Chenika Garg, EE3
Interned at: University of Sydney
Internship Details
I did my internship in the field of Computer Science at the University of Sydney. It was based on data analysis using Machine Learning models. I believe that the branch does not matter a lot as long as you are clear about your interests, hence try to choose a field related to your projects/achievements in the past.
Selection procedure
I began mailing in December. Ideally, one should start mailing by the end of October.
You can get the email IDs of the professors by visiting the department faculty of a particular university that you are interested in. You can also reach out to the professors associated with a particular field by going through the QS Ranking lists of professors in the research fields of your interest. Particularly for CS, one can check out csrankings.org. Once the professor receives your mail and CV, and if he is interested, he will schedule an interview to ask about your interests and tell you the details of his projects.
Resume And Cover Letter
While making the cover letter, make sure you mention a brief introduction about yourself and your interests, try to include the reason for your interest. Highlight your achievements and the projects that you have done in the field. You can personalize the cover letter based on the professor’s research work. I referred to some of my seniors’ cover letters.
The CV should be no more than a page. Try to include only the related projects/achievements, and especially do not fill up your CV with co-curricular and PoR. Do mention your technical skills and scholastic achievements. Try to avoid blank spaces in your CV. Use the templates available on sites like Overleaf. One doesn’t require a fancy CV to apply for a research internship, so it is better to use a simple template with easy readability.
I guess the related courses and a decent CGPA helped me get the internship. Generally, the professors are not expecting a lot of prior knowledge, and instead, they evaluate your zest for the work. They are considerate and guide you on the way to learning the things required for the project.
Experience and takeaways
My experience was delightful. I enjoyed playing with the libraries and strengthened my technical skills. I learned a lot from the project and got in-depth exposure to Machine Learning. I also got the opportunity to connect with people working in the similar domain and developed a better understanding from their experiences.
The internship definitely ignited my interest in the field, and I would love to explore it further. However, I am currently not planning to pursue this research field as a career.
Interviewed by: Maitree Shandilya