The Hampshire College Summer Studies in Mathematics program or HCSSiM is….unusual. If you check out their website, you’ll see a quirkiness indicating a community that makes math fun. They are obsessed with the number 17, teach “Unusual Courses”, and list a daily schedule that includes “8:34–Bear Wrestling; 1:34–Write a paper on the influence of novel broccoli cultivation methods on Brezhnev’s foreign policy; 17:00–Stare at a wall until 6:00.” And, most obviously, they are obsessed with yellow pigs. Really, yo
u should check out the website.
It’s evident that Hampshire has a fundamental belief, which I share, that good math + strong community = a transformational experience.
HCSSiM is an intensive six week program for high school students–this year from July 2nd to August 12th. The program doesn’t have a firm application deadline, as they admit students on a rolling basis (the website suggests that the earlier you apply the better, and that June is probably too late). HCSSiM offers financial aid and asserts that financial need has no bearing on admissions.