In my first year of grad school, I eagerly looked forward to the summer break; 3 beautiful months with great weather (I hate cold! Haha). In my world of fantasies, I just wanted to travel around the world and be a real ‘baby girl’ for the summer. However, in reality, I was stuck with four options – take a summer class, do a Study abroad course, work with a professor on a research project or do an internship. Again, I ask you “Have you made plans for next summer yet?”

Let’s go through these options

1. Summer Class: At GW, many departments offer classes in the summer which usually run for about 8 to 10 weeks. This is a good option if you want to finish your program faster.
2. Study Abroad – GW has over 300 approved study-abroad program options for different semesters which take place in over 60 countries. There are a variety of course options, experiential activities such as internships and service-learning. Although most of these programs are designed for undergraduates, graduate students are welcomed to take advantage of the opportunities to study a course in another country. For more information, please visit https://studyabroad.gwu.edu/
3. Work with a professor on a research project – Some departments e.g Applied Economics offer graduate students the opportunity to work as research assistants for professors at the department over the summer. This is to a large extent a remote position that can be combined with any of the other three options. It is not too early to check in with your program director for available research assistant positions!
4. Do an internship: This was my favorite option! I wanted to gain some professional experience and at the same time make some cool cash! If you have not already started looking for summer internships, you should get to it. Most companies give summer internship offers in the year before. Here are some good ways to find the right internship

• • Wayup – https://www.wayup.com/
  • LinkedIn – In the settings, turn on “open to job opportunities”. Under the jobs tab, create a search filter for ‘summer internship’ with your preferred location and turn on daily notifications
  • Handshake – https://gwu.joinhandshake.com/
  • Cold emailing – Make a list of the companies you are interested in, check their websites for available internships. If nothing is available, look for a contact address and send a cold email attaching your resume and cover letter. Some companies have specific times when internship applications open, so be sure to monitor their websites

By now you can guess how I spent my summer! Sadly, my internship was unpaid so no cool cash. But wait a minute! If you get an unpaid internship offer, do not lose hope. GW Career services has a Knowledge in Action Career Internship Fund (KACIF) available to encourage GW students to pursue unpaid internships that are beneficial to their careers and academics. This fund ranges from $750 to $3000.

Feel free to tell me about your summer plans in the comment section!