Nguyen said this term's application rate is consistent with that of previous years. The Rockefeller Center typically receives 10 to 15 applications for Fall, Winter and Spring terms and several more for Summer terms due to the D-Plan, he said. From the applicant pool, the Rockefeller Center usually selects eight to 10 internships to sponsor.
This term's selection process will take place during the next week and decisions will be released on Feb. 10, according to Danielle Thompson, assistant director for co-curricular programs.
Over the past three years, 60 to 70 students annually have been awarded grants of $1,000 to $4,000 each, depending on the proposed budget, with a median award of approximately $3,000, Nguyen said in an email to The Dartmouth.
The funding is drawn from an annual grant budget and is used to support living expenses and transportation during the student's internship. While donated funds by alumni and class gifts make up about 20 percent of the budget, the remainder comes from Rockefeller Center endowments, according to Thompson.
Named internships, which are sponsored by a particular individual or a class, are also awarded regularly, according to the Rockefeller Center website.
"It's fair to say that recent budget concerns have had some impact on interns that we've been able to fund," Thompson said.
By cutting the magnitude of awards given, the committee has been able to maintain and even increase their availability, she said.
The application process includes an online application, written proposal, faculty recommendation and interviews with Rockefeller Center officials, Thompson said. A staff committee then makes selections from among the applicants.
The most common proposals involve internships in congressmen's offices, the U.S. State Department and the Treasury Department, although students also pursue internships at think tanks and non-profits, Thompson said.
A strong link to public policy is the most crucial element to a student's application, and students must work full-time for eight to 10 weeks under a specific supervisor, according to Thompson.
Thompson said geographic location is not considered when reviewing applications. Instead, students must be able to demonstrate a "potential for learning" in whatever setting they are in for their internship.
"We really like to think of internship funding as one of the ways the Rockefeller Center can help to energize, inspire and train future leaders, and that engagement is something that we see as being in classroom and out of the classroom, on campus and off," Thompson said.
Karen Schuster '12, awarded the Class of 1964 internship during her sophomore spring in 2009, worked at the American Chamber of Commerce in Beijing and said her experience offered insight into the complications of American-Chinese relations in the context of economic policy.
"It was interesting being in a multicultural office," Schuster said. "There were some cultural issues with communications, and it was really interesting to see the interaction between American businessmen and Chinese officials and see how they think."
The internship also fueled her interest in public policy and enabled her to network with others in the field, she said.
Another Class of 1964 intern, Rachel Wang '13, spent 2011 Fall term working in the Office of Economic Policy in the Treasury Department in Washington, D.C.
Wang said the responsibilities of her internship including writing summaries of congressional hearings, performing short-term economic research and attending interagency meetings helped her understand the economic challenges the U.S. faces.
"There are very intelligent people in government but not so much agreement," she said. "Lots of people have very good ideas of what to do to fix the problem but it takes more than just one person to make a change."
Students selected for internship funding are drawn from a wide variety of curricular backgrounds, Nguyen said. However, they are encouraged to participate in the Management and Leadership Development Program, and students that have completed the program are given priority in the application process, Thompson said.
"Whether or not your internship opportunity comes as a result of your interest and passion in academic coursework in public policy, or if it's something that might be the beginning of that, we still want to help you in that journey," she said.
Once students are selected to receive sponsorship, the Rockefeller Center oversees their experience through a group orientation and feedback reports from supervisors.
"There are high expectations for our interns," Thompson said, emphasizing a "reflection process" that asks students to evaluate their experience in the context of their personal goals.
The focus on professionalism is intended to prepare students for future careers related to public policy, according to Thompson.
"What you learn about in a textbook is not necessarily the real world," she said. "We need to be able to see that we are giving every possible opportunity for students to go out there and try it out because we need capable, energetic, dynamic people to help lead this country and this world."
