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An annual enrichment program designed to develop deep mathematical thinking and problem-solving skills.
The Correspondence Program offers talented high school students a support in developing their problem solving skills. During the program we will go through a number of methods and tricks to crack challenging mathematical problems and some other fascinating out of curriculum mathematical topics. The program will make students better prepared for various mathematical competitions like AIMO and the Australian Training Tournament.
The program starts in Week 3 of Term 1, mid February and finishes in Term 3, mid September.
In Terms 1 - 3, four times a term, a set of notes on a topic and a problem set with 5 questions will be released. Every participant is expected to read through the notes and then submit a fair attempt to the problems.
The program will be offered in three streams: Junior, Senior and Research. Junior is an entry level stream which should be accessible by brighter high school students, but its level is still higher that most of the Mathematics taught at school. It is followed by more advanced Senior stream. Research stream focuses on research rather than problem solving. It allows participants to feel a flavour of how does the research at the university look like. It is offered to students who have completed the previous two streams.
Every participant will be given a mentor who will give supportive feedback and a score for each question attempted.
There will be a forum where all participants can ask questions, communicate with their peers or with the program staff.
Once a term, a face to face session will be organised at the University of Sydney where participants can meet up. At these sessions we will run ice-breakers, have talks from university lecturers/students on some modern mathematics, interesting maths topics/problems and other mathematical activities.
In Term 3, the program will culminate with the Australian Intermediate Mathematical Olympiad (AIMO), where every participant is encouraged to participate.
In Term 4, every program participant will have an opportunity to take part in the Mathematical Talk Showcase. The groups of 4 - 6 students will undertake a mathematical research project and at the end of the term will present their findings at the showcase. A qualified jury will then select the best talk and the corresponding team will receive small prizes.
The cost of running such a program is not insignificant, and while the School of Maths and Stats, the University of Sydney and Australian Mathematics Trust will be supporting it, we ask attendees to pay a small contribution each term, whatever you are comfortable with.
The base rate is $60 per student per term.
Students who are not able to make this contribution are asked to contact the Program Director to discuss possible workarounds.
Important: the contribution amount will be kept strictly confidential and does not affect what activities the student can participate in, or how the student will be treated, in any way.
Participation is by invitation. Students who have received an invitation may proceed to registration.
Proceed to RegistrationThe second round of invitations will be sent in Week 2 of Term 1 and is based on Maths teachers' and coaches' recommendations. The recommendations should be submitted via MAPS.program@maths.usyd.edu.au. We will select students based on their talent and passion towards Mathematics.
After registration:
There are two pathways:
If you are passionate about maths and want to participate in this program, ask your teacher to contact MAPS.program@maths.usyd.edu.au and write a couple of sentences supporting your passion towards Mathematics. Since the number of places is limited, that will help us to select the right students for the program.
The program is primarily correspondence-based, with optional in-person events.
The primary entrance age is Years 8 - 10. In exceptional cases we may invite younger or older students. For younger ones, we need to be sure that they can cope with the program material.
We expect that students will spend 3-4 hours per fortnight on this program so that they can read through the notes and then submit a fair attempt to the problems. According to the previous years surveys, this time depends on students' engagement and interest and can range between 2 and 14 hours per fortnight.
Almost nothing. The whole program is administered by our staff. You will have an opportunity to track your students' performance if you want to.
If you have a talented student who wants to learn some out of curriculum Mathematics, you may recommend them to this program by emailing the Program Director.
If you receive an invitation for one of your student from us, we kindly ask you to forward it to them.
No formal competition experience is required, though enthusiasm and persistence are important. Talk to your Maths teacher. If they believe that you are enthusiastic and talented enough, they will nominate you to the program.
Not at all! The problems are designed in such a way that students of various levels can benefit from the program. Each problem set usually starts with some easy problems but towards the end some of them may become very tricky and challenging. The marks you receive from your mentor indicate how much you would receive for those problems in a real competition. And quite often in real competitions half marks may deserve a medal.
Yes, and moreover they are encouraged! We encourage you to submit any progress you have made on a problem. More you write, more feedback you get.