Getting a Summer Research,
Industrial or Non-profit
Internship
Dr. Sumana Datta
Assistant Dean of Undergraduate
Research
Texas A&M University
Why do an internship or research? - Practical Goals.
• Learn material in your major by hands-on work
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outside the classroom.
Develop a one-on-one mentoring relationship
with a professor.
Find out what you like and don’t like to do.
Improve your resume.
Get more informative letters of
recommendation for jobs, graduate or
professional school applications.
Find out more about what being a professional
in your area is like.
Research versus Internship
• Can be virtually interchangeable.
• Internship generally refers to experience
in corporate or non-profit setting.
• But you can do research at a company or
non-profit as well!
• Research=analysis=exploration=R&D
• Either way, you are looking for hands-on
experience in your field!
Why do research/internship? -Improve your skills.
• Learn how to work in teams to
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accomplish a goal.
Learn how to explain and defend your
results.
Learn advanced technical skills.
Learn better problem solving skills.
Learn better time-management skills.
Why do research/internship-General Benefits
• More likely to stay enrolled and to graduate.
• Better integrated socially and academically into
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academic life.
More likely to be able to continue education in
professional or graduate programs.
Greater satisfaction with undergraduate
experience.
More confidence in abilities.
Develop a deeper understanding of
field/major.
Why Summer
Research/Internship?
• Concentrate on your research full-time.
• Meet and work with researchers at other
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institutions.
Try something completely different that might
depend on geography/location.
Develop additional contacts for jobs,
professional or graduate school.
Live and explore somewhere else for a summer.
“Test” a place you might want to go after
graduation.
First questions to ask yourself:
What do you want to do?
Where do you want to go?
Is there something you would never want to do?
Is there someplace you would never want to go?
What types of programs are
available?
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Arts
Social Sciences
Humanities
Business
Publishing
Entertainment
Human Resources
Medical/Humanitarian
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Colleges
Universities
Government
Non-profits
Research Centers
Hospitals
Museums
Companies
National
International
Humanities and Social Science
SOME of the areas are:
• Political science
• Economics
• Psychology
• Sociology
• Law
• Cultural anthropology
• Criminal justice
• English
• History
• Art and art history
• Ethnomusicology
• Television production
Humanities and Social Science
Some of the places you can go are:
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University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.
Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey.
NYU, New York, New York.
UCLA, Los Angeles, California
Stanford University, Palo Alto, California
Columbia University, New York, New York.
Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.
Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut.
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York.
What do most (but not all) summer
research programs provide?
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Place to live
Food
Stipend, generally about $4000
Enrichment experiences-seminars,
workshops, tours, field trips.
Research internship of about 10 weeks.
Be sure to ask about:
• How they match you to a project or research
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advisor.
Health insurance/medical requirements.
Help with travel costs to and from the site.
Start and end dates.
Transportation and safety around the site late at
night or on weekends.
Availability of peer mentors.
Whether you will need to enroll for the summer.
Social or other extra-curricular activities offered.
Requirements for summer
programs
• Current undergraduate status.
• Most request sophomore or junior status.
• Coursework appropriate to your status and relevant to
the area of the summer internship.
Other requirements vary by program!
• Some require a minimum GPA.
• REU Programs-US citizens or permanent resident.
• Some target under-represented populations, women,
ethnic minorities or first generation/low income college
students.
Where and how do I find them?
• Google “Undergraduate Research Program” and the field
you are interested in (as globally or specifically as you
want).
• Go to http://ugr.tamu.edu/ then Opportunities ->
External Opportunities
• Ask your academic advisor—some departments have
faculty and staff whose job it is to help place you in an
internship!
• Is there a specific group you want to work with?
Familiarize yourself with them and then contact them
directly!
• Go to the Career Center! They have experts and
workshops on Internship opportunities. HireAggies.com.
Public Policy Internship
(www.tamu.edu/ppip)
Texas A&M has its own summer programs!
• Public Policy Internship Program in Washington,
D.C. (deadline Sept 20th at noon)
– Non-profits
– Government agencies
– Think tanks
• Public Policy Internship Program in Paris.
(deadline Sept 20th at noon)
– US Commercial Service
• Public Policy Internship Program in Austin
(deadline Oct 15th at noon)
Tinstman Fellowship/Internship
• For spring 2011 semester in Midland, TX
• $1500/semester stipend
• Work with non-profit United Way
• Any major acceptable
• Strong history of volunteer or non-profit
activity preferred.
• Deadline for application: Sept 30th
http://www.uwtexas.org/member-services/Tinstman_Fellowship
International Summer Internships
• You do not always have to speak the local language.
Many of the top research institutions in Europe (for
example) use English as the “professional” language.
• But speaking the local language might help you in daily
life there!
• Check out the search engines or listings at the UGR
website under either International Opportunities or
Summer Research Opportunities -> National Science
Foundation-> International.
Companies/Foundations
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Google http://www.google.com/support/jobs/bin/static.py?page=students.html&sid=intern
Microsoft
Doctors without Borders
American Society of Magazine Editors
National Endowment for the Arts
Sierra Club
ABC News
State Farm
Meredith Corp (media)
Wiley publishing
Disney
Environmental Protection Agency
American Cancer Society
Also check out for more options:
http://depts.washington.edu/eip/research.htm
http://www.urop.uci.edu/opportunities/frame_offcampus.html
What is the timeline?
• Application deadlines range from early February
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through March, but some are earlier.
Do NOT ask your professor to write you a letter
at the last minute—that almost guarantees that
the letter is not as good as you might wish.
• Many require a letter of recommendation and a
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short essay describing your interests or goals.
Some may require an official transcript.
How do I apply?
Application forms can generally be found
online at the program’s website.
Sometimes you may have to email or call the
contact person listed to receive an
application.
You may have to download, fill in and mail a
paper application—factor that into your
timeframe!
Continuing sources of information
• Undergraduate Research Listserv
http://ugr.tamu.edu/resources/undergraduateresearch-listserv.html
• Undergraduate Research webpage
http://ugr.tamu.edu/
• Office of Proposal Development
Funding Opportunities → Funding Opportunities by
Category → Undergraduate Research
Opportunities
Need to take summer classes?
Try looking for a part-time research position here
at Texas A&M!
• Research for credit hours.
• Research for pay (if your professor has the
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funds).
You may be able to do the research during the
summer and pay for the credit hours in the fall.
The Glasscock Center for the Humanities
How to find and approach a
professor
• Read their webpage first!
• Contact them early (at least before spring
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break).
Have a suggestion as to what part of their
research interests you the most.
Have a short resume with your contact
information, any previous experience, relevant
courses and references.
Try to meet them face-to-face rather than
emailing.
General Tips
• Start EARLY (end of fall semester or
beginning of spring semester!).
• Prioritize applications by deadline and
effort required.
• Ask for letters from your professors now
or soon. Don’t worry about asking for
multiple letters—it’s easy to edit once the
letter is written.
Questions?
Contact Info:
Office of Undergraduate Research
ugr@tamu.edu
458-0039