UW REACT

Disorganized Chaos: UW REACT's Robot In 3 Days Fell Short

I was really looking forward to participating in UW REACT's Robot In 3 Days event, but unfortunately, it was a disorganized mess from start to finish. As a senior engineer, I've been to my fair share of hackathons and robotics competitions, but this one took the cake for poor planning and execution. The Discord channel was cluttered and unclear, making it difficult to find the registration form and get in touch with the organizers. When I finally managed to register, I was expecting a comprehensive guide on what to expect, but all I got was a vague email with a few bullet points. The event itself was chaotic - the teams were given vague objectives, and the judging criteria were unclear. It felt like the organizers were making things up as they went along. The collaborative nature of the event was supposed to be one of its strengths, but in reality, it was hard to find team members who shared similar interests and skill levels. The freshmen and seniors were thrown together without any consideration for their differing levels of experience, leading to frustration and unevenly matched teams. The three-day timeframe was also too short, leaving many teams struggling to complete their projects on time. Despite the promise of innovation and teamwork, UW REACT's Robot In 3 Days felt like a poorly managed experiment. Unless they seriously revamp their organization and communication, I wouldn't recommend this event to anyone. With a bit more planning and attention to detail, UW REACT could be an amazing opportunity for engineers to learn and grow - but until then, I'd advise others to steer clear.