<p>I am currently a junior at a top 30 private school on the east coast majoring in International Politics. I have had three summer internships so far and would be starting my fourth one during the spring break of 2012 ---- I am actually studying abroad in another country for a year right now and I get a two-month break in Feb and March after the fall semester here ends in late July.</p>
<p>I am a dual citizen of Korea and the US and am hoping to get a job in the US after graduating from college. My parents live in Korea now and I go back home every summer so I've had internships only in Korea so far, which I've been worried with lately because these internships might not get recognized by the employers in the U.S...? I know that it would've been better for me to have interned in the US. I was trying to get an internship through the State Department but didn't pass the phone interview, and instead worked with the US Embassy Seoul last year, which I applied through the "Foreign National Student Internship Program" that offers internship opportunities only to the students with non-US citizens. The year before was an organization related to international trade in Korea, and during the following spring break I am scheduled to work for a research institute in Korea dealing with East Asian politics and diplomacy. </p>
<p>I see that my friends who are in IR/Politics major have had internships in the US Congress, at a governor's office, UN, etc. etc. but really have no idea if my internships would be helpful when getting a job in the US (I know as long as I earned great experiences but I still would like to get them recognized). The only thing I feel relieved with is the one at the US Embassy...although I interned as a "Korean citizen" and not "American."</p>
<p>I am especially interested in getting a job in the US government and I really wish to have had internships in CIA/FBI/DHS/DOS/NSA, etc.. but I think it's too late now. The internship at the research institute would be my last one during undergrad because the spring semester at my exchange program is from early April to late July and I don't expect to work anywhere for a month of summer break before my senior year begins. </p>
<p>Most people around me are into pre-med or business and those with government/IR/some social sciences majors are thinking law schools, all of which I am not interested in, which makes me hard to get advices or share common interests with people.. I am thinking of a grad school in IR (SFS/SAIS/SIPA are my dream schools!) after having 2-3 years of work experience and am hoping that going to these grad schools would help me getting a job with the US government like DOS.</p>
<p>I'd like to know what you people think about my internships and whether my plans are good..... and oh!! I am also a Boren Scholar and I want to know how advantageous it is to get a job in the US federal government.... since I am bounded with a 1 year contract to work for US national security =]</p>
<p>i like how you just threw that in at the end… aren’t Boren Scholars pretty prestigious? And since you are bound to national security, someplace should be trying to get you a job?</p>
<p>Of course your internships will be recognized…</p>
<p>that said, and this is important, if you want to work at the places that you listed, to obtain a security clearance you will need to be willing to give up your korean citizenship. It might not be required, depending on the level, but at a lot of the places you listed it would be required.</p>
<p>graduate school in the DC area would allow you to maximize internship potential at various offices where you would like to work.</p>
<p>thanks for your reply! i know that boren scholarship is comeptitive but i dont actually know how prestigious/advantageous it is to be a boren scholar… and being a boren scholar doesnt really guarantee me a job…
i know that being a dual citizenship might be a problem when getting a job in the places ive listed but i dont think i have to renounce my korean one… according to some laws and documents ive read…
so do u think it is a good idea to have some 2-3 years of work experience related to IR and then head to grad schools in IR in DC area? since i heard grad schools nowadays also look at work experience from applicants</p>
<p>lots of students at Hopkins and Georgetown have a couple years of experience I think. But there are other schools in the DC area that are less competitive and probably have somewhat younger students… American, George Mason, Missouri State has a DC graduate program in national security… Virginia Tech also has a DC campus.</p>
<p>I worked for a year before I went to grad school, but it wasn’t in anything related. That said, I don’t go to a “top” graduate school.</p>
<p>The security clearance then might vary by agency. For example, in the DIA intern program FAQ, it says “dual citizens cannot be granted clearance.” But there might be wiggle room also. I don’t know. I’m just saying it’s something you will need to be prepared to address.</p>
<p>I don’t know much about the Boren scholarship, but my impression was that it is quite competitive, and if as a condition of accepting it you are required to work in a national security related job, then there should be openings for you. Some agencies might have boxes you can check in the application that says you are a Boren scholar.</p>
<p>This is coming from the perspective of a senior IR major - I have interned on the hill and for one of those three letter agencies so I know a bit (but by no means is my knowledge authoritative). </p>
<p>Your internships done overseas would absolutely be recognized. If you are concerned about having not enough US-based experience, I would suggest if possible that if you live near the capital/major city of a state, that you contact some state representatives or senators in your area and see if they need volunteer interns during your senior year semesters (just working 10-15 hours or something like that). Yes you won’t be paid, but the experience might be pretty nice on your resume. </p>
<p>As soccerguy said, many schools do prefer 2-3 years work experience (the average age for students at most grad schools is 26-27), but even the prestigious IR grad schools take about 20-25% of their students straight from undergrad. Generally you want to have substantial internship experience if you bother applying directly from undergrad (which it sounds like you do). I’ve talked to a lot of people and the main reason why they would go into grad school directly from undergrad is their lack of finding a job. Pretty much everyone I’ve talked to recommends getting at least a year of work experience before applying to grad school in IR…that’s my plan anyways. </p>
<p>One thing - if you are interested in a position of national security, your clearance is likely going to be a huge pain/take forever to receive due to the time you spent abroad (and the fact that the security dudes can’t verify your job stuff domestically is going to be problematic as well). Make sure you have EVERYTHING about your time abroad listed somewhere for future reference- domestic contacts that can verify your time abroad, foreign contacts - family or anyone you keep in contact with who isn’t a US citizen (name, number, address, email, job occupation, relationship to you etc.) Not so lucky for us, hiring for entry level intel stuff is pretty lousy right now so just make sure to widen your scope from just federal government stuff to include NGOs, think tanks, government contractors etc. when looking for further internships and full-time positions</p>