Finally got an offer! 😭+ my advice

Mental mindset: DONT LET A CRACK HEAD OUT-HUSTLE YOU. The 3 months were hard but set a goal, watch your mental health, and put in the work. Be Delusional, but Prepare for It: Expect rejection, it’s part of the process. The key is to handle it while staying positive. I reminded myself that it only takes one “yes,” and I kept applying until I got that yes. I even saved my rejections as motivation because I knew I’d prove the ops wrong.

You’ll see people online say this major is cooked, and I know it’s nice to not feel alone, and easy to start indulging in that, but you are trying to be the opposite of being cooked, so why do you keep indulging in content like that? It doesn’t help you with anything. That doesn’t have to apply to you. Be delusional in the best way—convince yourself you’ll succeed, even if it feels unlikely. And if you don’t land an internship this summer, that’s okay. There are always more opportunities. Discouragement is normal, but bounce back and stay grateful and positive. On my down days I made a list of everything I’m grateful for and everything going well in my life.

Resume Tips: I don’t go to a top school, never touched LeetCode before this, and had a half-finished calculator project. Apply to a mix of FAANG, medium-sized, and small companies. If you don’t have experience apply to small companies it’s easier. Finish one project you can confidently talk about. Even if you didn’t finish it talk about it. Look for tutoring jobs through your university or programs teaching kids to code. It looks great on your resume and might lead to interviews. This is the only advantage I had.

Interview Prep: The sooner you start, the sooner you’ll face rejection—and that’s a good thing. I waited too long. Two weeks before my interview, I barely practiced because of finals and work. But I learned to talk out loud while doing leetcode. When I saw the question, my mind went blank. But I treated it as a learning opportunity instead of a pass/fail moment. If in the middle you think you will fail, just keep trying your best to see how far you can get.

Mock Interviews: I did a free mock interview online, and it helped a lot. If you’ve never done one, do it. Ask your school for technical or behavioral mock interviews. Apply feedback immediately.

Behavioral Interviews: Your communication and personality can make up for gaps in technical skills. I passed one out of three coding challenges. For the second, I explained my solution but ran out of time to code it. I was told my communication stood out.

TLDR: Start LeetCode early: Rejection is part of the process. Apply early to learn and improve.
Communication matters: Talk through your thought process; it can fill gaps in technical skills.
Learn and be prepared, it might not be a leetcode question: Don’t memorize. Focus on problem-solving and critical thinking.
Personality counts: Show you’re teachable and engaged, it can leave a lasting impression.

If you don’t get an internship this summer, reflect on what to improve and be kind to yourself. Opportunities never run out, they just take time. APPLY EVEN IF YOU THINK YOU ARENT QUALIFIED AND DONT KNOW ANYTHING. HAVE THE AUDACITY

Mental mindset: DONT LET A CRACK HEAD OUT-HUSTLE YOU. The 3 months were hard but set a goal, watch your mental health, and put in the work. Be Delusional, but Prepare for It: Expect rejection, it’s part of the process. The key is to handle it while staying positive. I reminded myself that it only takes one “yes,” and I kept applying until I got that yes. I even saved my rejections as motivation because I knew I’d prove the ops wrong.

You’ll see people online say this major is cooked, and I know it’s nice to not feel alone, and easy to start indulging in that, but you are trying to be the opposite of being cooked, so why do you keep indulging in content like that? It doesn’t help you with anything. That doesn’t have to apply to you. Be delusional in the best way—convince yourself you’ll succeed, even if it feels unlikely. And if you don’t land an internship this summer, that’s okay. There are always more opportunities. Discouragement is normal, but bounce back and stay grateful and positive. On my down days I made a list of everything I’m grateful for and everything going well in my life.

Resume Tips: I don’t go to a top school, never touched LeetCode before this, and had a half-finished calculator project. Apply to a mix of FAANG, medium-sized, and small companies. If you don’t have experience apply to small companies it’s easier. Finish one project you can confidently talk about. Even if you didn’t finish it talk about it. Look for tutoring jobs through your university or programs teaching kids to code. It looks great on your resume and might lead to interviews. This is the only advantage I had.

Interview Prep: The sooner you start, the sooner you’ll face rejection—and that’s a good thing. I waited too long. Two weeks before my interview, I barely practiced because of finals and work. But I learned to talk out loud while doing leetcode. When I saw the question, my mind went blank. But I treated it as a learning opportunity instead of a pass/fail moment. If in the middle you think you will fail, just keep trying your best to see how far you can get.

Mock Interviews: I did a free mock interview online, and it helped a lot. If you’ve never done one, do it. Ask your school for technical or behavioral mock interviews. Apply feedback immediately.

Behavioral Interviews: Your communication and personality can make up for gaps in technical skills. I passed one out of three coding challenges. For the second, I explained my solution but ran out of time to code it. I was told my communication stood out.

TLDR: Start LeetCode early: Rejection is part of the process. Apply early to learn and improve.
Communication matters: Talk through your thought process; it can fill gaps in technical skills.
Learn and be prepared, it might not be a leetcode question: Don’t memorize. Focus on problem-solving and critical thinking.
Personality counts: Show you’re teachable and engaged, it can leave a lasting impression.

If you don’t get an internship this summer, reflect on what to improve and be kind to yourself. Opportunities never run out, they just take time. APPLY EVEN IF YOU THINK YOU ARENT QUALIFIED AND DONT KNOW ANYTHING. HAVE THE AUDACITY