Summer programs available

By Paula Guarderas

This year, the independent non-profit organization The Washington Center (TWC) for Internships and Academic Seminars received increased funds from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Due to KU’s partnership with TWC, KU students who are from Pennsylvania have the opportunity to be an intern, with housing included, for 10 weeks at only $1,300–the lowest amount this program has ever been–this summer.

The $1,300 covers the TWC housing and program fee, plus the cost of any credits being pursued. To ensure quality work and motivation from participants, applicants are required to be undergraduate students from an accredited college or university and to be earning at least three academic credits from the internship. For the students’ convenience, both the credits and internship costs may be paid through a streamlined one-payment process. Students may use scholarships and loans to afford the internship.

To be eligible to apply, one must be a minimum of 18 years old, have completed at least two full semesters by the beginning of the program and have maintained a GPA of at least 2.7 on a 4.0 scale. If their school is partnered with TWC, applicants also need to meet with their liaison, Kerri Gardi, director of the ICU Career Development Center.

If the student intends to participate in-person, they should be fully vaccinated per TWC’s policy preceding their arrival and, according to their website, bring face masks regardless.

To apply, one must go to TWC’s website. There is a $60 application fee, but Ms. Gardi has a fee waiver code. Applicants are required to send PDFs of their resume, a 100-word interest statement, an unofficial college transcript and an issue essay or writing sample no longer than 500 words. 

The early application deadline was Feb. 15, and the regular deadline was March 15.

Before applying to TWC, KU students are also required to meet with their advisors about the number of credits and send their resume and interest statement to Ms. Gardi for review.

After submitting the online application, the student will be contacted by TWC’s staff about any documents they have yet to receive. Once they have collected them all, the application will be reviewed and the student will be emailed about their acceptance or rejection two weeks later.

If the intern chooses to be housed in TWC’s Residential and Academic Facility, they will meet their potential roommates through a matching website. The residence comes fully furnished and stocked with cooking utensils. The apartment is usually shared between four students, with two of them using the same bathroom and bedroom.

The first week of the internship serves as an orientation so the interns get acquainted with the subway system to reach their workplace and the area around the apartments.

Lastly, as part of the program, students need to attend a course once a week. There are 30 different courses to choose from. The program also offers numerous social outings in and around D.C.