EMEA 2014 Android Camp: A reflection
October 29th, 2014 | Published in Google Student Blog
In early August, 20 students from 10 countries and 15 universities had the opportunity to attend Google’s European Android Camp in the London office. Students were invited to a jam-packed week of Android learning and development, career panels, tech talks and social activities. The goal of the event was to give students a chance to learn, practice and have fun while developing applications for the Android operating system with the support of Google engineers. The theme for the week was Create the Good in Your Community, with the winning team designing a carpooling app for ride sharing.
We asked the winning team to tell us about their experience at Android Camp:
What was the highlight of Android Camp for you?
Andreea: Android Camp was a mix of intensive programming, having fun and making new friends.
Hanna: My highlight was looking at my sleep deprived, zombie-like teammates in disbelief after the judges announced us as winners.
Raquel: I’d choose the last day of Hack-a-thon. Creating a fully functioning app from scratch within 24 hours is a blast! But the most important thing: we learned a lot while having a lot of fun.
Brit: The best part for me was the moment we solved the main problem in our code and got it to work.
Do you think Android Camp helped you build or develop any skills?
Andreea: Android Camp helped me understand the best way to be successful when developing apps (your app should do one thing and do it good).
Hanna: I went from knowing nothing about Android development to developing an app in just a matter of days - so that should serve as proof. I also learned a thing or two about teamwork.
Raquel: I learned a lot about Android development, how to develop user-friendly apps, and how to adapt to real users’ requirements.
What was your favorite session?
Hanna: The hack-a-thon was my favorite part of Android Camp. To go from an idea to a functional app in 24 hours was really cool, and the level of focus and determination in the room was truly inspiring.
Raquel: I’d choose two: the development of real-world applications session and the presentation skills session. Those tips will help me during my whole career.
Brit: My favorite studying session was the animation class. We learned how to create short animations for our apps, and it’s amazing how pretty and professional you can make it look with just a little effort. And the great sushi class!
How do you think Android Camp will help you further your academic career?
Andreea: I am thinking about creating an android application as my bachelor's thesis so all the work I did during that week will be helpful.
Raquel: It has reminded me that as an engineer, I can contribute to creating things to improve the lives of millions of people. Moreover, I feel more confident with my technical skills, and it has encouraged me to continue improving my software engineering skills.
Brit: When I arrived at Android Camp I knew absolutely nothing about Android development, and by the end of the week I built a whole app from scratch.
What are your next steps?
Andreea: I want to develop as many Android Applications as time allows to practice the skills I have gathered during my week in London, and also apply for the Google Internship next summer.
Hanna: I’m continuing my Masters in Computer Graphics, and developing a game in my spare time.
Raquel: I am doing a research internship at the University of Southern California as a part of my PhD. After attending Android Camp, I am really motivated to apply for the next Google summer internships.
Brit: I’m starting my Masters in Computer Science, but I hope to reapply for an internship at Google in a year of two!
Read more student testimonials in our ‘Live from London Android Camp’ G+ series.For more information on opportunities at Google, please visit Google Students. For more updates please stay tuned on the Google Students Blog.
Posted by Maya Tudor & Karine Karpati, EMEA University Programs Team
We asked the winning team to tell us about their experience at Android Camp:
What was the highlight of Android Camp for you?
Andreea: Android Camp was a mix of intensive programming, having fun and making new friends.
Hanna: My highlight was looking at my sleep deprived, zombie-like teammates in disbelief after the judges announced us as winners.
Raquel: I’d choose the last day of Hack-a-thon. Creating a fully functioning app from scratch within 24 hours is a blast! But the most important thing: we learned a lot while having a lot of fun.
Brit: The best part for me was the moment we solved the main problem in our code and got it to work.
Do you think Android Camp helped you build or develop any skills?
Andreea: Android Camp helped me understand the best way to be successful when developing apps (your app should do one thing and do it good).
Hanna: I went from knowing nothing about Android development to developing an app in just a matter of days - so that should serve as proof. I also learned a thing or two about teamwork.
Raquel: I learned a lot about Android development, how to develop user-friendly apps, and how to adapt to real users’ requirements.
What was your favorite session?
Hanna: The hack-a-thon was my favorite part of Android Camp. To go from an idea to a functional app in 24 hours was really cool, and the level of focus and determination in the room was truly inspiring.
Raquel: I’d choose two: the development of real-world applications session and the presentation skills session. Those tips will help me during my whole career.
Brit: My favorite studying session was the animation class. We learned how to create short animations for our apps, and it’s amazing how pretty and professional you can make it look with just a little effort. And the great sushi class!
How do you think Android Camp will help you further your academic career?
Andreea: I am thinking about creating an android application as my bachelor's thesis so all the work I did during that week will be helpful.
Raquel: It has reminded me that as an engineer, I can contribute to creating things to improve the lives of millions of people. Moreover, I feel more confident with my technical skills, and it has encouraged me to continue improving my software engineering skills.
Brit: When I arrived at Android Camp I knew absolutely nothing about Android development, and by the end of the week I built a whole app from scratch.
What are your next steps?
Andreea: I want to develop as many Android Applications as time allows to practice the skills I have gathered during my week in London, and also apply for the Google Internship next summer.
Hanna: I’m continuing my Masters in Computer Graphics, and developing a game in my spare time.
Raquel: I am doing a research internship at the University of Southern California as a part of my PhD. After attending Android Camp, I am really motivated to apply for the next Google summer internships.
Brit: I’m starting my Masters in Computer Science, but I hope to reapply for an internship at Google in a year of two!
Read more student testimonials in our ‘Live from London Android Camp’ G+ series.For more information on opportunities at Google, please visit Google Students. For more updates please stay tuned on the Google Students Blog.
Posted by Maya Tudor & Karine Karpati, EMEA University Programs Team