FAQ

How many people are you accepting initially?

350

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What's the registration process like?

We give priority registration to first-years and female hackers. They'll be able to register an hour early at 5pm. After registration opens, about 350 spots will be given away first come, first serve. If you don't get a spot, you can still get on the waitlist, where there's a good chance you'll still be able to participate. More specific waitlist instructions will be sent out before the hackathon.

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What's the maximum team size?

You can have at most 4 people on one team.

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Do I need to specify my team at the time of registration?

Nope! We'll be doing team registration later. The biggest thing is just to sign up, so not having a team right now shouldn't be a deterrent!

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How much does it cost to participate in TartanHacks?

Nothing. TartanHacks is free for all current CMU students.

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Can graduate students participate?

Graduate students are welcome at TartanHacks!

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I'm not a CS major, can I still join?

Yes! All majors and programs, even if they aren't technical, can participate in TartanHacks. Before you come, it's probably a good idea to brush up on your programming skills: check out the Web Dev Weeks website to find some awesome tutorials on web development.

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I want to do a hardware hack. Is this okay?

Yes! Hardware hacks are welcome, but we don't provide equipment. If you need special accommodations for your demo, let an organizer know and we'll do our best to help you out.

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Who runs TartanHacks?

TartanHacks is run by ScottyLabs, a student organization at Carnegie Mellon that develops apps for CMU and runs educational events, like TartanHacks. ScottyLabs isn't affiliated with any academic department, and all of our funding comes from our sponsor companies.

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What kind of prizes can I win?

There will be a grand prize for our hackathon, which will be awarded by a panel of judges from Carnegie Mellon. Our sponsors will also award prizes in a variety of categories, for creativity, technical prowess, and novelty.

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How can I get in touch with the organizers?

Send an email to info@Xscottylabs.org!

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What if I need help during the hackathon?

We'll have a team of mentors on hand for the entire hackathon who have skills in almost every type of project you could work on. They'll be able to answer your questions, help you debug, and help you along with anything you might not be confident with. They can't make your project for you, but they are always there to help!

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What can I prepare before the hackathon?

You can come up with an idea and know what you'd like to use before the event. In fact, it might be better to do that; brainstorming can take up lots of valuable time at the beginning of the hackathon. You CANNOT, however, do any work on your hack. Any hack that is suspiciously more advanced or complex than ~24 hours of work by four competent team members will be subject to investigation and possible disqualification.

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Schedule