How to Get an Internship Under American Professors | Detailed Explanation

Summary

This video offers insights on securing internships with American professors, emphasizing the value of recommendation letters for university admissions. It explains the rarity of such opportunities for overseas undergraduates and the professor's perspective on investing time in short-term interns. The speaker shares personal experiences and strategies, such as building connections, demonstrating research interest, and offering to work remotely or unpaid, to increase chances of securing an internship that can significantly boost one's academic and career prospects.

Takeaways

• 📚 Having any form of work, internship, or research experience with an American professor can significantly improve your chances of admission to higher-ranked American universities due to strong recommendation letters.
• 🔗 Recommendation letters are a critical component of an admission packet in American universities, and having one from a professor you've worked with can be a significant advantage.
• 🌐 Many undergraduate students worldwide seek internships at American universities, often reaching out directly to professors for positions.
• 🏫 Universities rarely offer internships, making it uncommon for undergraduate students abroad to gain research experience in the U.S.
• 👨‍🏫 Professors are more inclined to work with doctoral students due to the long-term relationship and mutual benefits, as opposed to the short-term nature of internships.
• 💼 Professors view their time and energy as valuable and are less likely to invest in training students for short-term internships where they receive little benefit.
• 🤝 Personal connections often play a crucial role in securing internships, with successful cases involving connections through senior students or family members.
• 💡 To approach a professor for an internship, it's essential to understand their research, read their papers, and express genuine interest and capability in their work.
• ✉️ Avoid sending mass emails to professors; instead, craft personalized emails that demonstrate your understanding of their research and your potential contributions.
• 💼 Be prepared to work without payment, as professors may be more willing to consider your application if there's no financial burden, and consider remote work opportunities to reduce the need for visa sponsorship.

Q & A

How can an internship with an American professor enhance an international student's chances of admission to American universities?

An internship with an American professor can significantly increase an international student's chances of admission to higher-ranked American universities because it provides the student with valuable work experience and a strong recommendation letter from a reputable source within the American academic community.

What is the importance of recommendation letters in the university application process in America?

Recommendation letters are a key component of the university application process in America. They provide insights into the applicant's capabilities, work ethic, and potential from the perspective of someone who has directly worked with the applicant, which can greatly influence the admissions decision.

Why do American universities rarely offer internships to undergraduate students from abroad?

American universities rarely offer internships to undergraduate students from abroad because such opportunities are uncommon and often require significant time and effort to train the intern, with limited long-term benefits for the university or professor.

What is the typical relationship between a professor and doctoral students in terms of research?

The typical relationship between a professor and doctoral students is a long-term, mutually beneficial collaboration where the professor guides the students in their research, and the students contribute to advancing the professor's research agenda.

Why might a professor be less inclined to work with a master's student compared to a doctoral student?

A professor might be less inclined to work with a master's student because the time and effort invested in training a master's student may not yield long-term benefits, as master's students typically stay for a shorter period and then leave after completing their degree.

What are the common ways international students have managed to secure internships with American professors?

International students have often secured internships through personal connections, such as knowing a senior or a relative who is already studying in the US and can vouch for them or facilitate an introduction to a professor.

Why is it crucial for students to understand the perspective of the American professor when seeking an internship?

Understanding the perspective of the American professor is crucial because it helps students tailor their approach and demonstrate their value and potential contributions, which can increase their chances of securing an internship.

What advice does the speaker give regarding the initial contact with a professor for an internship?

The speaker advises against sending mass emails and suggests that students should research the professor's work, read their papers, and write a personalized and informed email expressing genuine interest in the professor's research.

How can students demonstrate their commitment and potential value to a professor when seeking an internship?

Students can demonstrate their commitment and potential value by showing a deep understanding of the professor's research, offering to assist doctoral students or the professor's team, and being willing to work remotely or without payment if necessary.

What is the significance of having an American professor's recommendation letter for an international student's application to American universities?

Having a recommendation letter from an American professor is significant because it adds credibility and authenticity to the student's application, showing that they have experience and have been endorsed by a recognized figure in the American academic community.

Outlines

00:00

🎓 The Value of Internships with American Professors

The speaker, Chaitanya Sambhara, a faculty member at the University of Texas at Arlington, discusses the benefits of securing an internship with an American professor for international students. He explains that such an internship can significantly improve one's chances of being admitted to higher-ranked American universities due to the strong recommendation letters that can be provided by the professor. Chaitanya emphasizes the importance of understanding the professor's perspective, as they are looking for long-term research contributions, typically from doctoral students. He clarifies that undergraduate internships at American universities are uncommon but not impossible, and suggests that personal connections often play a crucial role in securing such opportunities.

05:02

🤝 The Role of Personal Connections in Internship Opportunities

Chaitanya Sambhara elaborates on how personal connections are often the key to securing internships with American professors. He shares examples of students who leveraged connections through senior students or family members already studying in the US to approach professors. These connections facilitated the process by reducing the time and effort the professor needed to invest in training the intern. The speaker also points out that in most cases, these internships are unpaid, reflecting the reluctance of professors to invest in students who will be with them for a short period. He advises students to understand this perspective to improve their chances of securing an internship.

10:03

💡 Crafting an Effective Approach to Professors

The speaker advises students on how to approach professors for internships effectively. He discourages sending mass emails and emphasizes the importance of personalizing communication. Chaitanya suggests that students should research the professor's work, read their papers, and understand their research to demonstrate genuine interest and knowledge. He also recommends building connections with doctoral students who can vouch for the intern's capabilities and potentially reduce the professor's training burden. The speaker encourages students to express their willingness to work remotely and without pay to show their commitment and reduce the professor's investment.

15:03

💼 Case Study: A Successful Internship and Its Impact

Chaitanya Sambhara shares a case study of a student who worked remotely for him, without the need for visa sponsorship, and was paid for the summer work. This student, initially rejected from multiple universities, was later able to secure admission offers and is now employed at Microsoft, thanks to the research experience and recommendation letter from the professor. The speaker uses this example to illustrate the potential benefits of internships and the importance of demonstrating research capabilities and a strong work ethic. He also highlights the value of a recommendation letter from an American professor in enhancing a student's application for further studies.

Keywords

💡Internship

An internship refers to a period of work experience offered by an organization for a limited period. In the context of the video, internships are discussed as a valuable opportunity for undergraduate students to gain practical experience, particularly in an American university setting. The video emphasizes the importance of internships for enhancing a student's application for higher education and for obtaining strong recommendation letters.

💡American Professor

An American professor is a term used to denote an academic faculty member at a university in the United States. The video script discusses the perspective of American professors when considering internship applications from international students, highlighting the challenges and incentives from their viewpoint.

💡Admissions

Admissions in this context refers to the process of applying and being accepted into a university or graduate program. The video underscores how having an internship with an American professor can significantly improve one's chances of being admitted to higher-ranked universities due to the credibility of a recommendation from within the U.S. academic community.

💡Recommendation Letters

Recommendation letters are documents provided by a referee attesting to a student's skills, character, and qualifications. In the video, it is mentioned that these letters are a key component of an admission packet, and having a recommendation from an American professor can greatly enhance a student's application.

💡Research Experience

Research experience refers to the practical knowledge and skills gained through involvement in academic or scientific research projects. The video script explains how such experience, especially when obtained through an internship with an American professor, can be beneficial for a student's CV and future academic prospects.

💡Undergraduate Students

Undergraduate students are those pursuing a bachelor's degree at a university. The video is primarily aimed at this demographic, offering advice on how they can secure internships in the U.S. and the potential benefits for their academic and professional development.

💡Personal Connections

Personal connections refer to the relationships or acquaintances that individuals have, which can be leveraged for professional opportunities. The video mentions that in many cases, securing an internship involves some form of personal connection, such as knowing a senior or a relative who is already studying in the U.S.

💡Unpaid Internships

Unpaid internships are positions where the intern does not receive monetary compensation for their work. The script discusses how many internships, especially for international students, are unpaid, and how this can be a point of consideration for professors when deciding to offer such opportunities.

💡Academic Research

Academic research involves the systematic investigation of materials and sources to establish facts and reach new conclusions. The video script describes how professors are often looking for students to assist with their research, and how understanding a professor's research focus can help a student in securing an internship.

💡Visa Sponsorship

Visa sponsorship is when an organization assumes responsibility for an individual's legal right to work in a foreign country. The video explains the reluctance of some professors to sponsor visas for international students, which can be a barrier to securing internships.

💡Remote Work

Remote work refers to the practice of working from a location other than the traditional office or workplace. The video suggests that offering to work remotely can be a strategy for students to secure internships without the need for the professor to sponsor a visa, thus reducing the barriers to obtaining such opportunities.

Highlights

Having work experience or an internship with an American professor can significantly increase your chances of admission to higher-ranked American universities.

Recommendation letters from American professors are crucial for university applications in the U.S.

Many undergraduate students worldwide seek advice on securing internships at American universities.

Universities rarely offer internships to foreign undergraduate students, making such opportunities uncommon.

Professors prioritize long-term relationships with doctoral students for research collaboration.

Master students are less preferred for research collaboration due to their shorter duration of study.

Undergraduate students seeking short-term internships are often not a priority for professors due to limited time and potential for minimal research skill development.

Personal connections are key to securing internships, as seen in cases where students leveraged relationships with senior students.

Unpaid internships are common for foreign students, with some professors sponsoring application fees.

To approach professors, students should avoid mass emails and instead craft personalized, well-researched messages.

Students should read and understand a professor's research papers to demonstrate genuine interest and knowledge in their field.

Building connections with doctoral students can be a strategic way to approach a professor for an internship.

Expressing willingness to work without payment can be a persuasive factor for professors considering the investment of their time and resources.

Offering to work remotely can alleviate the burden of visa sponsorship and paperwork for the professor.

Demonstrating the ability to perform quality work can improve chances of securing an internship, even if it's unpaid.

A recommendation letter from an American professor can significantly enhance a student's CV and admission prospects.

The speaker shares a personal anecdote of hiring a student remotely and how it positively impacted the student's career and admission to American universities.

Transcripts

so i will share something i will tell

you something that nobody would have

told you and nobody could have told you

okay

how can you get an internship with an

american professor at an american

university now what happens is that if

you have work experience of any kind

internship of any kind research

experience of any kind with an american

professor and then you apply for

admissions at american universities your

chances of getting admitted at higher

ranked universities can increase

dramatically because now you have

somebody recommending you who is from

here because

i'm sure you know that right when you're

applying to schools in america one of

the key components of your admission

packet are your recommendation letters

and if you can show that you have worked

on some kind of research project with a

professor at an american university that

professor will write you a

recommendation letter and your cv will

also be enhanced because of it

and many people therefore have asked me

many undergraduate students particularly

from all over the world have asked me

how can we get an internship at an

american university in particular rather

than asking how they can get an

internship they have reached out to me

asking for an internship position so i

felt that if i make a video on this and

explain everything that happens in the

background many of you can really

benefit from it

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this chaitanya sambhara faculty at the

college of business university of texas

arlington so now many people write me

asking for some kind of project if they

can get an internship in the us if they

can come here and work under me and my

response to all of them has been quite

elaborate but it is very difficult to

communicate each person individually

right so hopefully this video will make

everything clear for you now

when you are looking for an internship

there are two parties involved of course

right it's you and the other party who

is supposed to give you that internship

position right in that intern position

now all you know is you your side your

party but you don't know anything about

the other side and i will disclose as

much as i can the perspective of the

other side knowing which you will really

understand how to tackle the whole

situation now who are you most likely

you are an undergraduate student who

wants to come to america and work with a

professor at a university right now

what is your proper background

you are a student

you want some experience so that you can

get better opportunities when you apply

for masters of phd degrees that is all

your perspective is i'm looking for some

kind of opportunity and i would wonder

if the other person will give me the

opportunity

now

how can you go ahead without

understanding the other side

before i explain the perspective of the

other side let me make it very clear

universities rarely rarely ever give out

internships okay getting an internship

experience or any kind of research

experience at an american university

while you are an undergraduate student

abroad is very very uncommon

okay but

it's not that nobody does it people do

that

how does that work out and

why you should know the other side's

perspective

okay now

if you have to look at the whole

situation from an american professor's

perspective this is how things are

as a professor you have a lot of

research responsibilities okay if you

are at a research university research

oriented university

you have to work with doctoral students

sometimes even master students and once

in a while maybe even undergraduate

students as a professor your perspective

is to carry forward your research agenda

and doctoral students who are spending

four to six years of their lives with

you getting trained under you are the

ones who are your real assets now it's a

long term relationship with a student

right you spend immense amount of time

and effort working with that student and

that student is also taking your

research forward and it's a mutually

beneficial relationship where both

parties grow in their professional

careers one party is taking their

research agenda forward the other party

is learning those research skills so

that they can do independent research

later on therefore for a professor it

makes complete sense to collaborate with

phd students because they are willing to

put their time and energy in a long term

okay then somewhat less preferred are

master students definitely less

preferred than doctoral students who

come here just for one or two years they

get their master's degree and then they

just leave

now why would a professor want to invest

their time and energy on someone where

it takes quite a bit of their effort and

time investment on training the master

student okay and

after all your efforts the master

student will do a small thesis graduate

and never see you again

right so the professor has even less of

an incentive to work with a massive

student in comparison to a doctoral

student now

you

some random undergraduate student

somewhere abroad wants two months long

internship

okay from a professor's perspective you

are going to be here for a very very

short time just one small summer one

very short summer

and then you know nothing for the most

part i would expect that you hardly have

any research skills

and

not just that you're not even working on

your research skills to that extent okay

your background is not as strong as a

master student who has already completed

a degree you're still just a high school

graduate you do not have an

undergraduate degree and then you want

professor to give their time and energy

into training you

while they will not benefit much at all

because you will do your internship and

go away so why would a professor want to

spend their valuable time on some random

undergraduate student who wants to go

for an internship okay now these are all

my perspectives and i believe that uh i

would personally believe that you can

generalize to for the most part everyone

so now you need a way to connect with

that professor so that that professor

can give you an internship right

now what happens is that in every single

case that i have seen where a student

has done a summer internship at an

american university with an american

professor

in every single case

there were some personal connections

okay

the kind of personal connections were in

one case there were two students who

were doing their internship at a

university in new york state

their senior from their university was

already a doctoral student at that

university so they approached their own

senior who was a phd student to see if

they can get an internship and the phd

student went to the professor

and then said see i'm working on this

and this research project some of the

work i can probably relegate to some

other people who will be very quick and

talented and i will be happy to coach

them for a period of two to four months

so the professor's own time investment

and energy was not all that much okay in

that case because the professor had a

very good relationship with the doctoral

student the professor agreed okay and

another case where i know of a case

where a student who was pursuing and who

is pursuing his undergraduate degree in

computer science in bangalore

his older brother

is a master student at texas a m

university

and working on a thesis with the

professor okay and how did this student

in bangalore approach the professor

this student of course his own elder

brother is working on thesis right but

that elder brother himself is just a

master student so this older brother

approached another phd student saying

that hey i'm helping you with your own

research project that you're working on

with the professor and i'm doing all

this task right some of the additional

tasks i can actually relegate to another

student and i will be happy to spend my

time and energy so in this case a

bachelor's student approached a master

student his own brother and the master

student approached a phd student and the

phd student then approached the

professor

so in this case most of the time and

energy put on training this bachelor

student was by his own older brother who

was a master student in this case it is

even easier because even the phd student

does not have to spend all that much

time training him and making him do the

work he had guidance at home literally

and of course the professor hardly had

to spend much time at all

so in this case it was very easy for the

professor to let him come and remember

in both these cases the first case where

these students from another country

their senior was doing his pursuing his

phd in new york

in all these cases they were unpaid

internships to the best of my

understanding i think it was an

internship in new york and in this case

of texas a m i know for sure that was

unpaid internship however the professor

agreed to sponsor

the application fee and all those things

from his own pocket because remember

if you are coming to america for an

internship

you cannot sponsor yourself the other

party which is hiring you must sponsor

you so that is one of the other reasons

why professors hesitate to bring

students from abroad and give them

internships because they don't have

strong incentives for

in putting time and energy on you so now

now that you know that most of the

things are not in your favor

how can you still try and succeed in

getting an internship and that is what

probably you really want to know from

this video right

so now there are two or three things you

can do first thing first

never ever send

mass emails to professors never copy

paste emails and generate emails and

write to professors it will never work

you will never get a response now what

should you do then in another video

which is linked in the description i had

discussed in detail how you should write

emails to professors okay

now look at that video watch that video

and learn how to write good emails now

when you are writing an email to a

professor you need to somehow convince

the professor that you are somewhat

worthy of his time and energy

now how you do that is this

go to that professor's website and i

would suggest that identify maybe three

four ten professors not all that many

okay

go to their websites access their

research papers at least bother to read

them do not just read the title and

abstract open those papers if you can

and then go through those papers and try

and understand as much as you can

because a lot of people send me emails

saying that i have read this paper of

yours and i really like this part of the

paper i know that all they have read is

probably the abstract only they have not

read anything beyond the abstract okay

because had they read the paper really

they would have mentioned something

which is inside the paper

they would have looked closely at the

paper

so i don't even bother replying to those

people

now when you read the professor's papers

make notes what kind of research

questions they are asking what kind of

problems they are studying what is the

methodology they are using in those

research papers and how are they

building up the whole story and what

kind of research agenda they are

suggesting at the end of the paper where

you have directions for future research

section

once you have some basic understanding

read a few more papers okay and then

draft everything that you've understood

from those papers and you must make sure

that you have some interest in that area

and you are willing to develop some

knowledge in that area okay now if it is

a case where you know nothing about that

topic get a book educate yourself

understand what is going on in that

research papers and then go ahead and

write an email to the professor

now once you write a more elaborate

email expressing interest and explaining

why you're interested with credibility

that you have actually read that

professor's papers

then the professor might be more

inclined to talk to you okay otherwise

what happens really is that as you might

have seen in many countries when you are

stopping at a traffic light these

beggars come and knock at your windows

right

most people don't give anything to them

but some people do but why do they do

that because there is not much time and

energy investment but you are asking the

professor to give that time and energy

invested in you

so you have to have strong

reason you have to give the professor a

strong reason to even consider hiring

you

now what you can do next is that

rather than just reaching out to the

professor try and build connections with

the doctoral students okay of that

professor

see what kind of work they are doing and

ask them

offer them a reason that you are willing

to assist them in any which way you can

okay

and that might be a better route to

approach the professor okay

now the worst of the worst case and it

is not actually a bad case at all

make it clear that you are willing to do

that work without any payment

now i'm not suggesting that you should

definitely do that if you want money go

ahead and do that but all i'm trying to

say is that why would a professor want

to give you money where it is professors

time and energy that is being

compromised or their team's time and

energy is being compromised so this is

my personal suggestion is that

express interest to work with the

professor

and if you really want that job

also try to convince or convey to the

professor that you are even willing to

do the same job remotely so that the

professor does not have to sponsor your

visa or any go through any such things

okay

ask the professor to assign you some

work or at least the doctoral students

his team lab members ask them to assign

you some work and you will perform and

show them that you can actually do some

good work

that can actually improve your chances

of getting some kind of

traction do you really think it matters

where you are on location or if you are

doing the work remotely

if you can get a paid internship with a

professor in a university and you come

here and work in person nothing like it

but know that summer times are usually

the dull times even in academia and

summertime is probably the only time

available for you

so

that

might not work out for the most cases

therefore i'm suggesting my personal

view is that

offer to do the work for free of charge

now in one case not any time recently

about three to four years ago i had made

an exception okay

when i actually hired somebody to work

through the summer for me

and in that case

that whole work was done remotely that

particular student who did all the work

for me

was abroad was not in the us i did not

have to go through and file all that

visa paperwork and pay for all that

money all i did is that i had the budget

at the time and i paid i think if i'm

not mistaken uh sixteen hundred dollars

for the whole summer

and i can do that even now but i know

that for the most part

do i want to do it again it is just a

lot of hassle and lot of inconvenience

but at least i'm giving you some ideas

this student worked for me remotely

with me not having to sponsor their visa

and that student made money right now

let me brag for a second okay this

student who worked for me a year before

that had applied to six to eight

universities in the us and he was

rejected from all those universities he

could not get a single admission

now after he worked for me

i wrote him a recommendation letter and

now he was able to show some research

experience on his cv and then he

received multiple admits in american

universities okay he did his internship

with me during the summer and then that

significantly improved his admissions

and now he works for

microsoft so he has had a very good and

successful career because at the time i

had some extra work which i did not want

to spend too much time doing so i had to

spend around four to five days working

with him coaching him what exactly i

want him to do how i wanted him to do

those things and then every week or two

i used to check up on him and he used to

send me whatever the data that he was

supposed to collect and process and send

the refined data back to me and i used

to assess the work he did and that is

how he himself gained some research

experience and when he had some research

experience he wrote about it in his

personal statements and then he was able

to enhance his cv and he had my strong

recommendation letter when he applied to

american universities because now he was

getting a recommendation letter from an

american professor at an american

university and that is any given day

more preferred than some other professor

somewhere abroad who nobody knows about

because if you have a recommendation

letter from an american professor they

can easily look that professor up and

look at their profile to make sure that

this professor indeed is doing some

proper research work and has assigned

that work to this particular student and

this is how you can try and approach the

professors by first actually conversing

their research profile what kind of work

they are doing and be prepared when you

are communicating with the professor and

in some cases they might want to

interview you so at least show a good

profile and good background so that you

can potentially get that internship

position so i hope now that you

understand the other person's

perspective thank you for watching jain

and god bless america

[Music]