My journey in Math and Science competitions
The last finalist is Team 21!” said the announcer. Cheers erupted from the stands as a school banner flashed on the screen, accompanied by unfamiliar names. After waking up at 5 a.m., attending grueling training sessions and answering complex Math and Physics questions, I had prayed for the best. But the hope in my chest shattered. My team didn’t make it, even to the semifinals round.
In July, I was invited to join my school’s Math and Science team. I was ecstatic, ready to challenge myself with advanced lessons and interschool competitions. My teammates were brilliant, able to fully solve Math problems in a minute, while it took me several minutes to simply come up with a strategy to solve the same questions.
The training sessions were advanced, fast-paced and leaps above our grade level. During one session, a single Physics question took us an hour to solve, with a solution spanning two whiteboards.
Camaraderie
However, I tried my best to have fun during the training sessions. I made friends with my teammates, often laughing about the ridiculously difficult questions. The shared challenges fostered a sense of camaraderie among us. At the very least, we were not suffering alone.
Even more, our instructors were incredibly interactive, often pausing to crack jokes or give practice problems. Most of the time, it felt as if we were learning alongside our teachers, rather than simply listening to a lecture.
Though I found the training sessions interesting and fun, joining competitions was a difficult experience. Before every contest, my heart hammered in my chest, my breathing quickened and the pressure felt almost overwhelming. I wanted to do well, craving a sense of achievement, even the feel of a hard-earned medal. Regardless, during the first few competitions, I came back with nothing but a participation certificate.
As a normally high-achieving student, constantly losing competitions hit me hard. It felt like all the work I put into answering the contest questions and participating in training sessions was invalidated. Hard work is meant to reap results, but I did not achieve anything close to what I wanted. I was discouraged, especially as I watched all of my teammates succeed in competitions. Though I was happy for them, I often wondered when my turn to do well in competitions would arrive.
On my way home after losing a particularly difficult competition, realizations and reflections rushed into my head. I figured that I had to change my attitude, as it was not healthy to strive for perfection in every competition, especially when I was repeatedly feeling disappointed in myself.
Motivation
First, I had to reassess my motivation for joining contests in the first place. I did not go into the program to win every competition, and it was not healthy to put pressure on myself to get a medal whenever I competed. My original motivation was to learn more about math and science, and gain competition experience. In the hustle and bustle of awarding ceremonies, I lost sight of the true reasons why I joined contests.
Next, I needed to avoid comparing myself to my teammates. From the start, I knew they had been competing since they were in elementary school, and they were well-versed in solving competition math. Unlike in regular math problems, contest questions require abstract thinking and heavily rely on specific procedures to solve problems. It takes time to learn the different algorithms, as these problems cannot be solved using simple steps, or even a calculator.
Finally, I knew it was necessary to change my mindset. Rather than aiming for a medal, I tried to view competitions as fun challenges. They were meant to strengthen my knowledge of math and science, acting as a stepping stone toward doing better next time. My goal was now to improve my skills, and progress further in the next competitions.
With these mindset changes, my experience in contests has changed for the better. I now enjoy joining competitions, simply to challenge myself through the questions. The problems began to fascinate me, and I would curiously search for the answers to the questions as soon as the contest was over. Out of everything, my mindset was what truly provided me with results.
Recently, I won a bronze medal at a national science competition, with over a hundred participants in my grade level alone. From this experience, I learned that a healthy mindset was the way to achieve what I wanted. Rather than pushing for successful outcomes, learn to enjoy the journey, which will truly bring you joy.
