My Three-Season Internship Search Journey
I’m nearing the end of what I hope is my last internship’s search. This channel has been incredibly helpful to me. I got a lot of insights about companies/processes, and it keeping me motivated throughout this long recruiting process. So, I wanted to share my journey here!
Some Notes: - CS Major + Intl student + No CS background prior to college - Some results might not be exactly right (e.g. I might mix up the counts of being ghosted and being rejected) - Usually I started applying in Aug and wrapping things up in Oct-Nov. - I applied mostly to SWE roles, but some are QTs, QRs, and some other random related positions. - During 2024 season, my return offer came out late, so I didn’t help narrow down the search that much. But for 2025 season, I received a return offer earlier, so I mostly applied to roles that are appealing enough relative to my return offer.
Some key takeaway after this long process I wanted to share is that
success = preparation + timing + luck
Best of luck to you all who are still in the process or are about to start the process when reading this!
I’m nearing the end of what I hope is my last internship’s search. This channel has been incredibly helpful to me. I got a lot of insights about companies/processes, and it keeping me motivated throughout this long recruiting process. So, I wanted to share my journey here!
Some Notes: - CS Major + Intl student + No CS background prior to college - Some results might not be exactly right (e.g. I might mix up the counts of being ghosted and being rejected) - Usually I started applying in Aug and wrapping things up in Oct-Nov. - I applied mostly to SWE roles, but some are QTs, QRs, and some other random related positions. - During 2024 season, my return offer came out late, so I didn’t help narrow down the search that much. But for 2025 season, I received a return offer earlier, so I mostly applied to roles that are appealing enough relative to my return offer.
Some key takeaway after this long process I wanted to share is that
success = preparation + timing + luck
Best of luck to you all who are still in the process or are about to start the process when reading this!