The United Math Circles Foundation is an official umbrella organization for the Berkeley Math Circle. The United Math Circl
The Berkeley Math Circle (BMC) is a weekly program for over 500 San Francisco Bay Area elementary, middle and high school students. The weekly sessions are held on Wednesday evenings at the UC Berkeley campus. The program is jointly sponsored by the:
- UC Berkeley Mathematics Department
- UC Berkeley Economics Department
- UC Berkeley HAAS School Of Business
- UC Berkeley Statistics Department
- UC Berkeley Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) Department
- Mathematical Science and Research Institute (MSRI)
- Simons Institute for Theory of Computing
- The Berkeley Artificial Intelligence Research Lab (BAIR)
- CITRIS
- Vanguard Charitable, and
- Parents' Contribution
Emulating famous Eastern European models, the program aims at drawing kids to mathematics, preparing them for mathematical contests, introducing them to the wonders of beautiful mathematical theories, and encouraging them to undertake future careers linked with mathematics, whether as mathematicians, mathematics educators, economists, or business entrepreneurs. Read more about the BMC.
Application Dates to Watch For:
| BMC-Upper Spring 2025 |
See below for more information. |
| BMC-Upper Summer 2024 |
BMC-Upper Summer 2024 Program will not occur. The decision whether to hold BMC-Upper Summer 2025 will be taken in due time. |
| MTRW Spring 2025 | Applications for Spring 2025 are now open at this form. UPDATE on Admission at MTRW Spring 2025: The 6B, 7B, 8B groups are completely full! We only have a few spots left for the 9B Group, meant for advanced high schoolers or very advanced 8th graders who have competed and won math competitions. |
| BMC-Elementary (Grades 1-4) | For more information, please click either on the link for BMC-Elementary directly to the left in the table, or in the BMC Elementary tab on the side tab |
BMC-UPPER SPRING 2025 APPLICATION UPDATE:
Beginners I - FULL
Beginners II - FULL
Intermediate I - FULL
Intermediate II - There are a few spots remaining
Advanced - OPEN for advanced students who have taken calculus classes or won math awards. Please reach out to jpgottlieb@berkeley.edu with a description of your math background to apply.
We aren't monitoring this application portal after 12/15, so please email jpgottlieb@berkeley.edu with a description of your math background to apply.
The application for BMC-Upper Spring 2025 is now OPEN at this link.
BMC-Upper Spring 2025 Program information
Dates of sessions: January 22, 2025 - May 7, 2025
Spring break: March 26, 2025
BMC-Upper Colloquium (tentative): weekend of May 11, date and time TBD
Time: Wednesday evenings (exact times for each BMC-Upper group level are listed in the application)
• Continuing BMC-Upper student application due date: December 1, 2024
• New BMC-Upper student application due date: December 8, 2024
Late Application Fees:
- $25 processing fee on or after December 1, 2024
- $50 processing fee on or after December 8, 2024
- $100 processing fee on or after December 15, 2024
- $150 processing fee on or after January 1, 2025
BMC-Upper sessions in Spring 2025 will be IN-PERSON, ONLINE or HYBRID as decided for each group. Depending on the developing health situation and decisions that UCB campus makes for in-person classes as well as release of rooms for the math circle sessions (if any), the group modes are subject to change. Everyone needs to be prepared to go ONLINE in case conditions change.
For Spring 2025, we tentatively plan for:
• ONLINE mode for Beginners I and Advanced groups, with some possibility for HYBRID zoom/in-person sessions (to be decided when sessions start).
• IN-PERSON mode for Beginners II, Intermediate I, and Intermediate II groups on UCB campus.
The move to in-person sessions may happen at the beginning of the semester or anytime during the semester or it may not happen at all and the sessions may stay online for the whole semester; it may happen only for some BMC-Upper groups or for all Beginners II, Intermediate I, and Intermediate II groups. Students signing up for Beginners II, Intermediate I, Intermediate II must commit to attending BMC-Upper in Spring 2025 both online AND in-person sessions, regardless of when a move to in-person sessions may happen for some or all of these BMC-Upper groups. Keep in mind that, if a move to in-person classes happens for some BMC-Upper groups but not for others, siblings may be split between attending on campus and attending online at the same time. No refunds will be provided to families, regardless of changed personal circumstances or if sessions move between online and in-person modes.
Online sessions will NOT be recorded. In-person classes will NOT be recorded either.
Do NOT apply to Intermediate II (in person) or Advanced group (online) just because you would like to submit an application. These groups are for mathematically mature and experienced students. Advanced group, for example, is for students who are at/beyond Calculus and/or have won regional or national proof-type math contests, or have been in the Intermediate II group for 2 years.
Early application submissions are preferred and will be given priority. They allow us to begin reviewing applications and to make decisions promptly. Decisions will be made on an on-going first-come-first serve basis.
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Do NOT submit the form through your phone, as the lack of options on the phone makes it hard to properly fill the form, and then we often receive incomplete or multiple applications for the same student. In addition, some applicants write on their phones (or tablets) their names or other information without any caps or in all caps; such information is NOT edited and it propagates as such into all program rosters and other documentation. Thus, everyone needs to take the application process seriously, write all information correctly, and submit applications through laptops or desktops whenever available.
MTRW SPRING 2025 APPLICATION INFORMATION
UPDATE on Admission at MTRW Spring 2025: The 6B, 7B, 8B groups are completely full! We only have a few spots left for the 9B Group, meant for advanced high schoolers or very advanced 8th graders who have competed and won math competitions.
MTRW Spring 2025 Program information
DATES AND REMINDERS FOR SPRING 2025:
In total, there are 15 class meetings, all on Mondays from 5-8 pm.
First day of class: January 20, 2025
Last day of class: May 5, 2025
Note that MTRW will NOT be meeting on March 24 (UCB Spring Break), but we WILL be meeting on all other Mondays in this date range, including MLK Day (January 20, first day of class) & President's Day (February 17).
Acceptances will be on a first-come, first-serve basis, so families are encouraged to apply as early as possible. Most acceptances are completed within the first two weeks of November. Later applications will be reviewed only if space remains. We strongly recommend submitting applications as early as possible.
LATE FEES: After November 15, late fees will apply as follows:
- In the event that there is still space available, there will be an additional $25/student late processing fee for students who apply on or after November 16, $50 on or after November 23, and $100 on or after November 29.
- Additional fees of $25-$50 will be incurred if a payment is stopped or bounces back, if a student does not submit a payment by the deadline of 2 days after acceptance (see below), for regeneration of lapsed invoices, and other such instances.
Projected modes for Spring 2025
We anticipate that MTRW sessions in the Spring 2025 semester will be held IN-PERSON, possibly with occasional online sessions as needed. Depending on local and/or national guidelines, we may re-introduce masking or even online classes as needed.
Families must commit to attending in-person AND any online sessions of MTRW in Spring 2025, regardless of when/whether a change of mode may occur. It is possible, but unlikely, that a move to remote classes would be necessary for some MTRW groups but not for others, in which case siblings may be split between attending on campus and attending online at the same time.
Once enrolled students have paid their enrollment fees, no refunds will be provided to families, regardless of changed personal circumstances or if sessions move between in-person and online modes.
Application link
The MTRW Spring 2025 Application is available through this form.
Acceptances will be on a first-come, first-serve basis, so families are encouraged to apply as early as possible. Most acceptances are completed within the first two weeks of November. Later applications will be reviewed only if space remains. We strongly recommend submitting applications as early as possible.
LATE FEES: After November 15, late fees will apply as follows:
- In the event that there is still space available, there will be an additional $25/student late processing fee for students who apply on or after November 16, $50 on or after November 23, and $100 on or after November 29.
- Additional fees of $25-$50 will be incurred if a payment is stopped or bounces back, if a student does not submit a payment by the deadline of 2 days after acceptance (see below), for regeneration of lapsed invoices, and other such instances.
We highly recommend that you USE a computer, NOT A MOBILE DEVICE to submit the form. In our experiences, applications via mobile app have come with many glitches: improper forms, missing fields, duplicate applications etc, all of which will delay your application decision.
Application Process
Acceptances will be on a first-come, first-serve basis, so families are encouraged to apply as early as possible. Most acceptances are decided within the first two weeks of November. Later applications will be reviewed only if space remains. We strongly recommend submitting applications as early as possible. The final selection process will be based on a timely and accurately completed application, submitted payment through PayPal, and high academic qualifications. We likely will not have space for all MTRW Fall 2024 students to continue in the program. Priority will be given to those who have shown dedication to and growth in MTRW. We also expect to accept some strong new students.
The enrollment fees for the program will be paid AFTER the student is accepted and will be done so via PayPal. After the student is accepted, families will have 48 hours to submit the enrollment fees or risk their student being put on the waitlist for the program.
LATE FEES: After November 15, late fees will apply as follows:
- In the event that there is still space available, there will be an additional $25/student late processing fee for students who apply on or after November 16, $50 on or after November 23, and $100 on or after November 29.
- Additional fees of $25-$50 will be incurred if a payment is stopped or bounces back, if a student does not submit a payment by the deadline of 2 days after acceptance (see below), for regeneration of lapsed invoices, and other such instances.
Enrollment for MTRW Spring 2025 will be finalized as soon as the groups reach capacity.
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You must NOT contact BMC/MTRW staff with routine or non-emergency questions at any time: we do NOT reply to such email inquiries as we do NOT have the resources to answer questions from many hundreds of families on email. Instead, wait until the BMC and MTRW restart in January and you can ask us or other families in person.
News
The BMC-Upper Spring 2024 Colloquium
On Sunday, May 5th, BMC-Upper celebrated the end of another exciting semester. Our speaker, Frank Sottile, is a distinguished professor at Texas A&M University and friend of the math circle who gave a colloquium talk a decade prior, in 2014. This time, he spoke about the complex and bloody history of the cubic equation. After his talk, we held an awards ceremony for all Spring 2024 Monthly Contest winners, with prizes hand-picked by our monthly contest team.
The BMC-Upper Fall 2023 Colloquium
The BMC-Upper Spring 2023 Colloquium
On Sunday, May 7th, BMC-Upper brought another excellent semester to a close with its Spring 2023 colloquium featuring a talk from Espen Slettnes, an accomplished research and contest mathematician and long-time friend of the Math Circle. Espen imparted wisdom gained from his substantial experience with math contests, including a walk-through of a problem of his own design. After his talk, we held an awards ceremony for all Spring 2023 Monthly Contest winners, with prizes hand-picked by Espen. With Espen now off to MIT, we were lucky to have him as a speaker, and the event was a resounding success!
Espen Slettnes receives a Gold Award at the 2022 United States of America Mathematical Olympiad (USAMO)!
Podcast with BMC director, Zvezda Stankova, in Numberphile!
Interview with BMC director, Zvezda Stankova, in Berkeley Science Review
Espen Slettnes publishes paper in Journal of Graph Algorithms and Applications!
Check out Espen's paper, "Minimal Embedding Dimensions of Rectangle k-Visibility Graphs," published in 2021's first issue of the Journal of Graph Algorithms and Applications!
Espen Slettnes receives honorable at the 2020 United States Online Mathematical Olympiad (USOMO)!
The USAMO test is given to the top combined scorers on the AMC12 and AIME. Our very own math circler, Espen Slettnes, has distinguished himself among the 2020 USOMO participants!
Hanna Hantao Chen Achieves at Math Prize for Girls!
Math Prize for Girls is the world’s largest math prize for young women high school age or younger. Hanna tied for 16th out of 300 girls, got an Honorable Mention, and was invited to the next round of competition!
Congratulations, Hanna!
Harry Main-Luu, previous assistant for MTRW and BMC-Upper, was named one of the 4 UC Berkeley University Medal runners-up!
"Every year, the competition for the University Medal – the award given each year to the graduating senior who best embodies the highest ideals of UC Berkeley – is fierce. Candidates for the medal, which was established in 1871, must have overcome significant challenges, had an impact on the lives of others and carry a GPA of 3.96 or higher."
Read Harry's profile below:
Alumnus Evan O'Dorney continues success after BMC!
He finished the Mathematical Tripos in Cambridge and is now a Ph.D. student at Princeton under Manjul Bhargava. He was called on to write the music for a film advertising the Churchill Scholarship, by which he went to Cambridge. To read more about Evan and his time at the Berkeley Math Circle, visit the Program page.
Congratulations to Justin Lee for being a winner of the 10th United States of America Junior Mathematical Olympiad (USAJMO)!
The USAJMO test is given to the top combined scorers on the AMC 10 and AIME. Justin distinguished himself among 300,000 students who also participated in the American Mathematics Competitions.
Espen Slettnes Wins First Place at 2018 Broadcom MASTERS and Receives Minor Planet named after him!
Our very own seasoned math circler Espen continues to reap awards. Among more than 900 winners from regional science fairs in California, he went on to win both the 1st prize in Mathematical Science as well as Project of the Year Award across all categories in the junior division at the 2018 California Science and Engineering Fair.
In other math-related fields, he received a bronze medal at 2018 USA Physics Olympiad (USAPhO). He is also competing in the Gold division of the USA Computing Olympiad (USACO), having easily aced the Bronze and Silver divisions last year.
He has also been accepted as one of 45 pre-college students worldwide to form the inaugural cohort of World Science Scholars, a new initiative to nurture the next generation science researchers, led by Professor Brian Greene of Columbia University. The scholars will explore a broad range of new disciplines expanded from mathematics. The video above includes footage from MAA MathFest 2018 in Denver earlier this month; near the end, Espen is talking to Dr. Michael Pearson, executive director of MAA.
More recently, Espen won first place (out of 80,000 middle school students who competed) at 2018 Broadcom MASTERS! This competition is the premier science and engineering competition for middle school students and is a national science fair organized by The Society for Science and Public. He was also selected out of a gifted, national applicant pool to be named as a Caroline D. Bradley Scholar. He will receive a merit-based scholarship for high school.
MIT Lincoln Laboratory also just named a minor planet after Espen to recognize his achievements. His name will be added to the Minor Planet Center database (run out of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Massachusetts). Look out for Minor Planet 34379 Slettnes in the sky!
Congratulations, Espen!
Espen at the 2018 Broadcom MASTERS competition in Washington, D.C.
Zach and Ave Golden awarded at the World Mathematics Team Championship
Zach (in black shirt) and Ave (in black cardigan), seasoned circlers, return to BMC with Bronze Award (for Zach) and Merit Award (for Ave), in the individual rounds at the World Mathematics Team Championship, held in Thailand in November 2017. Congratulations to this brother-sister team and thank you for continuing to reinforce the BMC name on the map. Welcome home!
Vinayak Kumar Earned Gold Medal at the WMTC
Vinayak returns to the Circle with a gold medal around his neck, placing 5th individually in the Advanced Division at the World Mathematics Team Championships. Congratulations, and welcome home!
BMC Alumnus Laura Pierson Continues to Reap Awards
Seasoned circler and alumnus, Laura Pierson, keeps going on her mathematical journey with great success. She placed in the top five at the Math Prize Contest in 2016 among all girls in the U.S., earning herself a gold medal. This year, in the Regeneron Science Talent Search, she has been named the Top 300 Scholar. Her talent also earns her a spot in the top 40 finalists to compete later in the year. We look forward to hearing good news while cheering for her on this journey.
Bio: Laura is currently a senior in high school and still connected to BMC. She coordinates the Monthly Contest and the awards. She has also given lectures at the Circle. Laura won the USAJMO in 2015 while she was in 10th grade, placing in top 12. In 7th grade, Laura, being the youngest member of the USA team, won a silver medal at the European Girls' Mathematical Olympiad (EGMO) in Luxembourg.
BMC Alumnus Evan Chen Continues His Passion for Math!
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Evan Chen is a PhD student in math at MIT. He is one of the coaches of the USA IMO team, serving as the assistant academic director at the American summer training program (MOP), the editor-in-chief of the USA national math olympiad (USAMO), and the coordinator for the USA IMO team selection. Evan is also the author of a popular textbook Euclidean Geometry in Math Olympiads used by students preparing for mathematical olympiads. As a high school student, Evan was himself an IMO gold medalist and winner of the 2014 USAMO (which he took from 12:30am to 5am in Taiwan). Outside of math and teaching, Evan enjoys StarCraft and Korean pop dance.
Espen writes a poem!
BMC student Espen has written a beautiful poem called "My True Number". We wanted to share as it is quite appropriate for the Berkeley Math Circle! Please do not take out the poem without copyright.
My True Number
By Espen Slettnes, Jan 6th, 2014
My shadow and I stood in a complex plane.
"What value are you?" I winked and asked.
"3435i", said he, and he asked me mine.
I said I was 33+44+33+55.
"That's what I am, but times i"he replied.
Our eyes met and danced
as we added and multiplied and exponentiated and tertiated
until we reached the magnitude of beauty,
in the silence of ∞, where I saw my true self.
I spoke no words but the simple language of the universe.
I rose and vaporized into numbers,
integrated with the Universe,
and we became 1.
Footnotes:
- The complex plane is a way to represent all complex numbers in 2 dimensions. A complex number is made up of a real and imaginary part.
- i is the imaginary unit, defined as √ -1
- Tertiation is repeated exponentiation, which is repeated multiplication, which is repeated addition.
- ∞ means infinity - larger than any number
- (33+44+33+55) = 3435 (each digit raised to its own power)
Copyright © 2014 Espen Slettnes. All rights reserved.
Berkeley Math Circle featured on "The Monthly"!
The Berkeley Math Circle has been featured "The Monthly," East Bay's Premier Magazine of Culture and Commerce, titled "Proving Their Passion" by Sarah Weld. Check out the Berkeley Math Circle on the news here!
Nico Brown of the Berkeley Math Circle wins first place at the Berkeley Mini-Math Tournament!
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BMC's own Nico Brown won the Berkeley mini Math Tournament (BmMT). The middle school student variant to the BMT for high school students, this past weekend.
Nico's score in the Individual round placed him into the top six students who entered the final Countdown elimination round, a series of timed questions... and he emerged the overall champion!
He wouldn't have got there without Team BMC coached by Intermediate Circle parent Tor Slettnes--Vincent Pisani, Arav Karighattam, Nate Fish, Espen Slettnes, and Nico--so congratulations to all!