Overview
About Cornell in Washington:
In Cornell in Washington (CIW), you’ll work part-time at an internship in D.C., take a full load of Cornell courses, and have signature D.C. experiences.
D.C. is arguably the best place in the world to have an internship; there are abundant opportunities for any interest. We are not able to directly place students into internships – the organizations have their own selection process – but our staff can help students be competitive for the most selective internships by helping students with resume development, crafting cover letters, and honing their interview skills.
Following are examples of where CIW students with specific interests had their internships:
- Government: Executive Branch, Congress, and a wide range of government agencies.
- Law: Supreme Court, the Department of Justice, D.C. Public Defender’s Office
- Economics: President’s Council of Economic Advisors, the Congressional Budget Office, Treasury Department, World Bank
- Social justice: ACLU, Amnesty International, Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division
- Health/medicine: American Public Health Association, Centers for Disease Control, National Institutes of Health, Red Cross
- Environment: Environmental Protection Agency, Audubon Society, National Wildlife Federation, National Park Service
- International Affairs: State Department, Peace Corps, Council on Foreign Relations
- Media/communications: CNN, C-SPAN, NBC, Fox News, NPR, Voice of America, New York Times, Washington Post
- Arts: National Endowment for the Arts, National Portrait Gallery, Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Phillips Collection, Corcoran Gallery
In addition to your internship, you’ll take a full load of Cornell courses. All students take a required course, which involves an independent research project and helps build a cohort experience. Elective course offerings vary semester-to-semester, but all take advantage of our location by being taught by DC experts, including guest lectures by policymakers, and/or visiting relevant DC locations.
On the weekends, CIW offers signature DC experiences, such as visiting Smithsonian museums, attending a game of one of the local professional sports teams, and attending a performance at the Kennedy Center.
Students live in comfortable apartments (each with its own full kitchen and private bathroom), and take their classes, in the Cornell owned-and-operated Wolpe Center, in the lovely and centrally-located neighborhood of Dupont Circle.
Many alumni have said that their semester in CIW was the most transformational, the most influential for their career, and/or their favorite at Cornell. Come join us and simultaneously jump-start your career and experience the best that D.C. has to offer!
