Undergraduate and Graduate Maths Camps
Why do we organise maths camps for university students?
- It allows maths students to use their holidays in an academically productive way, in a place where they can meet and learn from each other.
- Students get a chance to see interesting, fundamental and important topics that ordinary curricula normally don’t have time for. They also are able to strengthen their foundations (we have noticed that students often have gaps in their learning, so we also offer more basic classes).
- So that students can be taught by lecturers from different universities, diversifying the teaching styles they see, and to increase cross-university collaboration between students.
- To reduce rural/urban and East/West gaps.
- So that young people share common living space with working academics, see their way of working, living and seeing the world, and learn from this.
- It allows Turkish students doing PhDs in other countries to share their learning and research topics with local students and with each other for at least a week when they return home for summer.
- So that they can teach others what they know, and learn better while doing so.
- It rekindles students’ love for mathematics that sometimes dwindles or wavers during the academic year. It motivates students towards research.
- To be able to spend a summer, or part of it, thinking together.
How do the camps work and how long do they last?
In the summer, we offer modules lasting 1, 2 or 3 weeks. Prospective participants should look at the module schedule for the summer before applying to the summer camps. Each person should attend an integer number of weeks (weeks start on a Monday and end on a Sunday).
The winter camps (only occasionally offer modules in English and) last either 1 or 2 weeks depending on the year.
Who are the camps for?
They are open to all students studying for a mathematics degree, at any level. Exceptionally we sometimes accept students from other departments, provided there is availability.
What do the fees cover?
The fee amounts may vary from year to year due to inflation and outside factors such as the Turkish economy. Our fees cover accommodation, four meals per day, tea and coffee, and all basic needs. Excursion fees are not included.
Do you have fee waivers and what are the criteria?
We know that university students often have restricted financial means. We have an immutable principle: no-one should be refused participation in our camps due to inability to pay. On the other hand, we are not able to waive everyone’s fees, naturally. Therefore we ask that every student pay as much of the camp fees as they are able. The Nesin Villages are a non-profit organisation, and we are based on mutual trust and understanding. Mathematics students have priority in terms of fee waivers, followed by students of maths education, mathematical engineering, and physics, depending on availability. Unfortunately we cannot waive fees for students of other departments.
How does one apply to a camp?
You will find the relevant application form on the page of the event you are interested in (click here for our events lists).
read more...Your application will be registered by our system – you should get a confirmation that your application has been received within a couple of days. If you still do not have this confirmation email at the end of three days, please contact us directly (cerenaydin@nesinkoyleri.org).
We will aim to respond to your application in 15 days at most. If your application is successful, we will send you an email with information on how to register and pay fees. Important note: you must complete these last steps in order to participate in the camp.
How is the accommodation?
In winter, students sleep in dormitories (10-12 person capacity).
In summer, students stay in dormitories as above, or in tents (1-2 person capacity). If there is a high school camp happening at the same time, the younger students will have priority in terms of dormitory occupation. As a result, most university students will stay in tents. University students tend to prefer the independence offered by the tents in any case, but we will strive to place students where they prefer, so please tell us your preference in your application.
We have plenty of space but a restricted number of tents, so if you are able to bring your own tent, even better!
What is a day like at the Village maths camps?
University students choose which modules they want to attend. The expectation is that they attend at least four hours of classes per day. Classes take place 6 days a week, each class is about two hours long (if the programme has a lot of modules this may go down to 1.5 hours). There are generally about eight hours of classes taking place every day, with several of them overlapping.
Participants are encouraged to give evening talks about their research areas or areas of interest.
read more...On our day off (usually Thursday) an excursion is organised for those who want it. In summer this is often a trip to the seaside but can also be historical sites such as Ephesus nearby. After dinner, or exceptionally at lunchtime, we sometimes have other one-off activities such as evening talks, plays, debates, music recitals or concerts.
We ask every camp participant (within their physical capabilities of course) to help with the day-to-day running of the Village by participating in tasks such as laundry, dishwashing, gardening, cleaning and food preparation. Groups are organised to help with these chores in rotation. This helps to give a communal and family feel to the Village. If you have any physical reason why you are not able to carry out certain tasks, please let us know and we will accommodate you.
Apart from these, students are free to spend their time as they please.
When is the next camp?
Please see our events list on this page to learn the dates and details of the next camp. Summer camps programs are usually published around February, and winter camp details are announced around October, so if you do not see any future events please wait for the announcements then.
I am a maths teacher/lecturer/graduate teaching assistant, can I volunteer to teach in your camps?
Of course, we’d love that! Please write to Aslı Can Korkmaz (aslicankorkmaz@nesinkoyleri.org) to arrange details.
We do not ask for any (accommodation nor food) fees from our volunteer lecturers. They are given accommodation in single or double rooms, and may bring their families (again, please write to Aslı Can Korkmaz to arrange).