2024-04-03 00:33:17
He is very talented. He has all the superior qualities possessed by fitri talents. He is distinguished not only by his knowledge and ability, but also by his broad erudition and richness of thought. He is named after a student of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), who is the first in the world ranking with these abilities and the medals he won in prestigious international knowledge competitions. Our next hero is Abutalib Namazov, who wrote his own brilliant success story in the history of the Science Olympiad of Azerbaijan.
Promotion. He was born on April 28, 2003 in Baku. In 2009, he went to the 1st grade of secondary school number 100. He was admitted to the VII grade of the physics, mathematics and informatics oriented high school under the Ministry of Education. He was awarded a bronze medal in informatics for the first time in the Republican round of the subject Olympiads held in the 2015-2016 school year. He started preparing for the Olympiad in both mathematics and informatics from the 8th grade. In the 2016-2017 school year, he successfully participated in the final round of the subject Olympiads of the republic and was awarded high medals of the Olympiad in two subjects for the first time in the republic. He won a gold medal in informatics and a silver medal in mathematics. During his high school years, he won 4 gold medals, 1 bronze medal, and 1 silver medal in mathematics at the subject Olympiads of the republic. In 2017, he was awarded a first-class diploma at the Olympiad of Young Mathematicians organized by the Russian Higher School of Economics. In the same year, he was awarded bronze medals at the European Youth Informatics Olympiad (EJOI) and silver medals at the Balkan Mathematical Olympiad (JBMO). In 2019, he was awarded a silver medal at the International Megapolis Olympiad in Moscow, and a gold medal at the XVI International Jautikov Olympiad in 2020. This was the first gold medal brought from the International Olympiad in Informatics. He also won a bronze medal at the 32nd International Informatics Olympiad held in Singapore in 2020. In general, he has 3 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze medals from the republican subject Olympiads, 1 gold, 5 silver and 4 bronze medals from the international Olympiads. He completed his secondary education with a gold medal. After these listed successes, his biggest achievement is being named a student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA, with a full scholarship.
We present the interview with Abutalib Namazov.
“Everyone believes that they can contribute to change the world for the better”
– The number one university in the world sends you an acceptance letter and informs you that you have been admitted to a prestigious university. How do you feel at MIT?
– My acceptance letter started with very serious congratulations, praises and good wishes, and at the end it was written that don’t worry, this news is not a lie. You can really jump up and down with joy, shout and cry. Everyone received the same letter. That is, not only in our country, but also in the United States, admission to MIT is a very joyful, different and proud feeling. But within a few months, completely new feelings arise.
The environment there, the results students strive for, the spirit of creativity changes you, instead of being happy and proud, you think it’s an opportunity, I can learn a lot here. You see, everyone takes very difficult classes in addition to the ones that are enough to get a diploma. You also see that in the second year, you took a very difficult course that is intended for the master’s degree. Everyone is eager to learn more. I fell into the same environment. After what I saw, I realized that this is indeed where a Tony Stark (Iron Man, Iron Man) would appear. They also motivate us so that we work without stopping and do not get tired. Everyone believes that they can contribute to change the world for the better. There are very interesting classes, different social and academic opportunities, talented people from all over the world, great scientists. Everything is just and created for the sake of man. What I hid, I began to feel in place and beautiful.
It is especially nice to feel humanity and justice. For example, I get a stipend of 80,000 dollars a year. But they thank you every step of the way, thank you for choosing MIT.
“The first thing I saw was everyone’s great support for each other”
– You have been called an MIT student for some time now. What were your first impressions? Have you ever thought, “Will I be able to study here?” How was your adaptation to the MIT environment?
– After being admitted to MIT and coming out of the storm of joy, I asked myself whether it would be possible for me to study in such a place, together with such strong students from the academic side? These thoughts softened a little after talking with other students – you see that everyone thinks the same way. But the first thing that surprised me and helped me find the answer to this question was that I saw everyone’s great support for each other. Even in an online setting, we interacted extensively as students across multiple platforms. There was someone to help answer any questions, whether about the lessons or in general. My father always said that Azerbaijanis are very talented. I thought he was saying that to boost my self-confidence. He was right.
I saw that we are not behind anyone and our children have a lot of potential. My eyes are on the road, I expect new arrivals from us.
“I had to study my first semester in Baku from home”
– How is teaching at MIT currently organized? How did the pandemic affect the university’s teaching environment and teacher-student relations? What can you say about your lessons?
– Everyone says about studying at MIT “drinking water from a fire hose”. This feeling, I think, is experienced by everyone who comes here. Sometimes there are seemingly unlimited classes and tasks. The main way to get over it all is to love it all. Working together with other students, exchanging ideas on tasks with them, correcting each other’s mistakes makes the work more interesting and easier. In almost all lessons, it is recommended to work together with others for tasks, and sometimes extra points are awarded for doing so (for example, 1 point). In addition, professors and assistant professors are always ready to help. In addition to online platforms to ask them questions directly, they have office hours during which we can chat with them live.
In the early stages of the pandemic, classes were online. Therefore, I had to study my first semester from home in Baku. Of course, it was difficult and never replaces face-to-face lessons. But with the extra support we got, it was a good read. Even during the pandemic, several new tools or programs have been developed to improve online conditions, which have proven to be useful even in face-to-face formats. Currently, the classes are facing the conditions of compliance with the pandemic rules. Although some social activities are limited, most things are moving back to normal.
“The goal is one – to work hard and do it with love”
– What is the secret of success for Abutalib Namazov, who broke the syndrome of “the unaffordability of education at MIT” for many?
– The short answer to this question is continuous hard work and purposefulness over many years. It is true that a little luck can play a role in studying in top universities, but if the student who has the highest goal works hard for that goal, he will stand close to the top. There are many factors in university admissions, where sometimes even being able to play volleyball well can make a difference, but the main goal is the same. You need to work hard and do it with love. In the last two years, applications from Azerbaijani students to American universities have increased dramatically, and I have heard about acceptances from other top universities. This is very gratifying.
“I am grateful to my teachers, team, family, friends”
– To whom can you say you are grateful for the successes you have achieved?
– Many people played a role in my success. I would like to thank my teachers, the team organizing the Olympic activities, my family, friends, and even strangers who supported me and wrote motivational messages on social networks. I am also very grateful to my aunt Tahira, who worked harder than my father and mother, loved me more than them, and carried me to school and classes since I was a child.
“This is a tried-and-true experiment”
– To what extent do you think it is possible to be equally successful in both mathematics and computer sciences?
– I was asked this question a lot because I received two medals in the same year. I have always given the same answer: these two subjects are not very different subjects. Informatics and computer science are heavily involved in mathematics, and a knowledge of mathematics is essential to succeed there. I decided to use this opportunity to study more deeply in both subjects, and I can say that these two majors help to learn each other. I recommend that students doing computer science olympiads study mathematics (mainly discrete mathematics) very well, and students doing mathematics olympiads learn programming and try themselves in computer science. This is my own experience. My classmates from our mathematics olympiad class, whom I attracted to informatics, were very successful there in a short time. Currently, I see students who participated in both Olympiads. I’m glad about that. Let me also say that this is a widespread practice in the world.
“Those who have great love find success”
– The road from the Olympics to the number one university in the world. What recommendations do you have for your peers who choose this path? How to prepare a good Olympian?
– Olympiads are really a very effective and interesting way to go to top universities. But more importantly, the Olympiad is a marathon of learning and allows you to go through a very deep and long learning process. A lot of hard work is required here. Therefore, it is necessary to do this work with love and perseverance. Hard work always pays off in the end. Failures also happen, but instead of being upset about them, you should work harder. Computer Science, when I joined in 2017, was perhaps the subject where we failed the most. I myself went through these setbacks, but I never lost hope and love for problem solving. The determination of me and our team proved that we can succeed in this field.
It should also be said that not everyone should be an Olympian. There are other ways to succeed. The Olympiad is one of those ways, and it goes without saying that it is effective, but most of the professors who taught me at MIT were not Olympians. Nor many of the world’s greatest mathematicians. Those who have a great love for their field find success no matter what. As for the best way to prepare for the Olympics, let me say that there are ways that are known all over the world, the literature and the syllabus are known. You must ensure that you work tirelessly with good teachers.
Abutalib Namazov is the son of Shahvaled Chobanoglu, a well-known journalist of Azerbaijan.
“There’s a lot to learn”
– What are your plans for the future?
– My current plan is to pursue my studies at a high level and get the most out of my time at MIT. There is a lot to learn. My major is computer science. I also take a lot of math lessons. Honestly, I see so much innovation here that my plans and thoughts about the future continue to be polished. I think that I will continue my master’s education here. Until then, my thoughts about the future will probably be more formed and the opportunities at my disposal will help me to make a decision.
“Azerbaijan teacher” newspaper
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