application guidance 2025

We understand that there are skill gaps relating to academic institutions, gender and ethnic background; meaning that many are at a disadvantage when developing their creative, design and communication skills.  We want to make sure that everybody - regardless of academic background, institution and writing abilities - is on equal footing when approaching our application process. 

To do this, we feel it is important to share both the aspects that do and those that do not matter to us when evaluating your application.

 

what is important... 

  • The application is well thought out, and we can see that you have spent time thinking of answers that reflect your interest and abilities.

  • We can see that you have a genuine interest and enthusiasm for the field. This can be seen through specific examples of your projects, other experiences and your aspirations.

  • It is clear that the Bumblekite machine learning programme can benefit you in some way; whether that be through improving technical and domain-specific knowledge, expanding your professional network, practicing design and communication skills, or something else. We would love to know how we can assist you in reaching your most ambitious goals.

 

what is not important... 

  • Your level of technical expertise, for example, your proficiency in Python, R, or other programming languages, or your knowledge and use of specific packages. Sure, these skills will be useful in the Bumblekite tutorial sessions - but equally - these skills can be picked up and practiced before and during Bumblekite.
    We have not yet had a participant that left the Bumblekite week without a sense of a technical accomplishment, leading us to strongly believe that while the individual learning outcome might differ (the level of technical proficiency achieved and the % of tutorial finished), it will be achieved by each of you, irrespective of your engineering and AI skill level at the time of the application. 

  • Your academic institution, employer or supervisors. We are more interested in where you want to be in the future, and how we can get you there: your academic background and achievements are less important.

  • Your publication history; whether you have any publications, or have published in top journals and conferences. While these are great to have, and demonstrate many of the design and communication skills we are looking for (e.g. writing, presenting, project management), there are other ways to acquire and demonstrate these skills. We also understand that publication history does not indicate intelligence or ability, as academic publishing can be biased by gender, institution or publication results.

  • Which particular act of giving you describe. Giving is a highly personal experience and how much we are able to give is often determined by the opportunities and challenges we ourselves face. We are not evaluating the situation you are describing. What matters to us is that you take others into consideration in your professional conduct and interactions.

 

best application award

 
 

Fangfei Lin

 
 

We introduced the award for “the best application” in our inaugural MLSS ‘22. It aims to honour the applicant who has written their application with a significant amount of thought, care and attention to detail. The award acknowledges the writer that carefully describes their future ambitions, and understands how attending Bumblekite can become a core part of their journey to reaching their professional goals.

The 2024 best application award went to Qi Zhang, a PhD student at Emory University (you can read our post about it on LinkedIn). Our lecturers were impressed by her application:


“Qi blends academic excellence and curiosity, innovative thinking, and genuine motivation to improve healthcare through application of AI to real-world problems with tangible impact. She is committed to gain more hands-on experience on multi-modal health data, and learn how to influence in the multidisciplinary healthcare stakeholder environment. Her demonstrated practical, forward-thinking and compassionate approach to technology makes Qi a wonderful addition to the MLSS mission.”

- Valeria De Luca, director of AI and data science, Novartis



“Qi’s application highlights her strong interest in developing meaningful real-world applications of machine learning, grounded in causal inference methods. Her enthusiasm for bridging the gap between theory and practice, and exploring interdisciplinary solutions, combines really well with the approach taken at the summer school.”

- Drago Plecko, postdoctoral scholar, Columbia University



“Qi’s application stands out due to her dedication to leveraging machine learning and causal inference to enhance healthcare decision-making. Her commitment to bridging the gap between theoretical research and real-world applications reflects a drive to create impactful, explainable, and fair AI-driven solutions. With a strong interdisciplinary perspective and a passion for effective communication, she seeks to translate complex ideas into actionable innovations. Her hands-on approach to problem-solving, coupled with a deep sense of social responsibility, makes her an ideal candidate to contribute meaningfully to the MLSS community.”

- Ece Özkan Elsen, senior researcher, ETH Zürich



Inspired by the growing amount of excellent, inspiring and simply beautiful applications we received since 2023 with Romana’s and Carolina’s application guidances assisting the writing quests of each of our participants, we cannot wait to see who will win our best application award in 2025.
We are eagerly looking forward to reading your application!

 

application example

Here, we have collaborated with Qi to share her application with you! We hope that by having an example to guide you, you will feel supported throughout the application process and know which aspects of your professional life to highlight to emphasise the features that we are on the lookout for.

 

Qi writes:

The application consists of two parts: your CV and your cover letter.
In my opinion, your CV serves to highlight your technical background, while the purpose of the cover letter is to demonstrate how Bumblekite can benefit you and the impact you aspire to make as part of the community. Here, I would like to share the logical framework I used when crafting my cover letter:

 

Part 1: Explain how the summer school can benefit you

A clear motivation supported by your interest or experience

In the first paragraph, I started with a clear and genuine motivation for attending the summer school. It’s important to make it evident why this opportunity appeals to you. I recommend highlighting the aspect of the summer school that excites you the most. To support my motivation, I provided an overview of the research area that fuels my interest and passion. A brief summary of my previous work served as the foundation for explaining the origins of my motivation. For example:

“The most motivating aspect of the MLSS for me is its prioritizing practical applications of machine learning in healthcare. My academic journey in epidemiology is marked by a strong passion for developing and applying novel causal inference methods and machine learning algorithms to improve healthcare systems in the real world, using observational data for investigating both safety and effectiveness of medications to inform clinical decision making.”

You can further elaborate on your work or background by emphasizing how your interests are represented within Bumblekite. Be sure to present your description in a way that is accessible and understandable to those without prior knowledge of your field. For example:

“Specifically, I am deeply interested in creating explainable and fair clinical intelligent decision- making systems with causal and computational methods, particularly drawn to the idea that causality could be used to improve learning and intelligent systems.

Your goals

Following the introduction of my research interests, I discussed the challenges I have faced in my career, using them to illustrate my motivation and highlight the goals I aim to achieve through the summer school. For instance:

“However, in my transition from academia to industry, I found it very challenging to transform my exciting ideas and theory into feasible real-world applications. For this reason, in this summer school, I aim to immerse myself in hands-on practice using healthcare datasets to learn more about the practical applications and bridge the gap between theory and feasible actions in improving patient care.”

Alternatively, you can also directly and clearly highlight what you expect to gain from the summer school, such as knowledge, skills or capabilities. Here is an example:

“A second challenge I have met is how to effectively present and communicate my research and ideas to people from a broader background.”

Fit this opportunity into your long-term plan

I suggest explaining how the skills you hope to acquire from the summer school will contribute to your future work, projects, or career. For example:

"My future research will explore the possibility of extending the study of intelligence from predictive modeling to models supporting medical intervention and decision-making.” This statement emphasizes the impact of overcoming the first challenge mentioned earlier. Another example could be: “This is especially important when I am trying to transform the research findings into a real-world decision-making mechanism and making a difference in the healthcare system."

You can also outline the actions you plan to take during Bumblekite to achieve your goals. For instance: “I am so excited to see that the MLSS will provide an opportunity to hone communication skills, and I look forward to talking with professionals to see how to practice my communication skills to achieve transitions between academia and industry.”

Summary: While you don’t need to follow this exact structure to explain your motivation, the key is providing sincere and detailed information that supports your reasons for applying and demonstrates how the program aligns with your personal or professional goals. The Bumblekite team is committed to ensuring the program is designed to benefit you.

 

Part 2

Demonstrate your impact as part of the community

The 2024 application asked for a description of a past situation where you contributed to an individual or community, as well as a future situation where you will continue giving back. This section allows you to highlight your ability to contribute to the community and your ongoing commitment to that cause. It offers an opportunity to share a highly personalized experience. A good example doesn’t need to be a major event or accomplishment; instead, it should highlight an experience that reflects your values, growth, and connection to others. What matters most is demonstrating how this experience shaped your perspective, inspired you to pursue your goals, or deepen your understanding of collaboration and service.

In my case, I started by sharing a personal experience as an active member of the community, with my contributions both inspired by and beneficial to others. I recommend that you emphasize the insights you have gained or highlight the skills you have developed when describing your experience. Additionally, you can link your past experiences to your future goals, showing how this past contribution motivates your desire to develop further skills or knowledge, particularly through Bumblekite, to make a broader or more sustained impact. For example:

“During my time volunteering to narrate audiobooks for children at a local blind school, I had the privilege of interacting with an extraordinary group of children whose resilience and enthusiasm left a lasting impact on me. This experience provided me with profound insights into the world of those with visual impairments and inspired me to join a crowdsourcing blind navigation project, aiming to develop a belt compass for the blind, which was a navigation system combining map information with mobile app and vibration equipment. My contribution to this project was limited by my computational capability at that time. Based on previous experience, I am looking forward to developing an AI based navigation tool, based on data not only from the map but also from other sources such as sound and ultrasonic sensors, to help those with visual impairments to explore the city. I believe my practical learning experience from the MLSS will help me get closer to achieving this product.”

I hope this helps with your application! The memory of our hike to Uetliberg, filled with laughter as we encouraged each other and bonded over our shared struggle to conquer the steep trails, often pops into my mind as if it were yesterday. I am so grateful to have made such incredible friends through this summer school. I wish you an unforgettable summer surrounded by the amazing and inspiring Bumblekite participants.

For those who are interested in exploring further, we encourage you to also read the application guidances written by our best application award winner in 2022, Romana Burgess, and 2023, Carolina Picarra.