Contests are one of main concerns of undergraduates. Since companies place a lot of emphasis on contests and prize winning records, students' interest in contests has been promoted. Accordingly, we have a special report to investigate Dankookians' views regarding contests. We asked for our schoolmates' interest in contests.

  

 

 

Based on the inquiries above, it is deduced that Dankookians are willing to challenge contests but dare not to because they have no idea of preparing for them. Also, they hope for preparing hints of contest from those with experience of winning contests. With the statistic above, we interviewed 2 teams who won the contest of Engineering & Technology which gained the highest interest and 1 team whose members are winners of Design & Advertisement field which the most Dankookians have challenged. Through the interviews with schoolmates who have know-how about such contest, we hope that you can gain some tips. 

Min-Woo Park, Grand Prize winner of "Future Car Technology Contest." Dept. of Electronics Engineering.

 

 Q 1. Could you tell me the procedure of preparing for the "Future Car Technology Contest"?

A. We prepared to submit the document and had an idea conference. Then we worked on the presentation for explaining the work. A real vehicle was provided and we worked on making it as our idea and designed the car again.

Q 2. Where do you usually secure ideas and inspiration about a contest?

A. Primarily I aim at disparate parts of daily life, and have an eye open, and then draw ideas. I take memos of the ideas and resort to them during the next contest.

Q 3. What were the benefits of the contest?

A. Prize money and I also received a chance to pay a visit of inspection to the 'Hyundai' Car Company in China and the 'Car Exposition.'

Q 4. Have you tasted the bitterness of failure through many contests?

A. At first, when I entered contests I underwent plenty of failures. I was clumsy about dispensing time. For that reason, I missed many classes and failed in getting a good grade. Judging from this, I realized that contests are not to be attempted recklessly and it is necessary to dispense time properly.

Q 5. Could you tell schoolmates who are preparing for the contests about something that we should bear in mind?

A. First, grasp the topic and characteristics of the contest you want to challenge. Especially referring to technology type of contests, you must estimate your technical ability precisely, and then apply for it.

Q 6. Comments for schoolmates on attempting and considering contests, please.

A. Our schoolmates seem not to try contests because they have too concerned. However, if you are equipped with your sparkling idea, confidence and a passion to accomplish, I would like to assure you that you are a possibility in any field of contest. Trust yourself and the members of the team, and apply for the contest right now!

Tip - MAC: Contests are a part of their daily life

MAC is a club of the Electronics Engineering Department as well as a club preparing for a robot contest. Among freshmen of the college of Engineering, anyone with an interest towards robots can join MAC. "While we prepare for the contest, we become a family! Also our winning records are acknowledged, and we receive sponsorship from the department of Electronics Engineering and Foundation-Innovative Center."

 

Prize winners of "HS Advertisement Contest," Dept. of Communication and Public Relations, Jung-Do Jo, Su-Yeong Kim, and Gyu-Cheol Lee

 

Q 1. What did you prepare for Advertisement contest?

A. To begin with, we chose 'Korean Air' as the theme of various enterprises and we collected data firsthand. After we passed the examination on paper, we started to prepare for the presentation of the final oral test.

Q 2. Where do you get the AD concepts?

A. We used to get ideas while talking with target people suitable for our contest purpose. When we listened to consumer's wishes as a producer, we hit on an excellent plan.

Q 3. Would you tell us some presentation tips?

A. If you expect audiences to watch your presentation, make a Power Point presentation. Because of similar presentations by the majority of applicants, most of audience will be bored. So you should convey your presentation as a kind of 'show.'

Q 4. Would you give students who are thinking about contests a piece of advice?

A. Challenge the AD contest with new and striking ideas. Since most applicants submit similar works yearly, you should compete against them with a different and distinctive work.

Tip : AD-BUDDY

AD-BUDDY's objective pursues both making advertisement and friends. Its members have study an ad about once a week. They are going to apply for an ad contest on summer vacation and hear lectures of seniors who work in the ad field.

'SK Energy CEO Prize' winners of "Campus Patent Strategy Universiade," Dept. of Chemical Engineering, Chan-Hyun Park, Gye-Sung Jo, and Jin-Woo Jun 

Q 1. How did you decide to apply for that contest?

A. We firmly determined to prepare the contest after seeing the expression of "How to make synthesis gases and petrochemical raw materials from natural gases." We searched for related patents by using 'Wips program' and wrote a thesis on core patent strategies and prepared a presentation. So we spent 2 months preparing for the contest.

Q 2. Did you have any difficulties in preparing for the contest?

A. We had difficulty at first because of being ignorant of the patent. Our university doesn't have patent lessons unlike other universities. However, we luckily heard a lecture of 'The Patent Information Search' prepared by the Industry Academic Cooperation Foundation, so we could learn the basic knowledge of patents from it.

Q 3. What did you gain from participating in the contest?

A. We could learn about natural gases in depth, one of our majors, while preparing for the contest. Besides we could experience a social life.

Q4. Would you say a word to Dankookians who are trying to apply for a contest?

A. First of all, choose a theme which you are interested in and judge the theme if possible. Also you should make up a team well.

Tip : Industry Academic Cooperation Foundation and Campus Patent Strategy Universiade

IACF, Industry Academic Cooperation Foundation, was founded for the purpose of establishing industry academic cooperation in order to share, spread and create new knowledge and technology. IACF holds patents lectures which are helpful to students preparing for patents contests. (www.dankook-iacf.ac.kr)

The Campus Patent Strategy Universiade contest is held twice a year, with a system that enterprises give questions related to patents to students and students present a solution about the questions. (www.patent-universiade.or.kr)

We met three teams that have their own methods of preparing for contests. Their know-how can be summarized: first, check themes firmly before applying for any contest; second, challenge contests with new and striking ideas and collect firsthand data; last, make up a team well. If Dankook University students challenge any contest after preparing for it with these methods, they will get a good result. They may sweep all contests.

 

Dan-bi Won  dkherald@gmail.com