“What the hell did you put for the egg question?”

 

…is not a sentence one would anticipate gracing the lips of an oh-so-dignified DECA delegate. In our defense, not one of us had expected to be asked about the way the USDA graded eggs on a marketing exam, of all places. But lo and behold, as over a dozen of Fraser’s future business leaders poured out the hotel elevators, already deep in various stages of grief at nine thirty ante meridiem, the rest of our chapter awoke wondering, Will this be me? 

 

Not so fast, hotshot. Cue the tape rewind sound effect. To mortals who know nothing (save whispers) of our legendary suit-clad ventures, here’s the rundown. A DECA competition is comprised of two parts: a 100-question multiple-choice exam and a case study where one role-plays an industry professional and presents a solution. One must then, of course, place their fate into the hands of one (1) omniscient judge. Child’s play, I know. Going up in front of a judge, laying an egg because you couldn’t quite recall the function of OCR software, and leaving with a shred of your sanity. A positive cakewalk.

 

And to those fifty-odd DECA hopefuls gazing despondently at their baker’s dozen of aced AnswerWrite tests, not having realised that they would have to know like the backs of their hands something as niche as USDA egg grades, it’s your lucky day—you get to wait until provincials. (Unless you’re in marketing. Just kidding.) 

 

But is this sort of nitpicky, excessive attention to details truly the spirit of an organisation with the mission of fostering “emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management” internationally? Is our superstratum of overachievers so suffocated within the walls of our echo chamber of pedantry that we lose sight of the box for the eggs? 

 

As I have been advised by the illustrious Isabella Wang, the mastermind at the helm of the instruction of John Fraser’s marketing duos, “Fake it ‘til you make it—and then some more.” Eggsemplary advice, but let’s define that.

 

One may not be able to sufficiently study every minute detail, swallowing curveballs and obscure fringe cases such as the now-infamous “egg question” for breakfast. But what one can do is familiarise themselves with crucial concepts. Whether this involves understanding your good old law supply and demand or remembering every mix under the sun, study up on those major components; you have the omniscience of Quizlet at your beck and call. A good 70% of your score depends on this.

 

Walk into Room 208 on the 7th of November, head held high, knowing, I can do this. That alone will make the difference and set you apart from all the others (who got barely two winks of sleep studying stratified random sampling). Waltz into that dingy classroom on the 22nd of November, flash your judge your thousand-watt smile, and ask to sit down as if you’ve truly merged souls with the poor hounded intern or assertive public relations manager you are. 20% of your score is confidence.  

 

My rookie year was spent with all five feet of me swathed in my two-sizes-too-big blazer and all of my two feet jammed into shoes that clicked too loudly against North Park’s tiled floors. But unlike me, you’ve got seasoned DECA veterans at your behest; ask for their strategies. Lock yourself in a rubber room and pick away at an AnswerWrite test as if it were the real thing. Arrive a few hours early to your roleplay to take a look at how everything flows; even practising walking to your roleplay room works wonders. The final 10% that sets you apart is learning the ins and outs of DECA.

 

When one says “fake it ‘til you make it,” they do not necessarily mean “blind the judges with your overwhelming charisma so they overlook the fact that you haven’t the faintest clue as to what ROI stands for.” This statement, often misunderstood as a cliché and discarded, is a process, an amalgam of the three things I have mentioned. Study up, believe in yourself, and immerse yourself in the DECA environment.

 

Finally, a subset of my first point: be sure to ask for feedback. You’ve all heard the old spiel about how failure is the mother of success or that everyone starts somewhere, but what drove the point home for me was that DECA is like learning a new language, where improvement is next to impossible without soliciting feedback. After all, you can’t make an omelet without cracking your eggs first.

 

And, for your information, the highest USDA grade of egg is AA.

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