Have you been reluctant to take that first step towards getting your dream summer internship? Just because you feel that your ethnicity makes you inferior to students from other racial and cultural backgrounds? Fret not, because your chances of getting that coveted scholarship may be much higher because of where you come from.
According to a study conducted by the American journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Asian Americans outperform every other ethnic group when it comes to academics. The survey conducted by a team of sociologists with over 5,000 Asian and white American students. The Survey found out the reason to be simple. Asian and South Asian students work much harder than the others. Their noses are harder against the grindstone and their shoulders more firmly pressed to the wheel. This hard work is also why professors in foreign universities start singing out loud in public spaces. They start to do when they realize that students from Asia and other developing countries are on their way. It’s also why, despite being a minority, Asian students make up a big percentage of the students in the top Ivy League colleges.
To a large extent, this hard work stems from cultural reasons and the way we are brought up. Our parents assume the role of educators right from the beginning and constantly teach and manage our time beyond school. This is opposed to how children are brought up in Western societies which place a lot of emphasis on independence, right from a very young age. The enforcing of rules and values in our societies help bring up children who are dedicated and committed to their studies.
Here are some traits that students from developing countries possess. These allow them to stand out from their peers from other cultures:
Competitiveness:
Right from scrambling to get their children admitted to nursery in a good school, to clearing extremely competitive exams, in India and in many other Asian societies, competition is more pronounced than in a Super Bowl final. Throughout school, much emphasis is placed on scoring top marks. And while this may put pressure on the student, it helps when it comes to competing with other cultures that may not put such focus on competition. This also drives students to work that much harder to get top grades.
Hard work ethics:
As the study reveals, one of the most important factors that enable students from developing regions to outperform their peers from other nationalities is the hard work and dedication they put into their work. This ethos can mostly be attributed to the high levels of competition that prevail in most of the developing world, where people have to struggle for the basics. And rather than just focusing on the innate ability to do something as is the case of most Western societies, Asian parents tend to focus on the effort in trying a get a skill. Hence, while the rest of the world may be attending a Sixties Rock-a-thon, these students would be burning the midnight oil.
Good upbringing:
Being respectful to our elders is in our blood. Most Asian societies, including India, hold their teachers in great respect. Parents play a huge role in molding their children and place a lot of emphasis on respect and good morals. This helps create students who are committed, hard-working and obedient, brilliant. But humble – qualities that are valued by professors abroad.
Willingness to learn:
Right from the time we start school, and in many cases, even before we do, education is a continuous process that never really stops. We do not finish learning once the school bell rings. We get back home, go for our tuitions, and finish our homework, under our parents’ supervision. This continuing education leads to a greater willingness to learn.
A good base:
While we may complain about the state of our schools. How in India, and in many other Asian societies as well, schools have continuous assessments. IT ensure that students are constantly updating their knowledge. We are also exposed to a vast range of subjects that put us in good stead when we plan to pursue internship programmes abroad.
These are just some of the qualities that ensure that you stand out among your peers from other (mostly Western) cultural backgrounds. To sum up, these three factors will place you in good stead when it comes to getting that coveted internship abroad
Take that first step:
Get in touch with the professor under whom you wish to intern. Highlight your positive qualities in such a way that he/she would want you to intern under them.
Be competitive:
Remember, there may be many students eyeing that internship, be competitive, adopt that go-getter attitude, and keep working until you get through.
Work hard: Hard work does not end once you have been accepted into the dream summer internship
programme – that is just the beginning. Keep striving to remain on top of your game and get the best out of your dream summer internship. So, pull up your socks/boots/jogging bottoms/yoga leggings and take that first step. Send that email, and get the ball rolling. You might just land the perfect summer internship programme, which could prove to be the ticket to a great career ahead.
About the author:
Aniket Singh works for Apple Inc. in California, United States. He is also the author of “Intern Abroad This Summer”.
Aniket holds a BTech degree in Electrical Engineering from the IIT, Madras, Chennai, and a Master’s degree in Wireless Systems from Politecnico Di Torino in Torino, Italy. He has interned at the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom and Ecole Polytechnic Federale de Lausanne in Lausanne, Switzerland during this studies.
Visit him at www.aniketsingh.com
Check out his book at www.internabroadthissummer.com
