I got an internship at IISc after my first year. Here’s how I started.
About the Author: Diwakar Srivastava, a student of Amity University, shares how he got selected for an internship at IISc, Bangalore, and tells us about his internship experience.
During the 2nd semester, when I started planning for my first internship, I was clear about one thing: I wanted to intern at a place where I would be given credible work and an opportunity to learn. Having scored well in the 1st year, and in my 10th & 12th Board exams, I was aiming to work as a research intern at IISc, Bangalore. With the help of my professor and my director, I got my recommendation letters. Thereafter, I started working on my resume, highlighting my interest in fluid mechanics. The communication classes that I had taken seriously in college taught me how to be presentable. In order to be different, I made some major changes in my resume which would give the selection committee a complete view of my strengths, knowledge, vision, achievements, educational background, vocational trainings, positions of responsibilities, and extra-curricular activities. Most importantly, I attached references, certificates, and recommendation letters along with the resume hoping that it’d provide the professors a better reading experience which would make it stand out from the rest of the resumes and show my willingness to grab the opportunity.
I began searching for professors at IISc and started emailing them. Luckily, after a few weeks, I received a reply from one of the professors mentioning that he had a vacancy for a research intern. He also mentioned that he had gone through my resume and liked the way I had presented it. A Skype interview was scheduled that week for the selection process. In the interview, I was asked about my interests along with questions from fluid dynamics, physics, and mechanics. Keeping in mind the scope of ongoing work in the fluids lab, I talked about my interest in fluids and turbines. ‘The cavitation process and how to remove it’ was also a major point which I had mentioned through which he understood that I had some knowledge in fluids. I further told him that the internship would be a milestone in my career as it would help me get practical exposure and understand how things worked in India’s most prestigious university. Furthermore, I told him that it would help me gain knowledge about the subject, and also, it would help me develop my research-oriented skills which would allow me to think out of the box. Then, some basic engineering questions were asked related to SI units, some basic definitions of pressure, thrust, etc. I was confidently able to answer all the questions. In the end, he was satisfied and congratulated me for my selection. I was thrilled!
I packed my bags to leave for the summer internship. Upon arrival, I met my professor, and he introduced me to my guide under whom I would be working. He also provided me with an accommodation in the IISc guest house which was a very peaceful place. I had a small room with a perfect view of nature from the window. I worked on Drag Reduction in Turbulent Flow in Pipes using Polymers. My guide explained what they were working on, and what they wanted to achieve. I was given the opportunity to assist him in the experimental setups, record the readings, and explore the Bangalore markets where we used to buy materials for our project. Meanwhile, I was also given papers to read and find out about new technologies in the drag reduction process. I enjoyed everything I did there as I got exposure to latest technologies like Laser effect and softwares like PLC SCADA. I was happy to be involved in the project rather than just being an on-site observer.
After 50 days, I submitted my report and presented the project that I had worked on to my guide and my professor. My project work was duly appreciated by them. I received the certificate on the last day, and on a happy note, I bid adieu to everyone. This internship paved the way to further achievements for me: I did my second internship at DRDO because of my big start, went on to secure a gold medal in engineering, and secured a good job as a mechanical engineer.
If you’re wondering how you, too, can get an internship at IISC, Bangalore, this article is your Holy Grail.
Inspired by Diwakar’s journey? Don’t hold back; keep going. Check out these latest chemical internships and internships in Bangalore.
Editor’s note – If you also have an interesting story to share, you can now participate in Your Internship Story Contest 2017 and win cash prizes and goodies worth INR 1 Lac!
