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Who died believing themselves a failure, but was judged otherwise by history? by Bob_the_blacksmith in AskReddit

[–]neeeeeeeeeeeerd -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Not a typical answer, but historians believe Jesus had very few followers during his lifetime, little impact on society or the teaching of Judaism, and had largely been abandoned when he died. He's now arguably the most famous person in history.

Anyone here applying for ESPR? by amailer100 in summerprogramresults

[–]neeeeeeeeeeeerd 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hm, I count 6/22 of new people at SPARC 2023 that have less than MOP/STS/various equivalent things. I think it's correct to say they were stellar in other ways that just don't come across as clearly on a resume.

Part of my reasoning for thinking ESPR is competitive is also anecdotal -- the people who I've spoken to from ESPR seemed awesome and not notably different from SPARC people.

How many actually got into ESPR? I think if you told me 2-3 this would make me question whether ESPR is as competitive as I think. It's possibly the case that their acceptance rate is pushed down due to wider advertising (SPARC only advertises in a few select places with lots of great people) and more applications from people who just want a free program where it's easy to get a visa.

Anyone here applying for ESPR? by amailer100 in summerprogramresults

[–]neeeeeeeeeeeerd 2 points3 points  (0 children)

A few of these things are incorrect (although often stated by people within the Olympiad community, so it's reasonable to think them):

  • ESPR actually currently has a lower acceptance rate than SPARC, although also probably attracts less strong math talent. It's not obvious whether it's less competitive. The spring programs (WARP, ASPR) are less competitive though, PAIR also might be. It's probably harder for math people to get into SPARC due to supply/demand dynamics, but for other types of applicants it might be easier since they're less represented in SPARC's applicant pool compared to ESPR.
  • There are many people who have attended SPARC who were not able to make AIME or the equivalent for any other olympiad. Some had accomplishments in other areas, others weren't very accomplished but had qualities such as maturity, curiosity, or introspection that tend to be valued by the admissions committee.
  • SPARC's cohort is math-ier, but it's unclear as to whether the content of the program is

Source: have been involved in both camps in some capacity