All the information shared here reflects my personal thoughts, experiences, and opinions based on my own journey. These are not official rules, policies, or universal standards, and practices may vary across institutions, companies, and individuals.
How much do internship results and academic performance matter?
It depends on the company’s policy. For example, companies like Samsung may filter CVs based on CGPA, but final hiring decisions are usually based on interviews and references. Other companies, like Brain Station, hire based on coding tests rather than CGPA.
However, you should never think that CGPA does not matter. It always does and gives you an extra advantage, especially when you are a fresher. Once you build strong skills or experience beyond academics, CGPA has less impact—but it never becomes completely irrelevant.
How useful is the academic syllabus for internships?
Our academic curriculum is excellent. While studying, we often fail to realize how valuable it is. Unfortunately, we are not always taught these topics in enough depth, but the curriculum itself is top-notch.
For example, courses like OOP, software testing, SRS, and databases are extremely useful during internships. Other subjects like computer networks and computer architecture offer less opportunities to apply during internships, so it’s harder to comment on them, but they also in good shape.
In academics, we build SRS documents of 50–60 pages, but during internships, I worked with SRS documents of only 2–3 pages. Even then, those 2–3 pages were sufficient for enterprise applications (though some projects may require more). This comparison shows how well our academic preparation trains us.
What skills are required beyond academics?
Most companies do not expect you to know specific frameworks beforehand—they will train you. While having prior knowledge gives you some advantages, your main focus should be on academics.
There is a common debate that academics do not teach what the industry needs. However, the purpose of academics was never to train you directly for industry work. Instead, focus on core computer science fundamentals like data structures and algorithms (DSA), networking, databases, and operating systems. These are required in any field.
If you want to build extra skills outside academics, choose a field you enjoy and strive to become the best version of yourself in that area.
Which framework is most useful?
Frameworks come and go, and each has its own purpose. Startups often use Node.js or Laravel, secure and sustainable enterprise applications use Java, and performance-focused applications use .NET.
Learn whatever you prefer. Every framework has job opportunities—some more, some less. Focus on yourself rather than the market. If you follow only market trends, you will constantly need to change your tech stack. If you follow your passion, you will shine regardless.
Do I need to select my field in advance?
It is not mandatory. If a company can offer work in your area of interest, you can request it and they may accommodate you. If they do not work in that domain, they cannot offer it. However, most companies try to assign interns to their preferred domains.
How should I prepare for an internship?
Build a strong foundation in computer science fundamentals, especially data structures and algorithms (DSA), object-oriented programming (OOP), and databases.
Will teachers manage internships, or do we need to manage them ourselves?
It is the faculty’s responsibility to manage your internship, but they have limitations. They may face delays or may place you in a company that does not match your preferred domain.
Therefore, you should also try on your own. If you find a better opportunity, go for it.
Do extracurricular activities provide any advantages?
They do not offer significant advantages for academic internships specifically. However, they have a strong positive impact on your future career, especially for roles that require leadership, teamwork, and communication skills.
How important is competitive programming (CP)?
It is not mandatory, but having strong problem-solving skills always gives you an advantage. These skills can be developed through competitive programming, hackathons, building projects, or other methods.
Data structures and algorithms (DSA) are essential to crack interviews.
What kind of projects should I build?
In the era of AI, simple projects like CRUD apps, to-do lists, or calculators are no longer impressive. Build projects that solve real-world problems and demonstrate meaningful impact.
How many projects should I have?
If you have no industry experience (freelancing, remote, or onsite jobs), 2–3 solid projects are sufficient. If you still lack experience, having 4–5 projects is even better.
What should my CV look like?
A CV is used to shortlist candidates from thousands of applications. Since your resume has already been forwarded by the faculty and you have been shortlisted, the CV is less critical at this stage.
However, you should still maintain a professional and well-structured resume that represents you properly. You will build it once and reuse it in the future, so create it carefully to save effort later.
If you want to know how I prepared my resume, you can read this.
What exactly happened during the mid internship presentation?
During the mid internship presentation, we were required to prepare and present slides based on a given format. The presentation was divided into two main parts:
- Company Overview
- Project & Internship Work
Each intern had to explain their contribution and learning outcomes during the internship.
Were the presentations individual or group-based?
Although the presentation was meant to be individual, students who completed their internship at the same company were allowed to present together to avoid repetition of company details.
How was the presentation handled for students from the same company?
For students interning at the same company:
- Only one student presented the company overview
- That student also presented their project details
- The remaining students presented only their individual projects and learning outcomes
This approach helped avoid repeating the same company information multiple times.
Can you explain the grouping with examples?
Yes. The grouping was done based on the internship company:
- 2 students from Samsung presented together
- 2 students from Brain Station presented together
- Our group had 5 students from the same company, so we presented together
- Another group of 6 students presented together as they belonged to the same company
Each group followed the same presentation structure to maintain consistency.
Who presented the company details in your group?
In our group of five interns, one person presented:
- The complete company overview
- Their project details
The rest of us focused only on presenting:
- Our individual projects
- What we worked on
- What we learned during the internship
What is the initial step of the Final Presentation?
The final presentation process begins with filling out a Google Form containing supervisor information.
The evaluation form is then sent to the supervisor’s email address provided in this form.
What is the final report?
The final report is a 50–70 page document that documents your entire internship journey. The template is provided by the faculty.
Similarity and AI-generated content are checked using Turnitin, so avoid AI plagiarism by paraphrasing and updating content using tools like StealthWriter.
What is the evaluation form?
At the final phase of the internship, a 2-page evaluation form is sent to your supervisor.
Page 1 contains three sections:
- Supervisor information
- Student information
- Evaluation table with different performance metrics
Page 2 contains 7 questions related to:
- Area of internship
- Student performance
- Project involvement
- Other professional aspects
The main marking of the internship is based on this evaluation form.
Confidentiality of the evaluation form
The evaluation form is not for students. It is sent directly to the supervisor’s email.
The supervisor:
- Submits a hard copy (signed and sealed in an envelope) via the student
- Sends a scanned copy of the signed form from their official email
What exactly happened during the final presentation?
Students were called in alphabetical order based on company name. Students from the same company were grouped together.
Unlike the mid presentation:
- No one presented company details
- Each student focused on:
- Project involvement
- Skills learned
- Overall internship experience