Shobhit Jain, TT1
Interned at: The Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
I did my remote research internship at The Nanyang Business School of The Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. It was mainly based on developing models for Data Analysis using R and Stata.
I am from Textile and Fibre Technology. I think the branch does not matter much, bagging an internship depends more on how well you are following the procedure of making a CV, cover letter, and then mailing. Many of my friends from my branch who wanted to get a foreign internship were able to do so.
Mailing Process
I began forming my CV and cover letter in mid-October, and then I began mailing by the first week of November. In the last week of December, I got my first reply, which was ultimately the internship I did. I wanted to do an internship in the field of business. Hence, I searched for the rankings of top business schools online and went to the websites of these universities and scanned through the research areas of their professors. I chose the professors based on my interests and skills and mailed them. The process is exhausting, to be honest, and sometimes frustrating. I used to dedicate around 1-2 hrs daily and had to pause in between due to my examinations. Sometimes, mailing while listening to music helps ease the process a bit.
The Resume and Cover Letter
Your cover letter is something that portrays you. It should contain a brief introduction of yourself, including your branch and CGPA, and should depict your interest in the professor's work. In the cover letter, you can talk about the projects and skills you possess related to your application. In the last paragraph, you can write about how you learned about the professor and what you will bring to the project if given an opportunity. Remember to keep the cover letter short and to the point.
The CV should be a crisp one-pager. If you are interested in a research internship, write more about the projects which you have done. Related internships can be an added advantage. Mentioning your scholastic achievements and technical skills in a proper way is very important. PORs do not matter much while applying for research internships, but you can mention them in the end.
I think my professor was impressed by the fact that I am from IIT Delhi. I feel the brand value of IIT Delhi does help a lot. The professors do not expect much, they just test if you are eager to learn. For instance, before my interview, I was really worried about what the professor would ask, but he did not ask much on the technical front. He instead told me about the projects he has to offer and what he expects from me as an intern.
Experience and Take-aways
My experience was wonderful. I got to learn many new things in the field of data analytics and statistics. I also learnt a lot about work ethics and delivering on time. I gained valuable exposure to research in the business domain. My project pushed me to explore new topics on my own, which helped by making me familiar with Machine Learning and related topics. I plan to continue in the same field. I bagged my third-year internship with Axis Bank in the field of data analytics and I plan to explore the field further.
Interviewed by: Maitree Shandilya