What to Bring to a Hackathon

Get excited — AthenaHacks 2020 is just one week away!

1. An ID for Check-in
   Any governmental ID that has your name and birthdate on it or if you are a USC student, just bring your student ID!
2. A laptop and all necessary accessories
   No matter what you decide to build at a hackathon, you’re going to need a laptop! Don’t forget to bring a charger for your laptop (and phone!) and any accessories that you’re most comfortable with (perhaps a mouse?). If you’ve got a laptop with special ports, it may be a good idea to bring an adaptor/dongle just in case. A USB might come in handy as well!
3. Necessary software
   Depending on what you’re building, you might need to some software. For example, XCode is the software necessary for building iOS apps. It’s a good idea to download this in advance since WiFi can be slow at hackathons with so many people sharing it. Additionally, this will save you time so that you can hit the ground running and utilize your time once the hacking begins!
4. Warm clothing
   When you’re working and sitting for so long, your body can be more susceptible to getting cold — especially when you’re tired during the evening. Bring some layers for the night time because we want you to be as comfortable as possible.
5. Comfortable clothing
   During a hackathon you’re going to be sitting a lot so you’ll probably want to be wearing comfortable clothing. If you want to feel more fresh the next day, you can even bring a change of clothes (we’ll be providing free tshirts for the event too!)
6. Earphones
   With so many hackers is the same area, hackathons can get a bit noisy sometime. Bring some headphones or earphones so you can block out the noise and focus on your project!
7. Sleeping bag / Pillow
   Getting sleep is really important to helping your brain function! Even if it’s just for a couple hours, we encourage you to sleep or nap a little. We’ll have a nap room set up for you during the evening but to make your sleep more comfortable, we recommend bringing a sleeping bag and/or a pillow.
8. Any medication/allergy medication/special food requirements
   Although we’ll be providing tons of snacks, drinks, and food throughout the event, if you have very specific, special food requirements, we recommend you bring some food/snacks for yourself. We’re making an effort to have vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options but not all our snacks might satisfy your food needs. If you have any medication or allergy medication you need as well, don’t forget to bring those!

We’re super excited for AthenaHacks 2020 and can’t wait to see you on USC’s sunny campus!