abhi[dot]wadhwa[at] columbia [dot] edu
debate
the united states university debating championships is the largest BP tournament in the US. ~200 teams compete over 5 preliminary rounds; the top 16 break to elimination rounds.
the north american university debating championships is the continental championship for BP debate. ~150 teams from the US and canada; top 16 break to outrounds.
UC berkeley intervarsity is one of the most competitive open tournaments on the north american circuit, drawing teams from across the US and canada. top 10 speaker out of ~200 individual speakers.
hart house intervarsity at the university of toronto is one of north america’s oldest and most prestigious BP tournaments. novice division for debaters in their first two years of university competition.
USC intervarsity is a competitive west coast BP tournament. finalist = top 2 teams out of the full field after preliminary rounds and elimination brackets.
reached the novice final at the north american championships as a reserve team (called up from the waitlist into the main draw).
highest individual speaker score across all novice debaters at the university of british columbia intervarsity.
top 10 individual speaker in the novice division at UC berkeley intervarsity in first year of competition.
novice final at the USC intervarsity in first year of university debate.
the world schools debate competition is the highest level of high school debate internationally. selected twice to represent the UAE on the national team as a reserve member.
the world schools debate academy is a competitive international tournament run alongside training camps for national team debaters.
national championship for high school debaters across the UAE and gulf region.
mathematics
the USAMO is the final round of the US math olympiad pipeline. roughly 250 students qualify nationally out of ~300,000 initial AMC participants. a 6-question, 9-hour proof-based exam.
the AIME is the second stage of the AMC pipeline. roughly the top 5% of AMC 10/12 scorers (~6,000 students nationally) qualify each year. 15 questions, 3 hours, integer answers.
the BMO is the UK’s national math olympiad. roughly 1,000 students qualify from ~250,000 initial challenge entrants. distinction is awarded to the top ~100 scorers. proof-based, 3.5 hours.
the intermediate mathematical olympiad sits between the UKMT challenge and the BMO. roughly 500 students are invited from ~200,000 intermediate challenge entrants. bronze is top ~30%.
qualifying for the olympiad round (BMO or intermediate olympiad) from the UKMT challenge places you in roughly the top 0.5% of all entrants nationally.
gold is awarded to roughly the top 7% of entrants in the junior, intermediate, and senior UKMT mathematical challenges. ~250,000 students sit these exams each year across the UK.
highest score in school across all years sitting the UKMT challenge, six consecutive years.
academic
national honor society recognizing students who achieve a 3.5+ GPA in their first semester of college. inducted at USC.
$70k merit scholarship awarded by USC upon admission. given to a small percentage of admitted students based on academic achievement.
additional funding from USC for students taking course loads beyond the standard degree requirements, typically for double majors or accelerated tracks.
$10k scholarship from GEMS education (the largest private school operator in the UAE) for achievement in mathematics.
SET is the most selective tier of the johns hopkins center for talented youth. requires SAT/ACT scores in the top 0.01% before age 13. provides access to advanced coursework and mentoring through high school.