How to Secure a Research Internship: A Step‑by‑Step Guide for Engineering Students

Name: How i got a Research Internship at IIT in just 5 steps? (No one talks you about this.)
Uploaded: 2026-02-22T06:45:13.477906+00:00
Channel: Finding Teja
Description: Summary and key takeaways on How to Secure a Research Internship: A Step‑by‑Step Guide for Engineering Students, covering Introduction The video walks you

Finding Teja

Feb 22, 2026

•

3 min read

YouTube video ID: URdIcuEcCFc

Source: YouTube video by Finding Teja — Watch original video

PDF

Introduction

The video walks you through a practical, repeatable process to land a research internship, whether you study at an IIT, NIT, or a tier‑3 private college. It emphasizes that high grades are not a prerequisite; motivation and a systematic approach matter more.

1. Adopt the Right Mindset

Dispel the myth that only toppers can get research internships.
Your CGPA can be average (e.g., 7.0) and still secure an offer.
Confidence and persistence are more important than past scores.

2. Find a Professor

Hard Way (Website Search)

Visit the official website of the target college.
Navigate to the Faculty or People section.
Open each professor’s profile and read the Research Interests.
Shortlist 4‑5 professors whose interests align with yours.
Repeat for multiple institutions if needed.

Easy Way (Your Own Lecturer)

Identify a professor whose class you attend regularly.
Show genuine interest, ask questions, and build rapport.
Approach them directly; they are more likely to offer an opportunity or guide you to another mentor.

3. Craft a Formal Email

Your email should contain: 1. A brief self‑introduction (year, branch, college). 2. Clear statement of your research interest. 3. Reason why you want to work with that specific professor. 4. A concise request for an internship or project. 5. Attach your résumé (mandatory for external professors).

Tips - Keep the email 4‑5 lines long. - Avoid irrelevant details. - Use a polite, professional tone. - Sample templates are provided in the video description.

4. Follow‑Up & Handle Rejections

Expect a response time of 1‑7 days.
If no reply after a week, send a polite reminder.
If rejected, thank them and ask for suggestions on other potential mentors.
It’s normal to contact 10‑20 professors before getting a positive reply.

5. Interview & Acceptance

Some professors may schedule a short interview.
Clearly articulate your motivation and what you hope to learn.
Align expectations on project scope, duration, and deliverables.
Once accepted, you have secured your first research internship.

6. What to Expect in a Research Internship

High dedication, tight deadlines, and moments of self‑doubt are common.
Continuous learning and problem‑solving are part of the routine.
Successful projects can lead to:
Publication in journals or conferences.
Valuable networking opportunities.
Recognition and a strong resume boost.

7. Additional Support

The creator offers personal guidance via a form linked in the description.
Subscribe to the channel for future videos covering more detailed internship strategies.

Final Checklist

[ ] Adopt a growth‑oriented mindset.
[ ] Shortlist 4‑5 suitable professors.
[ ] Draft and send a concise, tailored email.
[ ] Follow up politely after a week.
[ ] Prepare for a brief interview if requested.
[ ] Embrace the research journey and its learning curve.

By proactively reaching out to professors with a clear, concise email and maintaining persistence—even in the face of rejections—you can secure a research internship regardless of your academic rank, opening doors to valuable experience, publications, and professional networks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Finding Teja on YouTube?

Finding Teja is a YouTube channel that publishes videos on a range of topics. Browse more summaries from this channel below.

Does this page include the full transcript of the video?

Yes, the full transcript for this video is available on this page. Click 'Show transcript' in the sidebar to read it.

Helpful resources related to this video

If you want to practice or explore the concepts discussed in the video, these commonly used tools may help.

The Craft Of Research Paperback Recommended

Provides a step‑by‑step methodology for planning and executing research projects, helping interns structure their work effectively.

Amazon →

Research Methods: A Practical Guide Book

Offers practical techniques for data collection and analysis, essential for students starting their first research internship.

Amazon →

Moleskine Classic Notebook Hard Cover

A durable lab notebook for recording experiments, observations, and ideas, crucial for maintaining organized research documentation.

Amazon →

Links may be affiliate links. We only include resources that are genuinely relevant to the topic.

Summarize another video

Full Transcript YouTube

Hi, in this video I'm going to explain
how to apply for a research internship
and successfully get one. Whether you
are in an IIT, NIT or a tier 3 private
engineering college. It doesn't matter
which college you are studying. But if
you are someone passionate about
research or you are confused like I was
to choose core or non-core, then doing a
research internship will clear all of
this confusion. But how do we get one?
See, I have been through the same
situation 2 years back. In this video,
I'll not just explain but take you
through the step-wise process through
which you can actually get a research
internship so that you do not have any
kind of confusion. If you're new here,
hi, I am the a third year B student at
IIT World. I struggled a lot to find
internships in my first and second year
of my college. I tried 100 different
ways to get internship and successfully
did two internships in my second year.
The first one being the research
internship and as a brother and senior
it's my responsibility to let you know
about these opportunities so that you do
not go through the same struggles that I
have been through. My first YouTube
video was about internships. More than
7,000 people had watched this video and
asked me to make more detail videos on
various methods to get internship.
That's why I have decided to make a
series of videos where I'll be
discussing about the most successful and
practical ways through which my seniors
my friends and I got internship through
which you can also get internship. This
is the first video of that series.
Subscribe to get notified so that you do
not miss those method and lose an
opportunity. So with that being said,
let's get started. See the first step is
to have a clear mindset. Without a
proper mindset, it is not possible to do
anything. Most of us have a perception
that only toppers with high grades can
get a research internship. But this is
not true. To give you more context, my
CGPA was 7.02 when I got my first
internship, which I later pushed to 8.3.
So the whole point that I'm trying to
say is that it is possible to get a
research internship with an above
average grade. So first remove that
thought that only toppers can get
research internship. I have so many
examples, so many friends and seniors
who applied for research internship with
a decent grade and then they improved
their grades. It has been done. It's not
something new that people are doing. So
have a clear mindset and then we will
start. The second step is to find a
professor. Usually we apply for
companies to get internship but in
research we apply for the professors. So
how do we find a professor? There are
actually two ways to find a professor.
The easy and the hard way. I'll explain
you both these ways. Starting with the
hard way. See, every college has its
website. In this website, there is a
section called faculty. So open that
section and look into the profile of
each and every faculty. The main
important thing that you need to look is
about their research interest. If you
find any topic interesting in their
research interest, then shortlist that
professor. Repeat the same process for
all the profiles. By the end, you need
to have at least three to five profiles
shortlisted. Let's say you're in
chemical engineering. you want to do a
research internship in IT word or any
other college. So whatever the college
you are interested to do research then
simply go to Google and search for the
college and the department name for
example IATG chemical engineering
department
go to their official website and then
look for the section called people under
which go to open faculty. This is the
page where all the profile of all the
professors is present. We have assistant
professors, associate professor and
professor. Look into their individual
profile and uh the main section that you
need to look is research interest.
Basically these are the research
interest of the professors in which they
would like to do research. So what I
want you to do for example let's say hi
I am interested in energy efficiency
design of thermal systems and this is my
interest. So I will contact this
professor for an opportunity. So
similarly look into all the profiles of
the professors and at least shortlist
four to five professors for whom you can
actually ask an opportunity. This is
actually the hard way. There is another
simple and easy way. You don't have to
go through all these profiles but you
need to go through that one profile of
that professor who actually teaches you.
Think about this. You go to his class
regularly. You show your interest. You
listen to his class carefully. You ask
him doubt. Then going and approaching
him will be the best thing possible. he
will definitely give you an opportunity
to work under it. If not, he will let
you know a way through which you can
actually get a research internship. Step
number three is to contact them. Now,
once you have a list of four to five
professors, you need to write a formal
mail requesting them for an opportunity
to work under them for a project or an
internship. Your mail must contain these
five important things about yourself,
about your interest, about why you want
to work under him, about a request to
work under him, and finally your resume.
If you are approaching your own
professor then he might not ask for a
resume. But if you are approaching a
professor whom you do not know or any
other college then having a resume is
must and should. Try to write a mail
under four to five lines. It should be
as clear as possible. Do not add any
irrelevant information and most
importantly do not use try to write the
mail by your own. Here is a sample email
template that you can use. I suggest you
to write your own email. I will include
few of other email templates for your
reference in the description. Now once
you mail the professor the next step is
to wait for the response. It might take
from a day to even a week. So I suggest
that if the response did not come in a
week then write a reminder mail to them.
If you have mailed your own professor
then go and directly approach them
saying that sir I have written a mail to
you regarding this and then I would like
to discuss about they will be open to
discuss. If you wrote a mail to some
other professor or a professor from
other college then you need to wait for
their response. Sometimes they might not
respond or sometimes they might even
reject it. Be prepared to face
rejections. It's okay and it's normal.
If they reject you, reply them politely
and ask them for guidance to find such
an opportunity. They will for sure help
you. If not, move ahead and mail another
professor. You just need one from that
one professor. And to get that one,
mailing some 10 to 20 professors is
okay. If a professor accept your
request, then he might call you for a
formal discussion or an interview. You
need to state your interest clearly and
motivation behind for working under him
so that both the parties have a clear
expectations and to have a better
understanding of each other. And if
everything goes right, well,
congratulations. You just cracked your
first internship. But remember this,
this is just the beginning. Let me be
honest with you, research is not that
easy. There is a lot of dedication that
need to be put in. Constant learning,
tight deadlines, and you feel that you
do not know enough. And this is
completely natural. Every student who is
doing a research will feel the same
thing. But it's also rewarding at the
same time. If your project goes
successful, you get a lot of
recognition. You can publish a research
paper. You can present it in a
conference where you can make valuable
connections. There are so many other
perks. It's really worth it. So believe
this process. Send that first mail and
take your first step. So yeah, that's
all everyone. That's all for the video.
And one more thing if you feel you need
guidance regarding anything whether it
is academics or related to internships
related to choosing your career core
non-core if you feel like talking to a
senior baya like me then I had given a
form in the description go through it
fill it I'm sure that I will definitely
guide you personally. All right this is
tasa I'll see you in the next video.
Viral.