I might already be too late, but i don't want to give up

[Dark0707]

They say that an object's true worth strikes a person when it is slipping out of his hands. I would say that is pretty much my case. I have had my eyes set on getting into an ivy league school for a while now, only to realize, after prolonged searching, that i have been ignorant of some of the more important parts. Now on the verge of probably my last chance to do something to alter my previous decisions, i turn to this thread for some advice.

This is my last year doing A levels, and i thought i should give the olympiad a try, even though my odds of being successful might be feign. I searched some sites regarding the IMO, downloaded some books by renowned authors, including Titu Andreescu, Dusan Djukic, Paul Zeitz and was able to get some insight. Don't get me wrong, i am a huge math enthusiast. I remember doing IBA entrance exam maths during my O-levels just for killing time. I lost a student who i used to tutor, because she thought i was discussing unnecessary math problems with her In A levels i took both maths and further pure maths, regardless of the fact that i knew it was quite unnecessary, and basically self-inflicted pain. I just found out about the importance of IMO a bit too late.

So the big question here is, WHERE TO BEGIN? I checked some questions from the sites on higher secondary category and failed to solve most, if not all. Should i just keep on reading more books or is there some other approach? Next month there will be an olympiad at NDC and i plan to attend it. Any advice on how to prepare for it?

[nayel]

If you are thinking of maths (more specifically, going to IMO) as a means of getting into good universities then you might want to give up on it, because it's never gonna work. If you truly are a maths enthusiast then you should not have asked this question, because what you're asking is like "how should I have fun with maths?" I believe people find their own way of having fun, not ask others how to do it.

And you said you downloaded some books. If you really did, why don't you just start reading them? They might shed some light on your path; you can't really solve problems without knowing how to solve them.

I'm sorry if my words sound rude, but I am really sick of answering the same question over and over again.

[Dark0707]

Well why not? If getting into a good school motivates me to get get involved with the IMO, how is it a bad idea? And besides, i have repeatedly taken more and more difficult math courses in my curriculum, not because i wanted to get into a good school (i didn't even know they give so much priority to those who excel in maths), but rather because i wanted to take them. Its just that, i was never in proper company who would advise me go to the IMO.

And yes, i have read a few of them. But i am having a hard time understanding the theories from the books of "The art of problem solving," Most books by titu adreescu seem quite complex. While there are others that are easy to get, i just had to ask if i should focus on the aforementioned books or not.

Also, are there going to be any bootcamps in the recent future, within dhaka? I would very much like to attend them.

[nayel]

Because you can't just "get involved" with IMO like that. Doing well in IMO requires patience, years of practice and passion for mathematics. What you want is to become a hardcore problem solver overnight. That is why it is never going to happen.

School maths is completely different from IMO maths.

I don’t think most people who go to IMO are advised by others to go to IMO.

The advice I have been giving most people to do well in olympiads is to start with the book Art and Craft of Problem Solving.

And for your last question, I don’t know. You might want to ask someone from the olympiad committee.

Hope that helped.

[Mohaimin]

Also, are there going to be any bootcamps in the recent future, within dhaka? I would very much like to attend them.

I run a math club with my friends in Dhaka: Ramanujan Gonit Songho. You are welcome to our weekly sessions. Join the group in facebook for regular notification.

You really need not learn a lot of theories to enjoy mathematics. Stop reading books you dont understand at all. Keep them for future and concentrate on maths you love if you are targeting "Entertainment". Eventually you will find yourself understanding the books you left for future.

As Nayel already mentioned, doing mathematics for something else will not work. Be very sure about that. Problem-Solvers has their own culture and they do problem-solving only for problem-solving. The contests and other things are secondary and come to those who deserve. You will get those things if you deserve.

Because of the math club I mentioned, I have met a lot of people who claims themselves to be math-enthusiastic. Unfortunately, very few last after they have passed higher secondary level, when there are very fewer scopes of contests. Get yourself in the culture of problem solving. Lets check how long you can last.

[Dark0707]

yes, i know that very well that it cannot be achieved over a night. That's why the title reads "I might already be too late, but i don't want to give up."
Anyway, thanks guys for the info.
Mohaimin, i found the group on facebook and will definitely try to attend the lecture on Number Theory on the 1st of july. Is there anything i should study before hand so that i can understand everything completely?

[Moon]

First of all, I appreciate that you want to get involved in problem solving i.e. math Olympiad.

First of all, it is never too late. Many great problem solvers have excelled at later age.

Second, if your motivation is for math Olympiad is to get into a good college then please don't bother to solve problems, because (as other people have already mentioned) it simply won't work. If you come to any math camp, you'll see that these people breathe mathematics and solve problems even while eating. (No, these people are not typical nerds; some of them are dazzlingly smart).

I would just wish that you'll take math Olympiad as a recreation, which will inspire you to solve any kind of problem and, in general, to think about problem. At the end of the day (maybe after 10 years) you'll understand that those are more important than getting into a fancy, 'brand college'.

Yeah, I'll go to one of those so called ivy-leagues, but at any day if they asked which one was life altering experience -- getting involved with problem solving or getting into these colleges, I would, without any hesitation, choose the first one.

So... best of luck!

[Dark0707]

Thats great man, must be a dream come true. Any tips for us simpler ones?
Btw, are you tarik adnan moon, the administrator of the ramanujan fb group? I added you but didn't get a reply. I'm Imran Niloy.