September 16th, 2023
Over the last 2 days, I contacted Professor Milik about the thesis.
Professor Milik was all ears about it and showed actual interest in my work. He told me he wouldn't mind throwing in some edits if I sent it his way.
Finally, I managed to wrap up the thesis, just three days before I jet for the competition.
Professor Milik had almost a hundred important papers in the mathematics field, and some of his papers were connected to electronics. So, I trusted Professor Milik's editing skills.
The Professor hardly ever takes notice of an undergraduate thesis, but because I was the person taking part in the Olympics and he had the chance to witness my abilities on the whiteboard, he decided to show some love and browse through it.
Also, it's bittersweet, but if I can get an experienced reviewer to sign off on my work, my chances of submitting a successful thesis are higher.
I also thought that Professor Milik could drop some serious knowledge bombs on picking the right academic journal too.
During our regular lecture hall meeting, me, Isaac, Will, and Nadya teamed up to tackle some of the hardest questions in IMC history. By then, everyone already knew that.
I was clearly the best of the four of us. Despite being a first-year student. I wasn't the youngest though. Isaac was a 2nd year student, but he got admitted 3 years earlier than the usual route.
Some of these questions still had me second-guessing myself. I couldn't crack 'em, not until Professor Milik explained the answer to us. Maybe I could solve them if I had some more time...
Right after the meeting, I went straight back to my dorm. snagged my thesis, and slapped that bad boy onto a USB!
I then went to the Math Department building and found Professor Milik's office.
The office was dead quiet. Usually, during the semester, you'd catch students rolling in for consultations, but at that moment, it was just Professor Milik, posted up, peering out the window.
Professor Milik noticed me standing outside the door and gestured for me to come in.
"Good evening Professor, I finished the thesis we were talking about before"
"Give it here. ", he waved his hand
After taking the USB from me, he plugged it into his computer and opened up the thesis.
"Your performance during the meetings is really something else. I have great expectations for the upcoming competition..."
"Well, it's ok. Most of the questions felt pretty easy." I was quite proud of my preparation.
"Hey! Don't let it go to your head, though,", he said, but it seemed like he didn't really mind. He knew I had the skill, and a touch of confidence was par for the course.
Anyone aiming for the academic throne had to be a bit cocky. The timid ones never make it to the top.
Please, have a seat for a moment, Max," he finally said, gesturing towards the chair.
As I took a seat, he continued, "You've got the skills, Max. No doubt about that. But always remember, there's more to learn..."
As Professor Milik read the thesis he looked calm. He looked just as he always did when prepping us for the competition.
But out of nowhere, he was shook. His brows knitted, and he zoned in with a laser focus, deep in concentration.
"Max, is this really your work?"
Professor Milik locked eyes with me - he was excited, and I'm talking a level of excitement I'd never seen, even when I was solving some crazy math problems.
"It was absolutely written by me. Back in high school, I had an interest in electronics. And now, checking out the IMC questions, I noticed a pattern and decided to dive in, and confirm my suspicions."
Professor Milik looked back at his monitor his eyes scanning through the thesis for the next ten minutes or so.
The silence in the room was broken only by the soft clicks of the mouse and the occasional hum of the computer.
I just sat there and waited...
Professor Milik finally broke the silence, his eyes still fixed on the monitor. "Writing such a thesis as a first-year undergrad student is something I have never seen in my life. The arguments are concise and logical."
It was a rare moment for someone to be praised by someone as seasoned and respected as Professor Milik.
He looked at me, laughed, and said, "Leave it here. I'll help you edit it, but I will not write my name on this. It would be unfair."
"Thank you, Professor!"
"Max, sorry for taking up your time. Please focus on the IMC problems. I'll send you an edited version of the thesis tomorrow, so you can submit it to a journal before we leave for London."
"Oh... right. Does Professor know which journal it would be best to submit it to?"
"And where did you want to submit it?"
"I was thinking about Solitons, Chaos, and Fractal"
"Are you joking!? They don't even peer review the submissions... You could throw the thesis into a garbage bin, and it wouldn't make a difference..."
His candid critique made me reassess my choice.
"Ah... then what does Professor recommend?"
"For this kind of thesis... submitting it could even grant you a favorable impression when it comes to the Ph.D. assessment!"
The gravity of Professor Milik's words hit me like a sledgehammer. The transition from barely getting through high school math exams to a professor discussing my Ph.D. assessment was crazy.
Professor Milik continued, "I think that The International Journal of Applied Mathematics should be more than happy to accept it. It is one of the most renowned Mathematical Journals. And don't you talk about some mundane newspapers to me."
"I am sorry Professor. I will submit it to the International Journal then."
I left the office, gently closing the doors behind me.
"Solitons, Chaos, and Fractal... absolutely ridiculous..." I caught Professor Milik having a quiet chat with himself as I walked away.
I returned to my apartment and spent 2 days working hard to solve the unanswered IMC questions, which were challenging even for top performers..
On the 20th of September, I got the edited thesis back from Professor Milik in an email message.
I cracked open the website for The International Journal of Applied Mathematics and reality hit me—nothing is free. Fifty bucks for submission., but hey this was one of the most renowned journals, if my thesis would be accepted. I would receive a 1000$ as a reward.
I wasn't complaining about my financial situation anyway...
Just last week, I raked in a nice $2,000 from plan purchases, and if no one decides to cancel their plan, I could be looking at over $9,000 at the beginning of next month.
I went ahead and filled in my personal information, uploaded the thesis, and went through the contract's fine print in case they accepted my thesis
I hit that final button and locked it in. Fingers crossed for a successful submission.
"Submitted to the editors - awaiting approval"
Usually, in the usual situation, the thesis takes a pit stop with an editor first.
If it gets a nod, it's handed over to the mathematicians working for the journal. The thesis goes through the peer-reviewed proof process before potentially being accepted for the journal.
Some solid theses get booted the F out for some magical reasons though! It's a wild ride.
With that done I knocked myself out with some sleep meds. It might not have been the brightest idea, but I had a wake-up call at 5 AM.
...
Together with the squad, we got on a bus from MIT in Boston, Massachusetts, heading to New York.
Professor Yang stood in the center of the bus and began, "Ok, guys, we are heading for New York, together with the teams from Harvard University, Columbia University, and Seattle University. We will get on a flight to London"
"Why did it change all of a sudden? We were supposed to take off from Boston.", Will interjected.
That's when Professor Milik shouted from the front while looking through the window, "The Universities are cutting the costs on you guys! Better show them what you got!"