I loved how entrepreneurial the role was and how interns were given a great amount of autonomy and control over their projects to bring them from beginning to finish, truly making an impact on the team by the end of the summer. Additionally, the culture is truly a magical one that made me excited about going to work everyday to interact with so many amazing people and work on such exciting projects.
What I wish was different
I wish the conversion process for full-time offers after the internship was a bit smoother as the process has taken a long time and been difficult to manage with other competing deadlines that occur when OCR is so early at Penn.
Advice
Be ready to navigate ambiguity and come in with a ready-to-learn attitude but also ability to roll your sleeves back and create your projects, taking initiative and asking to be involved in as many projects and tasks as you have bandwidth for - this is something that they definitely admire and look for when evaluating performance at the end of the summer.
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Technical Writer Intern
June - September 2017 • San Francisco, CA
What I liked
learning about new technologies on Google Cloud Platform
What I wish was different
I wish the product launched while I was there
Advice
meet as many people as you can, even if they're not in your product area
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Software Engineering Intern
May - August 2018 • San Bruno, CA
What I liked
I felt integrated with the company and was given a lot of ownership. I felt really supported by my team and hosts. I got to learn a lot and keep improving my computer science skills
What I wish was different
Nothing :)
Advice
Utilize all Google has to offer and learn as much as you can!
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Software Engineer Intern
June - September 2018 • Los Angeles, CA
What I liked
The intern community was really great, and I enjoyed learning how to work in a large tech company.
What I wish was different
I wish my project had a larger impact and that it were more well defined by my host.
Advice
Make clear your project expectations early on with your host. Bond with your team as much as possible, and take advantage of all the cool resources and events available at a place like Google.
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Associate Product Management Intern
May - August 2018 • Mountain View, CA
What I liked
I loved the level of autonomy and ownership you got at Google. Even as an intern, you had significant scope and had influence on decisions that involved millions of dollars. People would defer to you for your opinions since you had ownership over your project area. When you were stuck, though, there was an incredible support system - both formal and informal, whereby almost everyone in the company would be filling to help you.
What I wish was different
Advice
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Software Engineering Intern
May - August 2018 • New York City, NY
What I liked
The company atmosphere and the projects.
What I wish was different
Little control on what team you're matched on.
Advice
Ask questions.
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Engineering Practicum Intern
May - August 2018 • Sunnyvale, CA
What I liked
I liked how everyone at Google is very motivated and passionate about their work. I was given a lot of opportunities to learn new skills and everyone was always available to answer my questions. The project was very interesting and focused on security, which matched my interests.
What I wish was different
Honestly can't think of anything, every aspect of my internship was great!
Advice
If you fail at first, keep trying! I didn't get the internship at Google my first year, but instead of just wasting my summer I ended up doing research at a prestigious university, which looked great on my resume. Always show your recruiter/interviewers how much you care about what you do!
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Software Engineering Intern
May - August 2018 • San Francisco, CA
What I liked
I loved the office, the work, and the city. I had an excellent experience.
What I wish was different
I wish I had been told more about the different parts of San Francisco and hadn't found housing in such a bad part of the city.
Advice
It can be intimidating to apply to and work at a big company, but in the end the experience is so worth it. You without a doubt should apply to a company if you want to work there, no matter how scary it may seem or underqualified you might feel.
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Software Engineer Intern
May - August 2018 • San Francisco, CA
What I liked
Great perks.
What I wish was different
More defined project.
Advice
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Software Engineering Intern
May - August 2018 • Mountain View, CA
What I liked
I had a great experience there. My team was very supportive and interacted with me a lot throughout the internship. However, I've heard that this varies by team.
What I wish was different
Advice
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Software Engineering Intern
June - September 2018 • Mountain View, CA
What I liked
What I wish was different
Advice
Be selective about your project! You don't have to pick the first one you hear back from.
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Software Engineering Intern
July - September 2018 • New York City, NY
What I liked
The team.
What I wish was different
More project scope.
Advice
Use your resources and talk to other employees.
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Engineering Practicum Intern
June - September 2018 • Mountain View, CA
What I liked
What I wish was different
Advice
I suggest that you reach out to as many Googlers as you can to learn about their experience working for the company, what they are working on, and what their team is like. Googlers are almost always willing to meet and talk to you!
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Engineering Practicum Intern
May - August 2018 • Mountain View, CA
What I liked
Great host, got matched with a project I really liked, the other intern on my team was on the same level of Computer Science experience as me. They had lots of opportunities to bond with both other interns and people on your team. Everyone that works there is friendly and not intimidating. Felt like I actually made a difference with the code I wrote and submitted during my internship. Good pay and comes with a relocation bonus.
What I wish was different
Nothing!
Advice
Study for your interviews! And be open to meeting new people and don't be too afraid to ask for help when you need it. Asking for help makes everything go faster in the long run.
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Software Engineering Intern
May - August 2018 • Boulder, CO
What I liked
Amazing office atmosphere. Exciting work with an exceptional team of mentors.
What I wish was different
Wish I didn’t have to leave.
Advice
If you find yourself at a big tech company like Google, don’t be afraid to ask a ton of questions. There’s a lot of internal tooling to learn and it’s impossible to figure it all out without some guidance.
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Engineering Practicum Intern
May - August 2018 • Mountain View, CA
What I liked
Good team culture
What I wish was different
A way to learn about different aspects of the company better
Advice
Grow your network while you're here!
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Software Engineering Intern
May - August 2018 • Mountain View, CA
What I liked
a lot of responsibility
What I wish was different
not in california
Advice
apply early
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SWE (software engineering intern)
June - September 2017 • Mountain View, CA
What I liked
Work environment, team culture, perks (free food, free bike, gym, shower, etc.), project
What I wish was different
I would have liked more intern events to get to know the other interns (there were plenty, but there are so many interns in the bay area that they have a lottery for getting into events, unlike in the NYC office, where all interns can go to all events). More transparency in host matching would be great also.
Advice
Know that it will take a few weeks to get up to speed on your project, so don't stress about that. Get to know your team and the other interns. Try out the VR demo rooms too!
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Engineering Practicum Intern
May - August 2018 • Kirkland, WA
What I liked
I liked learning lots of new skills, meeting people in the industry, and exploring a new city!
What I wish was different
Nothing!
Advice
I would tell future computer science interns not to underestimate themselves and to dive straight into the experience with confidence.
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Engineering Practicum Intern
May - August 2018 • Mountain View, CA
What I liked
Google’s work environment is very supportive and friendly, which helped me feel comfortable asking questions during my internship.
What I wish was different
I wish I was in a smaller office- the number of interns in MTV can be overwhelming.
Advice
Take the chance to get valuable hands on experience in the industry and grow your network!
