<p>Hey, so firstly I'm an undergrad, but I'm considering applying for an internship with a government agency (for international relations-related work), so of course we need a security clearance, including polygraph exam and the whole deal. I had a few questions that I was wondering if any grad students have had any experience with. Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>Question 1: I've traveled to some pretty remote or "far-flung" regions of the world, such as parts of Southeast Asia, Africa, etc. that are underdeveloped. I've never done anything illegal or met anyone who has something against the US or anything (that I know of lol), but I know that some of these places will warrant me a closer look because of their political instability. Will just going to these regions (one place was to study, another to volunteer) pretty much disqualify me? </p>
<p>Question 2: Is there an alcohol policy? I've never done drugs, and I know that would pretty much doom you. However, I have drank on a few occasions (underage...though I've never been drunk, and these occasions have been few and far between). Will this be an issue? I would be honest with them if asked, and tell them just that, but I wasn't sure if it comes up in polygraph or security form clearances or not...if it's going to automatically DQ me, I won't bother going through the 6 month long process!</p>
<p>Thanks so much again....and with all due respect, please only respond if you have legitimate knowledge of how the clearances work, or if you know someone who was in a similar situation. It's a very long process, so I need the info to be as accurate as possible. Thanks!</p>
<p>I’ve only gone through security clearance for working at a government lab, but it seems like you’ve got nothing to lose – just apply and see what happens!</p>
<p>Q1: Your travel will result in an increased level of scrutiny, but should not disqualify you a sa matter of course. Just remember that you are going to need to provide addresses and references for every place you went.</p>
<p>Q2: Relax. They are primarily concerned with alcohol abuse and drug use “beyond experimentation”. Whether or not you were underage, occasional drinking is not an issue.</p>
<p>General tip: Tell them everything, and be honest - they WILL eventually find out if you lie or omit, and depending on the circumstances you can find yourself in a lot more trouble than honesty would have gotten you. If there are missteps in your life (alcohol, financial, fathering 17 illegitimate children) be prepared to discuss how you have moved past these problems and are working to address any lingering consequences. Show how mature you are now.</p>
<p>If it’s a security clearance for a student internship, so you,re good to go as long as you didn’t:</p>
<p>1) Do hard time
2) Knowingly meet with members of the Taliban on friendly terms
3) Hustle drugs in broad daylight</p>
<p>Security clearances for the CIA and DEA can get dicey but these are higher level deals. Your internship SC won’t cause you any problems if the info you gave us is accurate.</p>
<p>great, thanks so much for all the advice, very helpful! Yea, I definitely don’t have any alcohol issues or anything lol, I honestly have never even finished a can of beer…just can’t stand the taste of it. And no financial issues and definitely no drug use. So I should be okay then!</p>
<p>And thanks for the tip about the addresses too. I didn’t think about that, but I’m glad you mentioned it so I have time to search for those.</p>
<p>Thanks again, and if anyone else has any more advice, feel free!</p>