Modern Mathematics - International Summer School
for Students
Application Information
Participation Details
-
Participation is
only possible for students who stay during the entire duration of
the school.
- The language of the school and the entire program will be
English; participants must be able to communicate freely in
English.
- The school is generously supported by VolkswagenStiftung and
Clay Mathematics Institute. The nominal contribution for
participants is €400; this this covers all activities for the
entire duration of the school, including accommodation, meals,
scientific program, and excursion. Nobody will be excluded for
financial reasons! We have fellowships available to support
deserving participants. These fellowships usually cover partly the
participation fee; limited support for travel expenses may be
available in exceptional cases.
Participation Requirements
- High school students should be no more than two years before
their high school graduation and must have a solid knowledge of
calculus. If you feel we should make an exception for you, you
should convince us why.
- University students should not have completed more than two
years of university study.
- You must be able to communicate freely in English.
Important Dates
- May 9 -- Notification of selected participants
begins;
- May 24 -- Deposits due (instructions for bank transfer
see "Participant
Information");
- May 26 -- Notification of wait-list participants
begins.
Note that we continue to accept late applications until the places
are filled.
Application Process
You must submit your application via MathHire platform following
the link https://mathhire.org/events/253. Before you apply, you should have the following information ready:
- personal data;
- proof of sufficiency of your English skills, prepared as a
single PDF document;
- answers to the questions listed below about your motivation and
your mathematical background; the answers should be typed down in a
free form and submitted as a single PDF document; please
keep the numbering of questions;
- information about one or two people who can provide a
recommendation letter for you; be sure to inform your referees in
advance, and have their valid email addresses.
Some additional information about the required documents, including
the list of questions, is given below. Technical information regarding the application system is given further below. Please read both pieces of information carefully.
Personal Data
- Last name, first name, gender, date of birth
Participants who are less than 18 years old on the arrival date
will need the consent of their parents to participate and supply
their parents' contact data.
- Address and email-address
- High school: name, city, and country, year of graduation
- University: name, city, and country, year of enrollment
- Citizenship
- Visa information: Do you need a visa for Germany / the Schengen
states?
- Financial support: do you request financial support to
partially cover the participation fee/travel (yes/no)? If yes,
please be ready to explain in several sentences your
reasoning.
- Recommendation letters: Your referees will receive an email
with the link following which they will be asked to submit their
recommendation letter as a single PDF
document. The reference letter will not be visible to an
applicant, only to members of the selection committee. Instead you
will be notified once a letter for you is uploaded. Letters of
recommendation must be in English.
English Language Skills
Participants need to have a working knowledge of English. Please
convince us of your English language skills: either by proof that
the language of instruction (in your mathematics courses) at your
school/university is English, or by scores in the TOEFL test (or
similar), or by a letter from your English teacher. If your native
language is English or if you are at an English-speaking high
school or university, please document that to us.
Information about Yourself and Your Mathematical Interests
Selection of participants will be based to a large extend on
their mathematical interests and background. Please take your time
and think carefully about answering the following questions.
- Personal Statement: Explain us in a few words who you
are and what are your motivations to attend our summer school.
- Three Problems: Describe two or three mathematical
problems that you find the most interesting. Please explain clearly
what these problem are, and why they do interest you. (We expect to
read here about problems that you can fully or almost fully
understand, and not about famous conjectures.)
- A proof: Is there a mathematical proof that you fully
understand which impressed you because it is beautiful or
unexpected? Which one, and why?
- Courses: Describe one or two courses you have taken
recently. What were the main theorems (at most three)?
- Books, videos, and websites: Which mathematical books
you have read/studied recently in some depth? Do you follow any
mathematical website or blog? Have you been watching mathematical
videos recently? By your own estimate: how well have you understood
the material?
- Topics: Describe a few mathematical topics that you
understand well. Which of them would you like to investigate
further?
- Topics to learn: Specify a few mathematical topics about
which you do not know much, but which you would like to learn. Do
you have any plans to do so?
- Scientific activities: During the last two years, did
you participate in any scientific activities, summer schools, math
camps, etc.? If yes, please describe the experience you had: what
were the courses you attended? How well did you understand the
subject?
Do you organize running seminars to learn new subjects? Have you
ever given a “public” talk to other students like you? If the
answer is yes, what was it about?
- Mathematical events: Did you participate in any
mathematical events (national or international)? If yes: which were
your favorites? What are the results you obtained during the last
two years (in case of competitions)? This is not required, just in
order to know more about you.
- Publications: We are aware that at your age, very few of
you have already published. Just in case, if you have any
mathematics-related publications, please, give exact internet
references or attach electronic copies. (Not required.)
- You and the world of research: Is there a recent theorem
or open conjecture that you have heard of and that you find
particularly exciting? Please explain. (Not required.)
Participants need to have a working knowledge of English. Please
convince us of your English language skills: either by proof that
the language of instruction (in your mathematics courses) at your
school/university is English, or by scores in the TOEFL test (or
similar), or by a letter from your English teacher. If your native
language is English or if you are at an English-speaking high
school or university, please document that to us.
After preparting all the required information and documents
above, please register at MathHire.org by creating your personal
account. The system will guide you through the registration
process.
Once you have your account activated, in the left side bar menu
you will see Materials. By clicking on Materials, in
a drop-down menu you:
- fill-in a Cover Sheet by inserting your personal data.
Note that information about visa and financial support will be
asked later on.
- upload the proof of English skills and answers to the
questions, as two separate PDF documents, in PDF
Documents.
- fill-in the information about your referees (one or two people)
in Reference Letters. To do this you just need to click
"Request a reference letter" and insert all requested information.
You can leave "Usecase keywords" field blank, or write "For Modern
Mathematics Summer School". Note that requests will be sent once
you click "Send request" button.
After finishing adding documents and information to your
profile, you can submit your application for the school at the link
https://mathhire.org/events/253,
or by following the sequence of clicks Events -->
Events in Academia --> Modern Mathematics -
International Summer School for Students --> Apply.
There you will be ask to choose requested documents from the
drop-down menus, select your referees, and to provide us with your
answers to the questions about visa and financial support. Note
that this information is requested as a plain text, no PDF
uploads. Be aware that the application system doesn't save an
unfinished application. To avoid double-typing please do finish
adding documents and information to your personal profile.
You finish your application to the summer school by clicking a
"submit" button on the bottom of the page. The system will provide
you with a notice of a successful application.
|
