Information for Counselors

We expect to hire approximately 20 counselors. Each counselor will grade the daily homework in Number Theory for three or four students. More importantly, counselors will be available to help students through informal discussions as questions arise. We rely on counselors to create an intense atmosphere of interaction crossing many levels of mathematical experience. Consistent with this goal, counselors and participants will be housed together on campus. Counselors in 2013 will receive room and board plus a six-week stipend of $3,100.

During the program, counselors are invited to study mathematics independently by participating in seminars and interacting individually with the faculty. In addition, the PROMYS counselor staff is invited to organize "minicourses" on themes of their own choosing in order to introduce students to a broad variety of mathematical ideas. Some recent examples include:

  • Calculus
  • Computability Theory
  • Graph Theory
  • Relativity
  • Riemann Surfaces

See here for a listing of counselor talks from 2011 and 2012.  

Activities of these kinds are especially important for the health of the PROMYS program and are supported to the greatest extent possible.

Counselor Demographic

PROMYS counselors are recruited from the top undergraduate mathematics majors at universities around the country. They are students studying mathematics at major universities like Boston University, Brandeis, Brown, Harvard, MIT, Princeton, UC Berkeley, UC Santa Barbara, University of Chicago, and Yale. They bring an enthusiastic attitude to the program that is easily transmitted to the PROMYS participants. 

How to Apply

If you'd like to apply to be a counselor in PROMYS 2013, please complete the counselor application here. We require a college transcript and two letters of recommendation from professors familiar with your mathematical work.

To give you some feeling for the nature and goals of our program, you should also take a look at the application materials we use for selecting our high school participants.

International Applicants

PROMYS welcomes counselor applications from non-US citizens and from non-permanent residents. Please note, however, that you need to have permission to work in the US.

International applicants who are pursuing undergraduate or graduate studies at a US university on an F-1 visa are usually eligible to work as counselors in PROMYS, provided that they obtain appropriate Optional Practical Training (OPT) or Curricular Practical Training (CPT) employment authorization. It will be your responsibility to ensure that you have obtained valid work authorization before you begin working at PROMYS. You may want to consult the designated school official (usually the international student advisor) at your university about the rules and procedures regarding OPT and CPT.

International applicants in the US on a J-1 visa will need to obtain appropriate Academic Training (AT) employment authorization. You should see the Responsible Officer (also usually your international student advisor) at your institution.

International applicants from universities in countries other than the US will need to apply for a J-1 visa through Boston University. Please note that a J-1 visa is usually granted only to scholars who have already obtained a post-graduate degree. It will be your responsibility to ensure that you fulfill all the requirements for obtaining a J-1 visa. We encourage you to look up the relevant laws before applying.

Application Deadline

We will begin to review applications on February 1 and accept them through April 1.

We look forward to receiving your application soon. If you need further information about becoming a PROMYS counselor, please email the PROMYS office.

Policy of Nondiscrimination

PROMYS does not discriminate on the grounds of race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, disability, or national origin in the operation of its program or in its admissions, hiring, or financial aid decisions.