MathCon Finals took place at McCormick Place in Chicago on May 11. There were 34,000 U.S. and Canadian students who competed, and the top-scoring 628 were invited to the finals. The five Kent School students who participated were Arthur Illdge ’25, Aaron Shin ’27, Selina Zhang ’28, William Xia ’28, and Jerry Xu ’28, all of whom ranked in the top 5% of their grade in the first round.
They students found the time limit to be one of the most difficult aspects of the competition. They have to solve 32 challenging math questions within 100 minutes, and this requires them to be extremely familiar with question types and recognize the quickest, simplest approaches. Additionally, the “none of the above” option tricked them. Under normal conditions, if their answer does not fall into available options in multiple-choice questions, they can re-check for errors. Yet the “none of the above” option does not allow them to see whether their solution is in or out. This requires their complete faith in solutions and careful cross-checking of their process.
There were many memorable experiences on the MathCon trip. They enjoyed the beauty of the University of Chicago campus, the sparkling waters of Lake Michigan, the thriving Chicago Loop, and the hustle and bustle of Chinatown. Most of all, they enjoyed the camaraderie within the team. They ate hot pot together in Chinatown, explored bustling Chicago together, and prepared for the competition at the hotel. When Arthur ’25 was competing in the Rubik’s Cube competition, the rest of the team all went to cheer him on. Ultimately, Arthur ’25 won fourth place among all participants. This camaraderie also boosted their confidence, as they ended up placing third as a team. Arthur won 3rd place overall among 12th graders, while Aaron, Selina, and William each earned Honorable Mention.
They reaffirmed their consensus that math requires abundant practice to achieve accuracy and speed. They also recognized the importance of having a full team to make this trip possible. They are deeply grateful to their team members, teachers, Math Department, and the school for motivating them and giving them the platform to show their potential. Last but not least, they all find this trip to be successful, and they find themselves more interested in mathematics.
Congratulations to Arthur, Aaron, Selina, William, and Jerry. Go Lions!
