<p>For a LAC with heavy emphasis on research and internship opportunities, Claremont McKenna College is a good bet–they have 10 research institutes whose focuses range from state/local government to political economy to international & strategic studies; I personally know several freshmen who got paid research assistant jobs both fall and spring semester this year.</p>
<p>The school also funds internships over the summer, as most internships in IR or government tend to be unpaid. For example, the Kravis Leadership Institute funds 70 people for $3500 over the summer to intern at anywhere from UNESCO in Geneva to think tanks in DC. Similarly, the Center for the Study of Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights offers 5 $3500 fellowships for research or internships in human rights/public service. They also sponsored a Human Rights in China symposium this year that featured famous activists who participated in the Tiananmen Square Demonstrations.</p>
<p>And if you want to intern during the school year, the Washington Semester Program, which allows you to spend a semester in DC, provides an excellent opportunity. Your tuition, room and board costs don’t change, and you get to intern in DC during the Fall/Spring semesters, which gives you a much better chance of landing internships in places like the State Department, as you’ll be able to avoid the flood of students who apply during the summer.</p>