Washington, D.C., has gone international. The new Washington World program, slated to launch in fall 2013, contains everything the International Programs have to offer without leaving the United States.
The Washington World program will include general education courses and a two-week externship during each semester, similar to the educational field trips of other international programs. The externships for the 2013-2014 year will go to the Middle East in the fall and the Gulf of Mexico in the spring.
Washington, D.C., is already a booming global community, but Jeff Hamilton, International Programs director of admissions and student affairs, said the program didn’t fit IP’s model until they decided to focus on the international nature of the capital.
“We have to provide that transformed, international experience. So for us, it doesn’t fit our mission to take it on unless there is an international education component to it. D.C., is a pretty global community in and of itself,” Hamilton said.
Washington, D.C., has 170 to 175 embassies and consulates. It also is home to non-governmental organizations, lobbying groups and other international companies, according to Hamilton.
Despite the international nature of Washington, D.C., IP was still looking for a way to strengthen the international experience of the program participants. “To really have that experience and to step outside your comfort level, we came up with the idea of the two-week international study tour,” Hamilton said.
The Washington World program has been developed to integrate learning and real-world experiences in a way similar to how the other international programs operate. Courses as well as cultural exchanges, conferences and symposia attended in Washington, D.C., will complement the externship program.
The Washington World program will only be offered in the fall and spring semesters. The traditional summer internship program will remain intact.
“We will still be keeping the summer internships how they happened in the past. It’s a really popular, flourishing program so we’re going to keep that running,” Hamilton said.
In the current fall and spring programs, students are able to have internships in the morning and take courses at night. Starting in the fall of 2013, the Washington World program will run on a model more similar to that of the international programs. Students will take GE courses in the day, and the program will eventually have a visiting faculty member.
The program has 26 spots available based on the capacity of the house on Pennsylvania Ave., making it more exclusive than the other programs. Depending on the popularity of the program, there is a potential for it to grow. The admissions procedure will be based on how willing a student is “to step out of the box.”
“We want to find the students who are ready to engage,” Hamilton said. “We don’t want someone who’s just going and being comfortable somewhere. We’re looking for the students that are ready to have this incredible experience and ready to commit to the program.”
The new program will offer core GE courses like humanities, fine arts, sciences and religion, focusing less on business and political science.
This will make the program, originally geared mostly to upperclassmen and political science majors who desired to explore their major firsthand on the Hill, open mainly to sophomores.
As far as why the program has changed or its precipitating causes, Hamilton said he was not “privy to those conversations.”
So far, there has been mixed feedback for the Washington World redirection.
“What really attracted me to this program is that I can have an internship and take classes all during a regular semester,” sophomore Victoria Stanzione said, currently in the D.C., Internship Program. “It’s like a win-win. I’m kind of upset that the program won’t continue during the regular semester, but I’m glad I’m in it now before it stops.”
Frances Ho, junior and Lausanne program alumna, sees the Washington, D.C., internships as viable competitors to the international programs.
“Yes, Washington, D.C., alone has a lot to offer, but Washington D.C., with internships is what makes it so marketable,” Ho said.
Senior and Lausanne alumna, Bethany Bennick, likes the idea of the Washington World program. She also admits to being envious of those able to participate and is glad to see IP add new opportunities.
Summer 2012 D.C., Internship Program alum and senior Tucker Witte, suggests a different change: “I am a business major, and I got an internship at the Smithsonian. I know a lot of people whose dream is to get an internship on the Hill.
“I’m glad that they’re keeping the summer internship program because the internship is most of the appeal. Maybe they can do an internship for the first couple of months and travel later to add a world aspect to it,” Witte said.
The cost for the program will be the same as the tuition and board on the Malibu campus, with all financial aid packages applied. Additional costs will include plane tickets to D.C., and the two-week study tours.
Applications for the IP internship programs in the spring semester are currently being accepted based on space availability.
The priority deadline for the Washington World program is Monday, Sept. 24, 2012. Students can apply online in the “Student Services” portion of WaveNet.
