First of all, in order to learn advanced mathematics (mathematical analysis), linear algebra and probability theory well, these three courses will be offered in freshmen and sophomores respectively (learning well here is only a calculation exercise in a skilled book, and the real problem in the modeling competition is not the complex calculation theory, but the foundation, innovation ability and paper level of mathematical software).
Secondly, master the software Matlab (the numerical calculation function is very powerful) (Xue's book Solving Advanced Applied Mathematics Problems with Matlab is very good) and Maple (the symbolic operation is very powerful and easy to learn).
You can also look at spss software (mainly used for statistical analysis). You can't skillfully use all the functions here, but you must be able to use the Internet and "help" to find the required functions in a short time. It's important during the game! ! ! ! )
Finally, you should consider the composition of your team during the competition and find something that has its own advantages. In brackets is the combination of our team (there is an innovator who can write papers (it seems that I am responsible for proposing the model framework and writing papers); Have powerful computing software, which can calculate the suggested framework; The other party should rationally detect the small mistakes of the first two people. Remember, remember! !
Bibliography: Xue Zhu's Matlab Solution to Advanced Applied Mathematics Problems; Jiang Qiyuan's "Mathematical Model" and other software books can be asked and used by teachers who teach mathematics.