A fast-paced and rigorous mathematics program that allows students to challenge themselves and engage with high-level content… The five-year University of Minnesota Talented Youth Mathematics Program (UMTYMP or “um-tee-ump”), in which many SPA students are enrolled, is designed for students who are exceptional at math, covering the traditional high school curriculum (Algebra I & II, Geometry and Precalculus) in the first two years of enrollment. After, students take a series of calculus courses in the final three years. However, is there such a thing as too much?

Although there are many SPA students who are current participants of UMTYMP, several have dropped out because of the difficult workload. Balancing the program with school, extracurriculars and life can be a lot for the middle and high schoolers who participate. Still, others find the experience to be highly valuable and worth this difficult workload.

One such student is freshman Zack Berchenko. Berchenko joined UMTYMP during his eighth-grade year, starting off directly with the first calculus course. Although most students join at the beginning of the five-year sequence, some students, like Berchenko, also test in right before the start of the calculus courses, at the end of the second year.

However, because he joined at this time, it meant he had to do a lot of self-studying to prepare for the entrance exams, having not taken algebra or geometry with UMTYMP. Nevertheless, much to his excitement, Berchenko was accepted into the program.

Every week, Berchenko attends a two-hour session at the University of Minnesota with the first being dedicated to lectures and the second dedicated to small-group work. In addition to the two-hour classes, he is assigned about 10 hours of homework for the week.

“My homework is definitely my main commitment for the week usually. I just set aside one day of the weekend and work on it the entire day, but that’s not something most people can do. It’s not very fun to sit down for 10 hours straight,” Berchenko said.

Even with the workload, Berchenko finds the program extremely rewarding because he is able to engage with content he finds interesting and challenging. His favorite subject has always been math, and he joined the program because he wanted to challenge himself. Berchenko also enjoys being able to work with other talented students, many of whom share a common love for math.

“My favorite part is the workshop because it’s [with] the same group every time, so you really get to know the kids in your group. And, it’s rare that I meet kids who actually like math; it’s nice to work with other kids who share your same interests,” Berchenko said.

Although he has had a positive experience overall, Berchenko recognizes that the program can be very all-consuming. For his friends who do sports and don’t get home until late, he understands that the workload can be stressful and hard to manage. After completing the UMTYMP curriculum, Berchenko plans to take advanced math electives at SPA during his junior and senior years.

As much as Berchenko’s experience was positive, several SPA students have had negative experiences and chose to drop the program, like sophomore Allan Wang. Having joined the program in seventh grade, Wang found the workload to be too much. Moreover, the teaching style, which mainly revolves around self-study, wasn’t a good fit.

“It was time-consuming because you had to do a lot of self-study, and the teachers didn’t really tell you that much. They just helped you with the homework and then generally covered the info, so you had to spend a lot more time by yourself to learn stuff,” Wang said.

Although Wang chose to join the program, the stress, pressure, and time commitment became overwhelming.

“It was very grade-oriented because you didn’t want to go to this prestigious program and then not get good grades because that would be a waste. Also, at the end of every term, you get a full test to see if you’re still on pace. Some people got kicked out. I just quit. I didn’t really want to do it anymore,” Wang said.

Still, Wang admits the experience was valuable, and the content was interesting. Like Berchenko, Wang also has a deep interest in math and appreciated the depth of UMTYMP content. At SPA, his math classes have often been more broad, and the level of depth is something he misses about UMTYMP. This year, Wang took Calculus C first semester and is currently taking an “advanced topics” class about discrete dynamics.

Despite what many other UMTYMP students also describe as an experience that is stressful and challenging at times, the program is very unique in its offering. The opportunity to pursue high-level math content is attractive to many SPA students. However, it’s not for everyone. Even for those with the talent and interest to be accepted, it takes an extreme commitment that not everyone can afford.