The art of emailing the professors to secure an internship

After sending more than 200 emails to professors in different universities, I think I have gained a lot of experience in this process. But it was not an easy path. Out of those 200+ emails that sent, more than 95% were either rejects or were not even opened, or even worse, seenzoned!!

Before sharing my experiences of writing emails and what I learned from them, I would like to tell you guys that I did two internships during my bachelor’s, one at IISc Bangalore and one at IIT Guwahati. Both of them were secured by emailing the respective professors. So, let me emphasize the fact that email (some also call it a cover letter) is one the most important aspect of your application. It is the first thing that any professor will see, and as they say, “the first impression is the last impression”, your email will decide whether you will even get an internship offer or not. So, let us get straight to it –

[1] Salutation:

Always address the professor by “Dear Prof. Lastname”. You can even use “Dr.” instead of “Prof”. There are a few important things to be kept in mind here –

• If you are sending the mail to a professor in the west (US/Europe/Canada etc.), it is strongly advisable to address them by their name (Dear Dr Lastname). Using “Dear Sir” or “Dear Madam” is considered generic mail and conveys the message that you are not interested.
• But, if you are sending the mail to some senior faculty in India (IISc, IITs, NITs etc.), then “Dear Sir” or “Dear Madam” could be used. This is because of our prevalent cultural practice of not calling our professors by their names!
• Always check the name written on salutation twice, or even thrice, before sending a mail. There have been times when I mistakenly sent a mail to a professor with a different name written (please don’t judge me :P). This is a very common mistake. It sends a terrible message. Sometimes, the professor may even warn other professors about your recklessness, hence denying you your chance to get an internship.

[2] Structure of the Email:

• First Paragraph — Start the paragraph by introducing yourself, where you are from, what is your department and college. End the paragraph by stating the purpose of your mail (Internship, in this case).
• Second (and third/fourth, if need be) Paragraph(s) — This is the most part of the mail. Here you need to convince the professor why he should even consider giving you an internship under him! Tell “your story” in a convincing manner. What motivated you to pursue this particular field, how the professor could help you achieve your goals and how you could contribute to his research. Also do not forget to mention any past experience which you might have in that particular field (don’t write something which is not at all relevant. It will only annoy the professor), and if you have any idea of your own about the project which you could do under the professor’s guidance.
• Conclusion — Mention the logistics like how long you would like to do the project, tentative dates, and any particular achievements which might further your cause. If possible, do mention if you have your own funding (DAAD, IAS fellowship, SN Bose Fellowship). If not, then are you expecting any stipend from the professor or are self-funded.

[3] CV/Resumé :

Attach your CV/Resume in PDF format (do not attach in MS Doc format) and mention in your body of the email that you have attached the CV. If you have any website(s) which convey your work and experience, you can attach its link as well.

End the email by thanking the professor for his time and that you will be eagerly waiting for their reply.

NOTE: Do not make your email too long (or too short) as it may negatively impact your application.

[4] Sending Reminders and Waiting:

This is the toughest part of sending any email. WAITING!!

There may be many reasons why you wouldn’t get a reply to your mail immediately. Some of them may be the professor read your email but did not find you suitable for his research (less likely, because if professors read the email, they will mostly send a reply, be it positive or negative).

Another reason may be that the professor may be very busy and did not get time to go through your email, or your email ended up in their spam folder (highly likely). But in any case, before sending a follow-up mail, wait for at least a week. After a week or so, you can send a gentle reminder and ask them if they received your previous mail or not and that you are highly looking forward to their response.

• Some additional points to remember –

[1] Do not write “Dear Sir” for everyone assuming they are male or, even worse, writing “Dear Sir/Madam” and letting the professor decide his/her gender! Do your research properly beforehand and only then send the email.

[2] Timing is the key! When you send the email to the professor can sometimes make a huge difference. Please do not send the email on weekends or public holidays (No one checks their emails on holiday!). Almost all the professors are active during work hours, and hence if you send an email during that time, it will increase your chances of getting a reply.

[3] Do not send the email to multiple professors of the same department and university at the same time. If they realise this, it will dampen your image in front of all of them.

[4] Do not copy-paste ditto paragraphs from their websites or Wikipedia. They can figure it out instantly, and this will only reduce your chances of securing the internship.

[5] If you have any referrals or any faculty from your university who knows that professor, it will make your work easier to land that internship.

[6] Always be specific. Do not write a generic email just saying that you would like to do an internship under them. Tell them which particular topic interests you and why? Writing a generic email will convey the message that you are not at all serious about it.

PRO TIP: Go through the current research, publications or projects which the professor is doing and whichever project/publication you find interesting, READ IT! Ask the professor any doubts you might have in it, don’t be vague and copy-paste the project's aim. Use technical terms! Nothing proves that you are genuinely interested than you doing your homework.

THAT’S IT!

Writing an email can, at times, be gruelling. But when you receive that one positive reply, trust me, it is one of the best feelings! I hope this helps everyone who is currently figuring out how to write an email to a professor, and all the best in your search for that perfect internship!!

Written by — Siddharth Pandit

We regularly post similar amazing articles on our Medium page, so do not forget to follow us!

For more information about Project Bridge and our upcoming events and speaker sessions, follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and subscribe to our mailing list.