<p>so this summer I applied to lots of internships and jobs, and i ended up turning down a few paid job offers at mundane places (camp counselor, starbucks, etc) in order to do an unpaid internship at the Department of the Treasury. apparently the acceptance rate is like 3% so its a big deal and my major in college is economics & math and i want to get a phD and eventually work on government policy so its a pretty sweet deal...but i'm wondering how much internships like these will impact my grad school applications? is it worth it to deal with unpaid internships for the next few summers to get the resume credit?</p>
<p>Yes it is. If your end goal is government policy on economics and banking, then an internship like that is a good stepping stone. Work experience through paid and non-paid internships is often more educational than sitting in a classroom since you apply knowledge to real life situations. I’ve learned more about politics and government policy through internships/work than I ever did in any of my poli-sci/economics classes. Not everyone has the same learning style though :)</p>