8 Computer Science Extracurriculars For Your College Application

The year is 2021. College applications have become so competitive that you start to believe that cancer-curing or inventing Skynet is your only way in. But everybody has to start somewhere, which is perhaps why your starry eyes are glancing over these words right now. I know because I was in your place, desperately searching “computer science extracurriculars” again and again and finding some informative results because as a programmer, googling is one of my most refined skillsets. To ease some stress from the process of finding extracurriculars and commemorate the lovely process of college admissions as a graduating senior, I’m compiling a list of extracurriculars and resources I’ve amassed through research over these 4 years.

“But, random person on the internet who has no verifiable credentials whatsoever, how do I know you’re qualified to give advice!?”

I’m not, and I certainly won’t pretend that I am just because I was admitted to a good college. I don’t know that completing these extracurriculars will guarantee you a ticket in (no single activity will, MIT even rejected somebody who built their own nuclear reactor). I’m just providing opportunities for whoever may seek them. It’s your job to combine your activities with your unique story for a compelling application.

1. Hackathons

Surprised? Of course not, hackathons aren’t exactly a hidden gem. In fact, starting your own hackathon might even be a cliché. But for beginner programmers, hackathons are an invaluable resource for accelerating your programming skills and for more experienced programmers, possibly earning tangible awards for your application. Even better, many hackathons have become digital due to the pandemic, so now you can attend one every weekend if you so wished, instead of the 1 or 2 you could go to in-person each year, pre-pandemic.

2. Summer Programs

If you know that self-studying computer science might be impossible due to the absence of accountability, summer programs are the perfect way to explore a topic of your choice with the added bonus of supplementing your application. There are a number of options that I’ve listed below, with varying levels of selectivity. Being accepted to some of these programs may be an impressive feat, but the others are excellent starting points that may help you gain programming experience and earn a spot at the more competitive programs. I tried to include only low-cost or free programs — as a general rule of thumb, costly programs aren’t typically worth your time. Just remember, start early, as many of these programs have early application deadline dates!

• Girls Who Code — Summer Immersion Program (female only, non-selective)
• AI4ALL (non-selective)
• Women’s Technology Program (female only, selective)
• Clark Scholar Program (selective)
• iD Tech Camps (non-selective)
• Minority Introduction to Engineering and Science by MIT (selective)
• Computer Science for Cyber Security (non-selective)
• Beaver Works Summer Institute by MIT (non-selective)
• Kode with Klossy (non-selective)
• Science & Engineering Apprenticeship Program (selective)
• CURIE Academy (female only, selective)

3. Begging for Internships

You may wonder: “why would a company willingly hire a high school student?” Free labour is the answer. Sure, you probably won’t get a fully-paid internship at Google right now, but you might actually have a chance at interning at some of your local tech startups if you ask. Just google “tech start ups [your city]” and note a few you’re interested in. Find the emails of the recruiters or engineers and cold-email them, explaining your goal (an internship), passions, skills, and why you want to intern with them. Don’t be afraid to cold-email — the worst that’ll happen is being ignored. Here’s a guide to cold emailing by the Harvard Business Review that may help you in more detail.

And if cold-emailing isn’t your style, luckily Microsoft has an internship program for high schoolers that is application-based.

4. Research

Similar to the previous extracurricular, finding research opportunities may only be possible if you cold-email. But often professors are willing to mentor high school students for, again, free labour. You might start by doing tedious work even the undergrad labourers refuse to do, but you’ll still gain exposure to amazing projects and maybe even become a substantial contributor and end with your name on a paper. Or even direct your own research with some guidance from the professor. In this case, you could possibly submit your research to a science fair to gain some tangible awards. Your specific research journey will depend on you, but to secure a research internship in the first place, try following the below steps:

• Search for faculty and labs at your nearby universities and compile a list of labs or faculty who interest you with their emails.
• Craft an email addressed to your professor-of-interest that introduces yourself, describes your availability for helping with research, includes a resume, and follows other cold-emailing suggestions from the cold-email guide.

5. Competitions

For those who prefer the theory side of computer science and just want to get their hands on some problems to solve, coding competitions might be your best bet. There are plenty of resources that’ll help you get started, such as the Competitive Programmer’s Handbook by Antti Laaksonen and Stanford’s Introduction to Programming Contests. Afterward, the most important component is practice, practice, and practice. Websites like DMOJ and Codewars provide fun practice problems that are often representative of questions from real competitions. Finally, compete! The staple programming competition for high schoolers in the U.S. is the USA Computing Olympiad (USACO), and in Canada the Canadian Computing Challenge (CCC) is well-recognized. Placing well at these competitions is helpful (especially the USACO) because colleges are familiar with them and thus are more confident in the awards you report.

6. Personal Projects

After becoming a proficient programmer through taking courses, programs, and the extracurriculars I’ve mentioned above, you can spend your time on a personal programming project. The infinite tech startups of today represent the infinite possibilities of code. While you might not form a functioning business around your project, you could very well program something with multiple downloads and real users. Even if you’re still beginning your programming journey, simple projects can still be worthwhile additions to your college application because they can prove your passion for computer science in a way words can’t.

7. Clubs

We all know that kid who somehow is the president of 6 clubs simultaneously. But that doesn’t mean being a club president has lost value in the admissions game. Involving yourself with your school’s coding or robotics club early on, climbing the ranks, and making substantial contributions to the club can show dedication and passion in your application.

8. Teaching

Computer science being one of the hottest majors means millions eager to jump into this field. You could tutor high school or younger students, write blogs about computer science, or make YouTube videos about computer science.

I hope that amidst my rambling you found a link or two that piqued your interest and can act as a stepping stone for your admissions journey. As an obligatory side note, however, you should only do these activities if you’re genuinely passionate about them. I don’t personally believe colleges can detect passion, but if you enjoy programming then there is no outcome of these activities in which you’ll have wasted your time.