On Friday, November 7, a group of Loyola students from various grades bravely set out for Harvard. They weren’t alone, as thousands of other students from around the globe flocked to chilly Cambridge, Massachusetts, with a common goal: win the Harvard-MIT Mathematics Competition (HMMT).
The HMMT is a biannual math competition that was founded in 1998. The competition is organized entirely by students from Harvard and MIT and aims to increase interest in mathematics among high school students. The questions draw from high school
level mathematics but are challenging and non-standard. They are also categorized into different rounds, including individual, theme, team, and guts. Loyola HMMT participant Kian Wong ‘27 noted, “The questions on the test were very fun and were less about strict computation and brute force and more about finding tricks and shortcuts.”
The competition attracted the best of the best, bringing in seasoned competitive high school math teams from all over the world. Despite the Cubs’ best effort, unfortunately, Loyola was unable to come out on top. Kai Beck ‘27 stated, “Loyola may not be the most competitive team there, but it was a great experience to have the opportunity to learn and challenge ourselves, along with being able to explore some of the East Coast, the first time for many of us.” It is important to recognize every team member’s dedication to the team. From weekly meetings on Thursdays at lunch to self-studying their own fields, each member’s contribution is commendable.
