How to land internship without referrals as 2nd year student?

Here's what I tell students: do ALL three, but in priority order. First, apply to structured programs (HackerEarth internships, internshala VIP, company career pages). Second, build 2-3 good GitHub projects while learning (doesn't have to be open source contribution—your own projects count). Third, cold email in batches while working on projects. Open source contributions alone rarely land internships unless you're deeply embedded.

Cold emails actually work, but you need to do them right. I got my first internship this way at a startup. Target specific people (engineers/team leads) on LinkedIn, personalize the email, keep it short (3-4 lines max), and mention a specific project of theirs or the company that excites you. Send 20-30 emails and expect 5-10% response rate. Generic mass emails get nowhere.

Being in a tier-2 college, your GitHub profile and projects matter 10x more than your college name. I've seen friends from top colleges get rejected because their code was weak, and tier-2 friends get hired because their projects were solid. Spend time building 1-2 really good projects, not 10 mediocre ones.

One last thing—don't just apply to big companies. Early-stage startups (seed/Series A) hire more interns relative to applicants and are much more responsive to cold emails. YourStory, Product Hunt, and CrunchBase are good sources. Those internships sometimes matter MORE in the long run because you get real responsibility and mentorship.

I'm also 2nd year and just got selected at a startup through an open application. The thing that helped was making a personal portfolio website showcasing my projects (even college assignments, but well-documented). When I sent cold emails, I linked to my portfolio. Managers are more convinced by seeing your work than just reading your resume.

Real talk: I wasted 2 months on cold emails before getting a single response. But once I put up a good project on GitHub and shared it in tech communities (Reddit, Slack groups, Discord servers), things moved faster. Consider leveraging communities alongside cold emails—less time-intensive and more targeted.

Honestly, hackathons helped me more than anything. I did HackWithInfy and got selected directly from there. Plus winning or placing well in hackathons gives you a portfolio project to show in interviews. Even if you don't win, the connections you make are valuable.

Build what interests you! Web development projects are absolutely fine and sometimes even better because they're more visible (deployed apps, live demos). DSA matters for interviews at product companies, but for startups and smaller companies, a real working product impresses more. You can always learn DSA during prep if needed.

One thing students miss: attend webinars and online events hosted by companies. Internshala, GeeksforGeeks, and many companies run free sessions. Ask thoughtful questions, connect with the speaker on LinkedIn afterward, and mention the session in your cold email. It shows genuine interest and gives you a warm lead.

My son did 3 internships and the one that mattered most for placement was the one from a hackathon. He's now working at the same company. But he also had good CGPA (8+) and 2-3 projects. Don't rely on just one method—build skills, CGPA, and projects alongside applying.

Thanks for all the advice! Should I focus on web development projects or DSA-heavy projects? My college focuses a lot on DSA but I'm more interested in building web apps.

I am game

Me too