Girls Who Code Q&A — Key Takeaways
Panelists
- Neha — 3rd Year CS, UCLA
- Aadit — 2nd Year CS, UCLA
- Michael — Senior CS, SDSU
- Tanisha — UC Berkeley
Inspiration
- Exploring tech early helps you discover unexpected interests — Neha
- Creating and owning projects builds long-term passion — Aadit
- You don’t need prior experience to succeed in CS — Michael
- Reflection before college shapes better decisions — Neha
Preparation
- AP classes help with workload and time management — Neha, Aadit
- Communication skills matter as much as technical ones — Michael
- Your school environment can shape your readiness — Tanisha
Project Breakdowns
- Large projects work best when broken into pipelines — Neha
- CSA & CSP skills directly transfer to college projects — Aadit, Tanisha
- Think of projects in slices: UI, backend, APIs — Michael
Ideation
- Strong projects solve real-world problems — Neha
- Write ideas down as they come — Aadit
- User research leads to better design — Michael
- Flexibility matters more than perfect datasets — Tanisha
College Applications
- Personal story matters more than just achievements — Neha
- Initiative (nonprofits, independent projects) stands out — Aadit
- Curiosity and resilience define strong applicants — Michael, Tanisha
Skills Developed
- Challenging STEM classes build critical thinking — Neha
- Grit and stress tolerance help in college — Aadit
- Project ownership teaches planning and ideation — Michael
- Knowing how to use resources (including GPT) is a real skill — Tanisha
Communication
- A vision only works if the team understands it — Neha
- If you don’t communicate, no one knows your progress — Aadit
- Documentation keeps teams aligned — Michael
- Explaining code out loud prevents confusion — Tanisha
Methodologies
- Process matters as much as outcomes — Neha
- Methodologies apply beyond CS classes — Aadit
- Weekly goals and meetings drive progress — Michael
- Deadlines keep teams accountable — Tanisha
Final Advice
- Stay updated — CS evolves fast — Neha
- Relax and enjoy the process — Aadit
- You won’t understand college CS until you experience it — Michael
- Network boldly, even if it feels uncomfortable — Tanisha
Q&A Highlights
- Have fun with computer science
- Take full advantage of your CS program