2020 Summer Program at Greater Boston Area (Suspended)

This program has completed.

If you have any inquiries please contact us.

Important Notice (04/22/2020)
We are suspending the 2020 summer program at the Greater Boston area and converting it into virtual classes. All registrations are automatically transferred to this newly added online program (check program details)
Location

University of Massachusetts at Lowell, 220 Pawtucket St, Lowell, MA 01854

When

June 28 - July 11, 2020 (Residential students arrive on June 27th and departure on July 12th, 2020).

Who

Programs are intended for students from the 4th to 11th grades

Why

IDEA MATH provides in-depth enrichment in important mathematical areas, particularly in the fields from which contest problems are drawn: algebra, combinatorics, geometry, and number theory. We believe students learn best by discovering, rather than simply memorizing, essential theorems and techniques. Our process puts students at the center of the classes, as students work together to develop their ideas. Our instructors lead this process by teaching vital ideas, giving meaningful examples, and guiding students through the problem-solving process.

How

We apply seminar-style teaching in our classes. Class sizes are small to ensure that students receive plenty of individual attention. Students are expected to work as a group and present their solutions and ideas to the class.

What are some unique strengths of IDEA MATH that distinguish it from other (summer/winter/online/weekend) math programs?

The unique strengths of IDEA MATH can be summarized as follows:

  1. Comprehensive and well-tested teaching materials, modeled after the training materials of the Phillips Exeter Academy math team. (Check curriculum)
  2. Strong team of instructors, consisting of front-line teachers, coaches, and top former students. (Check Staff Page)
  3. Emphasis on student leadership and the development of an attitude conducive to learning.
  4. Focus on schools and the local math community.

For more details, please visit our FAQ page.

Courses Offered*

In order to meet the needs of the students with different mathematical backgrounds, IDEA MATH projects the following course offers: PC0, PCA, PC1, PC2, PCX, UC1, UC2, UC3, RC1, MO1, MO2, MO3. When enrollments allow, we will also offer new courses such as RC0, RCX, MO4, etc.

IDEA MATH provides an extensive curriculum. Two of the major strength of our program -- a strong academic team and a full range of materials which allow us to provide proper new courses/groups to meet the needs of the student body.

Some courses might run multiple sections -- we do our best to make sure our classes are small sized classes.

Please visit detailed curriculum grid for more information of IDEA MATH courses.

Program Schedule

Program Classes Schedule

There are 12 full academic days in this program, they are:

1st Academic Block (5 teaching days) June 28 - July 2, 2020
2nd Academic Block (4 teaching days) July 4 - July 7, 2020
3rd Academic Block (3 teaching days) July 9 - July 11, 2020

Residential students arrive on June 27th and departure on July 12th, 2020. The academic activities start on June 28, 2020. For detailed arrival and pick up information, please check our summer program FAQ.

The first day for day students will be June 28, 2020(first day of class) while the last day is July 11, 2020 (last day of class). Day students are welcome to join the break day activities (without charge). We will also offer school bus transportation from various Massachusetts location (based on students need) to IDEA MATH Program site. Extra charge will apply and space is limited. Check our summer program FAQ for details.


Daily Schedule

The following is the daily schedule on an academic day:

   7:30 A.M. - 8:45 A.M.    Breakfast
   8:45 A.M. - 9:15 A.M.    Day students arrive
   9:15 A.M. - 12:30 P.M.    Morning classes
   12:30 P.M. - 1:45 P.M.    Lunch and free time
   1:45 P.M. - 5:00 P.M.    Afternoon classes
   5:00 P.M. - 7:15 P.M.    Dinner and supervised activities
   5:00 P.M. - 5:45 P.M.    Day students depart (buses depart at 5:30 P.M.)
   7:30 P.M. - 9:30 P.M.    Supervised recreational and academic activities
   9:30 P.M. - 10:30 P.M.    Social gathering
   10:45 P.M.    Lights out

Day students who wish to attend supervised evening recreational and academic activities at the residential program may do so for an additional fee.


Placement and Placement Test

All students will take placement test on the first morning on the first academic day of this summer program. You may select the course you wish to take when you register for the summer program. The purpose of the placement test is to group students with similar backgrounds together, and then our teachers will find proper materials to work with each group/section.

Targeted course PC0/PCA PC1/PC2 PCX/UC1 UC2/UC3 RC Level Courses MO Level Courses
Corresponding Placement Test T0 T1 T2 T3 T4 T5

It is important for each applicant to input accurate, complete, detailed, and up-to-date academic background information (age, grade level, math courses taken, official contest scores, etc.) in the applicant's IDEA MATH student account. We review this information to make initial course placement/placement test level decisions.

If a placement test is needed, we will ask the student to take the placement test in one of our open online/onsite placement test sessions. We will find the most proper course placement based on the information entered in the student’s IDEA MATH account and (if applicable) placement test work. Please note that our academic team will make the final decision on your course placement based upon your academic background and your work in the placement test. (Further course placement adjustment can be made, by our academic team, based upon your class work.)

*: If registered by this date, the $50 testing fee is waived for students who registered for the summer program and paid the $50 summer program registration fee.


Application

Application and Tuition Payment Schedule

Early
  Application Completed by* Application Fee Tuition paid by Tuition Amount
Day May 15, 2020 $50 (non-refundable) May 30, 2020 $1765
Residential May 15, 2020 $50 (non-refundable) May 30, 2020 $3465

* Applicants are considered as a returning student if he/she was in our summer, weekend or winter programs within the last 15 months. The returning student in good standing will be automatically enrolled in the summer programs if the student complete the payments for application fee ($50, nonrefundable) and tuition by May 30, 2020 (2020/05/30).


Regular
  Application Completed by* Application Fee Tuition paid by Tuition Amount
Day June 1, 2020 $50 (non-refundable) June 10, 2020** $1895
Residential June 1, 2020 $50 (non-refundable) June 26, 2020** $3695

Note: We will offer a $200 tuition scholarship/discount to each residential student ($100 tuition scholarship/discount to each day student) who meets any one (or more) of the following(please note one discount per person per program):
    2019 or 2020 MATHCOUNTS National Round Participants
    2019 or 2020 USAJMO qualifier
    2019 or 2020 USAMO qualifier
A copy of proof is needed. Scholarship check will be given to each qualified student upon his or her completion of the program.

* The application is ONLY considered completed when all the application material are submitted.

** After this date, a late fee will be applied to the tuition: residential program tuition starting from $3895, day program tuition starting from $2085.


Application Procedure

Step 1: Create your IDEA MATH account here if you do not have one yet.


Step 2: Log into your account and register for IDEA MATH 2020 Summer Program at the Greater Boston Area.


Step 3: Select a course or placement test level*

For returning student, please select a course or placement test level per the following information: the most recent course taken at our program, your recommended course, and your most recent contest scores. It is important to update your academic information in your account. Up to date academic information will help us to work with you during the placement process.

For new student, please select a course or placement test level that you wish to take. It is important for each new applicant to answer all questions accurately and provide detailed information. In particular, age, high school graduation year, detailed math background -- courses taken, official contests taken and official scores (rather than ranks) should be included.


Step 4: Prepare your application material

Our summer program application material will consist of the following:

  1. Student Short Essay (waived for returning students in good standing*) An applicant who is new to our program should write 200-300 words on an activity (not necessary on math) in which the applicant is passionate about. Please include your name and (4-digit IDEA MATH student/account) ID number in your essay (for example, John Doe (ID 1234)).**
  2. Letter of Recommendation from a school teacher (waived for returning students in good standing*) Recommendation letters must be completed by your current school teachers, preferably your math teacher. The letter should address the student's learning interests, study habits, peer relations, and ability to follow instructions. The teacher can use his/her own format, or use our standard form**
  3. Application fee ($50) can be sent by check or paid by credit card online.

* Applicants are considered as a returning student if he/she was in our summer, weekend or winter programs within the last 15 months. A returning student in good standing with our programs can enjoy the following benefits:
(a) The requirements for Student Short Essay and Letter of Recommendation are waived;
(b) The student will be automatically enrolled in the summer programs if the student complete the payments for (nonrefundable) application fee ($50) by March 31, 2020 (2020/03/31) and tuition by April 15, 2020 (2020/04/15).
** Please refer step 5 for how to submit the summer program registration material.

Step 5: Submitting application material

All application material can be submitted online from your IDEA MATH account. Log into your IDEA MATH, go to my registrations, select the "2020 Summer Program at Greater Boston Area then click "Check Registration Details", check the "Application Material" section, click "Review/Edit" button, then following the instruction on the screen to upload student essay and teacher's recommendation letter.

Step 6: Admission

After we receive your materials, we will process the materials and certain status in your account will be updated. (For example, status codes like A for admitted, I for incomplete application, etc.) Please login to your account to see the updates. When you are admitted, you will also receive an email about your admission. The tuition payment option will be available in your account.


Step 7: Make Tuition Payment

You can either login to your account to make the tuition payment by credit card online (the tuition payment option will be available in your account) or you can mail the tuition check.

Our mailing address is IDEA MATH, P.O. Box 338, Exeter, NH 03833-0338 .

As a returning student in good standing, the recommendation letter and student essay are waived and you have the option to pay (nonrefundable) application fee ($50) by March 31, 2020 (2020/03/31) and tuition by April 15, 2020 (2020/04/15). and your spot is guaranteed. If you register after the March 31 deadline, we will process your application along with regular applicants.

Note that registration is only the first step of towards enrollment. Enrollment (for each session) is completed only after the tuition is paid in full.


Contact IDEA MATH

As always, we welcome parents' specific academic questions about our curriculum and teaching styles, as well as students' class-work and preparation. Please contact info@ideamath.org.

Tuition Refund Policy For Each Session

IDEA MATH provides the following tuition refund amount per schedule posted it here:

Withdraw Request Made by* Refund Amount
Before May 31, 2020 Paid Tuition - $200
After May 31, before June 14, 2020 Paid Tuition * 80% - $200
After June 14, before 1st day of classes Paid Tuition * 50% - $200
After 1st day of classes No refund

Please note bus fee is non-refundable and non-transferable.

Please note that only tuition is refundable per the above policy. Other fees such as the application fee, the registration fee, and the placement testing fee are non-refundable and non-transferable.

To request a refund and withdraw your student, please send a complete request in writing to info@ideamath.org. You must include the payee name and mailing address matching the information in the student's account in order for your request to be deemed complete and submitted. Please include "Refund Request" and the student's name in the subject line. The amount of the refund will be based on the time that a complete request is submitted; incomplete requests will not be deemed to meet deadlines for withdrawal.

If the student is ill and chooses to withdraw from the program, we can offer prorated credit (proportional based upon the first refund policy: paid tuition deducted by $200) towards a future program. A note from a licensed physician is required. The same policy applies if the IDEA MATH staff determine that your student must withdraw due to illness in order to protect the health and welfare of other students.

For all purposes related to this refund policy, a day shall be deemed to begin at 12:01am local time of US Eastern Standard Time Zone (EST).

Staff Information will be available soon!

General FAQ links

Main program FAQ page. For general program information such as teaching method, class size, core courses, admission, placement, etc.

Summer Program Registration FAQ. For summer program registration information, such as how to upload your application material, how to sign up for buses.

2020 Summer Program at the Greater Boston Area FAQ

Here are some questions that are frequently asked. If you have additional questions, please email info@ideamath.org

Question 1: What is the typical schedule of a day? What does my typical day look like, when we have class? What about when we don't have class? What do we (in particular, a residential program student) do during free time?

On days with classes, please note that classes and evening study sessions take up a significant portion of the day. There is still ample time, however, during allotted free times throughout the day for students to spend time with each other. Frisbee, for example, has been a popular sport among the students.

Class consists of a variety of activities, ranging from lectures, individual problem-solving, and solution presentations that will keep the students active and interested.

Please refer to here for a detailed daily schedule.

On days without classes, we have arranged recreational activities for the students to enjoy.


Question 2: How much is the tuition for the summer camp, and are scholarships and/or sibling discounts offered?

For the detailed tuition information (amount and due date), please see: here

We offer a scholarship to residential and day students who is USA(J)MO qualifiers or MathCounts national qualifiers during the current or previous academic year. This scholarship will be given to enrolled students onsite upon completion of the program. For details, please visit here

We do not offer sibling discount.


Question 3: Are the meals included in the program?

Lunch is included for full day/residential program students.

Breakfast and dinner are included for full residential program students. Dinner is included for day program students who signed up for evening activities. (For residential program students, dinner is included on the arrival day, breakfast is included on the departure day.)

Our meals are from the university dining service.


Question 4: What do students do during lunch time (besides eating lunch)?

Students have lunch first. After lunch, they have some recreational activities (Frisbee, playing varies card games and board games. All activities are under staff supervision.


Question 5: Are calculators and other electronic devices allowed in the camp?

We do not stop students from bringing electronic devices to IDEA MATH. However, we forbid inappropriate use of these electronic devices for instance, playing online games on one's computer will constitute as an inappropriate usage. The staff will enforce these rules at their discretion. Needless to say, the usage of any electronic devices during class will be strictly forbidden by the instructors.

Nevertheless, we highly encourage students to not bring their laptops or other high-powered devices to camp, as they tend to distract the students from learning instead of aiding the students.


Questions relating to the Day Program
Question 6: Will there be transportation for day students to go to program daily?

We provide bus routes to take students from various Massachusetts locations to our program site. For summer 2020, we plan to offer the bus service from the following locations to our summer program location and the estimated cost per person is $190 per student.

Bus Stops Estimated Morning Departure Time Estimated Afternoon/Evening Arrival Time
Lexington High School (251 Waltham Street, Lexington, MA) Class day: 8:20 am
Break day: 8:50 am
Bus leaves IDEA MATH site around 5:10 pm
Valley Plaza - 160 Littleton Rd, Westford, MA Class day: 8:35 am
Break day: 9:10 am
Bus leaves IDEA MATH site around 5:10 pm

Please note: we, IDEA MATH, always try our best to service our students to best our capabilities, while determining the bus lines we fully take the students need into consideration. Therefore, the bus lines may be adjusted yearly based on our students' commute need.


Question 7: How will my child (in particular, who is enrolled in the residential program) receive proper attention at camp, away from home?

The well-being of the students is our priority. Well-being is defined in the largest sense possible, encompassing physical health, emotional comfort, and growth as an individual.

Each student will be assigned to a counselor, who is responsible for looking after the student and making sure he/she adjusts well to the camp, both academically and socially. Medical problems will receive prompt attention, by a camp nurse or a hospital, when appropriate.

Please notify us (info@ideamth.org) of any dietary restrictions, special needs, or any other information that will help us accommodate your child.


Question 8: What are the evening activities? If I (the student) am a day student, can I participate the evening activities? If so, how.

Evening activities cover dinner, recreational activities between dinner and study hall, and study hall supervised by instructors and/or assistants. The day students are welcome to participate.


Question 9: I (the student) am a day student, do I need to check-in to the program on the arrival day of the residential program.

No you do not. All day students will check-in to the program on the first class day.


Question 10: If (the student) am a day student, can I join the (residential) program (recreational) activities on the non-academic days? If so, do I need to pay extra fees?

Yes, you are welcome to join the (residential) program (recreational) activities on the non-academic days, and there are NO extra charge. For students who wish to participate the activities on break days, please log into your account, go to 2020 IDEA MATH Summer program at Greater Boston Area registration to register for break day activities.


Questions relating to the Residential Program
Question 11. If I (the student) am travelling by air and arrive at the Boston Logan International Airport, how will I be picked up from the airport? At the end of the program, how will I be dropped off at the airport?

We will offer shuttles to take students from Logan international airport to our program location from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm.

IDEA MATH staff members wait for the students at the airport, group them according to arrival time and put them on the shuttle.

We will charge an extra $25 if the students arrives after 6:00 pm but before 8:00 pm, after 8:00 pm, we will charge $60.

At the end of the program, students will be grouped and shuttled to the airport per their departure time.

In both cases, the students will be fully supervised by IDEA MATH staff. Please indicate on your registration form the travel itinerary (i.e. the arrival time and the departure time) so that our staff is fully informed.

Important! All the students who need airport pickup should register for airport pickup and enter the flight information online. To do so, you need to

a. log into your IDEA MATH account.

b. Select "My Registration". And select check details for 2020 IDEA MATH summer program at Greater Boston Area.

c. At registration page, if the student travel as an accompanied minor, please select whether the student will need airport pickup as an unaccompanied minor and/or drop-off as an unaccompanied minor (fee may apply)

d. After selecting the applicable airport pick up option, please click the link under "Pick up Info" to enter your detailed airline and flight information.


Questions 12: If I (the student) am very young, can I fly alone?

Different airlines have different age limits for flying along. Please make sure to check with each individual airline on this issue before you purchase your ticket. If you are indeed flying in (to either Boston, MA or Manchester, NH) as an unaccompanied minor, please make sure to set up the arrangements with the airline AND inform us all the detailed arrangements THREE WEEKS prior the program starts. An additional charge may apply.


Questions 13: I (the student) am an international student and I need visa coming to US, do you provide visa invitation and/or I-20 form?

We provide an invitation letter to assist you get the visa. We do not offer the I-20 form.


Questions 14: What is the check-in time for residential students on arrival day? What is the check-out time for residential students on departure day?

The residential students can check-in on the first day (arrival day) of the program from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm.

The residential students can check-out on the last day (departure day) of the program from 8:30 am to 11:30 am.


Question 15: What is the living situation for residential students? Do they have roommates?

The residential students stay in the dormitories on the IDEA MATH summer program campus. Students by default are assigned roommates, two or three to a room, unless they have special needs. If this is the case, please notify us before hand, and we will review each request and give permissions accordingly. Additional charges may apply in that case.


Question 16: Are there local hotels around UMASS Lowell?

Here is the list of hotels that around UMASS LOWELL - https://www.uml.edu/About/visit/stay/


Academics
Question 17: Are calculators and other electronic devices allowed in the camp?

We do not stop students from bringing electronic devices to IDEA MATH. However, we still forbid inappropriate uses of these electronic devices for instance, playing online games on one's computer will constitute as an inappropriate usage. The staff will enforce these rules at their discretion. Needless to say, the usage of any electronic devices during class will be strictly forbidden by the instructors.

Nevertheless, we highly encourage students to not bring their laptops or other high-powered devices to camp, as they tend to distract the students from learning, instead of aiding the students


Recreation/Daily Life
Question 18: What do we do during free time? What does my average day look like, when do we have class? What about when we don't have class?

On days with classes, please note that classes and evening study sessions take up a significant portion of the day. There is still ample time, however, during allotted free times throughout the day for students to spend time with each other. Frisbee, for example, has been a popular sport among the students.

Furthermore, we will like to emphasize that while classes and evening sessions take up a lot of time, it will not consist of monotonous lectures. Class consists of a variety of activities, ranging from lectures, individual problem-solving, and solution presentations that will keep the students active and interested.

Please refer to here for a detailed daily schedule.

On days without classes, we have arranged recreational activities for the students to enjoy.