What it’s like to Intern at Facebook as a Freshman

As competition for the best talent intensifies, more companies are offering special internship programs for underclassmen.
Michelle Lim, a Yale Sophomore, completed Facebook’s coveted Facebook University Program this summer. We spoke with Michelle and got an inside look at what interning at Facebook is really like. We’ve posted our questions and her responses below:
What is Facebook University?
Facebook University is a program at Facebook that offers software development training to Freshman and Sophomores from groups that are are historically underrepresented in technology. We spent 3 weeks sharpening our coding skills from 9–6 every day which was great for getting an understanding of what it’s like to code full-time. The last 5 weeks, we were split up into small teams and worked on different applications. At the end, the 3 top teams were able to present their apps directly to Mark Zuckerberg.
Do you have any advice for students that are hoping to intern at Facebook?
I think Facebook is looking for people with a serious interest in technology. Once I got involved in Computer science at Yale, I started a web development position with the University where I spent 6–8 hours a week coding. This was crucial to demonstrating that I was serious about coding and had a genuine interest in it. Many of my fellow colleagues in the Facebook University program participated in hackathons and computer science extracurriculars at their respective universities so I think being able to have concrete experiences that show enthusiasm is crucial.
I’d also advise other students to remember that networking doesn’t end once you get the position! I met so many interesting people at Facebook but it required me to sometimes step out of my comfort zone and make a conscious effort to reach out to new people.
How did you get involved with software engineering?
When I came to Yale I was thinking of going the pre-med/global affairs route. But after talking to some tech entrepreneurs and mentors I noticed that many of them kept emphasizing the importance of a technical background.
I was initially attracted to medicine because I enjoy asking complex questions and getting to the root cause of a problem. When I started taking some computer science classes, I noticed some similarities. For example, finding and getting rid of a bug can be similar to diagnosing and curing a disease.
Are there any memories that stand out from the internship?
So one of the biggest sources of inspiration for me is Sheryl Sandberg’s book Lean In.
We actually had an intern Q+A with her and I was able to ask her if she had any advice for college women since so many of her points in the book focus on women in the workforce. She ended up giving a really passionate answer about how male-dominated engineering classes can make computer science a bit daunting to women but that we needed to go out there, be aggressive, and be ok with being in classes with skewed gender ratios.
After she ended, I kind of over-enthusiastically said “hell yeah” into the microphone which was a little embarrassing. I didn’t think it would come out so loud! But yea,it was great to have a chance to pick the brains of one of my idols and I think Sheryl has done a great job of molding Facebook’s culture to be really welcoming to people from a wide range of backgrounds.
Was there anything surprising about interning at Facebook?
I was really surprised by the open culture.
It was super easy to ask for advice or resources from other teams. We actually used Facebook messenger to communicate with other employees so everyone at the company was just a Facebook message away. Everyone was smart and collegiate and willing to help. Going in, I was unsure of the extent to which the culture would actually be open but found that it really exceeded my expectations.
Any Final Words For Our Readers?
Getting an internship doesn’t have to be an individual effort! Find the right resources and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Alumni and older students in your major are a great place to start.
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