Summer Research Internship across the Globe (USA/Canada/Europe/Australia/Asia)

How to secure a Summer/Winter Internship Abroad?

Introduction

Before you begin to start applying for Abroad Internships, please remember that it is a very demanding and grueling task. Be prepared to put in lots of hours and hard work on creating your resume, shortlisting universities, emailing the professors, reading their research papers, visa process, etc. This is by no means a simple task and requires lots of dedication and patience.

You will get international exposure during your Bachelor or Master Degree and High-Quality Profile which will lead you to successfully secure scholarships for MS/Ph.D. Degree in top reputed universities of the world.

Procedure

It is basically a 3-step process towards finding that perfect internship with full funding and visa sponsorship. This process can also be used to do a Bachelor/Master Thesis in abroad with full funding.

• Step 1: Research and Shortlist 
• Step 2: Resume and Cover Letter 
• Step 3: Email, Email, and Email

Step 1: Research and Shortlist: 

One Way (Limited): Just explores the list of Internships below is the link. Find the relevant one, understand the application procedures, see eligibility, and Apply Accordingly.

Other Way (Unlimited): Make a list of universities where you would like to do your internship. It is highly important that you choose a university that suits your background. Top institutions typically expect students with good grades and from undergraduate. So, choose a university that you believe suits your academic qualifications. You can use tools such as USNews, TopUniversities for this purpose. Try shortlisting at least 20-30 universities for a start. Now, based on your field of interest, go to each university’s respective departments and look for profiles of professors in that department. Each departmental website will have a list of professors' names, their webpages, profile, and publications. Go over the details carefully and make a list of professors whose research work aligns with your interests the most. Once you have a list of professors whose research work aligns with your interests, you are ready for step 2. 

Step 2: Resume and Cover Letter 

Resume: Once you have a list of professors with whom you would like to work for the summer, take some time to really learn about their work. Each professor's webpage will have a short paragraph about their current research interests and a list of publications. You obviously can’t read each and every journal publication. Therefore, read publications that are their most popular or jump-started their career. Such papers typically come with plenty of citations. You can find all this information in Pubmed and Google Scholar, etc. Once you have these papers in hand, read them thoroughly to understand how the professor and his team solved the problem. If you have questions, jot them down. You can also ask for help from your departmental professors to clarify some of your questions regarding the paper. Once you understand what kind of work these professors are doing, start focusing on developing your resume and cover letter. 

For tips on writing an impressive resume, please use this resource. (How to Draft an attractive CV) 

Cover Letter: Once your resume is ready, start preparing your cover letter. One word of caution here is that professors are extremely busy individuals. Some professors get hundreds of emails a day. If you are going to create your cover letter and attach it as a doc, it is only adding more trouble for the professor to download the doc and then read it. Instead of creating a separate cover letter, type everything in the main email itself and attach your resume with the email. This is the quickest way to catch the attention of busy professors. Now, coming back to the contents of the cover letter, keep it short. Again, as mentioned before, professors are very busy people. If you want them to sit up and take notice of your email, keep it succinct and short. 

Check out this link for Samples and Guidelines: How to Write Perfect Cover Letter.

Wrap your email with an eye-catching subject line. Since professors receive so many emails, it is very important that you write an impressive subject line. One example is Prospective Students- looking for a Summer Research Internship in your lab. See this link for Email Subject

Step 3: Email, Email, and Email: 

You have to be very patient for this step. Some professors may not reply while some will take a long time to reply. If a professor does not reply for more than two weeks, send them another email. Given how busy they are, it is highly likely that they must have not noticed your email. But be sure NOT to bombard them with emails, A 2-week waiting period is good enough. Since professors have to fund you, be prepared to exchange quite a lot of emails. Do not expect professors to accept you immediately as they will not fund students without being fully sure of their capabilities.

Important things to remember: 

• Don't email more than one professor in one department at a time. Professors discuss among themselves and some professors will not like it if a student emails to multiple professors. Wait until you hear back from one professor. If they are not responsive in spite of sending multiple emails or email you saying they are not accepting any students for summer internships, then you can email another professor in the same department. 

• Start the process as early as possible. If you are applying for the summer of 2020, then you must start emailing professors by August/September of 2019. Since this process takes so long, an early start will keep you calm and relaxed with ample time. 

• AMU has a strong alumni network and several seniors have already done foreign internships, it is highly recommended that you email them for tips, advice, and insights. Also, if you know any professor or HOD who has contacts with professors abroad, that will also be very helpful.

Where can I find different Abroad Summer Internships?

I have collected all the yearly or half-yearly summer internships in one place, check out it and find deadlines, eligibilities, and proceed to apply. If you have any questions let me know in the comment box.

List of Summer Internships across the Globe