The Internship Experience

D.C. Students

A typical week blends a four and a half-day internship with program-specific rigorous academics. For 36 hours per week students go to their internship where they gain work experience and acquire knowledge, skills, and abilities that will benefit them in their future careers.

 

Students participate in one course per week tailored to increasing their knowledge in a specific area of interest. Monday afternoons are dedicated to The Leadership Forum where participants meet with distinguished leaders with diverse professional backgrounds. They engage in substantive discussions ranging in topics from arts and culture, to nonprofit leadership, environment, and civic engagement.

 

During the week, students also are encouraged to participate in additional events on their own, create a network of contacts to assist their professional development and engage in conversations on different issues, as well as to participate in various service learning opportunities.

 

Regional Students

A typical week blends a four and a half-day internship with program-specific activities and workshops. For 36 hours per week students go to their internship where they gain work experience and acquire knowledge, skills, and abilities that will benefit them in their future careers.

 

Students participate in conference calls and webinar style workshops that cover a variety of topics including how to create a federal resume and how to get a job in the federal government.

Internship Sites

Agencies and Sample Internship Sites

The Washington Center works with several government agencies to provide internships for undergraduate and graduate students. Positions are available at a number of agencies each term, which have included (but are not limited to):

 

• Federal Aviation Administration
• Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
• National Archives and Records Administration
• and more!

Sample Internship Descriptions

 

National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)

Herbert Hoover Presidential Library

Internship Description: The internship offers real world museum experience to students interested in pursuing a career within the field. We assign a variety of collections and exhibits related projects to our interns.  The intern's project would be assisting with inventory through storage organization and reconfiguration. The intern will learn about the proper procedures for inventory and storage conditions; condition reporting, how to handle objects, museum terminology, storage techniques, micro-environments, object material sensitivity, and museum database skills (through data entry and object photography).

Specific expectations:

 

• Interest in working with museum collections
• Intern should be detail oriented, organized, and able to work independently
• Intern must be able to work as a team and accept constructive criticism
• Average or above average level of computer literacy (skills in Photoshop, Illustrator, Word, Excel, Access, and a collection database would be an advantage)

 

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

Washington-Dulles International Airport

Internship Description: The internship offers a hands-on experience to students who are interested in the aviation management career field. Students will have the opportunity to witness airport operations, including those from a flight tower and air-traffic control operations, while lending support where required.

Specific expectations:

 

• Provide administrative support for the air traffic control operation at the FAA Control Tower at Washington-Dulles International Airport
• Assist in the preparation of audio visual presentations
• Receive visitors and conduct facility tours
• Prepare data for analysis
• Compile reports

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)

VA Medical Center

Internship Description: The internship offers a practical healthcare-related experience to students who are interested in both long-term rehabilitative care and support to veterans who have been wounded in the line of duty. Specifically, the intern will speak to veterans groups and clinicians educating on prosthetic programs; write standard of operations for clothing allowance and auto adaptive; update position descriptions for prosthetic positions; and work with and attend meetings of prosthetic committees (Major Medical, Home Oxygen, HISA).

Specific expectations:

 

• Average or above average level of computer literacy
• Some knowledge of prosthetics
• Experienced in communications

Locations

Federal agency internship sites are in D.C. and several regional locations throughout the United States. Regional locations vary by term, but past students have interned in the following states: California, Ohio, Massachusetts, Texas, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Virginia, Michigan, Washington, Georgia, and Missouri. Students will be contacted if they are being considered for a regional placement.

 

Scholarships/Stipends

Students who are selected for a placement will receive a stipend from The Washington Center twice each month. There are no program and housing fees associated with the Competitive Government Program. Housing is available to all students who would like to take advantage of The Washington Center's fully furnished, conveniently located apartments. If a student wishes to find alternative accommodations, his or her stipend will be increased.

Choosing the Right Program

Is the Competitive Government Program right for you?

If you attend a college or university affiliated with TWC, applying to the Competitive Government Program is probably not the best way for you to participate in The Washington Center--even if you are interested in completing an internship with a federal agency and would like to receive some scholarship support. In fact, most Washington Center students interning in the government are participating in our general D.C. Internship Program.

 

A few things to note before starting your Competitive Government Program application:

 

1. Students who apply to the D.C. General Internship Program will be considered for any funded federal positions for which they may qualify. They will also be considered for unpaid positions within the government and/or other sectors. Some very popular government offices (U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of the Interior, White House, U.S. Congress, and others) do not currently offer internships through the Competitive Government Program, but they have worked with other TWC interns regularly.
   
   
2. If you attend an affiliated institution, you may find that arrangements are in place to make participation in the general D.C. Internship Program comparable to a semester or summer on campus (in terms of the credit you'll earn and the cost of attendance). TWC also has a variety of scholarships available. Should you be offered a Competitive Government Program position, the same credit package may not be available (because the components of the program may vary). Further, some positions are regionally based.
   
   
3. Applying for the Competitive Government Program will by no means guarantee that you'll receive an interview or internship position. By contrast, you will have an advisor working on your behalf to find an internship that will match your interests if you apply through the general D.C. Internship Program. He or she will continue referring your materials to possible organizations until you've accepted an offer.
   
   
4. We receive Competitive Government Program applications from many more students than we are able to place each year. Most openings call for interns who are pursuing majors in STEM, communications, or business-related fields. Agencies often require a 3.0 GPA (or higher), and some request students from certain types of institutions (historically black colleges and universities, minority serving institutions, etc.).
   
   
5. You may not hear from TWC about your application to the Competitive Government Program in a timely manner, as we may be asked to forward candidates' applications to supervisors at federal agencies until the start of a given semester or term (and sometimes even later). You would not be able to decide to do the Washington, D.C. General Program after learning that you are not selected for the Competitive Government Program.

Washington, D.C. Internship Program Resources

 

• Sample Internship Sites [5]
• Career-Specific Programming [6]
• Scholarships for U.S. Students [7]

Eligibility and Application

Eligibility

• United States citizenship required;
• Applicants must be enrolled in, or have recently graduated from, an undergraduate or graduate program. Additionally, candidates must have a GPA of 3.0 or above;
• Undergraduate students from affiliated universities must receive approval from their campus liaison [8] in order to participate;
• Undergraduate students from non-affiliated universities must seek approval from their campus if they would like to receive academic credit;
• Candidates should be available for the full term of the internship [9], which will likely reflect TWC’s standard program dates. It is important to note that in some cases, Competitive Government internships will have different start/end dates than those outlined. Individuals who receive such an offer will have specific expectations outlined;
• Students should have demonstrated experience and/or strong interest in working for the federal government.

Academic Credit

Undergraduate students applying to the Competitive Government Program during the fall and spring semesters will be required to earn academic credit. Those applying for the summer term will typically have the opportunity to decide whether or not they would like to earn credit should they receive and accept an offer.

 

Application Requirements

All students who apply to TWC’s Washington, D.C., Internship Program will also be eligible for internship positions within the Competitive Government Program. If students are only interested in being considered for federal government internships that offer financial assistance, a separate application only for Competitive Government Programs should be used. In order to be eligible for this option, students must submit an online application [10].

Once a username and password have been created, students should log into the system and choose “Internship” as the type of application. Under “Washington Center Program Options” students should select the Competitive Government Program. Applicants are encouraged to select more than one agency when asked to indicate their specific interests, as many agencies will have similar positions available. Students must also submit official transcripts to The Washington Center.

There is no application fee required for students applying under the Competitive Government Program option. Please contact Reid May (reid.may@twc.edu [4]) or 202-238-7702 with any specific questions about the Competitive Government Program.