<p>Hello!</p>
<p>I'm a junior and I'm looking for something to do with my summer to help me with college admissions to top schools. But the summer program I wanted to go to fell through a few days ago, so I need to be creative. </p>
<p>For someone looking to get into polisci/econ, how does this program look to an admissions officer? </p>
<p>It looks like a great program, but check on the age requirements.</p>
<p>No minimum age, I checked 
Another high schooler has done it too. I’m just wondering if it’s worth it…</p>
<p>Just to make sure you understand what you are getting into, you realize this is essentially just working on Obama’s re-election campaign, correct?</p>
<p>Yes, I understand that. My main curiosity is how an admission officer would see something like that. :/</p>
<p>That’s a plain campaign volunteer position with a fancy name. It is in the campaign website, not the WH. Why do I get the feeling the acceptance rate will be close to 100%? Just go to the local office of your favorite political candidate and apply to be a volunteer. If you apply for a senator’s race or congressperson, you will get a volunteer position with more responsibilities and gain more experience than being a generic campaign lackey. While you may think that the federal position sought gives more prestige, what is more important is the tasks performed and responsibilities had in the position.</p>
<p>The campaign of Obama is just looking for galible young people so they won’t have to pay for these positions.</p>
<p>The acceptance rate for the Obama fellowship changes from state to state, but in New York it’s actually only a bit more than 10%. </p>
<p>A fellowship is a leadership position where you’ll typically have a group of volunteers below you to organize, a senior fellow who trains you, and only interns with qualifications and paid staff members above you. You work closely with the field director for your state, organize canvassing and events (although, often they use fellows wherever that particular camp needs you, so your expectations may change), and there’s a long training and weeding out process before you officially become a fellow. </p>
<p>However, OP, as you can see from the above posters assumptions, volunteer work on a political campaign is very ubiquitous and rarely prestigious. If an admissions officer isn’t familiar with exactly what an Obama Fellowship is (and most obviously won’t be) they’ll likely assume exactly what the above poster assumed–that it’s simple grunt work where they park you at a desk and give you a phone and script. They won’t see it as the leadership position it is, so unless you’re very committed to learning campaign mechanics, you’re probably better off with a different EC for aps.</p>
<p>By the way, I didn’t mean to dissuade you from volunteering. If you want to volunteer you should, just a fellowship might not be for you if you’re looking for a resume booster. </p>
<p>If you want to volunteer with the Obama campaign, go to the website and join an event in your zip code run by your neighborhood team. If you gell well with your team then talk to the leader (likely a fellow or senior fellow) and ask to join on. They’ll likely give you some low-intensity job with a title like “data cooridinator”, that clearly states you had responsibilities but also has a low time commitment. Which gives you likely the same resume boost, but frees you up for another internship or EC. </p>
<p>Alternatively, if your absolutely looking for leadership, you can also host your own event I think, but that’s difficult to almost impossible without training in the campaign systems and contact with the field office etc.</p>
<p>Working the phones, canvassing and holding community events are challenges for the average high school age kid. My own take is that doing this and sticking with it- most of the summer and some work in early fall- is admirable. It’s a lot tougher than working the copier, answering the phone or running rrands, as an ad hoc volunteer. It’s an organized program and the last kid I knew who did this ended up with plenty of responsibilities and leadership in the peer group. And, it is relevant for a poli sci/econ kid. </p>
<p>My D1 did some phone bank and canvassing work for a local candidate in the last election- and, surprisingly, loved it. She felt confident in her understanding of the candidate’s position and enjoyed knocking on doors and having real conversations about issues. She was devastated when her candidate lost, but is thinking of volunteering off-campus in the fall. And, she’s not a poli-sci kid.</p>
<p>Adcoms will know what it is; they’re pretty smart. Plus, you’ll describe it in a few words on your app.</p>
<p>Sonybd, do you honestly believe that they are going to assign these responsibilities to organize and supervise to a high schooler over a junior or senior in college? I never imagined that it is a desk job. To the contrary, I always thought they wanted, I repeat galible young people, to send canvasing so they wont have to hire professionals to do that. They have already been coming from Obama’s campaign, this week three times to my house, to the point it became annoying, and they definitely were not highs school kids. Whereas if one goes to a local operation like looking forward’s D1, the student will have more opportunities to be assigned more responsibilities and tasks. There have been many high school students who did exactly that and even had the candidate, frequently their local US Rep, especially if elected, write the recommendation for them.</p>
<p>They have been trying to get people for this fellowship since December, and they are still on a rolling application basis. BTW, according to the FAQ, "If I am in high school, can I apply to be an organizing fellow? <a href=“https://my.barackobama.com/page/content/fellowsfaq/[/url]”>https://my.barackobama.com/page/content/fellowsfaq/</a></p>
<p>The organizing fellows program is for college students and graduates who can commit to work for the summer. If you are a high school graduate not currently in school, you are welcome to apply."</p>
<p>^ My D did not have “more opportunities to be assigned more responsibilities and tasks” becase she workd on a local candidate’s campaign. There’s no way to predict a local candidate’s office can offer that. Working for a national campaign is a whole 'nother matter and set of experiences. My point was that she loved the work. And is thinkng of doing it this fall, for Obama.</p>
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<p>No, I completely disagree, Ana1. In the first place, they don’t hire “professionals” to do door-to-door canvassing. That’s always a volunteer job. And most HS students wouldn’t be assigned to it, because most of them wouldn’t be very credible or effective on the doors; they’re not nearly as naive as you seem to think they are as to sent out squads of “gullible young people” to do door-to-door canvassing. Most HS kids who volunteer on a political campaign at any level will be assigned to office work.</p>
<p>For that reason, it’s also a longshot that a HS student would be selected for one of the fellowship positions, because they’re not looking for completely green, inexperienced people for those positions; they’re looking for people capable of assuming real leadership roles. On the other hand, a HS student who shows exceptional drive and talent can actually go a long way in a political campaign, precisely because a well organized campaign in a competitive race is always trying to do as much as it possibly can on resources that are always inadequate to the task. And that could be a presidential campaign, or a state or local campaign; the level really doesn’t matter. It can be an extraordinary opportunity to develop and exercise some meaningful leadership and organizational skills–and I mean real, meaningful leadership and organizational skills, well beyond the usual “leadership” of being a paint-by-numbers officer in some HS club.</p>
<p>What it takes, though, is a competitive race and and effective campaign organization, coupled with genuine drive, determination, and talent on the part of the volunteer. You won’t find that in 90+% of state and local races, because 90+% of electoral offices are won by incumbents in uncompetitive districts where the incumbent wins in a cakewalk. And even in the <10% of races that are truly competitive, the level of talent and competence that goes into the campaign is in most cases pretty minimal. It’s in the high-stakes competitive race—the presidential race in swing states on either side of the political divide, or gubernatorial or Senate races in swing states, or competitive U.S. House races or a handful of truly competitive and well-organized state legislative races in competitive districts in states where control of the state legislature is at stake, that a person with the right motivation, talent, and ambition would have an opportunity to really cut their political teeth. But for many people, the best bet would be the presidential race, because that’s where the best political talent will be concentrated.</p>
<p>Will that matter to college adcoms? Who knows. Most of them probably don’t know much about campaigns and elections. Some will, and those who do will be impressed by real experience, real skills, and real leadership. They won’t be taken in by the title, but that’s true whether it’s a presidential campaign or a state or local campaign. They’ll want to see evidence of what you really did. But if you make an impact and show real leadership and develop real skills, and if you know how to talk about those things in a way that makes it clear you were not just volunteer #137,346, then yes, I think it absolutely be meaningful to some of them. But if that’s your only motivation for doing it, I don’t think you’ll advance to that kind of leadership position, and there’s little point in doing it, whether the campaign is for president, or for for state or local office.</p>
<p>Ana1, I don’t know. Each state branch is very different in their needs and wants, and each changes often. However, I do know that a HS junior got through the first round of interviews in my fellowship training group, so it’s probably not an automatic disqualifier. I think he ended up not being selected after a first week of weeding out though. With only a 10% acceptance rate who really knows. </p>
<p>But I will say again, I really don’t think it will be a good app booster. Im sure a few admissions officers might have an idea of what the fellowship entails, but I’m telling you most won’t see political work from a HS student as having any leadership potential. Most will assume exactly what Ana1 did.</p>
<p>Huh - my politically-minded son did do work on the Obama campaign, but also held a position in our local Republican organization (don’t ask) and I tend to think both of them helped, insofar as it helped paint a picture of him as someone who listens to both sides of an argument and pulls out the best instead of being bound by an ideology (which was sort of a “positioning” he took in his essays, etc.).</p>
<p>Ana1, your political bias is clearly showing - both sides use volunteers to canvass; it’s almost never a professional paid job.</p>
<p>OP is thinking of a poli-sci or econ major. He/she asked about a program. </p>
<p>Don’t mix the CC notion of “leadership,” with the enterprise, energy and commitment that adcoms value. They will know what this work should entail; they are savvy. They will know OP’s not a WH Fellow. And, the kid can briefly describe. If he/she gets weeded, sticking around to put in the 10-20+ or so weekly hours is still good. Relevant to poli-sci or econ. Even a hs kid can help plan and manage events, field phone calls, experience meetings, read position papers, etc. The very fact that most kids are not at that level is why an interested kid should go forward.</p>
<p>I am applying for this as well and I was wondering the same thing. Glad it was answered, although there does not seem to be a consensus.</p>
<p>pizzagirl, what political bias? I would have said the exact same thing if it was the Romney Fellowship. My point is that a high school kid will learn more from a small local campaign whether it is a state or US representative/senator race because the smaller size of campaign staff means the students will do more tasks, participate in a greater variety of activities within the campaign than if they were in a large pool where many college and graduate students also participated. Do not you think in a state/federal (but not presidential) campaign the student will have a good probability to interact directly with the candidate and have a good chance that the candidate or the campaign manager would write a recommendation?</p>
<p>@bclintonk “No, I completely disagree, Ana1. In the first place, they don’t hire “professionals” to do door-to-door canvassing. That’s always a volunteer job.”
May be in your area it is all volunteer. Check any job board and you will find many canvassing paid jobs, rate is usually $10 per hour. For example, the Georgia Democrats have paid positions open right now:
"Paid Field Canvassing Positions:</p>
<p>Grassroots Georgia is a field initiative of the Democratic Party of Georgia dedicated to energizing, growing and mobilizing the base of the party. Paid field canvassing positions are an essential part of this initiative. These positions entail canvassing neighborhoods throughout the state – with an emphasis on specific targeted legislative districts and the metro Atlanta area. Compensation:</p>
<p>Field canvassers are paid positions with the Democratic Party of Georgia. Pay is divided into two components: base pay and bonus pay. Typically, for a full month, the two combined will equal between $1200 and $2400."</p>
<p>I will advice the high school student to call the office of their local either federal or state rep/senator either the office or the campaign office if there is an election and ask for an unpaid internship. also, the US senators have more than one state office in larger states so you may be able to get an internship there easier.</p>
<p>Ana1, in my opinion that’s bad advice. It’s debatable whether the Obama fellowship would give the resume boost it should, but there’s no advantage to working on a local campaign. It’s my impression the OP would likely have less responsibilities, no title, and, considering the lack of resources in a local campaign, less diversity in experience. </p>
<p>As we all know, the President was a community organizer, and in 2008 he developed a mildly unique model of grassroots organization (which, if anyone remembers, was really the driving factor in Hilary’s defeat). So, considering most local campaigns (though it is hard to generalize without knowing even where the OP is from) have just your typical intern-volunteer model, the Obama campaign’s fellowship model would help the OP easily achieve a large amount of responsibilities, as I doubt most, local campaign or not, would choose a HS student as an intern…</p>
<p>And lastly, I think it’s fair to note how exciting and inspiring it is for a Democrat to be able to say they worked on Barack Obama’s (final) campaign. This is something many volunteers who grew up listening to stories of parents and grandparents working on JFK’s campaign anticipate telling their children and grandchildren about–an experience far more powerful than schlepping for a candidate for state legislature…</p>
<p>Pizzagirl:
</p>
<p>He will be a great hedge fund manager some day LOL!</p>
<p>Sonybd, The OP is a high school student trying to get good ECs before applying to college. Exactly because the resources are smaller in a local campaign, the student has more opportunities to join in activities and events that would otherwise be done by college grads/professional staffers. This is not about the excitement working on a specific person’s campaign but the tangible value one can get in order to use it in the college application. Actually, local campaigns are more receptive and work with high school kids. I think you look at it too much of the ideal of how you see the campaign, like when you mentioned that the canvassers are all volunteers, which is not the case. Local politicians for example Senator Feinstein also organizes brown bag lunches for her interns and discusses with them different aspects of working as a politician. Senator Gilibrand has 9 offices in NY state, beyond the DC office, and the small size allows the students to participate and learn more. She even states specifically on her website that they take high school students. These are some examples. Also, if you read the ECs of students in the accepted/chance me threads, many of them had worked as interns at the local politicians, either state or federal representative, and then had either the politician or the campaign manager/office director write the recommendation.</p>