Microsoft High School Internship: Applying to the Microsoft Discovery Program
Microsoft offers competitive high school internships for rising first-year college students through the Microsoft Discovery Program. By applying to a Microsoft high school internship, students will have the unique opportunity to gain practical technology, computer science, and career readiness skills before heading to college.
In this blog post, we are exploring the Microsoft high school internship program and information about applying to the Microsoft Discovery Program. At the end of this blog post, we will also share a few other examples of computer science internships for high school students, in case you plan to apply to multiple different internship programs!
What is the Microsoft High School Discovery Program?
The Microsoft High School Discovery Program is a unique opportunity for high school students to gain valuable skills and experience in technology. The program is designed to help students explore their interests in computer science, engineering, and technology, and to provide them with the resources they need to pursue a career in these fields.
In the program, students will learn programming fundamentals, build career readiness skills, and gain mentorship from Microsoft employees. Microsoft high school internships offer a range of opportunities for students to explore their interests in areas such as software engineering, data science, artificial intelligence, and product management. Through the program, participants can gain hands-on experience working on real-world projects, attending workshops and training sessions, and connecting with industry professionals and mentors.
The Microsoft Discovery Program also offers networking opportunities and resources to help participants prepare for interviews and job applications.
Who Qualifies for a Microsoft High School Internship?
The Microsoft High School Discovery Program is open to graduating high school seniors (rising first-year students of a bachelor’s degree program) interested in technology. Students must live within 50 miles of Redmond, Washington and be legally allowed to work in the U.S. throughout the duration of the program. Applicants will be paid and must be available to work full-time (40 hours/week) throughout the program.
Applicants also must have completed pre-calculus or an equivalent course by the start of the program. You must plan to attend a bachelor’s degree program in order to be eligible.
Why Join a Microsoft High School Internship Program?
A Microsoft internship can be an incredibly valuable experience for recent high school graduates looking to start a career in technology.
The Microsoft high school internship program offers participants the opportunity to gain hands-on experience working on real projects and products with a team of experienced professionals. This experience can help participants develop their technical skills, build their network, and gain a better understanding of what it takes to work in the industry.
Interns at Microsoft also have access to a range of resources, including mentorship, training programs, and networking events, that can help them grow both personally and professionally. Additionally, a Microsoft internship can provide participants with a foot in the door at one of the world's leading technology companies, which can be a significant advantage when looking for future employment opportunities.
How to Apply to a Microsoft High School Internship
The application process to the Microsoft Discovery Program is pretty straightforward, which is great news! In order to be considered, you have to submit an application. You can apply on the Microsoft Discovery Program website here: https://careers.microsoft.com/students/us/en/ushighschoolprogram
Application questions may vary from year-to-year, but generally speaking, you will need to share the following information on your application:
Name of the college/university you have been accepted to and plan to attend.
Intended major at that college/university.
List of any extracurricular and/or academic support organization(s) that you may be affiliated with.
Resume that includes the above information, along with any other pertinent background or experience that may be relevant to the role.
Response to a short answer prompt about your interest in the program. Short answer prompts may include topics, such as: “a time you worked with others to complete a school, group, or community project or task on a topic you were not familiar with.”
Once you have submitted your application, the waiting game begins! It may take time to hear back, so be patient. You can check the status of your application in the Microsoft Careers portal here: https://jobs.careers.microsoft.com/actioncenter
Other Computer Science and Tech High School Internships
High school students interested in the Microsoft Discovery Program may also be interested in these other STEM internships below:
META Summer Academy
Participants of the Meta Summer Academy (formerly known as Facebook Summer Academy) will have a unique opportunity to gain firsthand knowledge of the inner workings of one of the world's top social media networks. As “externs,” high school students will join a dynamic workforce and work closely with experienced Meta Summer Academy Mentors to acquire practical work experience and valuable on-the-job skills that will set them on a path towards successful careers. The program's goal is to inspire and motivate young individuals to achieve economic success, stability, and mobility by providing them with skills development opportunities and early exposure to the tech industry for career exploration.
Inspirit AI Scholars
Inspirit AI offers live online artificial intelligence summer programs that expose high school students to fundamental AI programming skills and guides them to build a socially impactful AI project, developed and taught by Stanford and MIT graduates. In this program, students can work on projects at the intersection of AI and business and finance. For example, students may work on an algorithmic trading project to learn how AI can be used to predict returns on portfolios.
Google Computer Science Summer Institute (CSSI)
Run by the industry leader in software development, CSSI is an online, four-week introduction to computer science for graduated seniors looking to explore career opportunities in programming. The institute is specifically targeted toward groups historically marginalized in the field. The curriculum emphasizes computer science fundamentals and encourages students to participate in workshops promoting self-care, identity, career development, and community building with peers and industry professionals.
https://buildyourfuture.withgoogle.com/programs/computer-science-summer-institute
Research in Science & Engineering (RISE) Internship
Hosted at Boston University, RISE is a six-week program for rising high school seniors who will work under the guidance of university faculty to engage in hands-on research in a field of their choosing. Research areas vary as widely as public health and astronomy to computer science and neurobiology. During the internship, students will tackle a research project that culminates in a closing poster symposium, where interns will present their completed research. Throughout this process, students will receive mentorship at weekly workshops on conducting literature reviews, constructing posters, and networking in the STEM community.
https://www.bu.edu/summer/high-school-programs/rise-internship-practicum/internship-track/
SPARK Summer Internship Program (SIP)
The mission of the SPARK Summer Internship Program (SIP) is to provide opportunities for motivated high school students in the greater Seattle area by connecting them with industry experts in engineering, science, and business. Previous internship projects have included microfluidic technology for disease detection, DNA sequence classification based on electronic signatures, and extreme weather event modeling.
You can learn more about computer science internships for high school students here.
