I was recently accepted into AMP Global Scholar for their summer program, has anyone ever been? Is it good?
I was also accepted this summer, so pls lmk if it’s good/ what it’s like. Thanks!
Hi! I went two summers ago and it was one of the best experiences I’ve EVER had. There are a couple of things I loved about the program:
- It was affordable! Not only are scholarships provided, but also I didn't have to spend money on anything the entire 2 weeks. All transportation (and we used A LOT of public transportation to get through DC) and food was provided for. I found this much better than a lot of other global scholar programs which are insanely expensive and even then you have to spend a lot of money once you get there.
- Internships! After the program is over, there are quite a few internship opportunities with AMP available. It's incredible educational and I think looks really good on college apps. When I interned, I was focusing on global citizenship and created websites/resources to explore the concept. Because of the AMP internship, I had stuff to talk about while I was applying for another summer program for which the US State Department sponsors you to study abroad (which I got! Thanks to the internship tbh)
- Visits during Global Scholar. We went to SO MANY INCREDIBLE PLACES. We visited NGOs, the State Department, the World Bank, embassies, etc. and actually met really cool and powerful people and learned about their lives, what work they do right now, and how to get to where they are. For example, we talked to this one lady who travels the world and goes to conferences to discuss terrorism and national security stuff and she gave us life advice on how to do amazing things. We even visited the Myanmar and respectfully grilled them on their human rights abuses (lol). We had intense debates about Islam/terrorism and what to do about it. I kind of regret not being more proactive with them and asking for internships and stuff, but it was still really cool to meet them and have a better understand for what I want to do in my future. It was very hectic, but I don't think I would want it any other way because it proves that the create the curriculum in such a way to ensure that we're always busy and doing something.
- Friends! The cohort is always very tight knit and amazing! We would all leave our dorm room doors open and just walk in to each other's room and talk or work/study together. People came from all over the world (my year we had a girl from Lebanon and a guy from Italy!). Even more, the people go on to do INCREDIBLE THINGS. People from my cohort went on to University of Chicago, University of Maryland, Boston University, etc. I'm so glad I got to meet such motivated and ambitious students and that I can stay in touch with them!
- Faculty. The faculty was incredibly supportive and fun. The interns were super nice and were often college students so they would talk to us and help us with what our career goals are but also just gossip and have fun with us. Karen is also AWESOME and she really does care and support the students long after we leave the program.
- Excursions. We got to visit Georgetown cupcakes, museums, all the major monuments, etc. There's definitely time to have fun in between all of our insanely hectic visits.
- Research project. We had to create a research project that we would implement in our community once we got back. These ranged from projects about human trafficking to bullying, depended on where the people were from and what kind of issues affected their community.
Ultimately, I think going to this program is a GREAT investment. You learn A LOT, you meet INCREDIBLE people, and you will fall in love with DC. Let me know if you have more questions!
Thank you! You got me so excited for this summer!