In my projects and internships, I've extensively used Git and GitHub for version control to ensure smooth collaboration and code management. I typically follow a branching strategy where I create separate branches for different features or bug fixes, which helps in isolating work and maintaining a clean main branch. When it comes to managing merge conflicts, I first ensure that I regularly pull changes from the main branch to keep my feature branch updated. If conflicts arise, I carefully review the conflicting files, understand the changes made by others, and then resolve them by choosing the most appropriate code or merging the necessary parts manually. Additionally, I use GitHub's pull request feature to review changes before merging, which helps in catching potential conflicts early and maintaining code quality.