The US is home to the most entrants in the QS Best Student Cities ranking of any country, with 13 ranked among the world’s top 100 places to study. None of these are in the top 10 this year, however, largely due to poor scores in the affordability indicator, but US cities perform well for many of the other indicators, particularly for rankings (thanks to US universities dominating the QS World University Rankings® 2018).

However, the high costs clearly do little to deter the large numbers of international students who study in the US every year.

Read on for a countdown of the 10 highest-ranked student cities in the US in 2018.

Honorable mentions

• Baltimore, Maryland – Ranked joint 90^th in the Best Student Cities ranking this year, and 23^rd for rankings (its highest-ranked institution is Johns Hopkins University at 17^th in the world).
• Houston, Texas – Ranked joint 97^th, also in the top 50 for the rankings indicator (its highest-ranked university is Rice University at 89^th).
• Miami, Florida – New this year and ranked joint 100^th, as well as being in the top 50 for desirability. Its highest-ranked university is the University of Miami at 252^nd).

10. San Diego

Ranked 80^th in the Best Student Cities ranking in 2018, the beautiful Californian weather, beaches and surfing opportunities available in San Diego are sure to be a powerful draw for many students, but ‘America’s Finest City’ has much more to offer international students.

San Diego is featured in the top 50 of the rankings indicator, with University of California, San Diego (UCSD) the highest-ranked at joint 38^th in the QS World University Rankings®.

Beyond enjoying yourself on the beach in your spare time while studying in San Diego, the city is also home to attractions such as the 1,200-acre Balboa Park, which includes the world-famous San Diego Zoo.

9. Pittsburgh

Based in the north-east state of Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh is ranked 68^th this year, and its top institution is Carnegie Mellon University, ranked joint 47^th in the world. 

Pittsburgh receives one of the US’ best scores for student mix, thanks to it having one of the highest proportions of international students in the US at 23 percent. Known as the ‘Steel City’ due to it being home to more than 300 steel-related businesses, Pittsburgh has lower living costs than many other US cities, giving the US its best score for affordability.

8. Atlanta

Ranked 62^nd in this year’s Best Student Cities ranking, Atlanta (the state capital of Georgia in the south-east) is considered the unofficial capital of the South and is known for the key role it played during the American Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s.

Atlanta gained a reputation for being the city ‘too busy to hate’ due to its progressive outlook during this period, and is today one of the US’ major transport hubs and a center for arts, music, interesting historical sites and museums, and outdoor attractions.

The city is home to three internationally ranked universities, including Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) at 70^th in the world.

7. Washington DC

US capital Washington DC dropped to 60^th in this year’s Best Student Cities ranking, but nonetheless receives a high score for desirability, having frequently ranked as one of the US’ most livable cities according to The Economist Intelligence Unit.

Washington DC is one of the most historically and culturally rich cities in the US and is home to iconic symbols of American politics like the White House, the Capitol and the Supreme Court. As well as famous sights, Washington DC is home to some excellent universities, such as the University of Maryland, College Park, ranked 129^th in the World University Rankings.

6. Philadelphia

Philadelphia is ranked as the 58^th best student city this year, with a very high score for both employer activity and rankings, the latter helped by the fact the city is home to three top universities, including the University of Pennsylvania (ranked 19^th in the world).

Philadelphia has played an instrumental role in US history and politics – the Liberty Bell is housed here, and it was where the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776. Beyond all its history, Philadelphia is also well known for its excellent food (think Philly cheesesteaks, Irish potato candy and pretzels), sport and music.

5. Chicago

Up six places in the Best Student Cities this year, Chicago is ranked 40^th this year and is in the top 10 for the rankings indicator. Notably, it’s home to one of the top 10 universities in the world rankings, the University of Chicago (ranked ninth).

‘The Windy City’ also receives top 50 scores for student mix, employer activity and desirability, and is known for its excellent live music scene (particularly for blues and jazz), Chicago-style pizza, interesting architecture, Broadway-style theaters, and scenic waterfront.

4. San Francisco

San Francisco is ranked 38^th in this year’s ranking and is home to four internationally ranked institutions, including the famous Stanford University, which is ranked second in the world.

Unsurprisingly, San Francisco is in the global top 50 for desirability, consistently ranking as one of the most livable cities in the US. It also earns the US’ second-best score for employer activity, likely thanks to the presence of Stanford and the Silicon Valley tech hub.

3. Los Angeles

Up 12 places from 47^th to 35^th this year, Los Angeles is often referred to as the ‘Creative Capital of the World’ and is known for being the home of Hollywood. One in six of its residents works in the creative industry.

A respondent of our student survey said: “I am so glad I study in Los Angeles. It is a city where you can try out all the possibilities. The city is very diverse--it is common to behold all races of people at one place. If you get the chance to live in this amazing city, just seize the opportunity.”

2. New York

New York is ranked 18^th in the Best Student Cities this year, improving in the desirability and student view indicators since last year. New York now receives the strongest score of the 13 US cities for student view, and is ranked 11^th by students, scoring better than any other city for ‘staying after graduation’, suggesting that staying in this huge, fast-paced city to find work after graduation is an attractive prospect for many students.

Answering our student survey, one respondent said: “Living in Manhattan is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, as it has everything, and more, of what I yearned for in a college town” while another said “There is such a richness of academic, cultural and industry diversity here. There’s something for everyone, and many good universities.”

1. Boston

Finally, the number one student city in the US this year is Boston, sharing 13^th place with Toronto. The city is home to two of the world’s top five universities: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University, ranked first and third respectively in the QS World University Rankings® 2018. It also receives an excellent score for student mix, thanks to the fact it’s home to one of the largest student populations of the 13 US cities featured, and 23 percent of its student population come from outside the US.

However, Boston’s best score comes for employer activity, in which it ranks joint second with London, showing it’s a highly sought-after recruiting ground for employers, and cementing its status as one of the most economically powerful cities in the world.

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Think there’s a US city which deserves a place here? Rate it in our student survey, or let us know in the comments.

The UK claims 10 entrants out of the 100 featured in the QS Best Student Cities 2018 ranking, the most of any country apart from the US (which has 13). As if that’s not enough, capital city London has climbed to the top spot of the index for the first time in 2018, and there are two new entrants this year (Aberdeen and Brighton).

The Best Student Cities ranking rates each entrant on six indicators, including desirability, affordability and student view, with the latter based on responses collected in our student survey.

All of the UK’s 10 entries are ranked within the top half of cities for student mix, an indicator which assesses the size and diversity of each city’s student population, but fare less well for affordability.

Below we’ll count down the 10 highest ranked student cities in the UK, all of which offer their own unique study abroad experiences, as well as at least two universities which feature in the QS World University Rankings® 2018.

10. Brighton

The first of the UK’s new entries in the Best Student Cities ranking this year, Brighton is ranked 92^nd overall and is known for being one of the UK’s most popular seaside resorts, with much sunnier weather on average compared to much of the country. It’s also the UK’s unofficial LGBTQ capital and is full of easy-going, eccentric creatives and free spirits.

Brighton is a vibrant, inclusive city with a large student population (more than 11 percent of the population). As with other cities in the UK, a substantial number (28 percent) of its students are international, meaning you can meet people from many different walks of life, and earning the city its strongest score in the ranking for the student mix indicator.

9. Newcastle-upon-Tyne

Heading up north to Tyne and Wear, Newcastle-upon-Tyne (or simply Newcastle) retains its position of 56^th in the Best Student Cities ranking this year. The most populous city in the north-east, Newcastle and the wider area is also home to some of the area’s strongest universities, such as Durham University (ranked joint 78^th in the QS World University Rankings® 2018).  

As if that’s not enough, Newcastle was named the best place to visit in the world by The Rough Guide 2018, receiving praise for its arts and culture as well as its compact feel.

8. Aberdeen

The highest-ranked of the eight new entries in this year’s Best Student Cities index, at 55^th, Aberdeen is also a fantastic choice of study destination for nature lovers, with miles of nearby coastline and countryside to explore.

While it’s not a cheap study destination, Aberdeen does receive the highest score of the UK’s entrants for affordability, with lower living costs for things like rent than you’d find in larger cities. Also, Scottish students and those from the EU (excluding those from the rest of the UK) can study for free.

You can read about the top universities in Scotland here.

7. Birmingham

Ranked 51^st in this year’s Best Student Cities (up four places from last year), Birmingham is the UK’s second-largest city and is one of the UK’s most exciting cities, with excellent restaurants, history, entertainment, shopping and culture. Birmingham is famed for its industrial heritage and has more miles of canals than Venice. It also hosts the largest Christmas market in the UK every year and more than 50 festivals every year, including the Birmingham Comedy Festival.

The city is ranked 50^th for the rankings indicator in this year’s cities ranking, with the University of Birmingham consistently featured in the top 100 of the world rankings.

6. Nottingham

Nottingham is ranked 47^th in the Best Student Cities this year and is one of the most vibrant cities in the UK, affectionately referred to as the ‘Queen of the Midlands’ and known for its proud connection to the Robin Hood legend.

The city earns the third-highest score in the UK for student view (21^st), with students here rating it highly for its nightlife, ease of getting around (Nottingham has an award-winning public transport system), friendliness, diversity and more. One student, in our survey, described the city as a “great student town, with a thriving, sustainable, fun city lifestyle”.

5. Coventry

The fifth highest-ranked of the UK’s 10 entrants in the Best Student Cities ranking this year, Coventry is ranked 44^th overall, just one place behind Glasgow. 6.8 percent of its population are students, and more than 40 percent of students come from outside the UK, making it a very diverse place to study. 

Coventry is also not short on culture, having won the title of UK City of Culture 2021 in December 2017, with excellent venues such as the Warwick Art Centre at the University of Warwick, the largest arts center in the UK after London’s Barbican.

4. Glasgow

Glasgow went down slightly in this year’s Best Student Cities ranking but is nonetheless included within the top 50 at 43^rd. Despite this drop, Glasgow is in the top 50 for the rankings, student view and student mix indicators, again with a fairly large and mixed student population.

The city is home to two universities which feature in the top 300 of the World University Rankings: the University of Glasgow, which ranks 65^th, and the University of Strathclyde at joint 277^th, with the former dating back to the 15^th century. Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and is known for its rich history, varied contemporary culture and the friendliness of its locals.

3. Manchester

Manchester is ranked 24^th in the Best Student Cities ranking in 2018, earning the UK’s fourth-best score for student view, with one student writing: “It's a big enough city with plenty to see and do, but small and inclusive enough that there is still a sense of community among everyone. It's very multicultural and welcomes anyone and everyone”.

Ranked joint 12^th for student mix, Manchester has one of the largest student populations in Europe, at around 100,000 as of September 2017, (40,000 of whom are studying at its highest-ranked institution, the University of Manchester). Music is a big part of its culture, with many famous bands formed here, such as Oasis, Joy Division, The Smiths and Buzzcocks.

2. Edinburgh

Ranked 16^th overall in this year’s Best Student Cities ranking, Scottish capital Edinburgh is known for historical and cultural attractions and events like the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, which practically doubles the city’s population every August.

Edinburgh receives the highest rank of these 10 UK cities for student view, at 12^th, including one of the top scores for ‘student experience’, in which students rated the city on affordability, nightlife, employment opportunities, arts and culture and more. Responding in our survey, one student said: “Edinburgh is the best city in the world. It’s not just the beautiful architecture and setting, the people also make it great. Friendly and always accepting, I will never forget my time in Edinburgh.”

1. London

As well as being the top student city in the UK, London has climbed two places in this year’s Best Student Cities to rank first in the world for the first time. With no less than 17 ranked institutions in the QS World University Rankings® 2018, including two in the global top 10, London is unsurprisingly ranked as the best in the world in the rankings indicator, and also ranks second  for employer activity.

When asked in our student survey what the best thing about studying in London was, one respondent said: “The diversity of things to do and try - you can do something new every week, meet all kinds of people, and even though the living costs are high, there are quite a few things to do for free/cheap. The universities are great, and so are the career opportunities.”

You can read about the top universities in London here.

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Think there’s a UK city which deserves a place here? Rate it in our student survey, or let us know in the comments.

How did the results change in the 2019 index? Click here to find out.

As of 2017, the QS Best Student Cities ranking now includes a student view indicator, based on ratings from more than 50,000 students and recent graduates which were gathered in our student survey.

Students were asked to rate their city on eight categories: arts and culture, affordability, nightlife, employment opportunities, diversity, tolerance and inclusion, ease of getting around, and friendliness. They were also asked whether they’d like to stay, or had stayed, in the city after graduating, reflecting their views on its employment prospects.

Looking at the results for this indicator alone gives a fantastic idea of what it’s like to be a student in some of the world’s top cities. This year’s results see large, famous cities like London, New York and Sydney improve on their performance in last year’s survey, although it’s interesting to see they haven’t yet reached the top 10.

Here’s a closer look at the top 10 cities according to students.

Honorable mentions

While they weren’t rated within the overall top 10, some special mentions should go out to:

• Dublin – ranked number one for tolerance & inclusion, and 34^th overall
• New York – ranked 11^th for student view but best in the world for staying after graduation
• Edinburgh – ranked fourth for the student experience aspect of the student view category, and 12^th overall
• Budapest – ranked first in the affordability category and within the top 50 for student view

10. Buenos Aires

Argentina’s capital and largest city, Buenos Aires is the highest-ranked Latin American city in the QS Best Student Cities 2018, climbing 17 places this year to rank 25^th. This is thanks to its huge climb in the student view indicator, up 49 places to 10^th – gaining one of the highest scores in the indicator for ‘student experience’.

With a reputation as a fun-loving, cosmopolitan ‘Paris of South America’, Buenos Aires is famed for its outstanding cultural life and party scene.

9. Brno

One of the lesser-known entrants in the QS Best Student Cities ranking, the Czech Republic’s second-largest city Brno is again featured among the top 10 cities as rated by students. Brno receives the second-highest score for ‘student experience’ within the student view indicator, reflecting the vibrant, enjoyable Moravian culture on offer, as well as its overall affordability, ease of getting around, and tolerance and inclusivity.

Brno also has a very large student population, making it easy to meet new people.

8. Berlin

One of two German cities to rank among the top 10 as rated by students, capital city Berlin is up five places this year to eighth, notably achieving fourth place for its ‘staying after graduation’ factor, which reflects the city’s strength as a major economic center with a booming tech startup industry.

It’s also fast becoming known as one of the trendiest cities in Europe, with exciting music, dance and arts scenes, and it boasts the highest score for affordability of any of the cities on this list.

7. Amsterdam

The Netherlands’ capital city Amsterdam made a huge leap in the student view indicator this year, up an impressive 40 places to now rank seventh among students. This has no doubt helped it improve its overall rank in the QS Best Student Cities (from 36^th to 27^th).

Frequently ranked as one of the most livable cities, Amsterdam is small in comparison to cities like London, but easy to get around and nonetheless packed with things to do, particularly its thriving nightlife.

6. Stockholm

Swedish capital Stockholm made the biggest climb in the student view indicator – up a remarkable 60 places this year to rank sixth for this category. It’s also climbed 14 spots overall in the QS Best Student Cities, to rank 33^rd. Stockholm is known for its openness, equality, and modern, tolerant society.

Unfortunately, student life in Stockholm doesn’t come cheap, with some of the highest living costs around (although students from the EU don’t need to pay tuition fees). However, it’s clearly worth the high price tag for many.

5. Vienna

Austria’s capital and largest city Vienna is another big climber in the student view indicator, up 49 spots to now rank fifth as rated by students (and 11^th overall). One of the most historic European capitals and known for being ‘the City of Music’, Vienna was ranked number one by Mercer in their annual Quality of Living survey for eight consecutive years until 2016.

It also performs well in the student mix indicator, with a large and diverse student population, and is in the top 50 for affordability, with tuition fees of €1453.44 (~US$1,750) per year for non-EU students.

4. Prague

The second Czech city to rank among the top 10 best student cities according to students is its capital Prague, which is also ranked within the top 50 for affordability thanks to some of the lowest living costs in Europe, while tuition fees are in the mid-range.

Prague is known for its beautiful architecture, cheap beer, and reputation as a major cultural center, and students are certainly having a good time here, having rated it fifth for ‘student experience’.

3. Melbourne

As well as being the third-best city according to students, Melbourne also claims the highest rank in the Best Student Cities 2018 table for student mix, an impressive feat considering its large size. 4.9 percent of its population are students, almost a third of whom are international students.

Melbourne is ranked 10^th for ‘student experience’ and third for ‘staying after graduation’, suggesting that staying and working in Melbourne after graduation is an attractive prospect.

2. Munich

Not just an ideal study destination for those who are partial to beer and pretzels, the student lifestyle on offer in Munich may cost slightly more than other German cities but is clearly worth every penny as its ranked second by students this year, up 24 places.

As well as being a fun-loving tourist attraction, Munich has the strongest economy of any German city and the lowest unemployment rate, so it’s unsurprising to see it in fifth place for ‘staying after graduation’.

1. Montréal

While the French-speaking Montréal may no longer be the number one student city overall in the QS Best Student Cities index, the 2018 results see it overtake fellow Canadian city Ottawa as the number one city according to students.

Montréal is ranked 10^th for ‘staying after graduation’ and is first for ‘student experience’.  When asked to describe what the best thing about Montréal was, one respondent in our survey said: “It's cheap, interesting, and there's a large focus on arts and culture,” while another said, “It’s cultural, young and lively. It has absolutely the BEST foods, a European feel, study cafés everywhere, and beautiful people from all over”.

Think your student city deserves to be in this list? Take our short survey, and help create next year’s edition of the QS Best Student Cities index.

Pina Simonetti is an Italian graduate currently living in Barcelona. We’re both recent arrivals to the city and became fast friends after realising we share a love of travel and adventure. 

As part of her master’s degree, Pina did a semester of Marketing and Communication at the University of Technology Sydney, in Australia. Having arrived Down Under in February, Pina experienced the sunniest Valentine’s Day of her life on Bondi Beach, and she says it was bizarre to think that Australians were experiencing their first term after the summer holidays, while she was coming out of the wintry cold of Italy. 

The culture shocks just kept coming from there.  Everybody says it, but you can’t understand until you take the plunge: studying abroad is something that changes you forever. This was Pina’s second exchange trip after already having done one in Germany and I was curious to find out why she had chosen Australia.

You’d already done an exchange trip in Germany.  Why did you choose to do another one?  Did you feel that this experience would be very different?

I wanted to experience what it would be like to leave Europe.  Although there are many different cultures in Europe, they all have similarities. Plus it’s the Land Down Under, it’s fascinating, it’s like a dream for many Europeans, and it’s on the opposite side of the globe.  It was the first time I had to take such a big time difference into consideration.

What was the thing that struck you most upon arriving in Australia?

The first thing they told us in our university orientation had nothing to do with school. Instead, they gave us a lesson on how to behave at the beach. We were told make sure we stay within the two flags that mark the boundaries of where you’re allowed to swim (there are guys with ATVs and megaphones protecting you and making sure you stay within the boundaries). We were also told to check the signs every day before going to the beach in case there are jellyfish, pufferfish, etc.

Most importantly: if you’re drowning, stick your hand calmly up in the air, don’t wave it about, or people will just think you’re saying hi! It was super interesting and useful but what was really funny was the fact that they shared this information with us during university orientation.

What was the biggest culture shock?

I found the causes of death in Australia very... different!  I heard that one of the biggest killers is falling coconuts.  And the main cause of koala death is actually pretty sad: apparently, they eat eucalyptus leaves, which make them high, then they fall asleep hugging the tree trunks, and they fall off and die. 

In a similar vein, a leading cause of car accidents is car-against-koala.  Most of the cars in Australia have special bumpers to protect against koala collisions. (Disclaimer: this info hasn’t been fact-checked)

How would you compare the Australian education system with the ones you were used to (Italian and German)?

The classes in Australia were really dynamic – something novel for a person coming from Italy.  At the end of the semester, our Econ professor held a trivia session with prizes. I won a mug that says “UTS Business” (for University of Technology Sydney). 

For another class, I had to write an essay but also make a flyer, so I got to learn a little bit about graphic design at the same time.

While in Italy (and much of Europe) we put a lot of emphasis on oral presentations, most of our grade in Australia came from exams and written assignments. I think a good idea would be to combine the two and have grades based on 50 percent oral and 50 percent written assignments.

In our Communication and Advertising class we had to create a radio show in the recording room.  We decided to talk about the stigma surrounding gay marriage. It was interesting to compare the different social issues in Australia. I wrote an essay on teen suicide for another class, something that’s not very big in Italy but quite topical in Australia. It’s interesting to see what issues are more relevant to Australian society, especially as it’s such a huge country and doesn’t have as many close neighbours as Italy.

What was the best experience of your exchange trip in Australia?

I had a blast at surf camp, but I’d have to say my favourite experience was going on a camper-van trip up the coast towards Perth with some fellow international students. We got to see kangaroos and koalas in the wild, and we snorkelled the Great Barrier Reef.

How have you changed as a result of your study abroad trip in Australia?

For the first time ever, I understood that for a lot of people, I’m not Italian, I’m European. Within Europe we really see the differences between people from different (European) countries; in my previous Erasmus trip there were groups of Italians, groups of Spanish, groups of Germans. When there were international students from overseas, we lumped them together as “overseas international students”. 

Now the tables were turned, and it was a new experience for me to see so many non-European people: there are a lot of Asian and Indian people in Australia. Being in Australia really reinforced the difference between European-style, Asian-style, etc. I gained an awareness of how big the world is and a broader concept of how people interact across continents.

Would you do it again?

OF COURSE!  But I wouldn’t choose to live there forever.  I like the diversity of Europe.

Whether it’s helping you find your way around a new city or research information for an upcoming study assignment, Google is often the fastest and easiest way to get what you’re looking for. The internet behemoth is so unavoidable now, it’s actually kind of scary.

But what’s it actually like to work at Google? We’ve all heard the stories of Google offices fitted with ball pits and slides, but is working for this tech giant as exciting as it sounds? To find out, we spoke to Raushaniya Maksudova, a site reliability engineer with Google’s Geo team.

Raushaniya joined Google, having studied in the Department of Control and Applied Mathematics at MIPT in Russia. While there, she obtained a French language scholarship and traveled to Brittany to study general and academic French with six other Russian students. From there, she was offered an internship at Google Switzerland and then passed an interview for a full-time role.

What attracted you to the Google Switzerland Internship?

In terms of career opportunities, it was a chance to get a taste of what it is like to work at Google. Needless to say, Google is famous for its challenging and impactful projects, and I wanted to be a part of it. Besides, working in an English-speaking environment and living in a country I’d never been to sounded very appealing.

What did the application process for the internship consist of?

I was contacted by a Google recruiter who took notice of my resume, suggesting I apply for the summer internship. How did they find my CV? Well, a year earlier I applied for a Google Travel and Conference Grant, and they’d kept my resume in the database.

I talked a couple of times over Hangouts with the recruiter. She explained the stages of the application process and gave me some tips on preparing for an interview. Then there were the technical interviews over Hangouts, with coding in Google Docs.

The final stage of the process consisted of a host matching interview. Host matching basically means finding a project you’ll be working on during the internship. Projects are proposed by different teams that are looking for interns and, to understand whether it’s a good fit for both the team and yourself, they schedule a 30-minute phone interview with the host — your potential mentor who submitted the project.

What advice would you offer students interested in applying for an internship at Google?

You can find some really useful bits of information on the Google Careers page. Remember Google receives thousands of CVs, so even if yours is really good, it may take time before it’s noticed and the recruiters get back to you.

To increase the chances of hearing from them as soon as possible, you can ask someone you know at Google for a referral — say, if you both studied at the same university. I also advise working on projects and developing your experience, reading the book Cracking the Coding Interview, and making sure you have a well-structured and easy-to-read resume.

Apply for as many internships as possible before you graduate as they’ll help to expand your knowledge and give you valuable hands-on experience and a network of connections. Don’t have any work experience yet? While it’s good to have some, it’s not imperative. We all started from somewhere, so many companies even accept freshman students.

My final piece of advice: Don’t worry if you don’t feel ready for the technical interviews. You should still apply as, regardless of the outcome, you’ll benefit. For a start, the experience boosts your problem-solving skills, helps you identify areas for improvement, lets you get a taste of technical interviews and find out what to expect. You’ll have learned how to get ready for an important conversation, take your nerves under control and talk your way through a difficult problem, explaining your thoughts under psychological pressure in a non-native language.

If you do fail the first time you apply, this won’t affect your future applications, so you can safely reapply in a year. I know people who were contacted by Google a year after they applied, offering them the chance to try again, and their second or third attempt was successful.

What work were you doing during your internship?

I worked with the YouTube SRE team on Doorman, a global distributed client-side rate limiting solution. There’s a video presentation from SREcon 2016 about this project available online, in case you’re interested. It was open-sourced after I completed the internship.

When did you know you wanted to work full-time at Google?

During the internship I was having a great time and enjoyed everything about it. At first, I wasn’t sure whether taking a full-time job straight after school was exactly what I wanted, as I had just earned my bachelor’s and entered a master’s degree program at MIPT.

Then, mid-internship, I had a couple of long conversations about this with my team — the YouTube site reliability engineers — asking for their opinions, discussing all the pros and cons. They were very supportive and genuinely interested in helping me out with the decision, which I’m very grateful for. As a result, I came to the simple conclusion that I had nothing to lose and it was worth a try.

What aspects of working for Google might people be surprised to learn about?

A bunch of stuff is developed for internal use only: There are lots and lots of services, applications, and tools that are very handy, useful, and helpful in many ways. They make life and work — that is, the development and support process — so much better and easier.

Everything is designed and run in such a way that you can focus on your projects and responsibilities, without wasting your energy on anything else that might have diverted you from doing the job. A simple example is having a dedicated webpage for checking the menu and how many people there are in line at the cafes. This means that, before going for lunch, you can see where you would spend the least time waiting.

It also surprised me how open people are about their insecurities. There are an overwhelming number of talented and skilled people working here with expertise in a variety of fields. It’s definitely inspiring, but it can lead to feeling like you don’t deserve to be here with them. People are very open about this ‘imposter syndrome’ and aren’t afraid to be vulnerable and share their real feelings, which makes you realize how supportive and encouraging the Google community is.

What’s it like working as a woman in tech? How aware are you of the general lack of diversity in the industry? What is Google doing to address this?

It’s cool! The places where I got a chance to work always felt comfortable and decent. Thankfully, I’ve not had any negative experiences working in a male-dominated environment. On the contrary, I’ve had really good relationships with my colleagues and teammates and we’re good friends.

However, there is currently an obvious lack of diversity in IT, though this is slowly but surely changing. As far as I can tell, companies, especially the big ones such as Google, go to great lengths to promote diversity. You can see the industry changing by just looking at the number of Grace Hopper participants, which is growing every year.

What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced in your career to date?

It has to be the lack of confidence in my own capabilities. This is the biggest internal obstacle that I have been facing so far.

What impact do you think being a woman has had on your career and how people treat you?

People outside Google still get quite surprised when I say I’m a software engineer. They become curious about what I’m working on, how difficult it is, and why I chose this career.

What advice would you offer young women interested in pursuing a tech career?

Believe in yourself! I truly think there’s nothing you can’t learn and master if you put enough effort into it. It’s easy to talk yourself down sometimes, thinking a particular field or project or company are too good for you, but this thinking is holding you back. Just go for it!

出国留学是你一生中最好的经历之一。这是一个令人兴奋的时刻，因为你发现了一个新的地方，认识了新的人，所有都以你不习惯的节奏，直到现在。

不过，这一切的强度有时会让人感到难以承受。当我第一次搬到国外上大学的时候，我很兴奋地结交朋友，发现我将要生活的地方，但另一方面，我又害怕这对我这个内向的人来说会是一种挣扎。我突然脱离了自己的舒适区，不得不独自旅行，远离我所认识的所有人数百英里。

内向的人经常被认为是反社会的人，他们根本不愿意和别人相处，但事实上，即使是内向的人通常也喜欢和朋友相处，喜欢外出。然而，尽管我们确实很喜欢，但在与一大群人一起玩耍之后，我们通常需要一些单独的时间来充电。

所以，这里有一些提示，让你作为一个内向的人在留学中生存。

独自探索你的新城市

每当我搬到一个新的地方，我都会花几天时间自己去探索这个城市。你可能会有很多机会这样做，但在最开始的时候，我发现这是一个适应这个地方的好方法。在你开始上大学或工作之前，能够按照自己的节奏探索是一种很好的放松方式。

不要害怕独处

如果你曾经被所有的活动、旅行和聚会压得喘不过气来，那就休息一下吧，不要责怪自己需要休息。只要你需要，就想办法让自己放松一下，犒劳一下自己的独处时间。

我喜欢在城市里走很久，或者一个人喝咖啡，看着外面的世界变迁。一个人喝咖啡或吃饭可能会感到压力或令人生畏--我知道，当我第一次独自旅行时，我曾经有过这样的感觉--但拥抱你的独处时间，不要担心别人的看法。

找到一种方法来记录你的经历

很多内向的人都喜欢用某种形式来表达自己的想法，不管是写作、绘画还是其他的东西。我喜欢时常记下自己的想法，这也变成了记录我的海外经历的一个好方法。如果这些东西能让你放松，帮助你处理你经历的一切，那就去做吧。

与家乡的每个人保持联系

出国留学，远离亲朋好友是一件很困难的事情。当思乡之情袭来时，很难享受国外的时光，所以不要忘记与你爱的人保持联系。这将使您更容易适应新的生活。

与你遇到的人主动接触

对于我们这些内向的人来说，在一个新的地方交朋友是一件很困难的事情，但是要尽力走出自己的舒适区，利用大学的Facebook群组、论坛和其他方式来认识朋友。

通过在网上开始对话，你可以在到达之前就找到志同道合的人，这将使你更容易找到更多的朋友。一旦你到了那里，就去参加社交活动，展开对话。机会存在于，很多人有可能和你一样，对迈出第一步缺乏安全感。

挑战自己，突破自己的舒适区

虽然我很赞成拥抱内向的自己，但我们都必须不时地走出舒适区。参加一次集体旅行，一个新的有趣的俱乐部，或者做一些让你害怕的事情。毕竟，你在这个新地方的时间是有限的，所以你不妨尝试一下，让它发挥最大的作用。

让自己有宾至如归的感觉

让你的寝室或单位通过一些装饰变得舒适。不管是贴上你和亲朋好友的合影，还是在墙上贴上一些海报，对于一个内向的人来说，拥有一个让人感觉舒适放松的空间是必须的。

出国留学有时候很神奇，有时候也会让你沮丧，但总是值得的。我希望我的建议对内向的人在探索留学和海外生活的世界里有所帮助。你可以在这里找到更多的信息。

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