Summer 2023 Program Announcement

Our 2023 program will be in person at UC Berkeley's campus! Learn more here.

SUMMER 2023 COHORT

APPLY HERE

PROGRAM SCHEDULE

Students will learn how to program, find out about the various domains of computer science, and meet computer science students and professionals. We offer this program free of charge to students. Participants will experience computer science through a variety of activities including:

  • Programming Labs: During the computer programming labs, students will acquire basic computer programming skills and work on a team project.
  • What is Computer Science: To develop students' understanding of computer science, we will host a series of talks from "How computer science is going to save the world" to one hour lectures about computer security, computer graphics, computer systems, computational biology and data management.
  • Who are Computer Scientists: Alumnae working in industry and academia will visit our program to talk to students about their job as a computer scientist.
  • Life at Berkeley: Formal information sessions as well as informal mentoring will allow participants to learn from current undergraduates about utilizing campus services and navigating within the computer science major and minor at Berkeley.
  • Field Trip: Students will visit a Silicon Valley company to explore an example work environment for a computer scientist.
  • Social Activities: In addition to the daily activities, students will participate in a number of social activities led by current undergraduates (e.g. ice cream social, game night) to create a network of students that together may promote a climate of inclusion within the EECS department.

CURRICULUM OVERVIEW

A brand new curriculum awaits CS Kickstart's 2023 cohort. In addition to learning python, students will participate in workshops on website building, data science, and electrical engineering.

Our goal is for students to explore a wide variety of current technologies to see the awesome things computer science and other related fields can offer!

FAQs

Yes! We will be hosting CSK on campus for the entire duration of the program.

We are interested in applicants of all majors and levels of CS experience. In the past, we have accepted CS and EECS majors as well as other majors such as Cognitive Science, Business, Molecular and Cellular Biology, Civil Engineering, Bioengineering, undecided, and more!

Yes, all incoming female-identifying freshmen who have submitted an SIR to UC Berkeley (including spring admits) are welcome to apply.

We will host a mix of workshop sessions, where you'll learn the basics of python, front-end development, and industry events, including a company visit and a variety of panels. There will also be a lot of fun activities and bonding time! Please visit the incoming students page for more details.

Thanks to our sponsors, CS KickStart is completely free of charge to participants.

Past CS KickStart participants have had a wide range of previous programming experience. Based on survey results, 98% of participants would recommend CS KickStart to a friend who doesn’t have previous programming experience and 80% of participants would recommend CS KickStart to a friend who does have previous programming experience.

The 2022 cohort application is due June 7th.

Decisions will be released mid-July.

For any additional questions, please contact cskickstart@gmail.com. Thank you!