<p>I have worked for a couple of large companies with internship programs, and at different times had interns working for me. As their mentors, we were charged with finding a project they could complete in 10 weeks, and making sure they learned stuff. All of the ones I know of were being evaluated for whether we would want to offer them a job when they graduated, 2 got offers, one did not.</p>
<p>I would hope that any internships that my son would get would be similar.</p>
<p>“One other highlight–it has evolved into a “tradition” that S3 always “treats” dear old mom and dad to a feast at ZBurger every time we visit.”</p>
<p>Too funny. I just got back from a visit (actually not a visit; my work took me to Bethesda.) She chose the first restaurant - Il Positano in Bethesda (terrific), and I the second - Murasaki in Tenleytown (it is really, REALLY good - and I get plenty of good sushi here in the Pacific Northwest.)</p>
<p>She is waiting on hearing whether she will receive the State Department scholarship for Arabic study in Jordan (or, theoretically, elsewhere) this summer. She and her roommate are planning to take an apartment near Union Station (they’ve just been approved.) Latest plan is that she will graduate in three years, and use the fourth year for M.S./CPA in accounting. </p>
<p>Her internship - with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (she was the only non-Muslim) was fantastic, and far from make-work or busywork.</p>
<p>Her alternative spring break trip was mostly graduate students - I think she was accepted because of her language skills and previous experience with groups of students abroad (Cairo). The program raised much of the funds; she raised the rest herself from friends and relatives.</p>
<p>@MommaJ - Most students are careful to evaluate potential work environments before they accept internship positions (it’s something the career center here teaches). I’ve completed two very successful ones (currently in my junior year), and while one did include an element of clerical work, it did pay (more than my other part-time job, in fact) and was rewarding in other ways. My second position did not pay, but involved participating in research at the Smithsonian. That one was actually required for my major, but resulted in a research paper that got a mention in a major science journal. In my opinion, totally worth the opportunity cost, and I was able to work paying jobs as well while doing it. Just my $0.2.</p>
<p>MommaJ, I hear you and yes, internships can be exploitative. But They can be worthwhile. They were around in my day (I’m 51)-- I was a broadcast journalism major at USC and had a fantasy of going into rock ‘n’ roll radio, and my unpaid internship at KLOS in 1979 was invaluable because it made me realize that was NOT the career for me! I have my own small publishing company, and publishers use interns by the truckload, but I’ve always felt bad about not paying and so haven’t done it until just recently. And the intern was thrilled, because she got a chance to write for one of my online magazines and got some good experience. So it can be a win-win.</p>
<p>mini,
We’ll have to try some of your recommendations the next time in DC. So far my favorites in DC are Founding Farmers and Cafe Ole, and of course–ZBurger!</p>
<p>I have an important question. If a student drops a course online during the beginning 2 weeks of the semester as allowed, do they also have to contact the professor from the course they dropped or the registrar as well. Or is the online drop enough???</p>
<p>On the subject of internships, I did several in college and thought they were great experiences, even when some clerical tasks were included. I had the same experience as researching4emb - an internship at a television newsroom made me realize that I really wanted to do print. (Who knew, all these decades later, that I may have been better off staying with the broadcast side of things?!) Also, every newspaper I’ve worked at with internship programs gave very substantial work to the interns. That said, there is the potential for exploitation. My daughter is looking into a 40-hour unpaid internship for the summer - but because it’s 9 weeks (not 12), it wouldn’t be eligible for academic credits. I think you can reasonably look at academic credits as a payment of sorts.
Back on the topic of alternative spring breaks, D said that the program she applied to had something like 38 applicants for 12 slots. A previous poster noted all the very good reasons for the organizers to be selective on these trips. My one minor complaint is that more than once, at events such as admitted students day, etc., AU loudly touted its opportunities for community service, with much said about alt breaks. Not once, however, did anyone mention that the competition is tough and not many freshman are accepted. It would be a perfectly reasonable thing to say, so they should say it.</p>
<p>boysx3, Last time we were in DC, D. insisted on a creperie at Dupont Circle - perhaps the same one you tried. And speaking of (Z) burgers, has anyone tried Good Stuff Eatery?</p>
<p>@cadmiumred</p>
<p>As a current student - who has been forced to change classes in the beginning two weeks due to waitlist: once they drop it online, thats all they have to do. that goes directly to the registrar’s system and the professor will figure it out next class when the student doesnt show up. It happens all the time like that.</p>
<p>With regards to internships: I recently got one through AU with USA TODAY and I love every second of it, it’s a fantastic experience, 15 hours a week until may 8th. I was required to take it for credit since it is unpaid <strong><em>this is a good way to get your credit total up in order to register earlier for classes</em></strong> also, if you do the maximum every semester you can even graduate early.</p>
<p>I’ve taken 17 credits every semester, overloaded this semester to 18, and will continue with 17 until December 2011 when I graduate. I went into AU with 0 credits (international student) and am class of 2012. It’s a lot of work, but it’s doable!</p>
<p>Dear CKingston:</p>
<pre><code> Thank you so much for your response!
</code></pre>
<p>I have AT&T now but my contract is going to be up soon and I’m considering switching to Verizon. Just curious what seems to work better in DC/AU and whether more students have AT&T or Verizon? Thanks!</p>
<p>AT&T generally works better in DC from what I hear, except in the metro which is specifically wired for Verizon. However the metro is slowly switching over to allow all carriers service, and most of the large stations now work with AT&T as well (they’re supposed to get WiFi soon as well). On AU’s campus there is an AT&T tower much closer, so I hear that works better in some buildings, but overall it probably doesn’t make a huge different since both probably work fine overall.</p>
<p>Verizon coverage is good in DC but not so good on the AU campus, especially in the freshman dorms. My daughter has Verizon and often loses service in her dorm room. We didn’t change carriers because we had just signed new contracts, but if I already had AT&T I would stick with them.</p>
<p>When will the Verizon problem be repaired? It has been a long time?? Most people use Verizon.</p>
<p>That’s likely up to Verizon. I know AT&T is particularly good because a tower is very close, lack of such a tower is likely the reason that Verizon isn’t as great. Lots of folks on campus use Verizon though without too many problems. I also hear Sprint and T-Mobile work well on campus.</p>
<p>D is loathe to miss the first seder (I feel the same), so will probably take a train after her last class on Monday, which ends around noon, then return Tuesday, but will have to miss two classes that day. I’m not thrilled with her missing classes, but this seems more important. We actually are not religious, but have some strongly ingrained family traditions–Thanksgiving is also a don’t-miss at our house, though at least the school calendar accommodates that one. What’s the situation for other AU families who will be celebrating Passover?</p>
<p>S3 thought he would be going to big brother’s for Seder…but big brother and wife are going to wife’s family in Boston. S thinks he will do the Seder with Hillel. He and some friends have talked about doing a second night Seder in their dorm floor lounge but unless they get some girls involved it will probably never get organized.</p>
<p>Did any of your kids do FSE? If so, did they also go to AU for the regular Orientation in June/July?
What did your kids think of the language placement tests?
Trying to decide whether I want to do University College - wish the UCs were in more dorms.</p>
<p>What dorms are UCs in?</p>
<p>Our D did not go to any of the orientations in June or July. She did do an abbreviated orientation right before welcome week. We live in WA and could not fly her out and back that extra time. It did not seem to make any difference for her.
Ellen</p>
<p>There is a hole in the Verizon coverage maps on one end of the campus (where Centennnial, Anderson and Letts dorms are). My son only has reception in one spot in his dorm room in Anderson. At the summer session my husband attended last summer, the AU IT person implied that Verizon would not be fixing this. I wanted to start a petition to let Verizon know it matters, and not just to the kids but whole familes would not choose Verizon but never figured out a way to get this off the ground.</p>