Internships

Internships are extremely popular - 9 of 10 college students complete at least one in their careers, it is sometimes difficult to understand for the first-time applicant.

Internships are basically an opportunity to go somewhere and work, generally without compensation (although you can receive sponsorship from the OCC and CES). However, there are many benefits, principally the professional connections you build and the opportunity to try out a career for a limited amount of time without any commitment.

Most internships take place over the summer and, as such, can be longer than a semester of classes (14 weeks vs. 12 weeks).

Advice

Apply early, apply often - all you need is one place to say 'yes' and you're good. There are tons of opportunities to apply to, but sometimes the best internships are the ones you make for yourself. Don't be afraid to ask - everyone loves unpaid help (as long as you don't abuse the privilege.

International Relations

=== Center for Strategic and International Studies One of the big, powerhouse think tanks for foreign policy. Covers every corner of the globe.

Washington Office on Latin America

A medium-sized think tank that deals with Latin American relations through specific issues such as human rights and trade.

Council on Hemispheric Affairs

A tiny think tank in Washington run that does Latin American policy (see the main page for a good sampling). A great opportunity to jump in and get involved with the day-to-day world of policy analysis.

• Pros: The entire staff is exactly one person, so the interns run the place, writing all the articles, attending all of the conferences, editing and publishing a magazine. It's pretty easy to get an internship - [Alan Cordova] got one having only taken Intro to IR.
• Cons: That one person is quite a personality, and if you don't like his politics (somewhere in between Chavez and Castro), it is sometimes difficult to get things distributed (he approves all articles). Also, COHA is not exactly the go-to place for Washington power brokers, though if you were at those places, you would probably be doing much less interesting things.
• Williams cohistas: [Alan Cordova]

Scams

Yes, quite a few people are looking to make money off hapless college students. Investigate before committing to anything. Here is one to look out for:

University of Dreams

Nice title, flashy web site, good marketing pitch, sounds like a winner, right? Wrong. For $6000 (yes, six thousand dollars you get a "guaranteed internship." in NYC, Chicago or LA. You know a program is bad when they don't list the cost anywhere on their web site.