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Getting an Internship
What is an internship?
An internship is a temporary period of employment with some organization or enterprise (a government office, private corporation, political party, election campaign, non profit, etc) that pays nothing (or perhaps a minimal stipend), but which gives students work experience. In exchange for providing those experiences, the organization or enterprise gets the benefit of interns’ work at very low (or no) cost. Internships may take place during the summer, when many students don’t take classes, or during the regular semester schedule on a part-time basis.
What are some likely places where a political science student might look for internships?
- the offices of state and local governments
- an agency or department of the federal government
- the legislative or field office of an elected official
- a political candidate’s election campaign
- a non profit, interest group, or advocacy organization that seeks to influence the political process
- an international organization or NGO
- a 'think tank' that engages in policy research and analysis
- a law firm
Why do an internship?
Students should consider an internship sometime during their undergraduate careers for a number of reasons:
- They provide students with hands-on learning about what an organization or enterprise does.
- They give students the opportunity to experience work environments where they might want to pursue a career after graduation.
- They represent work experience that can be a legitimate addition to a student’s resume.
- They provide students with valuable networking opportunities, and perhaps even eventual employment at the organization where they interned.
- Internships allow prospective employers to check students out as future hires.
- Students may gain academic credit for internship work.
What are the disadvantages of an internship?
Students should be aware of the costs of an internship. An internship is a time commitment. Students typically are not paid for internships, and that represents income lost. An internship may be expensive in its own right, if it involves travel and living expenses in another locale. Not all internships are fruitful or rewarding experiences, especially if the organization doesn’t know how to effectively manage interns, exploits them, or dumps menial or meaningless work on them.
How do I look for an internship?
Students should be guided first and foremost by their particular interests in political science or policy, or by their career aspirations. There are many existing internship programs, both national and international, that students should explore. While the UCO political science department assists students in finding internships, students are expected to take the initiative to arrangement them, especially in they wish to claim academic credit for them.
In the past, UCO political science students have interned with organizations such as:
National and State legislators
Oklahoma Municipal League
County Government
City of Edmond
Edmond Parks and Recreation
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
For further information about internships and how to get them, contact Dr. Brett Sharp or Dr. Kenneth Kickham, UCO political science department's internship coordinators.
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