fbpx

日本av片

Exploring Odyssey of the Mind

Table of Contents

Share This Post

Academic competitions in high school are a great way to show off your talents to admissions officers, especially if you place highly. This gives a benchmark for your performance against other smart and talented students, with a third party arbiter to confirm your achievements. 

We鈥檝e looked at some of these competitions before, and we鈥檙e going to be exploring another today: (frequently abbreviated OM). In this article we鈥檒l cover what it is, how you can compete in it, and what benefits it can bring to your college applications. Let鈥檚 get started!

What is Odyssey of the Mind?

OM is a creative academic competition, where teams present their unique solution to one of several problems by means of a performance. It was founded in 1978 by C. Samuel Micklus. Beginning at Rowan University hosting teams from New Jersey alone, the competition is now international, with teams from dozens of countries competing in the final 鈥淲orld鈥 round. 

There are four divisions for OM, separated by age/grade. These are:听

  • Division 1: grades 3-5, all team members must be under 12 years of age on May 1 of the competition year (this is true of all age caps).
  • Division 2: grades 6-8, all team members must be younger than 15.
  • Division 3: grades 9-12, the oldest team member does not qualify for division 1 or 2, and is attending a regular school/high school equivalent, not a college or university.
  • Division 4: Collegiate, all team members must have a high school diploma or equivalent, and be enrolled in at least one course at a two or four year college. 

The oldest member of a team determines what division the team competes in. 

Teams in divisions 1-3 have one adult (usually a teacher) serve as their mentor. The mentor is not allowed to contribute to the solution of the problem, but is there to assist and advise as needed, and to supervise. 

Odyssey of the Mind鈥檚 Competition Structure

OM鈥檚 competition is in two parts. The first is the long term problems. There are offered each year, one for each of the five following categories: 

  • Vehicle, which requires building a vehicle or vehicles capable of performing specific tasks.
  • Technical, which requires building a contraption to perform a task.
  • Classics, which requires knowledge of history, art, architecture, or literature. 
  • Structure, which involves building a structure out of balsa wood which can support the highest possible weight.
  • Performance, which requires acting, singing, or other performance elements on a specific theme.

Note that each problem often involves elements from the others; all solutions must be presented in the form of a performance for instance, and you may earn bonus points for including historical references or technical knowledge even in an event which does not require them. Generally, one of the long term problems is sponsored by NASA each year.

Teams are given multiple months to design and complete their solution to the problem they choose, usually beginning with the start of the school year in September. You are limited to a budget of $145 for every material, costume, prop, and set. This is to encourage innovative solutions and creativity when approaching the problem, and to level the playing field across economic access. 

Teams are also required to complete the solutions entirely on their own. OM鈥檚 rule on outside assistance means that coaches and parents can help students focus and supervise tasks only; all of the actual work must be done by the students on the team. This means all planning, script writing, set design, construction, sewing of costumes, and otherwise must be done by the students themselves. 

Whatever solution they create, they have 8 minutes total to deliver it to judges on the day of competition.

Spontaneous

The long term problem is only part of the competition. Teams also compete in the spontaneous round, where they are given a problem on the day of the competition and told to solve it. These problems take the following forms: 

  • Verbal: these questions are asked and answered verbally, and often involve word or logic puzzles.
  • Hands-on: these puzzles make use of materials or props, and require physical manipulation of them.
  • Hands-on Verbal: these puzzles use both physical materials and verbal questions and answers in some combination.

Up to seven students are allowed to be on a team, but only up to five may compete in the spontaneous portion. Coaches usually help students determine who is best suited to answer each type of question. You are given ten minutes to respond to the question in most cases. 

It was a spontaneous question in the early days of OM that allowed elementary school students to compete. The problem was simple, there was a fish pond demarcated on the floor with tape, with paper fish inside, each with a different point value. Teams were given a box of supplies, and told to use them to construct some device to extract as many fish from the 鈥減ond鈥 as they could within ten minutes. Each time a team member stepped over the line, it was a ten point penalty. 

A ten year old assessed this, and asked the judge whether the penalty was for each instance, or by time spent inside. The judge confirmed it was one penalty for each time a student crossed the tape. The student said: 鈥淥k, I鈥檒l jump in, grab all the fish, and take your ten point penalty.鈥 

This is the kind of mindset Odyssey of the mind seeks to foster; solving problems creatively by applying resources in novel and interesting ways. The rules are there to provide structure, and they must be followed, but, especially in the spontaneous problems, finding loopholes is encouraged and applauded. 

Competitions and Winning

Teams compete regionally, then supra-regionally, then at world levels. The top scorers in each division are invited to progress to the next round. You may have fewer rounds depending on the size of your region and the number of competitors. The top two teams from each state and country go on to compete at worlds. 

At each competition, teams present their solution to the long term problem, and complete a round of spontaneous. Each team in a division answers the same spontaneous question, which is new for each competition round. 

Each team is given a score out of 350 points; 200 for the long term problem, 100 from spontaneous, and 50 from style. The long term scoring is curved, so the best performing team is given a perfect 200, with each team then having their score calculated based on their performance relative to the top scorer. Style is a separate portion of long term solution judging, where teams are evaluated based on specific elements within their solution and their integration with the performance, such as a specific prop or set piece. Three of these are pre-specified (so the vehicle problem always asks about the vehicle), but two are up to teams. Each of these is awarded 1-10 points. 

Odyssey of the Mind and College Applications

Like many team-based academic competitions, Odyssey of the Mind can give you some great material for your essays and activities lists. The competition itself is well known, and the creativity and intellectual vitality of winning teams is well respected by colleges. 

Further, as the team and everything they make must be done by the students themselves, OM gives you a great chance to show off your leadership skills. WHile you may not be a captain, you still have many chances to show off your initiative, and to take responsibility for some part of the process, be it script-writing, set design, or working out the technical aspects of the problem. 

Of course, there are some downsides, namely the amount of time OM requires. While you can take part in it and other extracurriculars, it will be one of your main uses of time for the school year, requiring several hours a week on average. 

Your school may or may not have an OM team already, or a teacher interested in serving as a coach for one. All you need to compete is a team of 3-7 people, a teacher to serve as a coach, and a place to store everything you build. 

Final Thoughts

We hope this article has given you a good introduction to Odyssey of the Mind, and let you know whether it is the kind of opportunity you would benefit from exploring. While not every academic extracurricular is the right fit for every student, some will benefit greatly from the creativity it seeks to foster.

While we cannot help you with OM directly (the outside assistance rules apply to us as well), we have a long experience helping students find the academic activities which best support their talents and interests. If you want to learn more about our candidacy building service, and hear how we can help you specifically, schedule a free consultation today. We love helping students find and explore their passions.

Need help with college admissions?

Download our "Guide to Everything," a 90-page PDF that covers everything you need to know about the college admission process.

More To Explore

College admissions office sign on campus with green bushes in the background
College Applications

When are Early Decision Results Released?

You sent out your ED applications a month (or more) ago, and have been waiting patiently (or perhaps not so patiently) ever since for the

5/5
Wendy Y.
Parent
Below is my son's review. He was accepted to his dream Ivy League school!

From an admitted student's perspective, I am incredibly grateful to have met Sasha - he has been instrumental in helping me achieve my educational dreams (Ivy League), all while being an absolute joy (he's a walking encyclopedia, only funnier!) to work with.

Many people are dissuaded from seeking a college counselor because they think they can get into their desired college(s) either way. Honestly, going that route is a bit short-sighted and can jeopardize your odds of acceptances after years of hard work. The sad truth is, the American education system (even if you attend a fancy private school and ESPECIALLY if you go to a public school) doesn't really tell students how to write a compelling and authentic application. Going into the admissions process alone, without speaking with an advisor, is like going to court without a lawyer - you put yourself at a significant disadvantage because you don't have all the facts in front of you, or the help you need to negotiate the system.

That said, you need a good lawyer just like you need a good college counselor. And that's where Sasha distinguishes himself from the crowd of people claiming they'll get you into Harvard. I came to Sasha worried about and frankly dumbfounded by the college admissions process. I was unsure what to write about and how to go about drafting the essay that perfectly captured my passion, interests, and self. And I was highly skeptical that anyone could really help me. But, damn, did Sasha prove me wrong. From the beginning, Sasha amazed me with his understanding of the process, and ability to lend clarity and direction to me when I desperate needed it. After interviewing me about my background, experiences, activities, outlook, and vision, he helped me see qualities about myself I had not previously considered 'unique' or 'stand-out.' This process of understanding myself was so incredibly important in laying the groundwork for the essays I eventually wrote, and I'm certain I would've drafted boring, inauthentic essays without it.

Looking back, Sasha's talent is that he can see where your strengths lie, even when you don't see them. The truth is, although we don't always realize it, everyone has a unique story to tell. Sasha helped me see mine, and with his big-picture insight I was able to write the application that truly encapsulated my life and vision. He inspired me to dig deeper and write better, challenging me to revise and revise until my essays were the most passionate and authentic work I had ever written. As clich茅d as that sounds, that's really what universities are looking for. In retrospect, it makes sense - in the real world passionate (not simply intelligent) individuals are the ones who make a difference in the world, and those are the individuals colleges would like to have associated with their brand.

In the end, I was accepted to the college of my dreams, a feat I could not have achieved without the direction Sasha lent to me. Essays (and the personal narrative you develop through your application) matter so much, and can literally make or break your application. I have seen so many of my 'qualified' friends receive rejections because they wrote contrived essays that didn't truly represent who they were; conversely, I have also seen so many friends with shorter resumes accepted because they were able to articulate their story in a genuinely passionate and authentic way - I fall into the latter category.

As a former admissions officer at Johns Hopkins, Sasha knows what types of essays jibe well with universities, an invaluable asset to have in the admissions process. He is responsive, flexible, creative, positive, and witty. For anyone who is serious about going into the college admissions process informed and prepared, I highly recommend Sasha.
5/5
Arda E.
Student
I used 日本av片 to mainly help me with college applications. Within weeks of using this service, Sasha was able to simplify the already complex process. When it came to writing the Common App essay, Sasha didn鈥檛 just help with grammar and syntax, he brought my essays to life. Sasha also worked tirelessly to help solidify my extracurricular activities, including research and internship opportunities. Without his help, I would have never had an impressive resume.

Sasha is not only an extremely knowledgeable tutor, but also a genuine brother figure. His guidance, throughout my last two years of high school, was everything I needed to get me an acceptance letter from my dream schools (UC Berkeley, Tufts, Emory).

When it came to testing, 日本av片 worked like a charm. Sasha offered a very comprehensive plan when it came to completely acing my standardized tests. Without his test taking strategies I would have never gotten straight 5s on my AP tests and a 35 on the ACT.

Working with Sasha, I didn鈥檛 just become a good student, I became a genuine scholar.
5/5
Samson S.
Parent
We worked with 日本av片 during my son's senior year. I was concerned that we may be too late to take advantage of college advising but the 日本av片 team quickly and confidently directed us through the steps to ensure no deadlines were missed. Sasha's knowledge about schools, what they looked for in candidates, and how to maneuver the application process was invaluable. Mateo and Ryan worked with my son to help him create an essay that would get noticed and I am so appreciative he had their guidance.

Prior to securing 日本av片, we tried using a less-expensive online service which was a terrible experience. As a parent, 日本av片 brought peace of mind to an area that was frankly overwhelming. This service was invaluable in the knowledge that we gained throughout the process. He has also met with my freshman daughter to provide guidance for her high school courses, career paths, extracurricular activities, and more.

Prior to signing with 日本av片, I tried a less expensive online service and was very disappointed.

As a result of our work with 日本av片, I am pleased to say that my son will be attending Stern Business School at New York University this fall! I highly recommend 日本av片. Highly recommend!