Hey I’m a sophomore who recently learned about the US Senate Page Program and I desperately want to attend. I am extremely interested in majoring in political science in college and feel like this is the perfect opportunity for me to gain experience and involvement in the government.
I am in Model United Nations and a council member in Mock Trial. I also attended the first Millennial Town Hall style caucus in California.
As I would have to do the program over the summer, because of school year commitments, I was going to try and apply for a summer session before my junior year. The only problem is that I do not have any government connections, internship experience, or anything of that sort.
I have been fervently seeking and researching intern positions with state government officials in my area/district (because, contrary to my username, I live near Sacramento (California’s capitol)) but it seems as though all internships offered are only available to those either 18 and older or in college.
So now to the purpose of this thread:
Is anyone able to offer advice/suggestions on how to obtain internships with state government officials (especially California if possible)?
Does anyone have any advice on the US Senate program as far as advice on applying or if my lack of connections are a significance when applying to become a page?
Overall advice, tips, feedback, or other programs I should look into?
If anyone has paged for Dianne Feinstein and if so can they tell me how they came into that position/what the experience was like?
What are the deadlines for Summer 2018 applications
I know this is a lot and if anyone even read all of this I am grateful. Thanks so much.
Senator Feinstein has page information on her website. Her deadline for next summer appears to have been in October. You can however apply for the summer after your junior year as well, as long as you will not yet be 18. Or more deeply consider the school year. Much better of an experience.
I was a semester page a while back, the program is extremely competitive but was an amazing expierence. If you do plan on applying, I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend applying for the semester program. I originally applied for the summer program as well, but I was asked to participate in the semester program and I am so glad I did. Summer pages only work for a couple of weeks and the program isn’t nearly as prestigious. Most summer pages are what we call “patronage pages”–meaning they have some sort of connection (relative, donor, etc.) to a Member. The semester program, however, admits tons of students who aren’t as well connected (like myself) and most of my classmates came from very modest means.
Senator Feinstein almost always has a chance to sponsor a page. Senator Harris is too junior and almost certainly won’t sponsor anyone, but it won’t hurt to call her office and ask. You can also check with the offices of Senator McConnell, Senator Schumer, and Senator Hatch as they can sponsor multiple pages and have been known to accept people from outside their home states.
Do keep in mind that pages aren’t allowed to have personal cell phones and can’t access the internet at Webster Hall. We usually brought our laptops to nearby Union Station or a Starbucks when we needed Wifi. Hope this helped!
Hi, I saw you post and I am very interested in this program. The only time I am able to do it is in the summer, I was wondering if you knew how colleges view this program; do they think it is something outstanding to partake in?
Also would you know anything on how to apply for summer 2018?
Thank you!
The summer program is still prestigious and I’d assume it looks pretty good on a college application. I do know most of my classmates were accepted to their first choice schools.
Check with your senator’s office if you’re interested in applying. Every senator has a different selection process and thus will have different deadlines. You can participate in the summer program as either a rising junior or a rising senior. Some senators (Leahy, Hatch, Feinstein, Alexander, and McCaskill come to mind) have sponsored many pages in the past, and some rarely or never have the opportunity.
I participated in the Summer Page Program and thought it was an amazing experience. I was however, 1 of 5-6 people who were there without any political connections, so I do agree with the summer program being more connected. Even though you are only there for a few weeks it is still one of the best opportunities I have ever had and is still very pretentious and looks amazing on resumes. I highly encourage you to apply for the summer program if you are unable to do the semester one.