About Math Competitions

今年的AMC 10, 12已经考完了。关于数学竞赛，我认为贵在参与。这是孩子们挑战自我的机会，在这个过程中不只可以学到新的数学知识，还可以培养良好的学习习惯和做人品质。只要孩子们有兴趣，我鼓励他们参加这样的活动，但我也觉得什么事情都要适可而止，孩子们只要跟自己比较就好了，不需要同学之间，家长之间互相攀比，也不需要太功利。我认识几位数学竞赛成绩很好的孩子，不只成绩好，为人也很优秀，他们最终拿到了US Presidential Scholarship，我觉得是实至名归。跟他们聊起来，发现他们谦逊，大度，做学问非常专业，知无不言，言无不尽。比起竞赛成绩，我更欣赏他们的为人。

数学竞赛也是有利有弊，对思维可能会变成一种束缚。懂得多有懂得多的好处，懂得少也有懂得少的好处。我们读博的时候，几个老师流行什么都不给，连论文题目都不给，说让我们先尽情挖掘自己的想法，好好利用白纸一张这个状态，不要被已有的科学知识束缚住了。被这样训练出来的学生大部分留在了学术界，做得都很不错。有些奥数奖牌或者少年班的天才儿童后来反而比较平凡，有本科辍学的，有博士读不下来的，说自己“不擅长科研”，或者毕业以后直接去做重复性工作的。结论是我们做事情要有自己的主线，正确利用数学竞赛这些资源和机会，有计划有安排地进行，而不是盲目跟风追求成绩。

薛老师

2023年11月20日

This year's AMC 10 and 12 exams have already been completed. Regarding math competitions, I believe the value lies in participation. These events provide children with opportunities to challenge themselves. Through this process, they not only learn new mathematical concepts but also develop good study habits and personal qualities. As long as the children are interested, I encourage them to participate, but I also believe that everything should be done in moderation. I don’t see a need for parents to compare their children's performance with that of others or to push too hard for honors simply to feel better in conversations with others. Every child is different; interest is the key to success, and children should be allowed to lead and shine in their own way.

I know a few children who have excelled in math competitions. Not only are their academic results impressive, but they are also outstanding individuals. When talking to them, I found them humble, generous, and very professional in their approach to learning and communication. They share their knowledge openly and thoroughly. Compared to their grades, I admire their character even more. They eventually received the US Presidential Scholarship, which I believe they truly deserve.

Math competitions have both advantages and disadvantages, and at times, they can limit creativity. There are benefits to knowing a lot, but there are also advantages to knowing less. When we were pursuing our PhDs, some professors followed the practice of giving us nothing—no specific topics, not even paper titles. They encouraged us to explore our own ideas fully, to take advantage of a blank slate, and not be constrained by existing scientific knowledge. Most of the students trained in this way stayed in academia and did very well. On the other hand, some children who were once math competition medalists later led relatively ordinary lives. Some dropped out of college, some couldn’t finish their PhD studies, claiming they “weren’t good at research”, or went on to do repetitive jobs after graduation.

In summary, I believe we should make proper use of the resources and opportunities provided by math competitions, but approach them with a plan and purpose, rather than blindly following trends and chasing after grades.

Dr. Xue

Nov 20, 2023