CSSI 2014: Thoughts on the Application

One more day until I depart for CSSI! I don't think the full extent of excitement/realization of the trip has hit me yet, which might be a good thing because over-excitement often prevents me from getting a good night's sleep! Anyhow, in lieu of CSSI's beginning, I thought I'd talk a bit about how I went from applying for the program and crossing my fingers, to receiving the anticipated call of awesome news.

I found out about the CSSI application very late, for by that time the deadline had (miraculously) been extended for two weeks. Reading the program description, my eyes widened. Opportunity to learn a variety of programming skills? Chance to explore a Google office and interact with Google employees? An all-expenses paid trip? Yes please. At the time, I didn't have much confidence that my application would be successful; after all, only around 90 students would be accepted out of what would clearly be a large pool of applicants. However, in the short time until the deadline, I worked hard at my application; fueled by determination and thoughts of "what if?", I refined my resume and edited my essays until I was satisfied with them. Along with a teacher recommendation/questionnaire, I sent in my complete application and waited to hear back from Google.

For anyone who is interested in applying to CSSI, my advice for writing the essays would be to stay true to yourself; draw on real experiences that you've had (or even hope to have in the future), as well as what you have gained/hope to gain from them. Also keep in mind that CSSI targets underrepresented students, including minority ethnicity and gender. For example, I was able to talk about my aforementioned summer with the WISEST program, which targeted female students interested in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) fields, and what I learned about female under-representation from the experience. When it all comes down to it, I believe that passion is key; if you have true interest for computer science and for learning, it should come across easily in your writings.  

Now, back to the application process. I was actually in Belize, on a volunteering trip with Rotary during my spring break, when I checked my email and found out that I'd made it to the next step: a phone interview. I was so excited at being closer to the reality of CSSI that the nerves didn't even hit until I was back home. Three days after coming back from Belize, I sat nervously in front of the phone, a good 15 minutes before the scheduled interview time. Sure enough, the phone soon rang and I was into my interview before I knew it.

They were right when they told us that there is no way to prepare for the interview. Some of the questions were based on what you talked about in your application, while others were more technical. We were interviewed by actual engineers who work at Google, and from what I've heard, everyone's questions were different. The technical questions were interesting because you didn't necessarily have to find the right answers; instead, they more so wanted to see how you could think your way through different problems. Combined with nerves, figuring out the problems and explaining my ideas over the phone was quite stressful, but I pushed forward by talking through my answers slowly and methodically. My interviewer was very nice, and I actually got to ask him a few questions about his work and what it was like working at Google at the end! The interview passed by in a blur; afterwards, it was really hard to judge how well I did, especially in the technical questions where I didn't know the correct answers, so all I could do was wait once again to hear back.

When I found out that I'd gotten into the program, I was ecstatic and so ready for three months of Google-y awesomeness! For the past few months, it's been really nice to connect with others who are going online, and anticipate the trip together. Even as I finish up my last-minute packing, it hasn't hit me yet that this crazy experience is going to start tomorrow. See you soon, Seattle!

Anticipated skyline view :)