Academy of Sciences
8 week summer program. High school sophomores or juniors in the NYC area. No
stipend or credit, but receive letter of completion. Students are matched with
a mentor and given a project, either their own or shadowing a researcher. Once
a week to the academy for enrichment: lectures, writing programs, etc. “It’s
a crash course in becoming a scientist.” Contact (212) 838-0230.
Democratic Socialists of America
8 week summer internship starting in June, dates are flexible. High school or
college students. $100 per week stipend, possible academic credit. Three interns,
one in communications and publications, one helping to organize conferences,
and one for campus organization. Interest in politics and strong writing skills
recommended. Deadline for application is mid-March. Contact Kevin Pramis at
(212) 727-8610 x23.
Manhattan DA office
7 week summer internship. 14-17 year olds, 18 if still in high school, only
Manhattan residents. $75 a week. Geared towards those interested in law. Interns
are assigned attorneys as mentors and attend weekly seminars to hear from defense
attorneys, judges and police officers. They get exposed to the whole justice
system—the legal aspects as well as the day-to-day activities. Contact Juan
Ramirez at (212) 335-9082.
Metropolitan Museum of Art
9 week summer internship, 35 hours a week. College, Graduate and Volunteer internship.
$2,500 for college students and recent graduates, $2,750 for graduate students.
Curatorial, education, conservation, administration or library positions are
available. Geared towards those with strong preparation in the history of art.
Instructional programs as well as work. Deadline for application is January.
Contact (212) 535-7710 for more information.
Museum of Television and the Moving Image
Full/Part time summer/winter/fall. College Undergraduates. Unpaid. Interns work
in various departments. Have one dedicated project which could include video
research for programming, tours in the education dept. etc. Students get work
experience in a museum setting. “It will demystify and de-romanticize what a
museum is all about.” Contact Tom Thacker at (718) 784-0077.
NASA Space Science Student Involvement Program
Nine different internships to the winners of eight separate contests. Located
in the Goddard Space Center, Maryland or the Kenedy Space Center, Florida. Each
student is required to submit a proposal to complete some aspect of research
at a NASA site, also a 20-minute telephone interview. An example of a winning
proposal was Mary Flannery’s from The Webb School in Claremont, California:
a comparison of Hubble’s optical images of quasars-extremely distant, extremely
old quasi-stellar masses existing typically near the edge of a black hole- to
images of the same quasars formed by ground-based radio interferometers. A comparison
of the two different images might reveal new information about the density and
structure of these still scarcely understood objects.
The New York Times
Several 10-week internships. College juniors, seniors and recent graduates.
Some with salaries, some with fellowships. Programs in reporting, graphics,
design and photography, and editing. For more information, call (212) 556-1234.
Intern Experiences: Road Runners Club
Anila Kalbi was a graduate student in advertising at the New York Institute
of Technology but was advised that public relations might suit her better. Her
professor at the NYIT was in charge of PR for the New York Road Runners Club
and secured her an internship in the PR department there. Kalbi’s internship
was only supposed to last three months, but she ended up working full time from
January to June. The PR coordinator resigned in the beginning of July, and the
NYRRC asked her to take the position. Her duties as an intern included being
in charge of the press and media clippings, keeping contact lists with the press
up to date and eventually, she started working on the actual press releases.
Working at the NYRRC was a unique experience because it is a small organization
and she felt like an employee, though she received no pay as an intern. “I think
everyone should do an internship. Its different learning form a textbook rather
than hands on,” she said. “I had no idea what PR was. I got the feel for the
office environment through my internship.” Although Kalbi’s experience turned
out well and she learned a lot, other times a negative experience can be just
as valuable.
Intern Experiences: Book Builders, Inc.
Meredith Jones, a junior at Columbia University, started a summer internship
at a publishing company. “I wanted experience working at a publishing company
because all through high school, that’s what I wanted to do,” she said. She
took the job because it seemed to meet her criteria: a small company where she
could learn about all parts of the publishing industry. “It sounded like it
would really be a team environment and that I would get to see all parts of
the trade because it is such a small company.” Unfortunately, Jones’ experience
was not up to her expectations, and she found herself working in a very unhappy
office environment. She was not given any responsibilities, and the owner was
not friendly or appreciative of her work. “I just did clerical work all the
time. I spent hours and hours standing at a photocopier.” The company clearly
had no internship programs, partly because it was a small office, partly because
there was little social interaction to start with which, Jones said, seems to
be a part of a lot of internship programs as a way to meet other people in the
field. “It made me think that I never want to work in publishing. But at the
same time, I probably got a really skewed view of the industry.” Despite this,
she still wants to go into publishing. “But I shouldn’t let that one experience
form a global view for me.” Although Jones ended up quitting the internship,
she felt it still taught her a lot. “It taught me that I need to be more selective
about internships.” Her advice: “You can’t just take any job; remember that
you are shopping around too.”