Information for Internship Providers
Over the past decade the Brigham Young University Washington
Seminar has become one of the finest internship programs of its
kind in Washington, D.C. Working closely with many government and
private agencies in the Washington metropolitan area, the
Washington Seminar has been able to provide a unique learning
experience for students from a wide variety of academic disciplines.
What are the goals of the Washington Seminar?
The principal goal of our program is to assist qualified students
in having an applied learning experience that will supplement their
academic work at Brigham Young University. Additionally, it is
hoped that through the Washington Seminar experience, students will
be able to better establish their career objectives, gain a greater
appreciation of their nation's history and political traditions,
and give them a desire to become contributing members of their
communities.
These goals are accomplished by:
-
Carefully selecting only those students who are responsible
and capable of providing substantial benefit to the offices for
which they will work.
-
A pre-seminar orientation for the students to their internship
experience and the Washington environment.
- Close resident faculty supervision of students and coordination with sponsoring offices.
- Supplemental briefings, tours, and lectures that broaden and enrich the Washington, D.C. experience.
How are students selected?
To participate on the Washington Seminar, students from any academic discipline must
be junior, senior, or graduate students with a 3.0 grade point
average or better. All applicants are interviewed by a faculty
member and the Washington Seminar Director and evaluated on the
basis of attitude, maturity, judgment, ability to take
responsibility, and academic and writing skills.
After consultation with the Washington Seminar Director,
eligible students select a list of organizations where they wish to
apply for an internship. Copies of each student's application,
including a personal statement, résumé, academic
transcript, letters of recommendation, and writing sample (if
required by the sponsor) are then sent to each designated office.
In turn, those offices make the final determination of which
student or students they wish to select.
"He regarded every aspect of his internship as an opportunity for learning . . . he was well prepared and
highly motivated."
When are students available?
The Washington Seminar is conducted year-round and organized
into four separate programs that correspond with the Brigham Young
University academic calendar. Fall and Winter semester are fourteen
week programs which begin in September and January respectively.
Seven week programs are offered in the Spring and Summer terms
(beginning in May and July respectively), although students are
encouraged whenever possible to combine the Spring and Summer
programs and intern for the entire period from May through August.
All students work for their internships full-time Monday through
Thursday with Fridays free to attend classes and briefings that are
part of their academic program.
Do students receive an orientation?
All students selected to participate on the Washington Seminar are
required to attend a one credit, preparatory course before
beginning their internship. The course emphasizes the importance of
research and writing skills, reviews the basics of the U.S.
political process, and provides information on the Washington, D.C.
area and the environment in which the students will be living and
working.
Who supervises the students?
While the Washington Seminar is managed by a full-time
administrator on the BYU campus, each group of students is directed
by a university faculty member who lives in the Washington area. He
or she supplements the student's work experiences with weekly
briefings and instructional sessions, and deals with any problems
that may arise. The faculty director also evaluates the students'
progress by meeting with their work supervisors at an appropriate
time during their internships.
Who arranges for housing and transportation?
Most Washington Seminar students live in the Milton A. Barlow
Center, a BYU facility located at 2520 L St N.W. in Washington,
D.C. near GWU. Students are responsible for their own
transportation both to and from Washington and while on the program.
Do students receive academic credit?
Each participant receives graded credit from Brigham Young
University for the experience (up to twelve credits for the Fall
or Winter, and six credits for the Spring or Summer) and is
considered a full-time student. Grades are based upon evaluations
by the work supervisors and written work submitted to the resident
BYU faculty member.
"He made a substantial contribution to the work of this office...a superior performance."
What are the sponsor's responsibilities?
Sponsoring offices are primarily responsible to provide a
substantive, applied learning experience for the students they
take as interns. It is understood that the interns are expected to
help with some of the routine office and clerical work, but this
should be kept to a minimum. Ideally, each student should be given
two or three significant projects to complete over the course of
the internship. Also, sponsors are asked to have a regular member
of their staff assigned to orient and supervise the intern. Should
a problem develop the Washington Seminar requests that the intern's
supervisor notify the resident faculty advisor as soon as possible.
Finally, at the conclusion of the internship, each supervisor is
asked to complete a written evaluation of his or her intern.
How do sponsoring offices benefit?
Offices that sponsor a BYU student benefit by having a bright,
eager, and capable young person available to assist them with their
responsibilities. The students arrive in Washington anxious to work
hard and gain practical experience. Very often sponsors are able to
use their interns to help finish those projects left on the "back
burner" that the regular staff had been unable to complete.
Is it necessary that interns are compensated?
Some sponsors have budgeted stipends to help students defray
their costs, but it is not required that they be paid for their
work experience. Obviously students are more consistently interested
in being placed with offices that supply some compensation.
"She has all the qualities needed to excel and the skills
required to succeed in many professional fields."
Sponsoring an intern
Brigham Young University requests that all organizations
accepting its students as interns sign an Academic Internship
Agreement. The BYU master agreement includes a no cost $1,000,000
commercial liability insurance policy for all cooperating agencies
who utilize it.
To include information about your organization in our database, please complete the form found
here.