- ✅ Goal: Build a strong CS application with real-world experience, coding competitions, and research.
- ✅ When? After 10th & 11th grade (Summer 2027, 2028).
- ✅ Best Types of Programs:
- AI & CS Research Programs (MIT, Stanford, Google)
- Hackathons & Coding Competitions (USACO, Google Code-In)
- Internships & Open-Source Projects (Google, CodePath, GitHub)
🔹 1. Top AI & CS Summer Research Programs
🚀 Best for: AI, machine learning, and university-level CS projects.
📌 Great for UC Berkeley CS applicants!
📍 MIT Research Science Institute (RSI) (Highly Competitive)
- 📌 What? Prestigious 6-week research program at MIT (full scholarship).
- 📌 Why? TM will work with MIT professors on real-world AI & CS research.
- 📌 Website: https://www.cee.org/programs/rsi
- 📌 When to Apply? Fall of 11th grade (for summer before 12th grade).
📍 Stanford AI4ALL (Artificial Intelligence Program)
- 📌 What? 3-week AI & ML research program for high school students.
- 📌 Why? Focus on AI & ethics, great for CS major applications.
- 📌 Website: https://ai4all.stanford.edu/
- 📌 When to Apply? Fall of 10th or 11th grade.
📍 Google Computer Science Summer Institute (CSSI)
- 📌 What? Google-sponsored CS & programming camp for high schoolers.
- 📌 Why? Learn Python, ML, and Google Cloud + network with Google engineers.
- 📌 Website: https://buildyourfuture.withgoogle.com/programs/cssi
- 📌 When to Apply? Junior year (for summer before 12th grade).
📍 Berkeley Computer Science Scholars Program
- 📌 What? UC Berkeley’s summer CS research program for high school students.
- 📌 Why? Great direct connection to UC Berkeley CS admissions.
- 📌 Website: https://eecs.berkeley.edu/resources/cs-scholars
- 📌 When to Apply? Fall of 10th or 11th grade.
🔹 2. Hackathons & Coding Competitions (Best for 9th-12th)
🚀 Best for: Competitive programming & coding projects.
📌 Great for TM’s extracurricular profile!
📍 USA Computing Olympiad (USACO)
- 📌 What? National CS competition (C++, Python, Java).
- 📌 Why? Winning at USACO looks amazing for UC Berkeley CS!
- 📌 Website: http://usaco.org/
- 📌 When? Start in 9th or 10th grade & aim for Gold/Platinum level.
📍 Google Code-In (High School Coding Challenge)
- 📌 What? Google-sponsored open-source programming competition.
- 📌 Why? Winning = BIG advantage for CS admissions.
- 📌 Website: https://codein.withgoogle.com/
- 📌 When? Runs annually (open to 9th-12th graders).
📍 Major Hackathons (Hack the North, CodeDay, HackMIT)
- 📌 What? 24-48 hour hackathons for building projects.
- 📌 Why? Winning a hackathon is a strong CS extracurricular.
- 📌 Website: https://mlh.io/seasons/2024/events
🔹 3. CS Internships & Open-Source Projects
🚀 Best for: Hands-on CS experience & UC Berkeley applications.
📌 Great for TM’s 11th-12th grade summer.
📍 CodePath High School Internship Program
- 📌 What? Paid internship for underrepresented CS students.
- 📌 Website: https://www.codepath.org/
- 📌 When to Apply? 11th grade (for summer before 12th).
📍 Open-Source Contributions (GitHub)
- 📌 What? TM can contribute to real-world open-source CS projects.
- 📌 Why? Looks great on applications + builds real coding skills.
- 📌 Website: https://opensource.google/projects
📌 Next Steps for TM
- 📌 9th Grade: Join USACO, Google Code-In, and local hackathons.
- 📌 10th Grade: Apply to Stanford AI4ALL, Berkeley CS Scholars, & more competitions.
- 📌 11th Grade: Focus on MIT RSI, Google CSSI, or research internships.
