For Mark, this year's ranking results from experience, preparation, and teamwork.
Unlike competitions such as AMC and BMO, HiMCM is not only a test of mathematical ability but rather a multi-disciplinary knowledge with mathematics as the core. To solve practical problems relevant to society, participants must have various skills, such as data collection and analysis, essay writing, etc.
When Mark participated in the previous competition, he asked scholars who excelled in mathematics in his school to form a team. They were enthusiastic but needed more balance and efficiency in preparing for the competition. Compared to the first two times, Mark, who has competed three times, had a more mature mindset and was thinking more holistically about the competition in the face of his upcoming college applications.
From registration to results submission in just 10 days, Mark put together a four-person team across grade levels, considering the efficiency of the division of labor and collaboration.
Michael, a 10th grader, is an old teammate of Mark's, and the two had competed together last year. But with a team of three, they found they needed help to complete their tasks efficiently. To increase their output and allow each person to focus more on their part of the task, they decided to seek more team members this year, forming a four-person team.
Rae, a 9th grader, was the first to join, and she and Michael, both of whom have native speaker skills, complemented Mark's math skills in English writing.
Catherine, a 10th grader, was the finalist. In preparation for the competition, Catherine organized critical data and research related to the topic after the others completed the basic ideas and structure.
Although HiMCM may not seem like a good match for Catherine's direction and significance as a scholar planning to apply to a U.K. university, her research, and summarizing skills helped the team a lot in preparing for the competition, and she gained invaluable experience in the match as well.
As the team captain, Mark has developed excellent leadership skills during this time, finding ways to communicate with members and coordinate the pace to ensure that all modeling and papers and the presentation web blog are completed by the deadline.
"I still remember sitting with Michael on the first floor of the dormitory building on a big winter night when the lights were out, and the two of us were discussing the topic and writing out the results until after 11:00.
It was hard to prepare for the competition, but it was still an outstanding experience. When we get to college, such situation will become a daily routine, and we will get an early taste of hardworking for the project in the competition. Our group members also became closer because we communicated for up to 2-3 hours daily during this time.”
Mark and the team members had their roles to play. Despite the different grade levels, interests, and expertise, the proper coordination and assignment of tasks allowed each other to focus better on their areas. A division of labor made full use of their strengths and a collaboration that integrated the results of the tasks, resulting in a 1+1+1+1>4 outcome.
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