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I am the director of my university's mathematics honors program, and we just had an inquiry from the parent of a 15 year old who has already completed most of the math courses for a standard undergraduate degree (and who is already sitting in on grad classes).

The problem is that the kid isn't interested in taking anything but mathematics. Standardized tests indicate that he's no slouch at the sciences and reading/writing, but he wants to do math all the time. I haven't seen the details of his application, but everything points towards him being extraordinarily gifted in mathematical ability.

Our program can handle him, but my feeling is that he should go to the most prestigious place possible. Are there any top-notch programs out there that would let a student focus almost entirely on mathematics for their undergraduate degree?

Edit: Thanks everyone for the responses!

  • 3
    I've heard good things about the Langlands program.2011-11-17
  • 8
    Not to sound pessimistic, but you should have an interview with the child before thinking about anything else, to determine the the breadth and depth of his knowledge. Parents (who aren't also mathematicians) of gifted childen often do not understand the state of their childs knowledge, and embellish or over estimate some achievements. I have tutored several children whose parents were unaware their child was lacking fundamentals quite seriously in certain areas. Before we rush him off to Harvard, check if maybe an extra year or two building a solid foundation would help.2011-11-17
  • 2
    Question: @Todd Is he not interested in competition math? I saw that this is Ohio University, and on the state math team / numerous state competitions / USAMO records in Ohio, I (nor my friends) have never seen a 15 year old... If not, let him know about these (and especially the state math team for ARML!)2011-11-17
  • 7
    He needs to be someplace where he’s in no danger of running out of math courses, but I don’t think that he’d be particularly well served by being permitted to focus almost entirely on mathematics as an undergraduate.2011-11-17
  • 2
    He should go to Cambridge, UK. Firstly, the mathematics degree consists of nothing but mathematics. Secondly, they have Part III, which offers a choice of over 80 courses for 4th year students. Most people who have done Part III and stay in Cambridge for the PhD continue going to Part III courses throughout their PhD career, so not many would be in danger of running out of things to learn. Also, I don't know about Cambridge, but Oxford for example has hands on experience with having a 13 year old in their undergraduate program.2011-11-17
  • 7
    I disagree with Brian M. Scott. He should certainly be made aware of what's good about other fields of study, but the principal fault of nearly all systems of education is that they try to coerce people to become educated. There would be a lot more education if it were made available to those who want it rather than forced on everybody.2011-11-17
  • 0
    [This thread on MO](http://mathoverflow.net/questions/89720/how-to-mentor-an-exceptional-high-school-student) might be of some interest.2012-03-08

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