, I would think that anything STEM-related would go on the resume because they demonstrate quantitative ability.

[Kathy G]

Crimson Wife- I will buy that book- sounds great

 

I have a file I keep on each kiddo which is sort of resume format. I got tired of having to remember all the activities/awards etc when I would sign them up for camps and other activities. It is extremely helpful- as long as I remember to update it! :) I just attach it or copy and paste. It has save a ton of time.

 

I use it for all subjects since mine are more STEM than pure math, and one is more into literature. But then I can just copy whatever portion I wish for the application.

[8filltheheart]

Quark, you might ask Kathy or MBM about their thoughts/experiences. I don't think MBM posts on this forum, but she has strong math students that are involved in competitions/ camps.

 

For the camps we have applied to, transcripts, test scores, essays, and sometimes the camps specific test (math camp and hcssim, for example, both have entrance exams as part of the application.) were the main components of the applications.

 

I think it is wonderful idea for his records and for yours as a way of forming a timeline of progress. I'm not that organized...... My summer is going to be spent writing ds's course descriptions for college apps. I have everything here and there----it is the"there" that is the killer.....in yrly lesson planners. But we moved and I haven't unpacked everything and I have no idea where my older records are. :( I am wishing I had been better at compiling a single document.

[Kathy in Richmond]

There are some sample resumes in the book What High Schools Don't Tell You by Elizabeth Wissner-Gross. I would definitely recommend buying a copy of that book since it has a whole chapter on math opportunities. While I'm not personally familiar with applying to math camps, I would think that anything STEM-related would go on the resume because they demonstrate quantitative ability.

 

 

Her math camp advice is the one chapter that I really don't like in Wissner-Gross's book. Her son went to Ross camp & the chapter is definitely biased in that direction. She also recommends that kids skip around between different math camps from summer to summer, which is definitely not what I've observed happening. Most kids become very loyal to one camp & return multiple times. That's actually more helpful to the kids in the long run, since they get to know the staff & find mentors via those long term relationships.

[Kathy in Richmond]

thoughts for quark:

 

My dd had a math resume for her college applications, and I can share how that was organized.

 

It was subdivided similarly to what your ds suggested (*smile*):

 

1. contests (individual contests, then team competitions and meets)

2. AoPS involvement (classes, forums, etc - it was a large part of her life for six years)...this could include math circles, too.

3. volunteer and paid work (forum mod job, volunteered organizing a math meet, tutoring jobs, leading a MathCounts team)

4. reading & research (stuff she did on her own outside of formal classes; list of books read & three areas she was delving into on her own)

 

ETA: 5. summer camps (what she learned, leadership opps like yearbook editor & teaching a class)

 

She didn't include portfolio items such as work samples; I'm not sure who would have the time to look those over. What she did instead was to get a LOR from her mathcamp mentor, who was familiar with her work & could provide a impartial evaluation. I still think that it's an absolutely wonderful thing to put together for your own benefit & organization!

 

I know that Epsilon camp will sometimes consider videos and samples in the application process, but that doesn't continue for the middle school & high school level camps. I'm very familiar with MathPath and Mathcamp admissions, and the main thing they'll look at is the application quiz. They want to see how your child tackles a novel math problem & what kind of progress, results, generalizations he makes. For MathPath, the admissions director reads and scores *all* of the applicants' quizzes, and that's a *very* time-consuming second job.

 

The other important things that the summer camps will look at are

 

(1) the letters of recommendation - The math teacher letter should summarize your child's abilities & potential. That's where a portfolio or work samples could come in handy. Let the LOR writer see them & use them in his or her recommendation. The second letter (for MathPath or Mathcamp) should address the child's behavior and level of maturity. Is he independent, does he interact well in peer groups, can he live away from his parents for a month? etc.

 

(2) the child's personal statement - This should address the child's love of math and his specific interests & motivations. The camp needs to know that it's the kid's idea to come to camp (some are pushed by parents when they're not interested) & that he loves math, since he'll be doing it all day long! This is another place that your son could potentially use his portfolio - it could bring back memories of stuff he enjoyed over the years.

[quark]

A huge thanks to everyone who responded!

 

There are some sample resumes in the book What High Schools Don't Tell You by Elizabeth Wissner-Gross.

 

Thanks CW! I have a copy of that book actually. I suggested to DS to follow the format of her samples. Like Kathy says, I wasn't sure whether to follow her advice about jumping summer camps, nevertheless, it was from her book that I actually learned about some of the camps available. So, a good book for us newbies to high school planning to have as a baseline guide.

 

I have a file I keep on each kiddo which is sort of resume format. I got tired of having to remember all the activities/awards etc when I would sign them up for camps and other activities. It is extremely helpful- as long as I remember to update it! :) I just attach it or copy and paste. It has save a ton of time. I use it for all subjects since mine are more STEM than pure math, and one is more into literature. But then I can just copy whatever portion I wish for the application.

 

It's a good reminder to me Kathy G, thanks! I have just been keeping records on Excel spreadsheets so far. DS and I worked on putting the resume together today and phew, what a fun exercise! He learned quite a bit today, not only about what he has accomplished in math so far but also how to do simple things like Shift Enter on MS Word, how to rename a file so that it will make sense when sent as an attachment etc.

 

I think it is wonderful idea for his records and for yours as a way of forming a timeline of progress. I'm not that organized......

 

Thanks 8! I'm really glad we declared today a free day and sat together to work on his resume. I suggested he start the timeline from 2 years back. Although his arithmetic years were fun ones I don't think anyone wants that much detail lol. But 8, I have an only child! You have 8! You might be 8x more organized than I am! :D

 

thoughts for quark: [...]The camp needs to know that it's the kid's idea to come to camp (some are pushed by parents when they're not interested) & that he loves math, since he'll be doing it all day long! This is another place that your son could potentially use his portfolio - it could bring back memories of stuff he enjoyed over the years.

 

Kathy your whole post was fabulous. Thanks so much for taking the time to write it. I especially love the bolded. I often wonder how I'm going to validate his love for the subject when he won't do contests. Every other mathy kid I know loves contests. I hadn't thought of writing a personal statement. That's a great idea!

 

We are using an application to a math circle to give us more meat on what to include. DS has his basic resume now (took us less time than I thought it would!) and has re-written one of his favorite proofs to attach to the math circle application. Now that we have the basic template it should hopefully be easier to add stuff to it later.

 

Thanks again everyone!

[MBM]

You're already received a lot of good advice, but I'll throw in my two pennies for you to consider.

 

I think it's a good idea to keep some sort of record showing what your son has done. We categorize and list classes (including math-related classes), contests, tests (like the SAT 2s), math circles, and a few books so I guess we do a combination of both. A record can be really helpful for camps, math circles and when applying for colleges.

 

My son is also not very fond of *fast* math contests but he does fairly well on them most (not all) of the time. He's inconsistent. He likes contests like the USAMTS where he can let a problem percolate for a few days or even weeks. Most of the kids he knows who compete work through AoPS's Volumes 1 and 2 and the Mandelbrot workbook and also take as many of the old tests as they can to improve their scores. This seems to work well. Nevertheless, enthusiasm and a willingness to work hard will go very, very far, IMO, so don't let a bad score get in the way.

 

Some of the tests for the math camps are more like the USAMTS, btw (Mathcamp and HCSSiM). A few seem to rely on the AMC results (IdeaMath and I think possibly Awesome Math). I bet your son would like Mathcamp or HCSSiM but most of the camps teach some sort of interesting math. The ones that seem more like they're geared toward contest math often are doing much more.

 

Your son sounds a lot like mine in regard to the notebooks. My son has about 30 beloved notebooks with cool math problems and tidbits that he's worked on through the years. A number of his friends from Hampshire did the same.

 

As for videos, what about putting together some YouTube videos where your son can discuss his ideas? That way they'd be available if someone wanted to take a look. You might want to use a different name, though.

 

Anyway, if your son is enthusiastic, he is in a good place. Good luck! :)

 

ETA: You can also eventually add research papers to the resume. My son writes about math whenever he can in his English classes and wants to research the history of math pedagogy for his junior paper next year which he would like to submit to The Concord Review. For anyone who might be interested in that: http://www.tcr.org/tcr/submissions.htm

 

He and some of his friends are also going to try to run a math circle for little kids that meets twice a month in our area which, sadly, offers very little in the way of fun, free math programs.

[quark]

Love this MBM, thanks so much for adding your thoughts. I was really hoping you would. :001_smile:

[Dmmetler]

One thing I've decided I'm going to do (after putting together DD's portfolio for DYS) is to do the same thing each year-pick out a few really, really stellar and special examples from each year, get DD to talk about them and video it, and put it all in digital form. I keep a folder of samples from each year anyway, but having to go through and write up descriptions and seeing what SHE thought was important and she was proud of was a really, really useful experience and review of the year.

[mathwonk]

Just a couple thoughts.

 

When applying to a camp or other opportunity it is probably best to tailor the application to the requirements specified by that place in their application guidelines rather than send a one size fits all application. E.g, if they say they admit purely based on Stanford Binet IQ scores then that's the main thing to include, with documentation.

 

Second, a video should be viewed by an objective person to help you understand just what it conveys. Videos can be more revealing than you realize, as to just who the enthusiast is in the family, (sometimes it's the parent and that is a negative).

 

Oh yes, the most persuasive thing can be a testimonial from a math expert, even a letter you yourself have not seen, sent independently from a trusted person. You may consider this a "wild card", but I myself would be willing to tell a parent that my letter will be positive without showing it to him/her, if that is the case. I would also be willing to say I do not have enough information to write a strong letter, and the parent can choose not to request it.

 

Good luck.

[quark]

Excellent points, mathwonk. Thank you! I wanted to add that we mailed the math circle application in yesterday and this was one of the things that kiddo and I were discussing on the way to the post office. How every application needs to be tailored to the specific organization, so much like a job application. He also learned how to choose a good sized envelope, how to address the to and return address areas and request for the correct postage. But we forgot to ask for tracking lol. Anyway, it was really a good lesson learned. We really didn't need to take a lot of trouble for this application but I wanted to just so he could see for himself what it would be like for the applications that require way more effort.

 

I understand how it can come across on videos. DH and I are both Type A parents in a sense but DH also stops himself and me from getting too involved. Too many times, when I am so tempted to step in and help kiddo out with something, DH's hand is there in my way with a silent "it's ok, let him figure it out" expression in his eyes. Hopefully, we are doing the right thing.

 

I was actually cringing when DS filled out the application form. He is not as careful as I would like him to be. But it IS his application. I have to learn to deal with it.

 

We didn't request an LOR for this application because his tutor is a very busy guy atm. Should I ask for one to keep on file? DS is making leaps in math year after year, and I'm not sure if it's ok to keep asking for an LOR every year but I will try. I have no worries about it being sent without my seeing it. We did that for the DYS application, from two sources in fact. :)

[MBM]

The camps will probably want you to send one or two recent LORs. My son usually uses a math teacher and/or his high school's chess team coach. So for the future, you'd probably want someone like your son's math tutor and maybe someone who knows him through some other activity. The LORs I've seen are fairly short which is nice.

 

If your son would like to make a video, why not let him handle the whole thing on his own with you maybe stepping in to help with technical how-tos if he gets stuck? You might be surprised -- hopefully in a good way! -- to see what he comes up with. This year my son had a great time making a funny Ken Burns' type of movie for his English class about high school math. He became very interested in math pedagogy as a result and now wants to try to write about it for the research paper he has to do his junior year. These kinds of fun projects can sometimes turn into something new to pursue. I think your son could end up having a lot of fun with it. Who knows?

 

The other part of your post that you're bringing up, and that is so important, is about teaching a child to be conscientious. My kids all seemed to lose what little bit they had when they began high school. It eventually returned but usually by way of the School of Hard Knocks. LOL.

 

Have fun with your little guy! Pretty soon he'll be entering the Cool Dude/Feed Me stage. :)

[quark]

The camps will probably want you to send one or two recent LORs. My son usually uses a math teacher and/or his high school's chess team coach. So for the future, you'd probably want someone like your son's math tutor and maybe someone who knows him through some other activity. The LORs I've seen are fairly short which is nice.

 

Thanks MBM, good to know!

 

If your son would like to make a video, why not let him handle the whole thing on his own with you maybe stepping in to help with technical how-tos if he gets stuck? You might be surprised -- hopefully in a good way! -- to see what he comes up with. This year my son had a great time making a funny Ken Burns' type of movie for his English class about high school math. He became very interested in math pedagogy as a result and now wants to try to write about it for the research paper he has to do his junior year. These kinds of fun projects can sometimes turn into something new to pursue. I think your son could end up having a lot of fun with it. Who knows?

 

The other part of your post that you're bringing up, and that is so important, is about teaching a child to be conscientious. My kids all seemed to lose what little bit they had when they began high school. It eventually returned but usually by way of the School of Hard Knocks. LOL.

 

Have fun with your little guy! Pretty soon he'll be entering the Cool Dude/Feed Me stage. :)

 

 

I will! He has been making little silly videos of things so I think he has some basic know-how. Your son's Ken Burns style movie sounds great! :thumbup1: Thanks so much for the other thoughts too. Taking it one day at a time... :tongue_smilie: