The September iteration of our Lunch Time programming series did not see the same notable participation, as our August Lunch Time did. And it makes us a bit sad, as we want more school students to take part in it. Now, there can be various factors behind the comparatively low participation. But if you have any specific reason which is stopping you to take part in our contests, like tough problem set or the timing of the contest, feel free to let us know. We will try and make sure that it is addressed.
We are sure that all those who did not participate this time will show up in the next contest. Also, if any of you did not participate because you did not do well in the last contest then it is our sincere request to leave it behind and move on. It is only when you keep on participating, you will master the art of programming. We believe, success just happens – really. No one can prepare you or teach you to be successful. It is something that you will have to learn on your own, and master on your own, pretty much like programming. The more you practice and participate in such contests, the more you will learn about it.
So, get up, brush yourself up, for the next October Challenge 2013, which is just around the corner. Put the fret of the past contest to rest and start afresh. We are sure all you young geniuses have incredible potential and that we will see you in our next round of contests, let alone the Lunch Time. By the way, the October Lunch Time 2013 will be held on October 27th, 2013 at 11:00 am.
Now, let’s congratulate our friends in the rank tables of September LunchTime 2013.
And now, the total stats for the contest:
- Total Users: 699
- Total Submissions: 4157
- Number of distinct users with correct submissions: 518
- Total users from India: 613
- Total users not from India: 86
A big congratulations to all the participants for their splendid performance in the contest. You all are awesome.
The numbers, this time around, definitely were a bit on the lower side, but that, together we all can change. And that we should change. The bigger the contest, the healthier will be the competition, and the more fun we will have. You see its a win-win situation for all of us. So, do not hold yourself back, get up and join the league of extraordinary programmers from across the world.
We hope to see all you brilliant young minds, in all our contests. So, starting from the impending October Challenge 2013 we hope to see more and more of our school force taking up the challenges and paving their way up the programming ladder.
If there is something that you want to share with us, your feedback, suggestions, or your tiffin box, we would love to have them. So, keep them coming at [email protected].
Till next time, TA-TA.
Regards,
Rudreshwar
Team CodeChef
I think it will be really motivating if you include the top 10 students from India in the blog post.
I think the participation went down for primarily two reasons .
1. It does not affect the rating of non-school people and they are not considered for prizes .
2. The problem set in all lunch times till now have been quite difficult considering the target audience is school students .
The remedy that I suggest is :
1. Have lunch time rating for everyone but give prizes only to school students .
2. Give a certificate of accomplishment apart from goodies etc to top students in India and World for each lunch time .
3. Include 1 CAKEWALK and 1 SIMPLE problem . These problems may not have 4 levels of subtasks , but may be just 1 level for CAKEWALK and just 2 levels for SIMPLE . You can do this inclusion of 2 preliminary level problems by increasing the number of problems in Lunch Time .
4. Though I dont think , giving out test cases after the contest is recommended for Long Contest and Cook Off . But for Lunch Time , we should consider giving out the test cases after the contest . This will increase the learning experience of students after the contest .
5. Sort the problems in expected increasing level of difficulty . Again recommended only for Lunch Time .
I hope my suggestions are useful .
I agree, the problems seem a bit difficult if target audience is students…
You are absolutely right !
plus two hours is very less provide atleast one day
i am a beginner. and all i find is the problem set is more difficult since2-3 months.
I think the starting time is the biggest concern for many potential participant. Why don’t you start it somewhere closer to evening?