During my Master’s gap year, I spent an entire year abroad on research internships. Some people believe that interning abroad requires personal contacts with professors and that it’s impossible to get a response otherwise. My experience proved me the contrary, as I did two internships without previous connections with the labs I joined. In both case I used the method I will describe here: simply sending an email.

Applying for internships in labs abroad was no easy task, because there is often no formal process. To understand what was expected in such applications, I reached out to numerous students and alumni from my school. This is a step I strongly recommend, as it allows you to gather feedback on previous experiences and to understand if such an internship would be a good fit for you. Now, let me save you some time by sharing the approach I used, which worked for me as well as for several of my friends. I hope it will help you get your dream research internship or master thesis!

1. Professors have little time

The key idea to remember is that academics have very little time to read and consider your application. Many students would ideally like to simply send a brief message to request a chat with the professor about their research, hoping to discuss the possibility of applying during the conversation. However, this is not how I found it to work. Instead, to obtain a call, you need to be precise about your qualifications, interests, and intentions. This way, a professor might take note of your profile and think of a relevant project for you. Or they might have no time or suitable project, in which case they will most likely not answer.

With this in mind, it is clear that your initial contact should be concise yet comprehensive, containing all the necessary information for the professor to determine if you are a potential fit for their research team.

2. Find where to apply

When searching for the right professors to apply to, you have several options:

• If you have specific universities or departments in mind, explore their websites to identify professors whose research areas align with your interests.
• If you have read papers that you found particularly impressive, check the authors’ websites for more of their work or for papers from professors they frequently collaborate with.
• If you know friends or academics with contacts abroad, get in touch with them for direct referrals.

Once you have identified potential mentors, deepen your research by skimming a few of their recent papers and reading at least one in greater detail. This will not only help you determine which professors might be a good fit for you but also demonstrate your genuine interest in their work. Optionally, you can try to reach out to members of the lab for additional insights, to get a clearer picture of the lab’s dynamics and the professor’s mentorship style. Don’t restrict yourself to just one or two professors, but take the time to investigate multiple options.

While exploring websites, check to see if the professor is currently looking for interns, and note their preferred application method. Some professors actively seek new candidates and may have a formal application process, while others might not be accepting new students at the moment. In cases where there is no clear indication of their recruitment status, sending an email is usually appropriate. Following the professor’s preferred approach will certainly increase the likelihood of your inquiry being positively received.

3. The cold email recipe

Now that you have identified professors you want to work with, the next step is to contact them and catch their attention. As mentioned earlier, some professors prefer that you fill out a form or use a specific platform, so in these cases, use their recommended method. That being said, many professors do not provide specific instructions on how to contact them. In such scenarios, one effective way to establish communication is by sending a cold email, which means an email without any prior interaction.

Building an efficient email is crucial, and you should pay attention to a few points. Here are the five components to include in your email, with tips from my own experience:

• Simple and effective email subject — Include your level of study and indicate that you are seeking an internship.
• Concise yet detailed email content (about 5–10 sentences) — Mention the desired duration of the internship, your areas of expertise, the research focus of the lab you are interested in, the relevant papers you have briefly reviewed, and any potential discussions you have had with people from the lab. If you have any funding (partial or full), for instance from your university or your state, mention it here.
• CV (1 or 2 pages) — Detail your education, relevant projects, previous internships, and any awards you may have received.
• Motivation letter (approximately 1 page) — Describe who you are, your interests, your knowledge, why this particular lab caught your attention, and what you hope to learn or explore during your internship.
• Recommendation letters (up to 3, I guess) — This may be the key to boost your chances to get an answer. Ideally, those letters should come from professors or supervisors who know you from projects, previous internships, or who have expressed willingness to support you in this process. It is important that the recommenders know you well and convey this in their letter, rather than simply stating that you performed well in their class.

With these 5 elements, you are almost ready to send your email! Before doing so, I recommend ensuring that all content is clear and free of typos. A good way to check this is by asking a friend to proof-read your documents.

I hope these tips can help you find your dream research internship. Keep in mind that those advices worked for me in my areas (machine learning and biology), and other fields might place greater emphasis on grades and specific classes rather than on projects and previous experiences. Also, I cannot guarantee success, and I would be just as clueless as you in figuring out why these approaches may or may not work in your case. Sometimes, it’s not about your profile, but rather the timing of your request in relation to the professor’s availability; you can never be sure.

Good luck!