Applying for the internship

Dicynodonts were one of the things I mentioned in my application as a topic of interest. Eventually, my project would be on Dicynodonts

Last minute submissions!

Starting my second year at university, I was aware that I would need to look for an internship but by nature, I have a wide range of interests, so I wasn’t sure where to start.

However, during term one I took a module on Vertebrate and Palaeontology which I enjoyed very much hence I decided to search for an internship in the field and I found an opportunity at Bristol university. Moreover, the internship was focused for students like me – 2nd year BAME students! So my flatmate and I decided to apply.

Although I had many months to create and refine my application, I, as typical of many students, started my application a week before the deadline during which I was also juggling revision for my summer exams. Fortunately, I was able to send my application 1 minute before the deadline and a week later my flatmate and I received an email back saying that we were invited to an interview.

Despite the struggle of creating the application, it was a good process to go through which will help me in the future when applying for jobs/internship/research positions.

Tips for the (or any) application

Highlighting key points in the application instructions helped me
  • Start as early as you can – I sent my application in a rush so didn’t have time to read through it properly. After submitting, I read my application again and instantly found some grammatical errors!
  • Be authentic – I tried to bring across my motivations for wanting to go into science. This is one of the many ways your application will stand out.
  • Read around the subject – it’s important you convey your interest in the subject. The best way to do that is to show off extra reading (ideally, this would be related with the lab you’re applying for) e.g. recent papers that caught your eye. This YouTube channel is pretty good in recapping the biggest developments in palaeontology every year. 
  • Make sure the application is focused – read the application page for the internship to make sure the application is tailored to the internship e.g. the page talks about how the internship will help in applications for Master/PhD positions so it would be a good idea to mention what kind of Masters degrees you are thinking about or would like to do. 

 

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