Internship Notes

Leetcode

• Checkout:
  • Neetcode 150
  • Grind 75
• 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.