The sophomore in B-tech is where you start diving into the subject, be it Mechanical, Civil, or anything for that matter. Hence, most of us have the doubt of how to get the internship without having any experience till now. This article will help you to understand and will avail a research internship at IIT.
START EARLY
Generally, the summer research internship commences from May right after the end semester (4th Sem) to July (In some cases, the duration will change depending upon the topic of research). Therefore, it is advised to start the preparation around Feb 1st week(during 4th sem). The first step is to decide on the topics you are interested in; e.g. In my case, civil engineering is a vast subject with many branches like structural, transportation, environmental, surveying, etc. Choosing 1 to 2 branches is sufficient in the beginning. If you cannot decide on what subjects intrigues you, then check on the subjects that you are thorough and strong with the concepts. Once you decide on the field you want to explore, start looking for professors and research assistants from IITs and NITs. We can easily find the contact in the institution's website. Prepare an Excel sheet or note down the name and the contact email id of the professor.
CV PREPARATION
A resume is considered an important document when it comes to getting any internship. Being in the 2nd year, it becomes challenging to write a resume because of insufficient to zero experience. Hence some of the things that you could add to your Resume are
1. The projects that you have worked on in your 1st year. E.g., ENIR Project, etc., when you don't have any internship experience.
2. Position of responsibility taken during 1st year. ( Add 2 to 3)
3. Research interests (Mentioning the field/ branch of the subject)
4. Achievements and extracurricular activities.
A resume of max two pages is considered a good one. The template is attached below for your reference.
COLD MAILING
Once you prepare your CV and have the database of the contacts of the professor. You can start mailing them. Some of the essential things to keep in mind while mailing is
1. Write formally and include some of the topics that the professor worked on previously and personalize the sentences.
2. The indentation should be perfect with no grammatical errors (use Grammarly).
3. Attach your CV at the end.
A sample of how to write a mail is given below;
"
Respected Sir,
This is XYZ, pursuing B.Tech in XYZ from the National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu; currently in 4th Semester with a CGPA of XYX till my 3rd Semester.
Upcoming summer vacation, starting May end or june, 202X, I shall have a break spanning two months. I am incredibly eager to undertake a project under you, preferably on an ongoing research project or any other if need be. The relevant department courses that I have covered till now are Concrete technology, Strength of Materials, Mechanics of Solids, Construction Technology and Equipment, Hydrology and Hydraulics and
Fluid machinery.
The department courses I will be completing this Semester are Analysis of Indeterminate Structures, Environmental Engineering (Water and wastewater treatment), Construction Management, and Geotechnical Engineering-I.
(ADD A PARA FOR RESEARCH INTERESTS)
During the On Sem project in 1st year. I was assigned in a project on……………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
My immediate degree objective after BTech is an………………………………………………………………. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Hope to hear from you soon.
My Resume is attached to this email for your kind reference.
Thank you for your consideration.
XYZ
NIT-T,
TAMIL NADU"
Starting from Feb, each week, send three emails to the professors from a different institution. Mostly, the mails will be seen zoned initially, so it's better to send reminder emails every week if you don't get a response. By March or April, you are bound to get a positive response from a professor.
MY EXPERIENCE
The process was entirely hassle-free and simple, and I started mailing around Feb Mid to mainly IIT-M and IIT-B. The IIT-M professor was kind enough to reply within a day. Some of the questions he asked were my plans after B-Tech, my interests related to the core subject, etc. By the end of April, I got a positive confirmation from the professor from IIT-M.
Overall, getting a summer research internship is not a big deal. Hope this article helps and gives an insight on how to get a Summer Research Internship.
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