Stanford University study tour

Elsternwick Year 8 student, John Poliniak (pictured far right) recently completed an academic enrichment program at Stanford University in the United States. Following a rigorous selection process, John spent three weeks with a group of high achieving students from the United States, China, India and South Korea. The Logic and Problem Solving Course offered John an opportunity to challenge himself at a tertiary level, and engage with some of the brightest mathematic minds in the world.

John says, “During the course I learnt new ways of approaching challenging and complex mathematical problems. One of the hardest problems that we faced was proving the Binomial Theorem by induction. This was my favourite experience in class”.

Staying on campus allowed John to experience university life outside of the classroom. He spent time exploring California, and every afternoon he and his classmates enjoyed playing popular activities such as basketball, ultimate frisbee and flag football. Celebrating the 4th of July was a definite highlight.

John enjoyed every aspect of his international study experience. He says, “I made a lot of new friends from all over the world that I still keep in touch with”, and that “My time at Stanford has driven me to work harder and reach as far as I can in my studies”.

John enjoys learning mathematics because, “You can apply it to everything and anything”. He recommends taking an international study tour to “anyone who would like to take a college course, experience college life and meet new people from all over the world”.