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Kenean Nooks
November 19th, 2022
Schools are getting more competitive every year, and with computer science being one of the most competitive majors, it is vital that students do everything they can to stand out. If you’re a high school student planning on applying to a top university, or just a student interested in computer science, you need to check out these opportunities.
Harvard's CS50X Course
“An introduction to the intellectual enterprises of computer science and the art of programming.” This course is excellent, not only because it’s free, but students also receive a certificate for completing the course. The course is offered to students who would like to start programming and get a fancy piece of paper for finishing the job. The program is self-paced, allowing students to start whenever, and complete whenever.
USACO/Codeforces
With students unable to start coding competitively, due to a lack of competitions nearby or lack of time, USACO (United States of America Computing Olympiad) and Codeforces are online competitions you can do from the comfort of your own home. If you are new to programming, they even offer different levels of difficulty (represented uniquely between the sites). Furthermore, for both old and new programmers, they offer awards and scholarships.
FTC/FRC
If you're in high school, DO NOT take these 2 extracurriculars for granted. Offering scholarships, opportunities in programming, leadership positions (school-specific), and lots of fun, the First Tech Challenge, and First Robotics Competition are amazing ways to start doing robotics. You can join teams via the website or at your school.
Forage Work Experience
“Bite-sized 5-6 hour virtual work experience programs that give students a genuine career advantage with the world's top companies” - Intriguing, isn’t it? Forage Work is a free work program for anyone wanting to gain work experience. They work with companies like Visa and Lyft, and, for FREE, offer many opportunities for engineering and back-end programming to high school students. Since internships can be expensive, time consuming, and hard to find, I highly recommend this site.
Girls Who Code
If you are a girl who’s beginning their computer science journey, I highly recommend you visit this site. From clubs, summer programs, and college/career programs, Girls Who Code offers much more than you think. From resources to start your own clubs to their campaigns with over 500,000 members, this is truly something to be a part of, and absolutely cannot be missed.