If you are passionate about math, you understand the power of numbers. This is especially true if you want to major in math in college. Every top undergraduate school in America has a top math program, and getting in isn’t an unsolvable equation (lol!). You need to be exceptional. Your grades must be exceptional across the board, not simply in math. Your standardized test scores must be exceptional, and not only in the math sections. And your activities, or how you spend time outside of the classroom, must also be exceptional. However, you don’t need to cure cancer or write and publish a novel as a high school student. You’re a prospective math major, and colleges want to see you immersing yourself in the subject beyond course offerings.
Of course, you should also have other hobbies. Play an instrument or sport, make realistic paper flowers, or spend your Sundays working on cars with your granddad. In this post, though, we’ll be focusing on what you need to do to emphasize your passion for — at skill at — mathematics.
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Below are the four big ‘buckets’ that you need to be addressing as a sophomore interested in a math major in college. Normally we say that you don’t need to do all of these things. That is not true here, however. If you are an aspiring math major, and a sophomore, you need to do all of these things.
COMPETITIVE MATH CLUB OR TEAM
First, if you are not currently a member of a math club, or on a math team, at your school, you need to join today. If such a club or team does not exist, you need to begin the process of starting one. Talk to your administration at school, recruit a faculty advisor, and rally your friends around you.
The point of this club or team is to show yourself exploring math at a high level, beyond what you can probably access in a class as a sophomore, and ideally receiving awards or recognitions for your labors. This may be a school-wide, district, state, or even national recognition. It could be individual, or as a team. And you don’t need to be winning as a sophomore necessarily — you have time — but you should be working towards this goal.
Another goal is leadership. Aim yourself towards becoming a team captain or club head by senior year, and it’s a great idea to meet with the faculty advisor and current captain or head to share your goals and get feedback on what you should do to make it happen.
TUTORING
In addition to being on a math club or team, you need to engage with a tutoring program at your school or with a local nonprofit. This program should pair you with students at or below your grade level, with you providing math support and mentorship. What we want to see is you not simply teaching skills, but also building relationships with students that allow you to support them through challenging situations.
The relationship part here is key. Math-minded students are often seen as being solo operators who focus on themselves, and don’t necessarily play well with others. This is an unfair myth, and we want to see you dispel it by building the confidence of students who are struggling. And if you eventually get some supplement stories out of it that is even better.
IMMERSION
There are many immersion math programs that take high achieving students and throw them into the deep end. Surrounded by similarly exceptional students, you’ll be pushed to excel beyond what you thought was possible. Some of these programs cost money, and some are free (but hard to get into — like PROMYS). There may be ones close to home for you, but your dream program may be a few states away. As a sophomore, this is a perfect time to explore these summer programs, either to apply for and do as a sophomore, or to work up to when you are a junior.
If you don’t have access to an immersion program for high schoolers, another strong opportunity is to work for a math camp for younger students. Helping them fall in love with the subject you adore is an amazing way to immerse yourself further into the subject and bring others along with you.
LEADERSHIP
As you work on your application, you need to be building a track record as a leader. This should include as a math club or math team captain or club head, but that isn’t the end of the list you need to be building. You need to have something on your list of leadership experiences that goes beyond what is the most obvious. Perhaps it is becoming the head of a tutoring program, or a lead counselor for a math camp. It could also be outside of math completely, with you captaining an athletic team or leading a service club or something like yearbook.
Not, we know that you are very unlikely to get a leadership position like this as a sophomore. It’s not impossible, but it also sort of is impossible simply because of how leadership roles work in high school. So, the point as a sophomore is to set yourself on a path towards leadership even if you aren’t there quite yet.
As a high school sophomore, college may seem like something in the far distant future. The truth, though, is that college applications are coming up quickly. You need to be doing the work now to ensure that you have amazing experiences and accomplishments to highlight on your applications, especially as related to your prospective math major. You have a lot of work to do, so start now.
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