Washington Internship - What Happens Before
What Happens before an Internship?
In addition to interviewing for and securing an internship placement, there are a number of steps students need to take before their internship begins.
- Housing during the internship. Housing is provided by The Washington Center in a relatively new apartment complex known as the RAF (Residential and Academic Facility). Interns are generally pleasantly surprised by the superior quality of the housing as it is not what one generally associates with student housing. The Washington Center provides residence life staff members who provide assistance with housing issues and occasional social activities. The furnished apartments are single-sex, with two bedrooms (two interns per room), two bathrooms, a kitchen, and a spacious living room. The RAF has a variety of amenities like a fitness rooms, laundry services, classrooms, and a computer center. Before an internship begins, students fill out and submit a housing form to The Washington Center. The form is an opportunity for students to identify any accommodations they may need, a preference for certain types of students (e.g. vegetarians), and a preference for a particular roommate (if they have one in mind). The form can also be used to pay a $300 housing deposit that The Washington Center requires from all prospective interns. ***Important*** It is strongly suggested that students use a credit card number for the deposit. The Washington Center will not charge the credit card unless a fine is imposed at the end of an internship. Fines are typically imposed for not cleaning an apartment when interns move out, or damaging the furniture. If students pay the housing deposit with a check, The Washington Center will deposit it and the money will be drawn from a student’s bank account. If no fines are imposed at the end of the internship, all the money will be returned, but it might take several weeks from the end of the internship to actually receive the funds. For that reason, it is better to use a credit card for the housing deposit.
- Selecting the internship course. Several weeks before an internship begins, The Washington Center will ask prospective interns to identify their top five choices for the class they will take during their internship. The form and a list of classes (along with course descriptions) can be accessed through TWC Web site. The Washington Center typically offers between 30-35 courses each semester. The Washington Center hires the faculty, who are professors and practitioners from the Washington, D.C., metropolitan region. The Washington Center estimates that students spend $50-$100 on books. The classes meet once a week, in the evening for 3 hours (usually 6:30-9:30pm). To be frank, the quality of the classes can be uneven. Some courses are exceedingly rigorous, while others clearly are not. ÒùÐÔÊÓƵ students receive 4 credits for the course they take during the internship. Also, students can enroll in a 4-credit GIS independent study with the Campus Liaison. Arrangements for this option should be completed before students move to Washington to start their internships.
- Registering for internship credits. Before students begin their Washington internship they are registered for the following credits: Washington Internship (WASH 3940 – 8 credits) and Washington Seminar (WASH 3620 – 4 credits) and the optional GIS independent study. Students cannot register for these credits on their own. The Campus Liaison gives Student Records a list of all the prospective students. The registration is done by the Student Records staff. All 12 (or 16) credits are treated as ÒùÐÔÊÓƵ credits, i.e. the credits are used to fulfill graduation requirements and the all the grades are reflected in a student’s ÒùÐÔÊÓƵ GPA.
- Notifying ÒùÐÔÊÓƵ offices. The Campus Liaison emails a list of interns to a number of ÒùÐÔÊÓƵ College offices and departments to notify them of the students who will be away for a semester. Some of the offices are Student Records, Financial Aid, Academic Affairs, and the Bursar’s Office.
- Paying the Internship bill. The $2,550 discount that ÒùÐÔÊÓƵ students receive is already reflected in an intern’s bill from ÒùÐÔÊÓƵ College. Students on financial aid should speak with financial aid and the Bursar’s Office to ensure that their financial aid is properly reflected in their ÒùÐÔÊÓƵ bill for their internship semester.
