Understanding gained this way is deeper and lasts longer. The Workshop is much more effective and efficient than the same time spent studying alone or watching someone else work problems. Workshops are self contained and non-judgmental. Students usually do not take home unfinished worksheets, and their work is not graded. The atmosphere is informal, intense, and very constructive.
Any competition is purely recreational.
MathExcel students help each other compete with all the rest. Leaders and their Undergraduate Assistants constantly seek to provide an atmosphere that is congenial, supportive, and above all personal. We encourage MathExcel students to develop a strong sense of community, and they do. In a nutshell, MathExcel is a much more personal experience . Probably no other undergraduates at UK receive as much attention from their teachers and, just as important, from each other.