When she decided her reaction time needed work, sophomore Chelsea He had her roommate tape pennies to dollars, drop them and wait for He to catch the falling cash.
But reaction time is only one of He's many concerns.
This weekend, "Ken Jennings" He-as her roommates have dubbed her after the Jeopardy! contestant who won 74 games and over $3 million in cash prizes-is headed to Raleigh to compete with 15 other undergraduate students from across the country in the Jeopardy! 2005 College Championship tournament.
Since learning that she was selected to appear on the nationally syndicated quiz show, the engineering major has been balancing midterms, trivia practice sessions and time for relaxation.
"At first I was terrified at the prospect of being on the show, but now I'm looking forward to meeting the other contestants and having fun," He said.
Although Jeopardy! held try-outs on Duke's campus Sept. 1, He tried out for Jeopardy! the weekend before school began at Southpoint Mall. She did not receive word that she made the cut to appear as a contestant until last Monday.
"I was on a crowded [bus] and not expecting to get it at all when they called me," He said. "I freaked out and was shaking all through my art history class."
A self-proclaimed Jeopardy! lover and a member of the Duke College Bowl-a quiz-trivia team-He practices by making lists of facts she thinks are important to remember. He focuses her studies on American pop culture, insisting that her knowledge is limited due to the fact that she moved to the United States from China 10 years ago.
He's friends have lent their support since she found out she had made the cut for the show-even going so far as to create the "Chelsea He Clue Crew" facebook group dedicated to making her a better Jeopardy! competitor.
"I knew Chelsea had a chance," sophomore Jason Bosko said. "We always watch the show together. I know sports, but she knows everything else."
Since last Monday, reading Trivial Pursuit cards and playing along with a borrowed buzzer box while watching evening episodes of Jeopardy! have helped He prepare for the competition.
"We're just so excited about this," said sophomore Emily Kim, He's roommates. "She knows a lot of random trivia so I think she'll be fine."
Despite the excitement and endless sea of trivia cards, He is trying to remain calm.
"I feel like I'm being pulled in a lot of different directions because if I study one thing for too long I feel like I should be studying something else," He said. "The most important thing now is for me not to worry about the competition and just have fun."
The show will be taped Oct. 1-2 at the RBC Center in Raleigh. It will air Nov. 7-18 on ABC.
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