Hampshire College Summer Studies in Mathematics
Hampshire College Summer Studies in Mathematics, abbreviated HCSSiM, is a 6-week summer program intended for the studies of mathematics founded in 1971 by David C. Kelly. HCSSiM takes place at Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts usually through July and into August.
A typical day of the program (Mon-Sat) includes three meals, 4 hours of learning mathematics, a Prime Time Theorem, and 3 hours of problem sessions. On Wednesdays math movies are shown before problem sessions and on Saturday non-math movies are shown instead of problem sessions. Afternoons are devoted to rest, recreation, and student led activites. Sundays are like afternoons unless a trip or activity is organized.
During the first half of the program, students are partitioned into workshops led by a college professor and 2 or 3 undergraduates or graduates. In this workshop, a wide variety of college level mathematics is taught such as set theory, number theory, group theory, and graph theory.
During the second half of the program, students choose which subjects they would like to learn about more in depth. One maxi and two minis are chosen. Subjects offered from previous years include Probability, Polytopes, Origami Math, Theoretical Computer Science, Dynamics and Fractals, 4-Dimensional Geometry, Topology, and Topological Graph Theory.
Applying to HCSSiM
You can apply to HCSSiM at http://hcssim.org. The application process includes a friendly letter, a recommendation by a sponsor, and taking the Interesting Test. A student cannot attend Hampshire more than once except for very special circumstances.
