MPP Summer 2024 Internship Experiences
On September 24th and October 4th, the Master’s in Public Policy students gathered to discuss and reflect on their internship experiences. As part of the Policy in Practice course sequence, students take a summer internship in their expertise before sharing their experiences with the incoming class. These discussions spread over two sessions allowed first year students to hear about internship experiences in the government, consulting, think tank, and non-profit sectors.
Organized as panels, questions covered three themes–application process, internship experience, and professional reflection–with additional opportunities for comments and questions at the end. Focused primarily on second year students’ internship experiences, first year students also benefited from follow up questions and comments from Professor Elaine McBeth, Director of the Public Policy Program, and Professor April Greener, former Research Director for the Office of the Speaker of the House.
When discussing the application process, second year students emphasized starting early to format their application to a variety of internship opportunities. Given recent trends to incorporate AI into the initial application rounds, second years stressed the importance of carefully composing resumes and cover letters that mirror the job description. Since first year students should rely on feedback from the William & Mary community for guidance on language and formatting, second year students advised first year students to start early and update multiple different resume formats to match different job descriptions. As part of the Policy in Practice course, first year students will also attend a panel on federal resumes and applications given by Andrew Martin from the Cohen Career Center.
Transitioning into internship experiences and job expectations, the two panels agreed on the importance of taking initiative in the workplace. Whether advocating for a different policy option, advising academics on powerpoint design, writing a new strategic plan, or pursuing small projects and skills, the panelists thought that their willingness to take on additional responsibilities impressed their supervisors. When discussing important skills to display, panelists advocated for both quantitative and qualitative skills such as social network analysis, econometrics, powerpoint design, and policy memo writing–all of which the panelists felt were taught in their first year of classes.
Lastly, the panelists reflected on their professional experiences in terms of their future professional goals and aspirations. Although not all panelists took an internship in their preferred policy interest and sector, they all agreed that their internship experience had a positive impact on their professional development. While some found additional policy interests that they would not have otherwise considered, others used their internship experience to hone skills such as ArcGIS. Concluding both panels, the second year students encouraged the first year MPPs to make the most of their internship regardless of where they end up.
Overall, the two panels allowed first year students to hear about sixteen different internship experiences spread across sectors and policy interests. Moreover, the event served as a way for first year students to incorporate second year students into their growing professional network. Looking forward to November, first and second year students will have an opportunity to expand their network at the Public Policy Program’s Board of Advisors meeting which includes professionals from across the country. As part of Policy in Practice course sequences, students will get another opportunity to meet, discuss, and reflect on their career goals with William & Mary alumni.
For those interested in applying to William & Mary’s accelerated Master’s in Public Policy or Master’s in Public Policy programs, applications are now open and due February 15th, 2025.
