UMTYMP Portal

Every student is allowed one free late homework assignment per semester with no penalty.  Subsequent late assignments will have their scores reduced by 25%.  There is no need to do anything special to use your late assignment -- just don't hand your homework in!  If it's a written assignment, hand it in by uploading in on Canvas/GradeScope within a week of the original due date.  If you need to complete a WebWork assignment after the due date, contact the MathCEP office (612-625-2861, mathcep@umn.edu) to have the assignment reopened.

For full details, see our "Homework Policy" in Section 4 (Coursework and Grades) of the UMTYMP Handbook.

As of 2016-17, graphing calculators are no longer required for UMTYMP. Most of our students prefer free tools such as Desmos or GeoGebra, both of which are available for computers, tablets and phones.  

Remember that you have multiple accounts for UMTYMP.

WebWork: Your WebWork username usually has the form firstname.lastname.  The initial password was provided to you by the MathCEP office.  MathCEP controls the UMTYMP student accounts on the WebWork server, so we can reset your password if needed.  Contact the MathCEP office (612-625-2861, mathcep@umn.edu) during regular business hours for help.

Canvas: You log in to Canvas with your UMN account; see these instructions if you need a reminder.  We can't reset your Canvas password, but we can help you interact with the University's help staff if necessary. From the instructions:

Please Note: Although we can remind students of their usernames, we have no control over their passwords or the login system; it is run by a central University office. Call the help-line phone number on the login screen, (612) 301-4357, if you need assistance. If the help-line cannot solve your issue, please contact the MathCEP office.

Many UMTYMP students decide to take an AP Calculus exam because they are aiming to be an AP Scholar by passing multiple AP exams, in which case AP Calculus is "low hanging fruit."  In other cases, having the AP exam on your transcript can help speed up credit and placement for calculus.  (This only applies to our first year course, not our linear algebra and multivariable calculus courses.)

Here is some information for UMTYMP students taking an AP exam:

• Frequently asked Questions about AP Calculus for UMTYMP students
• Explanation of where AP topics appear in the UMTYMP Sequence

The short summary: the list of topics in UMTYMP Calculus 1 is very similar to the AP Calculus BC exam, but there are a few things that we cover in different orders, or don't cover until a later class.  (The flip side is that there are things in UMTYMP which don't appear in the AP curriculum.)  A student could take the BC exam while in our Calculus 1 course, but will have to study a few topics on their own.  Alternatively, they could wait until they're in Calculus 2, at which point they'll have seen almost all of the BC curriculum (and a good deal more), but will have to go back and study topics they haven't seen in a while.

Normally we have an in-person session to talk about the differences between UMTYMP exams and AP exams.  Here are a few key differences:

Partial Credit.  In UMTYMP we know what we've taught you, we know your work well, and we can make subjective judgements to give you (say) 8/10 points.  On AP exams, the graders are dealing with hundreds of thousands of exams; for consistency have to use rigid grading rubrics which don't allow for a lot of interpretation of your work or knowledge.  On a 5 point problem it's easy to lose a point or two because of units, or whether you included the correct words next to a table of values or sign chart.  See this PDF about justifying extrema, for example.

Units.  In UMTYMP we tend to focus a bit more on "pure" math problems, in part because our Calc 1 students range from 8th through 10th grades and have not all taken the same science courses.  AP exams are more likely to have problems with real-world interpretations and units -- and including the units can be worth a point.

How should you prepare for this?  Read as much information as you can about the AP exams and grading, such as the links at the end of the FAQ posted above.  Also, be sure to take multiple practice exams, and then compare you work against the sample scoring rubrics.  There are many books you can buy with AP practice exams, but the College Board provides actual past exams that you can use as well:

• Past AP Calculus Exam Questions

If you finish UMTYMP before finishing high school, we highly encourage you to continue taking math courses until you graduate. Math is like a foreign language; if you don't use it, you'll start to forget some of your hard-won knowledge! If you prefer the UMTYMP schedule (once per week, 4-6pm), consider taking UMTYMP Advanced Topics, which usually runs one semester each year. Ask our office about details. You can also take courses at the University (or other colleges) through PSEO, the Post-Secondary Enrollment Options program.

At the University of Minnesota, students who have completed UMTYMP Calculus III can continue directly to 4000- and 5000- level courses in the math department. The UMTYMP sequence will not be listed among course pre-requisites, but is equivalent to completion of Math 1371, 1372, 2373, 2374 and 3283W in terms of eligibility for upper-division courses.

Common choices for new UMTYMP graduates include:

• Math 4242, Applied Linear Algebra
• Math 4281, Introduction to Modern Algebra
• Math 4707, Introduction to Combinatorics and Graph Theory
• Math 5705, Enumerative Combinatorics
• Math 5707, Graph Theory and Combinatorics

If you're trying to decide among these (or other) courses, it's best to talk to or email Professor Rogness about the various options and what your interests are. He'll help you decide, and will help you get permission to register for the appropriate course, as long as there is still space in the class.

UMTYMP credits appear on your University of Minnesota transcript, and can be transferred to other schools just like any other UMN calculus courses. Every school has its own transfer policies, which we cannot control. Schools may or may not grant credit towards graduation, but should always award placement; an UMTYMP student should never have to repeat a course in the calculus sequence. (Note that some universities now require all incoming students to take an exam to place out of calculus, due to the widely varying nature and quality of calculus programs around the country. These placement tests should not be an issue for any UMTYMP graduate.)

If you attend a school that is not familiar with UMTYMP graduates, contact our office, and Professor Rogness can discuss our curriculum and program with the school's math department to help determine proper placement.