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Program Spotlight: CSSI and Generation Google Scholarship for rising university freshmen
January 13, 2014
Applications for Google's
Computer Science Summer Institute (CSSI)
and the
Generation Google Scholarship
have opened for graduating high school seniors! Scholarship recipients are awarded a 10,000 USD or 5,000 CAD scholarship and will attend CSSI in the summer of 2014. Read more below about CSSI and
apply today
! Applications are due on
March 3, 2014
.
Google hosted its 6th annual Computer Science Summer Institute in the Mountain View and Cambridge offices last summer for students from underrepresented groups considering a C.S. major at universities across the US & Canada. Recipients of the Generation Google Scholarship for high school seniors were among the group of sixty rising college freshmen who participated in the program. Before stepping onto their college campuses, these students from Napa Valley to Nova Scotia (and everywhere in between) stepped first onto our Google campus to begin an exciting 3-week journey into the world of computer science, a la Google style!
Designed by the University Programs team, CSSI introduces students to core concepts in computer science with a unique, interactive course curriculum developed and taught by our very own Google engineers. The program includes everything from coding projects and application design, to career panels and fun team time (think boat cruises, city adventures, and photo scavenger “
Phunts
” built by the students of Google’s 2013 Chrome Academy!).
To provide an insider’s perspective on the real CSSI experience this summer, we’re getting into the minds of some CSSI 2013 alumni and sharing their first-hand memories of it with you!
Arturo Mena Cruz - University of Toronto, Canada
Nathaniel Hudson - Northern Kentucky University, KY
Aneesha Kommineni - University of Texas at Austin, TX
What prompted you to apply to CSSI?
Arturo:
Having no deep knowledge in programming, I understand that no scholarship would have been as valuable as the opportunity to learn Computer Science from Google. I knew that this program was a once in a lifetime experience so I decided to apply. I was not sure I would have the required skills, but I did not want to give up, so I decided to go for it, understanding the program would help me build a bridge for those technical abilities that I did not have, but also help me gain confidence in myself.
How do you feel about your own abilities in computer science now compared to before you started the program?
Nathaniel:
I feel more empowered that I can do it. I always had some forthright confidence that it could be done; but, I was always scared of the idea of it being too hard. CSSI boosted my confidence and gave me first-hand exposure to know that I can do it.
What are you most proud of accomplishing during CSSI?
Nathaniel:
Getting to meet amazing people honestly. I brag about the friends that I made, and the people that I met, all the time back home. I'm extremely proud of being given the opportunity to make these great connections.
Aneesha:
I am most proud of creating an entire website from scratch with a team of people that I had never met before in my life.
Aside from just technical skills, what is something important you have gained from the program?
Arturo:
Aside from technical skills, the most important thing I gained from the program was the friendships and connections I made during the program. Google has a truly wonderful culture and thanks to that you are bound to make friendships and meet people that have many things in common with you. I am sure I will be thanking Google for this well into the future.
Aneesha:
There are so many non-technical (and technical) skills that I gained as part of CSSI that it's hard to choose one but if I absolutely have to pick, I would choose social skills: even though there were 30 of us, we all got really close and we still keep in touch - we have G+ hangouts all the time! I consider my CSSI buddies some of my best friends!
How do you plan to apply what you’ve learned at CSSI in your freshman year?
Arturo:
I plan on developing web applications with the tools that we were taught in Google and also plan on working on some of these web applications with friends I made in the program. I also plan on taking part on a hackathon with fellow CSSIers. I am sure some of the skills and knowledge acquired during the program will help me a lot with the required courses in first year of University.
What advice would you like to share with students who are considering CSSI?
Aneesha:
DO IT!! It will be some of the best days of your life - you will make great friends and great memories and you'll learn a lot of computer science. The instructors and the TA's are also incredible. You will learn so much from them - not just programming but also how to continue learning computer science on your own.
Get involved!
If you’re ready to experience CSSI for yourself,
apply today
! Applications are open for rising college freshmen who will be attending universities in the US & Canada until
March 3, 2014
. Visit google.com/students/cssi to learn more!
Posted by Kieu-Thu Bui, Recruiting Team
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