Fall 2019 Capital Semester on Leadership + the American Presidency
About this Job
When you picture your future, do you see yourself working to address issues that impact your community or the world? Do you have integrity and possess the qualities of a visionary leader? If so, this is the program for you.
Spend 15 weeks in the nation’s capital with students from around the country and the world who are passionate about making a difference through strong leadership. The intensive and immersive schedule is designed to maximize your time in Washington by combining learning in the classroom with practical internship experience and special events with prominent public leaders.
Capital Semester on Leadership and the American Presidency (LTAP) is a fall semester program offered by The Fund for American Studies (TFAS) in conjunction with the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute (RRPFI). It will help you define and strengthen your leadership skills and learn lessons from the American Presidency, all while giving you an insider’s view of Washington. By the end of the semester you may be ready to call DC home!
Employers are looking for recent graduates with experience, and the best way to stand out after graduation is to complete this unique program that focuses on developing practical, civic-minded leaders grounded in experiential education and an internship. In fact, employers give twice as much weight to graduates' work experience as to their academic credentials, according to a 2012 survey from the Chronicle of Higher Education as noted in a November 13, 2014 article in the Wall Street Journal.
RRPFI is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to the promotion of liberty, opportunity, democracy, and national pride. TFAS has sponsored academic internship programs in Washington, DC for nearly 50 years. Our objective is to provide a real-world professional and academic experience for college students to help prepare them for responsible leadership in the future.
Program Format
LTAP consists of the following major components:
- LIVE: Housing in historic furnished apartments in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, the oldest residential neighborhood in DC . Just blocks from the US Capitol, the Library of Congress, & the Supreme Court
- LEARN: Academic courses in international economics and government with credit through George Mason University. GMU was recently named one of the top 100 research universities in the U.S. by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.
- INTERN: Internships with government agencies, Congressional offices, policy groups, think tanks, media outlets and nonprofit organizations throughout the Washington area. Each site is accessible to public transportation, making it easy to get from home to work to class and back again.
- CONNECT: Site briefings at key Washington institutions, guest lectures and panel discussions featuring public policy, foreign affairs and economics experts, professional development seminars, networking events, and much more!
Your participation also includes these exclusive benefits designed to make your semester in DC an experience to remember:
- Roommate matching with other program students based upon compatibility criteria.
- Easy access to the safe and affordable Metro train and bus system.
- Full access to campus resources, including libraries, computer labs and more.
- Comprehensive orientation to the program, housing and the city upon your arrival.
- Dedicated program staff members who are available to communicate with you about your internship placement, financial aid and general questions in the months leading up to the program.
- Continued staff support while you are in Washington to ensure that you have an amazing experience.
- A mentor program where you will be matched with a DC professional in your field of interest.
- Planned social events where you can connect with the other student leaders participating in the program. These events may include: a trip to a Nationals baseball game, volunteer projects, a guided tour of the monuments, a trip to Mt.Vernon and much more.
- An active network of nearly 17,000 alumni worldwide to join upon the completion of the program.
Find Out More
Be sure to check out our website www.DCinternships.org to read more about all aspects of the program. We accept applications on a rolling basis, so start your application anytime by clicking on the “Apply Online” link on the left-hand menu. The final deadline is Monday, June 3. Our staff is here to answer any question you may have – please see “Contact Us” for details on how to reach us.
About DCinternships
Since 1967, The Fund for American Studies (TFAS) has been a leader in educating young people from around the world in the fundamental principles of American democracy and our free market system.
The DCinternships programs take place each summer and semester and are based in Washington, DC. Each program includes academic credit through George Mason University, an internship placement, furnished housing, guest lectures and site briefings as well as professional development and networking events.
Program Areas
- Public Policy + Economics
- International Affairs
- Journalism, Communication + PR
- Business + Government Relations
- Leadership + the American Presidency
Academic Courses
Students earn 3 to 9 credits in the summer and 12 in the semester. The program’s academic goal is to help students explore the principles and values upon which the United States was founded. Our unique curriculum is designed to complement the DC experience with upper level government and economic courses that fit a wide range of interest areas.
Internship Placements
We’ve been creating academic internship experiences for 50 years and work with over 300 top organizations in DC. Students are placed with:
- Federal agencies
- Congressional offices
- Policy groups and think tanks
- International affairs organizations
- Embassies
- Media outlets and public relations firms
- Government relations offices
- Community-based nonprofit organizations
Networking + Site Briefings
- A Mentor Program matches students with a DC professional. Mentors provide tips for living in Washington as well as career advice and networking contacts.
- Professional Development Seminars prepare students to stand out in today’s competitive job market. Topics include resume, cover letter and interviewing preparation, as well as skill building in public speaking, networking, and graduate school admissions.
- Roundtable Discussions + Networking Receptions with program alumni and policy experts will help students learn how to leverage their DC experience into a future internship or full-time job after graduation.
- Site Briefings give students behind the scenes exposure to some of the city’s most influential institutions and organizations.