Internship Opportunities for UMASS Lowell Students
Lisa DuPont

UMASS Lowell and The Washington Center (TWC) have joined together once again to offer students a chance to be an intern in Washington, D.C.

For the past 8 years, UMASS Lowell has been taking part in this program, and on Wednesday, September 22nd, Angela Carlson, a representative from TWC came back to Lowell with hopes of getting more interested, motivated students to become interns. Here, students were able to gain an understanding of TWC and what it offers. Students also listened to a few past alumni of the program who were there to share the wonderful experiences that they took part in at TWC.

Alice Walters, a History professor here at Lowell as well as the Faculty Liaison for TWC, stated exuberantly that the program is "a tremendously wonderful opportunity." Prof. Walters, who took over as Faculty Liaison when Dean Bergeron retired, wishes that more students would try to get in the program. "Since we've started the program, we've had about 30-35 students take part in internships, but we want to see more!" Walters stated. "Everyone who meets the criteria is accepted."

UMASS Lowell student Jim McIsaac, a Finance Major, attended the seminar last Wednesday with hopes of gaining an internship with TWC in the near future. ?It?s an excellent opportunity.? McIsaac stated. ?I?m the first management student from this school trying to get into the program.? McIsaac hopes to get an internship in the Federal Reserve, which is one of the possible internship locations available.

Since 1975, The Washington Center has worked with over 1000 colleges and universities to provide students the opportunity to be an intern in Washington, D.C. The internship program is open to students of all majors and they will earn 15 credits, as well as give them a "backstage pass" to the area of business they were interested in. The internship consists of 4-4/12 days a week of professional work experience that is customized to your interests. All students will be required to enroll in academic courses. They will select these courses from among the twenty to thirty that are offered each term by the highly qualified faculty. Students will also take part in activities that have been planned by their program supervisor. These activities will take place once a week, and last either a half day or full day, and will give interns special programming within their areas of interest.

The number of possible internships is in the thousands. For example, students majoring in Arts and Humanities could be placed in the Kennedy Center for the Performing arts. Business and Economics majors could potentially have an internship in the U.S. Department of Treasury or the Federal Reserve. TWC takes the information you give them regarding your aspirations and goals and places you in the most suitable internship. They have been placing students with internships for so long that they know where the most appropriate and worthwhile internships are.

Another benefit of this program is the cost. TWC tries to keep the program as affordable as possible so that it is within reach to a wide range of students. Housing fees for students are $9005.00. However, students could potentially receive up to $4000.00 with Massachusetts financial aid assistance. In the past, over 80% have received some sort of financial aid. If you currently have a GPA of 3.0 or more, you will automatically receive $4000.00 in financial aid. Also, any aid that you are getting here at UMASS Lowell is applied to the program as well. Therefore, $5005.00 is the most you pay.

The living arrangements are not dorms. Instead, you will room with up to four people in a spacious, fully furnished apartment. The housing is some of the best available to interns in the area. Most of the housing is located in Northern Virginia, just across the Potomac River from Washington.

To be considered for an internship with TWC, students (both undergraduate and graduate) must

• Be enrolled in an accredited college or university as a second semester sophomore or above during the term of their internship
• Maintain a GPA of 2.75
• Remain enrolled in and receive credit from their university for their participation in the program.
• Receive endorsement of your campus liaison or faculty sponsor.

If you are interested in applying for this program, or simply want more information, you can contact The Washington Center at info@twc.edu or apply online at http://www.twc.edu. You may also contact the UML/TWC Faculty Liaison, Alice Walters, at Alice_Walters@uml.edu, Dept. of History, Coburn 107, or go online at http://www.uml.edu/dcinternships/.