Oh, I enjoy every minute of writing software! I can easily forget to eat for hours while working on an interesting problem or finding a strange bug. It's just that I am not sure if I can compete with others who have more experience than I do...

I did some competitive programming during my undergrad and my team placed well at a regional level in the Middle East, so I know my way around common algorithms and DS problems. I need to do a lot of practice though, since it's been quite some time.

Regarding summer internships, I have been applying to quite a few and the response rate has been quite low. I did interview with Google last week but wasn't able to get through the first round unfortunately. I think I need some more interview practice.

Yes, I plan on taking a leave of absence instead of fully withdrawing. But again, I want to be sure I can make it before committing.