Requirements for Admission

<aside> 🚨 Applicants must meet BOTH requirements.

That said, just checking off the minimum requirements is NOT enough to guarantee admission. Both of these are a spectrum, and you should look for students who show a true passion for CS, and could benefit from a program like this.

</aside>

1. Have the experience to succeed in this track:

Students need to be experienced enough to contribute to a project with only high-level guidance from a mentor.

To evaluate applicants, look at their education, and look for evidence of past projects (which might be in "tell us about a past project", on their resume, or on their LinkedIn). The minimum requirements are:

Intermediate/Advanced Track: Completed CS101/102 series and show evidence they have worked on at least one project of advanced complexity. (e.g. something involving client-server communication, service-oriented architecture, familiarity with new technologies like Docker or React, etc)

OR have completed CS101/102 series, AND either completed an algorithms course or were a TA for another course, AND show evidence they have created a project of at least moderate complexity.

OR have demonstrated equivalent experience by working on 2+ personal projects of advanced complexity.

Examples

A student has taken CS101/102 and has created a ride-share mobile app. This student DOES meet the requirements, because the app requires client-server interaction.

A student's application shows they have taken CS101/102, and an algorithms class. They don't provide an answer for the past project question, and don't include a resume. This student DOESN'T meet the requirements. While they've demonstrated sufficient knowledge from their class-work, they haven't shown they can work on a project on their own.

2. Have little access to other opportunities:

Many students who apply to CodeLabs have many options for how they'll spend their summer (whether that's another summer program, or an internship with a company.)

We're looking for evidence that students DON'T have these opportunities, such as:

• They're from a group traditionally underrepresented in technology.
• They grew up in a rural area, or are living somewhere that's not a
• For college students, they're attending school at a local college, trade school, or other "lesser-known" CS school (e.g. not MIT, Stanford, Harvard, etc.)
• For high school students, they don't go to a private school or top-ranking public school.

Don't Accept Students Who

1. Would succeed either way; have previous internships or industry experience.

With such a limited amount of space, we need to prioritize students for whom CodeLabs would make the most difference. We're counting on you to reject students who already have significant experience in the tech industry, and those who are trying to pad their resume.

Look out for these things, and reject students for "Too Much Experience":

• Already have an internship or other summer program this summer.
• Have had a prior internship at a big-name tech company.
• Have had 2+ prior internships at smaller-name tech companies.
• High school freshmen/sophomores with lots of experience.
• College freshmen at big-name CS schools (e.g. MIT).

The Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program and most things with the name "fellow" in their name aren't real industry experience, and don't count.