Basic Information

  • Name Dhruvi Ganatra
  • Curriculum: Electrical Engineering
  • Year of Study: 4th
  • Company/University of Internship: Mastercard
  • Role during Internship: Data Scientist
  • Year of Internship (eg. '24 Summers, '23 Winters): ‘24 Summers
  • Mode of Internship (Online/Offline/Hybrid): Offline
  • Duration of Internship: 2 months

Getting into the Internship:

What specific domain or field did you target to get an internship in?

Mainly data science and SDE roles

What resources did you utilize to prepare for the tests/interviews?

I had done a couple of projects in the field of machine learning before and brushed upon some basic ML concepts like ROC, Bias and variance, etc through channels like StatsQuest. For the software roles, I relied on practicing selected problems on LeetCode. I followed some famous sheets like Striver’s, Love Babbar, etc.

Can you elaborate on your interview and the type of questions which were asked?

I had two rounds of interviews for Mastercard, with the second one being quite short. I was asked questions solely related to the projects I had mentioned in my resume, mainly because I think it aligned with the actual work they were doing in the company. There were no questions related to basic ML concepts or puzzles or basic DSA as opposed to what I had thought. I just had to elaborate on the projects I had done, explain the ML architectures used in them, and was also asked to explain my motivation for pursuing this field and how much I liked it.

Were there any significant roadblocks or challenges that you encountered during the internship application and selection process? If so, how did you navigate or overcome them?

Firstly, lesser companies opened for me since I was a dual degree student. So I had to keep my mind cool and constantly motivate myself to calmly await a shortlist and interview from a company. Fortunately, my mom was a constant motivator and pacifier throughout the internship season. During the internship season, many random and unexpected things keep happening and one can easily feel stressed and nervous and this can sometimes spoil an interview too. Hence I would advise to talk to seniors, parents, friends and get technical as well as moral feedback and wisely apply to companies and roles that genuinely interest you. One thing is certain that you will get an internship that suits you the best at the right time, hence you must be patient and persevering to keep applying without feeling dejected.

How did you handle any rejections that you faced (If any) during the internship application process?

I definitely felt quite dejected when i faced rejection. But as time passed, i realized that many good companies came even later and people who got rejected in the earlier ones ultimately got into a better option. Hence, I felt like not compromising on my interest and skipped applications to some core electrical companies towards the end. In fact, Mastercard was also a company which hadnt opened for dual degree students the previous year and it opened in my year. Hence you will never know which opportunities will come to you at what point of time and will work out the best for you. Keep calm and try patiently till you get an internship which seems to align well with your choices. Comparing with people around and taking stress will unnecessarily make life miserable.

During the internship:

What was your specific profile or project topic during the internship?

My profile was that of a data scientist and I primarily worked on LLMs and utilizing them to make a chatbot.

How would you describe your overall experience as an intern?

It was quite a good experience, the work was what I enjoyed doing. Just that the weather in Gurgaon was too hot in the beginning, but eventually cooled down as the rains started.

Could you provide insights into the organizational culture of the company/university and what your peers were like?

Mastercard is known for its culture and I could actually experience it while working there. There is a very good work-life balance and the employees are quite amicable and helpful. You get to work at your own pace in your own way with proper mentorship. I could easily reach out for any help and was connected to the employees informally as well.

Were there any networking opportunities or professional connections that you established during the internship?

Yes, many. There were speed networking sessions and networking sessions for interns across the globe. There were career guidance sessions as well.

After the Internship:

Based on your experience, would you recommend this internship to others interested in the same field? If so, what aspects make it worth recommending? If not, what factors influenced your perspective?

I would highly recommend this internship in terms of the work experience in the field of ML . If you are interested in ML research, then there is a lot of scope for that as well. There were regular meets where people discussed and developed on the very recent research papers. Moreover, the environment is very congenial and there is no work pressure. However, in terms of living at gurgaon, one may find it a little expensive and hot, but the office culture and environment makes up for this in the 2-month internship.