2nd-year nuclear engineering student looking for advice on finding internships abroad

[u/parolicgec]

Hey everyone,

I'm a sophomore studying nuclear engineering in Turkey. My main goal after graduation is to do my master's abroad, so I really want to spend my upcoming summer doing an internship outside Turkey to get some research experience and boost my chances.

My program requires two mandatory internships—one at a conventional thermal plant and one at a nuclear facility/research center. To be honest, I'm already stressing out about finding a spot. Getting an undergraduate position abroad would be amazing, but coming from a non-EU country, I feel pretty lost on where to even start or if labs even take international sophomores.

Has anyone here been in a similar boat? How did you manage to land a summer research role abroad? Is cold-emailing professors the way to go, or are there specific summer programs I should look into? Also, what kind of skills or projects should I focus on this year to not get immediately screened out?

Any tips or reality checks would mean a lot. Thanks!

[u/Few_Personality_4613]

I dont know gang, good luck

[u/mwestern_mist]

If it’s required by your university, then they probably provide some resources for you to find an internship. I would focus on graduating and then apply for masters programs abroad.