<p>I love UVA, and am leaning heavily towards it, but I'm a little concerned as to how attainable internship opportunities are during the year. Of course during the summer cities like NYC are available, but what about besides the summer? I love C-ville, but is it the place to be for internships? Also, how attainable would such opportunities be at DC?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>I think it depends on what you’re looking for. You can find something if you look enough, but will it necessarily have the prestige that a NY or DC firm could offer?..Not so sure.</p>
<p>Also, getting to/from DC during the semester for any number of days is going to be rough on you. Driving will take at least 2 hrs each way, and Amtrak, while available, isn’t exactly a cheap solution. You’ll be able to work to/from DC, but you might not always be able to work your class schedule where you can get the necessary time off through the week to do that much traveling.</p>
<p>I did a lot of work at Darden as an undergrad. There’s tons of stuff around UVa, but its difficult to commute to DC or NYC during the school year with classes. You can still do plenty of things long-distance though. I also worked remotely for a start-up PE fund for several months (my boss worked in NYC). Last week, I began work on a new project for someone else in NYC.</p>
<p>The opportunities are what you make of them. If you are interested and capable, you should be able to find what you want.</p>
<p>Just because American University and the University of District of Columbia are in D.C. does not mean that firms and employers are filling up their internships with those students either during the year or during the summer. During the year, you could intern with the Legal Aid Justice Center, the UVA Hospital, some of the professional schools, you could do research for a professor, etc. There are so many things that I honestly don’t why you’re worried. UVA is a research university, there’s bound to be research opportunities everywhere you look–since I assume you want an substantial internship, not a mindless administrative one.</p>
<p>Some people want to get out of Cville during the summer because of the humidity.</p>
<p>If you have an interest in a DC internship, you might take a look at short-term programs at the “Washington Center” or American University’s “Washington Semester”. These programs may allow you to earn a semester of credit while spending the semester in DC, similar to a semester abroad. They link you up with internship and coursework with people involved in the Federal government or other DC institutions. They also provide housing. They also offer shorter programs, such as one month during the summer. </p>
<p>There are at least some UVa programs that cooperate with the Washington Center. I don’t know about the Washington Semester.</p>
<p>Are any of these paid internships? Thanks.</p>
<p>I would venture to say that most internships (and certainly internships for college credit) are unpaid.</p>
<p>In research-type positions, you may earn a small hourly wage/stipend for working on the project, but that will vary based on the PI and how much (if any) grant funding they have.</p>
<p>Network Network Network</p>
<p>None of my internships/jobs were unpaid. Wages I received (in chronological order) were $8.15, 10, 15, 10, and 20 per hour.</p>
<p>These jobs were not for credit, but most were connected to UVa in one way or another.</p>
<p>For University-coordinated internships around Charlottesville see, [University</a> Internship Programs | Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service](<a href=“http://www.coopercenter.org/uip]University”>http://www.coopercenter.org/uip). The school-year programs are limited to 4th year. Summer programs are available to rising 3rd and 4th year students.</p>
<p>^ Good link. </p>
<p>Most UIP internships are a great opportunity. Just be sure to judge a potential job before you take it. I’ve heard from a former boss at UVa that several of the UIP internships provide little meaningful experience.</p>
<p>The applications are waitlisted already for the 2011-2012 year.</p>
<p>That’s because the application deadline for this summer and for next year was in late February.</p>
<p>thank you everyone for the great suggestions and responses! will definitely look into everything</p>