Ivan's Cool Obsidian Vault

Internship Notes

2 min read

Related: Leetcode MOC | Projects MOC | Complexity Cheat Sheet

Leetcode

  • Checkout:
  • Think of leetcode as the bread and butter of the internship process.
  • Its crucial to have a solid understanding of the core fundamentals of data structures and algorithms
  • Also be sure to understand Big(O) specifically, space and time complexities of your solutions
    • this info is often asked during interviews
  • Also know ways to optimize your solutions
    • this info is often asked during interviews
  • When interviewing, always let the interviewer(s) know your thought process
    • say out loud what you’re thinking. the interviewer’s goal isn’t to make you fail but to help
  • Also before coding any solution to a problem, be sure to clarify potential edge cases

Applying

  • Checkout these resources:
    • Summer 2026 Internships
    • Jobright
    • Handshake
    • Create Simplify account. This is an extension used to autofill your data when applying
    • LinkedIn of course
    • Use this spreadsheet to track applications
    • note: keep in mind most internships aren’t catered to freshman/sophomores
      • doesn’t mean they don’t exist. Companies like Google, Meta, etc… have freshman/sophomore specific internships
  • be sure to attend your school’s career fair. research the companies beforehand.

Projects/Resume

  • almost as important as leetcode
    • There are a million ways to go about this but I’d recommend:
      • At least one full stack project(tech stack isn’t necessarily important but try to use ones that are most commonly used in industry: i.e., MERN, PERN, React + Springboot(java), etc…)
      • I highly recommend having a Springboot project. Java, though not as glamorous as some other languages, is used ALOT in industry(especially IBM and the team I was on).
      • note: there aren’t specific projects that will get you an interview but you want projects that are unique and solve real world problems(no Netflix clones). I’m currently finishing up a chrome extension that displays Rate My Professor data for professors displayed on the enrollment page for UCSC. You could build something similar for U Chicago
  • make use of Jakes Resume Template for your resume.

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