Application to 2021 Undergraduate Summer School Program

— APPLICATION DEADLINE: April 5, 2021

• Is this program right for you? Program description.
• Application procedure. Guidelines & requirements.
• You’re ready to apply. Link to USS application.

Undergraduate mathematics majors and recent graduates interested in an intensive research experience in mathematics are encouraged to apply to the Undergraduate Summer School at PCMI. Undergraduates at all levels as well as recent graduates will be considered.

Prerequisites for the USS lecture series on Quadratic forms, Milnor K-theory, and arithmetic are: The primary prerequisite is abstract algebra. Some familiarity with notions of general analysis and topology (e.g., metric spaces, completions) will be helpful when we discuss the p-adic numbers.

PCMI is using the web service MathPrograms.Org to receive and review applications for the 2021 PCMI Summer Session. See below for the link to the USS application at MathPrograms.Org. Deadline for submission of applications is April 5, 2021. Supplemental materials (including the required reference letter and official or unofficial transcript, and optional CV) should be received by PCMI by April 5, 2021—incomplete applications will not be considered by the selection committee. 

You will receive a decision by May 1. (Late applications may be considered at the discretion of the program organizers, but may receive lower priority for acceptance.)

Students who are accepted to the Undergraduate Summer School can apply for financial assistance if support is needed to attend virtual PCMI 2021.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE – Guidelines & Requirements

Be sure to read the guidelines and requirements before accessing and completing the online application. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed by the selection committee. You can email us with your questions.

1. Applications are submitted and reviewed online using the web service MathPrograms.Org. Be sure that you use only the link below to apply. If you do not have an account at MathPrograms.org, you will login by filling in your email address and chosen password and the checkbox “this is my first login.” If you have a MathPrograms.Org account but are using a new email address, there is no need to create a new account; just login using the old email, and switch to the new email. Your login will take you to your My Portfolio page, where all of your application materials are stored.
2. Your first step is to complete a Standard Coversheet for MathPrograms.Org. After you have created a Standard Coversheet you can then apply to the PCMI Undergraduate Summer School. Your Standard Coversheet should include the name/s and email address/es of your reference writer/s. One reference letter is REQUIRED (see below); you may submit up to two references in support of your application. You are advised to let your reference writers know about your request so they won't delete the email reference request as spam.
3. Provide ONE Reference Letter (REQUIRED): On the application, fill in the checkbox for your reference writer from the names you entered on your Standard Coversheet, then click on the green arrow next to the reference writer’s name so the writer will receive your reference request by email. Your reference writer will then receive login info and upload instructions to come to the MathPrograms.org site to upload their letters. If any of your references do not have access to a computer, they may submit the reference letter by mail no later than April 5, 2021. The reference letter is necessary for your application portfolio to be complete. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed by the selection committee.
4. Provide a copy of your Current Transcript (REQUIRED): This can be submitted online as an attachment to your application or via mail no later than April 5, 2021.  The transcript can be an unofficial copy if an official copy is not available. If a natural disaster in your location prevents timely access to an official or unofficial transcript, please email pcmi@ias.edu and the staff will authorize an alternative arrangement, such as a letter or email confirmed by an advisor, registrar, or faculty member, listing the courses you have taken by year and the grade that you report receiving in each course. 
5. Provide your Curriculum Vitae/Resume (OPTIONAL). Applicants are encouraged to upload their CV to their online application.
6. The submission of your application is successful only if you see the "Thank you for your application" screen right after you click the Apply button at the bottom of the application form.

YOU’RE READY TO APPLY TO THE PROGRAM …

• Do not apply before reading the Guidelines & Requirements above.
• Be sure to have the names and email address(es) of your reference(s) ready.
• Then click APPLY NOW below to begin your application process.

The submission of your application is successful only if you see the "Thank you for your application" screen right after you click the Apply button at the bottom of the application form

We recommend that you log in to your MathPrograms.Org account periodically and check your Status screen to make sure your application is complete or to update it (for example, to add your current transcript or to send an email request to a reference writer). You may wish to bookmark the login page for that reason.

Questions? Problems? EMAIL PCMI staff and we will try to help.