Frequently Asked Questions
More information can be found on program website and by contacting the Internship Program Manager at <Denise.Chu@stanford.edu>.
Students applying for the program must be Stanford students throughout their participation in the program. If you plan to graduate before the end of summer quarter, please consult with your major department (e.g. the student services manager) to discuss deferring the conferral of your degree until the end of summer.
Yes. This program is available to freshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors, and coterms in all majors.
No. You will not receive any academic credit for participating in the Internship Program. However, this might fulfill the "abroad" requirement by some majors. Please check with your major department managers.
The level of local language skill required is based on the internship job description requirements. For positions requiring knowledge of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Portuguese, at least a one-quarter level is required by the Program. However, your language training does not need to be fulfilled by a Stanford language course enrollment. There is no local language requirement for Austria, Belgium, Cambodia, and India. For the application, you should state your expected level by the time of the internship.
The essay (or set of essays if you're applying to multiple positions) helps us evaluate your fit with that particular position. We need to know why you are applying for that position and what particular skills you can bring. If you are selected in the first screening process taking place at Stanford, your essay will be sent to the hiring company. Thus, it would be a good idea to write a convincing statement that can make the organization excited about having you onboard.
While recommendations from Stanford-affiliated faculty are preferred, recommendations written by non-Stanford affiliated professors, staff members, and lecturers are also accepted. You may also ask your Pre-Major Advisor, Resident Fellow, or TA, as well as supervisors from any previous work experience. A formal letter of recommendation is not required.
Both the Global Studies Internship Program and the host company provide funding for your internship, i.e. a stipend to cover basic living expenses. If you plan to travel or have extra expenses, you should prepare funding for yourself.
You must check with the International Center about how traveling to your internship country will affect your current U.S. visa.
The goal of this program is to give students an extended immersive experience in the internship country. Therefore, we expect that students will remain in their respective countries for the full 8 weeks of this program unless they have advance written permission from the Internship Program Manager and the internship host company.
Please check with Internship Program Manager and the host company.
You will meet the other internship participants during the pre-departure orientation in Spring Quarter.
You are required to make sure to have a passport that is valid six months after the date of departure from your internship country with at least one blank page in the passport for the visa. If you don't have a passport, apply for one immediately. You need your valid passport to initiate any visa process.
You are strongly advised to check out the Consulate website (of your internship country) for visa requirements. You are responsible for obtaining appropriate visas on time. Once you are accepted for the Global Studies Internship Program, we will provide you more information regarding visa applications.
You must be covered by health insurance that is valid worldwide for the entire duration of your time overseas. If any medical treatment is necessary, you will be fully responsible for the costs. Therefore, you must obtain health insurance (which should cover medical treatment worldwide, medical evacuation, and repatriation of remains) for the summer.
You should consult with a physician or travel clinic well in advance of your departure to inquire about immunization recommendations. Some inoculations may require a series of shots that take weeks or months to become effective.
Note: Vaden is very busy toward the end of Spring quarter so you should plan on making your appointments 4-6 weeks in advance of travel.
