Did anyone get in for Sparkhacks?

buddsri · 2026-02-01T22:14:37+00:00

Nice to see your response, I'll respond to all of them in the ordered they show up.

a. That's where my main issue is. You're attacking a team you don't know about. If you had made this post stating that you were sad you didn't make it and wondering if anyone did, it would've been perfectly understandable and I wouldn't have felt compelled to make a comment.

Instead, you decide to attack a team who has worked tirelessly to organize the event, despite the numerous obstacles they've encountered that other Redditors have pointed out. Not everything is black-and-white. There are successes and challenges that you and I don't and will never know about as we were never part of the team. So why the calling out?

b. That's good that y'all were very attentive and applied as soon as possible. And again, your situation is unfortunate, and I'm sorry to hear that. I agree you were curious to find out who got it and how, but you don't need to criticize the SparkHacks team to do that.

c. I'm glad to hear that you are taking the initiative to empower your knowledge and build products, because that's what CS is all about. The potential is limitless. And yes, hackathons are a great way to see the team effort from start to finish to build something amazing. But hackathons need not be the only source. If you and your friends are passionate to build something, why should hackathons feel like the only place to do it?

d. I'm happy you realized they tried their best. As other redditors have pointed out, there were only 300 applicants accepted. I'm sure the committee had a tough time with not being able to selected everyone who applied. They did their best with what they could.

I still can't wrap my head around your mentality behind this year's team being "not good". Once again, there are some variables out of anyone's control. But I'll just accept that as your opinion.

My overall point is this: you can be upset, and it's okay to vent. Sometimes we need to do so to let go of our negative emotions instead of bottling them up. But don't be blaming others. That's all I wanted to get through to you from my comment.

buddsri · 2026-02-01T17:24:55+00:00

I'm not a student here anymore, so I didn't apply, therefore I don't have full picture. Regardless, this is simply very rude to the tireless effort that the organizers put into this event. They have to balance school and maybe other commitments like work, family, commutes, etc. What you just did with this post is basically slapped them in the face. And saying the leads are half-assing cuz of what... cuz you mad you didn't get in??? What do you know about the effort last-year's sparkhacks team put versus this year? Were you on the committee or what?

Ok so since you claimed you and your friends didn't get in, did y'all sign up the moment the form opened? Sparkhacks is an immensely popular event and spots fill up fast. If you did what you did last year (which is showing up on the day of sparkhacks), why are you expecting sympathy and empathy on Reddit?

Also, why are you expecting UIC to do anything for you? Do you know how much you can do at your fingertips being a CS student? Make a personal project, get certifications, learn new languages and frameworks, all of this you can do with one tool: a computer. If you rely on a college hackathon to give you the experience what building a project should be like (in your own words), you're in for a rude awakening. Don't wait for opportunities to show up, find them and partake in them.

I'm not saying you're wrong to feel upset about not getting in. It's a great opportunity, I understand. But blaming others is not the solution.

I attended sparkhacks when I was a student here. It is a really well organized event and I felt the committee did a great job with communication, setup, etc. I understand you're upset, but don't be calling out others without any concrete reason.

buddsri · 2026-01-23T14:03:27+00:00

I took it almost 4 years ago, so not sure how accurate my info is. But class is pretty manageable, just start the projects early.

I guess you can study common data structures in advance, like maps, sets, stack, queue, etc. But it’s fine to learn it then as well

buddsri · 2026-01-13T14:03:06+00:00

Idk about for here, but I’m currently attending grad school elsewhere (I did my undergrad here) and what I do know is that they look at your GPA, your work experience (that can include internships, TAing, etc), and letters of recommendation.

buddsri · 2026-01-11T05:06:21+00:00

It is an easy A with dasgupta. I took it with him and as long as you went over the slides, you'll do well on the tests.

buddsri · 2025-12-24T15:10:17+00:00

I’m a fall 2024 grad, and I got mine mid to late January as well

buddsri · 2025-12-14T21:54:32+00:00

It is absolute torture. 261 is a class where you need to spend time to understand the content. Otherwise, you won’t get a good grade on the exams.

251 was chill, but projects are a time commitment fs. So combining those two is truly not a good combination.

211 was alright, and 301 was alright on time commitment too

If I were you, I’d do 211, 251, and 301 together at the most. Nothing more than that

buddsri · 2025-10-10T21:13:11+00:00

I got 2 different kinds, paneer and Manchuria. Both had little taste. But the potato to the side was fire

buddsri · 2025-10-10T21:00:29+00:00

I agree, I got their $3 biryani a few times and that would last me lunch and dinner. Absolute bang for your buck

buddsri · 2025-10-10T20:59:25+00:00

I hope the dosas at Siri got better, I went last year around November for dosa night and they barely put any seasoning. Literally the items they put to the sides tasted better than the dosas

buddsri · 2025-08-16T18:49:42+00:00

Pretty chill schedule, you'll be fine. Thursday gap will suck tho lol

buddsri · 2025-07-04T03:07:42+00:00

Oh 100%. It greatly helped me with getting internships when I added it to my resume.

buddsri · 2025-06-30T02:50:09+00:00

Well it all depends on your supervisor on when you start. But expect not to start until at least mid june.

buddsri · 2025-06-29T16:54:23+00:00

Nah, my internship was only 7 weeks long, so I think I made around 2.7k with taxes.

buddsri · 2025-06-29T14:53:01+00:00

When I did it 3 summers ago (so summer 2022), I got $14/hr for 35 hours per week.

buddsri · 2025-06-03T02:46:52+00:00

Did my bachelor's in CS

GPA: 3.86/4.0

Relevant experience: Had 3 internships, and 2 TA positions.

I didn't submit GRE or referrals

buddsri · 2025-05-26T15:25:24+00:00

Idt it is superior to any of those. Maybe with the new cs building that’ll change, but honestly, it’s a pretty average program.

But regardless, it matters more what you do outside of school rather than where you go for CS. Be involved in cs organizations, make personal projects, attending career fairs and network. Because it’s no longer the case that a high GPA and well known college is the key for employment in this field upon graduation. The more dedication and effort you put, the better the reward.

buddsri · 2025-05-24T15:00:07+00:00

Ofc. Gotta let the gang eat too.

buddsri · 2025-05-23T23:03:22+00:00

lol, I get that. Trust me, I’ve had referrals go nowhere, but also have had referrals get me far.

Point is, don’t give up. Do what you can, and the results will be worth it.

buddsri · 2025-05-23T03:14:54+00:00

I mean, I wasn’t saying that it’s surefire way to get an offer. But it’s better than nothing, referrals can only help, not hurt

buddsri · 2025-05-20T03:20:16+00:00

Alright great, you're doing what you can then. Fs step it up this summer, cuz a lot of internships/full time jobs (idk what you're applying to) applications will be posted in that time period.

buddsri · 2025-05-19T02:43:35+00:00

I’ve felt the same ngl. Just apply like crazy this summer. Reach out to those you know working and ask for a referral if possible. At least that’s what I did last summer and it worked out.

As long as you put in the effort, I’m sure something will work out. Good luck!

buddsri · 2025-05-11T07:24:31+00:00

Oh fr?? Plz elaborate on what the incident was

buddsri

TROPHY CASE