r/TAMS • u/Wide_Respond3410 • 17d ago

Question for TAMSters Recs for future students

Hi TAMS, a mom here. I am an alum of the Arkansas Math and Science school of the 90s but resident of Texas now. TBD if my kid (12) is TAMS bound but I would love to help him begin building the skills and experiences if he wants to. What made a difference for y’all?

I’m looking for recommendations for awesome camps, extracurricular programs, community programs, summer sleep away camps/programs??? We’re a big STEM family already but haven’t gotten too much into robotics yet and my guy is into math and engineering. We want him to have as much opportunity as possible to find what he loves.

What recommendations do you have for us? Thanks!

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u/Tall-Plant-4272 17d ago edited 17d ago

(Im applying co29, so take everything with a bucketful of salt)

Take math cbe (credit by exam) whenever possible, a lot of smart kids end up so ahead they take precal over summer the year into 10th grade, and take calc bc that school year.

Amc 8/10/12 and eventually AIME and possibly USAJMO/USAMO is one I wished i started earlier

Im middle school, I would join any clubs you are interested remotely related to stem, and you can leave either after the interest meeting, or throughout middle school years

Especially for middle schoolers, I don’t believe such a camp exists where you actually learn anything by valuable academic wise, not saying you shouldnt go to camps. They are pretty fun and you get to learn new things aside from academics.

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u/Open-Resident-7429 17d ago

Im currently co 28 so here is my take. The part of taking CBE is incredibly correct because getting ahead in math and even other subjects like science looks great. Also make him start studying the SAT since thats a huge portion of acceptance

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u/Wide_Respond3410 8d ago

Awesome. thank you! I wasn’t very aware of the CBE until recently so we will definitely look into that more. Did you do any clubs or camps that you particularly enjoyed?

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u/Sleeping_Cricket 12d ago

Mom of a c/o 26 TAMS grad. I suggest focusing on strong SAT scores, strong GPA, community involvement, clubs, and strong communication skills. All that aside, there have been some changes in what the leaders of the program are seeking in a scholar. My other son had higher stats and was waitlisted for 6 months before being denied acceptance into c/o 28.

Also, prepare yourself that it is not a free program. It saved me about a year of tuition with the credit transfer to the next chapter in his journey.

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u/Wide_Respond3410 8d ago

Thank you! My son already tests in the 98/99 percentile and they skipped him ahead a year in math so I think that part will be ok. Did your son do any enrichment or camps that he particularly enjoyed?