Over 25,000 people from across the nation come to the District each summer to intern, according to the Heather Ball, an internship adviser in the Career Center. The large number of hopefuls increases competition for the same internship positions with some of the nation's top companies and agencies.
The competition over internships is only partly due to the large number of students coming to the District each summer, said Francine Blume, the director of experiential education at the Career Center.
"By far, most of our students here in Washington are interested in public service, nonprofit, government, international affairs, community service and media," Blume said. "There's actually very little that you couldn't find in Washington."
Despite the wide selection of internships to choose from, students may find it harder to get one because some companies or agencies offer few or no summer internships. For example, there are fewer intern positions offered on Capitol Hill because most of the politicians go home for summer vacation, Blume said.
Summertime work also may not be as substantive.
Jenn Greene, a senior in the School of Public Affairs, interned over the summer with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. She said internships with U.S. courts are very popular. However, during the summer, there is not as much activity.
"Summer is the hot time to be there, but it's also the slow time to be there," Greene said. "Usually, there are more interns, so there's not a lot of work to go around, and [other court employees] are taking vacations."
The lack of work and absence of regular employees does not necessarily take away from how competitive D.C. internships are.
"Internships in the State Department generally are highly competitive, and I noticed that while I was working there," Imani Kane, a junior in SPA, said.
Kane interned with the State Department's Bureau of Department Security from August 2005 to July 2006. She said she worked in an office that performed background checks and reviewed internship applications.
During her internship, Kane said she noticed how competitive State Department internships were by seeing the number of applications the department received.
"For general internships, people would send their applications in months in advance just to get an edge on the competition," she said.
Kane said the applicant pool also included people in their 30s and 40s.
The number of applicants only somewhat affects a student's ability to earn an internship, according to Blume. A student's main concern should be preparation and standing out.
"Employers are looking for people who can work as a team and people who can work independently," Blume said. "A lot of it comes down to good writing. If you have a good resume and a good cover letter, that gets you in. So to be competitive, you have to be prepared."
Blume advises students to use the resources at the Career Center. She said internship and career advisers can help students write cover letters, build strong resumes and perfect their interview skills. Writing a thank-you note to your future employer can "make or break it," she said.
"It's okay to send the note by e-mail, but get something out to them," Blume said. "Believe it or not, that will make you a lot more competitive than other people [who have] the same GPA or higher"
