“First impression is the last impression”. This is probably one of the most cliche lines that you would’ve heard. Sadly, this stands true when you are applying for a foreign intern and the concerned professor has no clue about your background. Also, the cover letter becomes an important document as its clarity and conciseness will decide if the professor will take pains to open up your attached CV or will just ignore it like the hundred others that he has.
Sadly, this stands true when you are applying for a foreign intern and the concerned professor has no clue about your background. Also, the cover letter becomes an important document as its clarity and conciseness will decide if the professor will take pains to open up your attached CV or will just ignore it like the hundred others that he has received each day. So, it is important that your cover letter stands out amongst the others and grabs the attention of the professor. Here are some of the things which you may include in your cover letter. Don’t forget to personalise according to your own needs. Firstly, the subject must be very concise. Avoid using words like “Internship” in the subject as they go into spam. Next, you must also mention how you came across his web page and why you are applying. Show some interest in his research area and write convincingly that you are very inclined in working on his areas of research. Further comes your introduction. Introduce yourself, your college, department( mention your department rank also if it is in the top three) and clearly state the time period during which you want to do an intern under the professor. Next, you can state your CGPA and also two-three courses which are relevant to his area of research to stress upon the fact that you are knowledgeable enough to work under him. Also, mention about the projects you have done. Finally, express your eagerness and end the email by attaching your CV and expressing your availability over email/phone. Also, don’t forget to add a signature in the end of the application (a general tip, use the signature setting on available on most mailing clients, including Gmail, Yahoo and even IIT Webmail RoundCube to not have to repeat the signature every time you send a mail). All these above points should guide you well enough to make a good cover letter.