Activities & Honors

INTERFACE IS A WORK IN PROGRESS

Recommendation: Put in all your activities and honors here! Then in other tabs, prune down what you want the Common App, the UCs, and MIT to see.

All Activities & Honors

General UC Common App Honors MIT
# Name Grades Hrs/wk Wks/yr Description Notes Category Background (250) Description (350) Type Position (50) Org (100) Description (150) Title Level Category Org Role/Award Description (40w)
0 Student Teaching: Computer Science Other coursework As part of Proof School's selective Student Teaching program, I co-teach the sixth-grade Computer Science 1 class under the direction of Kathy Lin. I plan curriculum, help write the class handouts and quizzes, lead many class lectures, work with students in writing and debugging their programs, and grade student work.
0 International Linguistics Olympiad US Team (first alternate) Award or honor The US team is selected from the top 12 American scorers on the North American Computational Linguistics Olympiad, which had 1527 high school participants nationwide and includes a 3-hour Open Round and a selective 4-hour Invitational Round. I've always been fascinated by linguistics, and read many resources about it. (I've also created multiple languages.) To prepare for NACLO, I did many practice puzzles and 4-hour practice Invitationals, ensuring I understood all my mistakes. I also made a spreadsheet reverse-engineering the elusive partial credit system from past years’ data.
0 puzzlesforprogress.net Extracurricular activity I created a puzzle newsletter (weekly for 1.5 years, biweekly for 1.5 years) to fundraise for United To Beat Malaria (my fundraiser is 9th-ranked individual). I've constructed 360+ original puzzles of 100+ types. My puzzles are featured on Scott Stro-solves, a YouTube channel with 70,000+ subscribers. I authored a puzzle book, now sold at MoMath. Activity puzzlesforprogress.net Sole creator Created puzzle newsletter (weekly/biweekly for 3+ years) to fundraise for United To Beat Malaria (protecting 1000+ lives, ranked #9 individual fundraiser). Featured on Scott Stro-solves (70,000+ subscribers). Co-wrote PANFOPCHWTTAPA contests for Logic Masters India (record-high 400+ solvers, including world champions).
0 Camp Lemma (Proof School) Volunteer / Community Service This is a math camp for 4th-8th graders with classes and activities, hosted by Proof School. I took an active role in planning, setup, curriculum, and running activities, from knot theory to combinatorial games. Many of my feedback and logistical suggestions were implemented, impacting the entire camp. Being a counselor at Camp Lemma has been a highlight of my summers, since it allows me to share cool math with kids in a fun context.
0 Internet content creator (cross-platform) Extracurricular activity I love contributing to the culture of the internet, with content about math, politics, Wordle, Taylor Swift, and more. My YouTube video on "nice numbers" has over 28,000 views. My quizzes on Sporcle have over 30,000 total plays. I moderate The Inkwell, an online poetry forum with over 1,000 members. I have a blog with over 100,000 total words.
0 Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship Award or honor This is a merit-based, highly selective national scholarship which covered my full private high school tuition for all four years. The 27 scholars in the Class of 2024 were chosen holistically by the Institute of Educational Advancement. The application process included many essays, questions, recommendations, and an interview. I worked hard to make sure my application was polished and authentic to myself, giving the Institute a full idea of who I am and what matters to me.
0 The New York Times Journalism/Publication Puzzle creator The New York Times Created 16 original "Upon Reflection" gridlogic puzzles, published weekly in NYT magazine, directly overseen by editor Will Shortz.
0 Camp Lemma (Proof School); Strategy & Puzzles Camp (Helios School) Community Service (Volunteer) Counselor Camp Lemma (Proof School); Strategy & Puzzles Camp (Helios School) Planned and led activities (such as "Jacob Lies to Campers"), helped with setup & curriculum at two math/puzzle camps spanning grades 4-8.
0 IOL (International Linguistics Olympiad) US Team first alternate IOL (International Linguistics Olympiad) US Team first alternate Intl
0 AIME (American Invitational Math Examination) qualifier AIME (American Invitational Math Examination) qualifier Natl
0 National Latin Exam medal National Latin Exam medal Natl
0 Camp Lemma (counselor) Summer activity Camp Lemma (counselor)
0 MoMath MOVES math/puzzle conference 2022 Summer activity MoMath MOVES math/puzzle conference 2022
0 Self-studying Python via Project Euler math/coding puzzles Summer activity Self-studying Python via Project Euler math/coding puzzles
0 IOL (International Linguistics Olympiad) US team Scholastic distinction IOL (International Linguistics Olympiad) US team First alternate International
0 Wordle speedrunning community Non-scholastic distinction Wordle speedrunning community 7 Wordles in 17 seconds; Crosscord/community record National

UC Activities & Awards

# Name Category Background (250ch) Description (350ch) Grades Hrs/wk Wks/yr Hub
0 Student Teaching: Computer Science Other coursework As part of Proof School's selective Student Teaching program, I co-teach the sixth-grade Computer Science 1 class under the direction of Kathy Lin. I plan curriculum, help write the class handouts and quizzes, lead many class lectures, work with students in writing and debugging their programs, and grade student work. 12 8 30 Student Teaching: Computer …
1 International Linguistics Olympiad US Team (first alternate) Award or honor The US team is selected from the top 12 American scorers on the North American Computational Linguistics Olympiad, which had 1527 high school participants nationwide and includes a 3-hour Open Round and a selective 4-hour Invitational Round. I've always been fascinated by linguistics, and read many resources about it. (I've also created multiple languages.) To prepare for NACLO, I did many practice puzzles and 4-hour practice Invitationals, ensuring I understood all my mistakes. I also made a spreadsheet reverse-engineering the elusive partial credit system from past years’ data. 11 International Linguistics Olympiad …
2 puzzlesforprogress.net Extracurricular activity I created a puzzle newsletter (weekly for 1.5 years, biweekly for 1.5 years) to fundraise for United To Beat Malaria (my fundraiser is 9th-ranked individual). I've constructed 360+ original puzzles of 100+ types. My puzzles are featured on Scott Stro-solves, a YouTube channel with 70,000+ subscribers. I authored a puzzle book, now sold at MoMath. 9 10 11 12 12 35 puzzlesforprogress.net
3 Camp Lemma (Proof School) Volunteer / Community Service This is a math camp for 4th-8th graders with classes and activities, hosted by Proof School. I took an active role in planning, setup, curriculum, and running activities, from knot theory to combinatorial games. Many of my feedback and logistical suggestions were implemented, impacting the entire camp. Being a counselor at Camp Lemma has been a highlight of my summers, since it allows me to share cool math with kids in a fun context. 11 12 38 2 Camp Lemma (Proof …
4 Internet content creator (cross-platform) Extracurricular activity I love contributing to the culture of the internet, with content about math, politics, Wordle, Taylor Swift, and more. My YouTube video on "nice numbers" has over 28,000 views. My quizzes on Sporcle have over 30,000 total plays. I moderate The Inkwell, an online poetry forum with over 1,000 members. I have a blog with over 100,000 total words. 9 10 11 12 7 26 Internet content creator …
5 Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship Award or honor This is a merit-based, highly selective national scholarship which covered my full private high school tuition for all four years. The 27 scholars in the Class of 2024 were chosen holistically by the Institute of Educational Advancement. The application process included many essays, questions, recommendations, and an interview. I worked hard to make sure my application was polished and authentic to myself, giving the Institute a full idea of who I am and what matters to me. 9 10 11 12 Caroline D. Bradley …

Common App Activities

# Type Position (50ch) Organization (100ch) Description (150ch) Grades Timing Hrs/wk Hub
0 Journalism/Publication Puzzle creator The New York Times Created 16 original "Upon Reflection" gridlogic puzzles, published weekly in NYT magazine, directly overseen by editor Will Shortz. 11 All year 4 The New York …
1 Community Service (Volunteer) Counselor Camp Lemma (Proof School); Strategy & Puzzles Camp (Helios School) Planned and led activities (such as "Jacob Lies to Campers"), helped with setup & curriculum at two math/puzzle camps spanning grades 4-8. 11 12 Breaks 38 Camp Lemma (Proof …
2 Other Club/Activity Activity description Level of Anticipated Participation
3 Other Club/Activity Get puzzles published in major venues Medium
4 Science/Math Apply to MIT PRIMES or similar math research programs Not sure, just an option on my radar
5 Academic Java/CS self-study/online course Low
6 Other Club/Activity Run some fun/light activities at Proof Low

Common App Honors

# Title Grades Recognition Level Hub
0 IOL (International Linguistics Olympiad) US Team first alternate 11 Intl IOL (International Linguistics …
1 AIME (American Invitational Math Examination) qualifier 10 12 National AIME (American Invitational …
2 National Latin Exam medal 9 10 National National Latin Exam …

MIT Jobs, Activities & Distinctions

# Category Organization Role / Award Period Hrs/wk Description (40 words) Hub
2 Activity DELETE MY SAMPLE ACTIVITIES AND ADD YOUR OWN!
3 Activity puzzlesforprogress.net Sole creator 10th, 11th, 12th 12 Created puzzle newsletter (weekly/biweekly for 3+ years) to fundraise for United To Beat Malaria (protecting 1000+ lives, ranked #9 individual fundraiser). Featured on Scott Stro-solves (70,000+ subscribers). Co-wrote PANFOPCHWTTAPA contests for Logic Masters India (record-high 400+ solvers, including world champions). puzzlesforprogress.net
0 Job DELETE MY SAMPLE JOB AND ADD YOUR OWN!
1 Job New York Times Freelance puzzle constructor Sep 2022 - May 2023 3 Created an original grid-logic puzzle type, "Upon Reflection," and submitted it to the New York Times Magazine, which bought and published 16 puzzles. Constructed all the puzzles under editor Will Shortz.
9 Non-scholastic distinction Wordle speedrunning community 7 Wordles in 17 seconds; Crosscord/community record 2022 National Wordle speedrunning community
7 Scholastic distinction DELETE MY SAMPLE DISTINCTIONS AND ADD YOUR OWN!
8 Scholastic distinction IOL (International Linguistics Olympiad) US team First alternate 2023 International IOL (International Linguistics …
4 Summer activity Camp Lemma (counselor) June 2023, June 2022 38 Camp Lemma (counselor)
5 Summer activity MoMath MOVES math/puzzle conference 2022 August 2022 24 MoMath MOVES math/puzzle …
6 Summer activity Self-studying Python via Project Euler math/coding puzzles December 2020-June 2022 10 Self-studying Python via …

Slot limits: Jobs (5), Activities (4), Summer activities (6), Scholastic distinctions (5), Non-scholastic distinctions (5)