{"id":2842,"date":"2023-05-24T18:46:07","date_gmt":"2023-05-24T22:46:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.mlh.io\/?p=2842"},"modified":"2023-05-24T18:59:34","modified_gmt":"2023-05-24T22:59:34","slug":"how-to-attend-hackcon-for-free-using-your-schools-conference-budget","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.mlh.io\/how-to-attend-hackcon-for-free-using-your-schools-conference-budget-05-24-2023","title":{"rendered":"How to Attend Hackcon for Free Using Your School’s Conference Budget"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Hackcon<\/span><\/a> is an in-person conference that takes place in Copake, New York and teaches organizers skills to build their communities and hackathons. With two full days of workshops, camp activities, and discussion sessions – there\u2019s something at the conference for everyone.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hackcon is the only Major League Hacking (MLH) event each year that requires you to pay money to attend and we recognize this may be hard for students on a tight budget. In this blog post, we will explore strategies for leveraging your school’s conference budget to attend Hackcon for free.<\/span><\/p>\n

Understand Your School’s Conference Budget Policies<\/b><\/h2>\n

Most educational institutions allocate funds for faculty and students to attend conferences, workshops, and other educational events. To start your research, begin by familiarizing yourself with your school’s policies and guidelines regarding the use of conference budgets.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Contact your department, academic advisor, or undergraduate advisor to gather information about the budget allocated for conferences and the process of accessing these funds. Ask them about funds for student development and travel grants. Your college’s website might also have information on travel grants. There’s unlikely to be anything for undergraduates, but you should check to make sure.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you are part of an honor society, they often have discretionary funding available for their members. Similarly, offices promoting diversity on campus may also have funds set aside for students.\u00a0<\/span>If none of these options are available to you, contact the dean of your college. You might be able to access funds through the dean\u2019s discretionary budget.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Preparing Detailed Conference Proposal<\/b><\/h2>\n

Craft a well-structured proposal highlighting the benefits of attending Hackcon and how it aligns with your academic or professional goals.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Below are the key points to cover in your proposal.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n