Generation Google Scholarship
One of the best things that ever happened to me…
Hello readers! I am Vidhi Bhatt, currently a prefinal year student pursuing my bachelor's in Computer Science from Gujarat Technological University, Ahmedabad. I was one of the 55 scholars and the first person from my University to receive the Generation Google Scholarship [APAC Region] for the academic year 2021-2022.
Through this blog, I would be sharing all the details about the GGS. If you are an aspiring applicant/ someone who wants to know more about the scholarship then you are at the perfect place :P
So, without any further adieu let’s get started!
[1] What is the Generation Google Scholarship?
Generation Google Scholarship: for women in computer science was established to help students pursuing computer science degrees excel in technology and become leaders in the field.
The scholarship is awarded based on the strength of each candidate’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, demonstrated leadership, and academic performance.
The scholarship program is divided into three regions: APAC (Asia Pacific), EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa), and the US (United States). Depending on the region, the scholarship amount ranges from 1,000 USD to 10,000 USD. Selected applicants/scholars will have the opportunity to attend a fully funded retreat at one of Google’s headquarters, where they can meet other scholars and Googlers, and access exclusive resources. Additionally, scholars will have access to a community where they can stay in touch with each other.
[2] Eligibility criteria
The eligibility criteria keeps on changing every year. So, it is advised that you refer to the official website for the most recent information.
Official website: https://buildyourfuture.withgoogle.com/scholarships/generation-google-scholarship-apac
Recipients of one of the following Google Scholarships: Generation Google Scholarship, Generation Google Scholarship: for women in gaming, Generation Google Scholarship: for supply chain and fulfillment, Google Lime Scholarship, Google Student Veterans of America Scholarship, Women Techmakers Scholarship for Computer Science, Women Techmakers Scholarship for Gaming, and Venkat Panchapakesan Scholarships India are not eligible to reapply.
[3] Benefits/Perks of the Scholarship
- Scholarship Award: Recipients receive a scholarship ranging from 1,000 USD to 10,000 USD depending on their region.
During my time, the scholarship amount was mentioned as 1,000 USD on the website when we applied. Even our selection emails had 1,000 USD mentioned. It was only during the retreat that we got to know that the scholarship amount was increased from 1,000 USD to 2,500 USD for us 🤩
2. Fully funded retreat: Scholars are invited to attend a fully funded retreat at one of Google’s headquarters, where they can meet other scholars, Googlers, and attend workshops and networking events.
Owing to the ongoing restrictions due to covid, the retreat for our batch was held virtually 🙃. The virtual one was also fun though!
3. Exclusive resources: Scholars have access to exclusive resources, such as online communities, mentorship opportunities, and career development workshops.
4. Networking opportunities: Scholars have the opportunity to connect with other students and professionals in the tech industry, as well as Google employees.
5. Personal and professional growth: Scholars are given the chance to develop their skills and grow both personally and professionally through the program.
6. Peer group: Scholars connect with a diverse community of peers in the technology industry. This peer group can provide support, guidance, and valuable insights into the tech industry, as well as opportunities for collaboration and skill-sharing.
7. Google Scholars Hall of Fame: The name of the selected scholars would be featured on the official Google Website. 😍
8. Google Merch: Scholars were also rewarded with the exclusive Google Swag kit!
[4] Application Process
R1: Online Application
The online application consisted of 7 sections as shown in the image above. You need to finish all 7 sections by the application deadline. Once submitted, you still have the flexibility to edit/update your responses at any time up until the deadline.
Note: You do not receive any confirmation mail upon submitting the application. All 7 boxes turning green and the application status as “Submitted” as shown in the second image indicates that your application is successful.
Most of the sections are pretty lucid so am not touching upon them. The most important one is the Application Documents section.
In the application section, you are supposed to submit 3 documents. Your resume, academic transcripts, and your responses to the essay questions.
→ Resume
If applicable, please highlight your projects and include leadership positions, extracurricular activities, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts on your resume. Some examples include clubs and organizations, national society chapters, programming competitions & hackathons, teaching assistantships, research opportunities, developmental programs, distinguished academic awards, speaking engagements, community service/volunteer work, positions in DEI-focused organizations, etc…
Keep it crisp and clear, do not lie in your resume, only add relevant information, and limit it to a single page. I personally prefer a single-column resume over two-column ones.
→ Transcripts
By transcripts, what they mean here is simply your academic mark sheets. Eg: If you are currently in your 4th/6th semester, upload your B.Tech mark sheets till the most recent semester grade card that you have.
You have to combine all the mark sheets that you have in 1 single PDF file. By unofficial transcripts, they mean that you can include screenshots of your mark sheet from your result portal as well in case you haven’t received the hard copy ones.
→ Essay questions
This is the pivotal section of the entire application. The essay questions when I applied were as follows.
Caution ⚠: A new thing got introduced this time. The application forms for 2023 will close once 3000 applicantion responses are received. So you really need to be quick. A few of the pointers below may not apply owing to this major change.
A good essay cannot be written in a day or two. What may sound good to you at the moment may not sound the same when you read it after a few days. So it is very important that you give an ample amount of time to your essays. It took me 11 days and 5 iterations to finalize my essays.
Here are some steps that can help you write a good essay:
Step 1: Understand the question and brainstorm through what all ways you can approach the question.
Step 2: Before starting, jot down the essay outline so that you don’t miss out on a point. After doing that, start writing.
Step 3: Build a flow and transition smoothly between paragraphs. Include your real-life experiences to give it a personal touch.
>> If you are claiming something, make sure you back it up with some evidence. Eg: If you say that the gender ratio in your college classroom is 1:3, then you can back it up by adding this article as a reference.
>> The starting and the ending of your essay are very crucial. The start determines whether the reader would read your essay with interest or not. Therefore it must be captivating and intriguing. Make sure that you leave a long-lasting impression. Always end on a positive note.
Some pointers for writing an amazing essay:
(Based on my experience and learnings from my seniors)
- Take your time. Do not rush off things.
- Do not refer to other people’s essays.
- Do not copy-paste from anywhere.
- Share your own story. This will give your essay a unique touch.
- Stay within the word limit.
- Take care of formatting in the PDF. Use professional fonts like Times New Roman and Arial. Use the appropriate font size.
- Make sure it is free from grammatical errors. You can use Grammarly for this.
- Most most most important: Get it reviewed.
You can get it reviewed by your friends, parents, seniors, past scholars, etc… I would prefer past scholars since they have been through the process themselves and know the exact requirements. The goal of doing this is to identify how your essay sounds to the person who is reading it for the first time. Take their feedback and incorporate it wherever you feel necessary.
Note: You need to name all your documents according to the naming format given. Check it from your application portal and make sure you follow that!
And with that, we are done with our online application!
R2: Google Online Challenge [GOC]
After about a month, all the eligible candidates were sent a link for the Google Online Coding Challenge. At our time, candidates from branches like Electrical, Chemical, Mechanical, etc… did not receive the link.
Our GOC consisted of 2 coding questions out of which we were supposed to solve any 1 within a time frame of 60 mins. GOC was conducted on the HackerEarth platform. If you are someone who is practicing coding questions consistently and have a good hold over Data structures and a programming language then you would easily be able to solve the challenge. I would rate the difficulty to be around Leetcode Easy-Medium level. Try to be as quick as possible as timing is also a performance evaluation metric here.
R3: Online Interview
If you have reached this stage then take a moment for yourself and give a pat on your back because this is a big achievement in itself!
1.5 months after appearing for the GOC, I received the mail that I was shortlisted and was moving to the final round of the scholarship. Out of 14,000+ applicants, only 150 students were selected for the final round. I was very happy that I was one of them!
The applications were reviewed holistically to select these 150 candidates. ie. equal importance was given to resume, academic performance, responses to essay questions, and performance in the GOC.
The interviews were scheduled online between the 16th to 25th of March. Mine was scheduled for the 24th of March. This was the last and final step of the entire selection process.
>> My interview experience
This was the first ever interview of my life and I wanted to make sure that I give my best shot at it. I did every possible thing in order to prepare myself for this interview.
The interview started with the introductions of both of us. Then I was asked questions related to my outreach initiatives and the challenges I faced. This was followed by questions from my essays and resume. I was also asked in-depth technical questions about my projects. I was able to answer all of them. The interview lasted for around 25 to 30 mins. It was more like a conversation with a friend, all thanks to my interviewer! By the end, I could clearly see that the interviewer was very happy and I was also satisfied with my performance.
>> Some Interview Tips
Make a list of probable questions that can be asked based on your essays, resume, and projects. Read blogs of past scholars, talked to them one on one if possible, interact with other applicants whose interviews are done, and gather the questions that were asked to them. This is where being a part of a community like Codess.Cafe benefits you. You can easily network and get in touch with the right people that can help you out.
Try to figure out what will you say if you were asked that particular question. Practice your answers in front of a mirror/ record yourself and see how you sound and make changes accordingly.
- Prepare an elevator pitch for yourself ie. a short introduction.
- Smiling is contagious. Greet the interviewer with a smile and show excitement in your voice.
- Be confident as it will make you sound more cogent.
- Do not blabber. Keep your points clear and concise.
- Do not beat around the bush. Just be you.
>> Some sample questions based on DEI:
→ Why did you choose Computer Science/ your journey in the field of tech?
→ Tell me about your contribution towards the upliftment of under-represented communities in tech.
→ If you get 1 billion dollars, how will you use it for promoting diversity?
→ What are the problems caused by technology in the world?
→ What according to you is the real reason for the under-representation of women in higher positions?
→ How will you continue giving back to society?
→ Who is your role model and what impact does he/she have on your career choices?
→ What kind of affirmative/supportive actions can be taken to increase the ratio of women in the technical community?
→ If you see a woman quitting a technical educational program, how will you convince and motivate her to continue the same?
→ How to empower women to fight for equal rights in and outside workplaces and how we could not please everybody?
[5] Results
After a wait of around 2 weeks, I finally got to know about the results. I was just checking my mailbox in the morning and the words “Congratulations! You have been selected as a scholar!” flashed on my screen. My happiness knew no bounds. It was one of the best days of my life and a major breakthrough in my journey in the world of tech. Only 2 girls were selected from my state ie. Gujarat and it was a real honor to be one of them!
That’s all from my side. If you are eligible, I would highly suggest that you apply for it. Even if you get rejected, you will learn a lot from the process itself and emerge as a stronger version of yourself eventually. If you need any help/ have any queries, feel free to reach out to me through my LinkedIn!
FAQs:
My college is not that famous, can I still make it?
Absolutely yes! I myself come from a non top tier college. If you are resolute and willing to give your all, there’s no force that can stop you 🚀
Do I need to focus on topics like Graphs and DP for GOC?
No. They generally do not ask questions from such complex topics in the coding challenges for scholarships.
How many people will get selected?
The number keeps on changing. In 2021, 70 people were selected. In 2022, only 55 were selected. (Data is limited to GGS: APAC)
I messed up in GOC, will it affect my selection?
Applications are reviewed holistically and GOC is just one part of it. If you are rejected, your performance in GOC might not be the only reason.
If this article was helpful to you, smash the clap button to show some love, share the blog with all those to whom it might be helpful, and follow Codess.Cafe for more such articles! 🙌
Codess.Cafe: LinkedIn | YouTube | Website | Medium | Twitter
