As the internship application season is in its full swing once again, I take this opportunity to share my experience right from the application process to the completion of the research internship. I hope that this would help all the students applying to Mitacs Globalink Research Internship or any other research internship abroad with similar requirements.
To give a brief introduction, I am a fourth year student at Delhi Technological University, New Delhi, India pursuing engineering in Mathematics and Computing. I got selected for the Mitacs Globalink Research Internship Program 2019. Mitacs is a non profit organization which delivers research and training programs in Canada. Globalink research scholarship is an initiative for international undergraduates to spend their 12-weeks long summer in Canada on a research project under the supervision of Canadian university faculty members. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity to indulge in cutting-edge research with adequate financial support and healthy work-life balance. https://globalink.mitacs.ca/#/student/application/welcome is the link to 2020 application. The deadline for Mitacs Globalink 2020 is September 18, 2019.
This first article highlights all the resources and tips you will need to successfully apply to the prestigious internship. I would also include a gentle disclaimer that all the "pieces of advice" added henceforth are completely influenced by personal experiences and opinions. These are meant to help students but may not end up working everywhere.
Unofficial/Official Transcripts: Unofficial transcript is a document formed by combining all your mark-sheets till the last semester. Official transcript on the other hand is a similar document which is further attested by your university. Globalink explicitly states the requirement of an official transcript in English. You can figure the process of procuring one on your university's website. http://dtu.ac.in/Web/Academics/forms.php is the link to DTU's transcript form. It usually takes 2 weeks to process.
Letters of Recommendation: Globalink states the requirement of at least 1 letter of recommendation. The referee can be a professor at your home university who has taught you related subjects or a professional/academician who has worked with you and knows your potential. In either way, the letter should be tailored in your favor and should emphasize on your ability as a research candidate. https://bit.ly/2Zy90TT is a document showing the difference between okayish and excellent letters. Your letter need not be as long as given here but any good letter would require 3-4 paragraphs explaining your relation with the referee and praising your work. Do not stress about getting 2 letters as it is not compulsory. It might be an advantage but 1 handpicked letter woven out of your strengths is any day better than 2 generic letters which might get ignored in a blink. (Secret: I got through with 1 letter of recommendation.)
CV: It is better if you stick to the format given on the application portal for your CV. The format is to the point and you can always add any remaining skills in the achievements section of the application.
Research Rationale: This section was the most challenging for me because of the 100-word limit conflicting with the limitless words that I had in mind. Research Rationale is a miniature version of a personal statement that you may write while applying for graduate studies in the future. A winning paragraph would explain any significant event which led you to believe that research is the right path for you. It can also include how you think you can contribute to research in your domain and how this internship opportunity is an important step aiding your future plans. You can also make it specific with your detailed research plans and its applications in real world.
Achievements: This section is pretty straight forward and had the same word limit as research rationale last year. I preferred to use point-style writing rather than paragraph writing in this section. You can explain the purpose of your club, cultural event or a competition if you think they will not understand them.
Skills and Research interests: Spend time in filling out this section as it includes a lot of deciding factors. I preferred to use point-style writing under each heading rather than paragraph writing in this section too. You can repeat a few pointers from your CV but try and cover all the relevant strengths and skills. To play safe, you can highlight the subjects that you are applying to as your prioritized research interests.
Survey: We had to fill a lengthy survey after the research section. I couldn't figure out the purpose of the survey but filled it in alignment of my research interests and expectations. I would suggest the same to everyone.
Projects: In my opinion, selecting the projects wisely is the most important step in the entire application process. There are over 2600 projects in the pool and gazillion filters to narrow the process down. So make use of as many filters as possible to select the projects which orient perfectly with your interests, experience and aim. Here are a few pointers that I considered while selecting my projects last year (Secret: I got called for interview in 6 out of 7 of them).
Shortlist the projects according to your research interests and skills. Set all the filters like faculty academic discipline and student's academic background properly. This might give you a pool of over 100 projects depending on your field.
Now, this might differ for everyone but I used prerequisites/required skills of the project as the second criteria. This gave me an idea of what the professor is expecting in terms of expertise from an applicant. You can be a bit lenient in this screening to get a wider range of projects.
Now that you know what the supervisor is expecting from you, you should look for the project description and the student roles. Get an idea of what to expect from the project both short-term and long-term. The project should seem exciting and promising. Some professors clearly state the prospect of publishing the research work and some state that your work would be continued further even after the completion of your project. This should not weigh too much in your decision making but can help in deciding about the projects you are doubtful about.
If you still feel indecisive after all this filtering, you can look into the profile of the host professor. This would give you an idea of his active research work, research labs he is associated to and sometimes his industrial tie-ups. You can also look into the university's overall ranking and research facilities. However, this should not be a deciding factor if you really like a project.
Having said that, Mitacs Globalink requires you to select a maximum of 7 projects in at least 3 Canadian provinces. Try and filter that out in the beginning too so that you don't end up with less choices in the end.
Globalink Research Internship is an amazing international experience to hone your research skills. The application process is lengthy but structured. I have tried to include all the pointers that I kept in mind while applying. Also, it is important to remember that the fact that IITians/NITians have higher chances of getting through these scholarships is just a popular myth. I have personally worked with students from many corners and colleges of India (yes, even private colleges) and the selection committee doesn't seem to discriminate between your home colleges if your application is good enough. So feel confident and believe in yourself before applying anywhere.
Depending on the response to this article, I shall write another one explaining the course of action after selection for the internship. It will include everything about the interviews, visa and other formalities. I hope this helps some of you. You can always comment or mail any questions that you may have on top of this. All the very best!!
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