How I Bagged a Research Internship in Canada…
A Blog by Ashikka Gupta
Hey everyone! Ashikka this side. I am a prefinal year student pursuing my bachelor’s in technology at VIT Vellore in Computer Science and Engineering. The three years I have spent in college have been nothing short of a roller-coaster ride and have helped me understand more about myself and the career paths I wish to follow in the future. This blog is for anyone who wants to get started with Mitacs Globalink Research Internship.
What is this program?
Mitacs Globalink Research Internship is a competitive program for international students from Australia, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Mexico, South Korea, Taiwan, Tunisia, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom. Top-ranked applicants do a 12-week research internship under the supervision of Canadian university faculty members in a variety of academic fields, ranging from science, engineering, and mathematics to the humanities and social sciences, from May to October each year.
Over 70 universities throughout Canada are presently offering Mitacs Globalink Research Internships.
Why should you consider applying?
- This program is for anyone who wants to pursue research in an international setting. I highly encourage everyone to apply to this program as it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
- It gives you the chance to network with possible graduate supervisors if you decide to return to Canada for further education.
- It is completely financed, including roundtrip flights to Canada, airport transportation, a housing stipend, health insurance, a stipend for student enrollment costs, and a stipend for food and incidentals.
- It’s a fantastic addition to your CV.
How did I apply?
It was a casual Friday afternoon and I was checking my emails when I came across an email forwarded to all students by the authorities at my university. Upon going through it, I found the opportunity to be super exciting and I knew I had to apply and do my best to get in.
Timeline
The application period for students started in early August and ended on 22nd September 2021. I submitted my application on the 21st of September 2021.
Application Parts:
The application consisted of the following parts:
Out of these sections, the most important would be:
- Background and Research Interests: This section has 2 essay questions and some multiple-choice questions to evaluate how research-driven you are. It’s important to spend some time on this one and stay true to your achievements and current profile to answer this section. Make sure your curiosity and passion are well-understood by your answers in this section.
- Academic Reference: You need to provide letters of recommendation from at least 2 professors. Please choose your referencing professor carefully and make sure they can vouch for your capabilities and qualities. Try to go for professors that you have worked under for a project or some research. Additionally, you can upload a reference letter (SOP) for yourself.
- My Projects: In this section, you select the projects you are interested to work on. Make sure you select projects that align with your interests and capabilities. Spend quite some time deciding the projects you want to go for.
How did I prepare for the application?
I had no prior knowledge of how to prepare for this opportunity. So I started researching online. I went through a dozen of videos and articles about how to apply but still had a bunch of doubts and things we really unclear to me.
So now I decided to reach out to previous interns who got selected and after hard work, a bunch of them replied. One such person shared the same alma mater as me and we jumped on a quick call which helped me understand the application process a bit better. Here are some tips he shared with me:
Tips and Tricks:
- Select your projects very carefully, do not go for projects that sound cool or flashy. Choose the ones that you think you can effectively contribute to and interest you the most.
- For your academic references, choose the professors very carefully. I reached out to 2 professors I had known since my first year of college and worked under. That helped my application a lot.
- Make sure you have a clean resume that a person can go through in 7 seconds and still be able to retain the important points.
- Spend some time on your essay questions and write genuine answers.
I followed these tips and it worked in my favor.
Application Updates:
On 10th November 2021, I received an email stating that my application had been deemed eligible and the status had been updated to “Candidate under consideration.”.
We have completed our review of all GRI applications and are pleased to inform you that your application has been deemed eligible. Your application status has been updated to “Candidate under consideration.”
Then the project matching process began and on 10th December 2021, I received something like this and my happiness knew no bounds.
Interview
For me, no interviews were conducted. I got a direct acceptance on the basis of my application. I believe one of the reasons for this is that on my resume I had worked on a project that was a bit similar to the project I was selected for which must’ve intrigued my professor's interest.
Final Thoughts
I am now set to fly out to Vancouver, Canada and I haven’t ever been more excited about anything. I highly encourage everyone to apply to this program as it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Make the most out of everything :)
Feel free to contact me on LinkedIn in case you have any queries. I hope this blog inspires and helps you to excel in your developer journey 🤩. If you liked it, please hit the clap button, leave a comment, and do follow Codess.Cafe for more such content.
Codess.Cafe: LinkedIn | YouTube | Website | Medium | Twitter
