<p>Most university students I know during the summer get a sort of "practical" internship. Majors in Poli Sci may go work on a campaign, a Physics major may work in a science-y place, and Journalism students may go write for a newspaper. However, I cannot think of many internships during the summer that would be appropriate for an aspiring academic.</p>
<p>I'm an undergraduate who wants to be a Political Scientist and specialist on the Middle East, Western & non-Western relations, and et cetera. The only main things I can think of that an aspiring academic in my situation may want to do are internships at think-tanks. Unfortunately, most of those internships seem to be unpaid. I've checked a bunch already, such as the Atlantic Council, American Enterprise Institute, and Middle East Forum. Since I come from an economically-disadvantaged background, this makes summer internships at think-tanks impossible for me to do. I realize universities will sometimes fund part of a student's unpaid summer internship, but those grants are typically just for a small portion of the cost of taking the unpaid summer internship.</p>
<p>Does anyone have any advice? I need some help. Thanks.</p>
<p>A variety of things.</p>
<p>Many do at least one summer research experience. The National Science Foundation funds some (Research Experiences for Undergraduates, or REUs); others are funded by other agencies or by universities themselves (and are often called SURFs, SROPs, SUREs, etc.) They generally take the form of a group of undergraduates who spend 8-12 weeks over the summer working with a professor or two on a research project of their interest. Generally the application deadlines for these programs stretch from late November to mid-March, and they take place typically from late May/early June to late July/early August. Many of these programs are funded - in that they give you housing and a stipend (around $3,000-4,000), and sometimes also a meal plan.</p>
<p>If something like this interests you, you can visit the NSF’s REU page (they do fund some in the social and behavioral sciences) or you can do a Google search for “summer research experience for undergraduates political science” and variations on that search time.</p>
<p>Some students set up more informal arrangements with professors that they had already been working with. The professor sometimes finds a bit of summer funding, or the student finds some, and the student works with the professor over the summer as a research assistant. Those require some coordination, though, and a willing supervisor.</p>
<p>I’m an aspiring academic myself, having just finished my PhD and currently doing a postdoc in the social sciences. I also am from a disadvantaged background; I needed to work to support myself over the summer. Therefore, I had to pass up on even applying for a lot of unpaid summer internships. I REALLY wanted to do one with the State Department, but most of theirs are unpaid. So honestly, my first two summers of college I worked as a summer camp counselor. My first summer I just needed any job; before my second summer, I knew I wanted to be a researcher, but I realized this too late and didn’t have enough time to find an REU that was going to pay me. I did do a research internship in my third summer (it paid $7/hour and I had to pay housing out of my own stipend…it was a lean summer, lol. I think I started looking too late). I think I had gotten enough research experience during the academic year that that one summer is enough.</p>
<p>So I must say you need to feed and clothe yourself first and foremost. But definitely apply to as many SROPs as you can. Unlike graduate school, the applications are free!</p>