A little real world experience before graduation gives students a definite advantage and Hamilton’s Program in Washington D.C. allows students to do just that. In addition to taking classes and writing a thesis, each of the eight students on the program heads to the office each morning, fulfilling the internship portion of the experience. This semester, students have internships in lobbying firms, with Congressional representatives and at Think Tanks to name a few. Many of the internships are sponsored by alumni, some of whom took part in the D.C. semester as students.
In addition to the typical class work and internships, students on the program also spend time meeting with alumni to learn the practicalities of how the government works. The highlight of the first week was a visit to Williams & Jensen where George Baker ’74 and Frank Vlossak ’89 provided a primer about lobbying, related real-life experiences in the business and then gave advice to each of the students about how they could make the most out of their internships.
It’s only been a week but the takeaway is that not only does Hamilton have fabulous professors; we also have alumni who generously give not only of resources, but of time.
