An interesting letter from Allen Smith '13; while he doesn't mention it below, he's parlayed these experiences into a White House internship that he's currently doing. Questions? Contact Professor Fields for more details.
Dear Puget Sound students:
My name is Allen Smith. I graduated in May 2013 with a
degree in International Relations, and I have been asked to share my some of my
post-graduate experience. I have held two part-time research internships with
different think tanks simultaneously, as well as a part time job. It was a lot
to balance, but I found the experience rewarding and not unlike balancing
upper-level classes.
My first internship was with a think tank based in Seattle
called the National Bureau of Asian Research. It is much smaller than a normal
think tank, and operates on an outsourcing model of scholarship. Rather having
a stable group of in-house scholars to publish articles and pieces, the NBR has
the bulk of its research done by outside scholars from around the world. This
gives its publications a broader and more global perspective, rather than a
specific niche in the spectrum of think tanks.
So what was my role? I was a Research and Operations intern,
reporting directly to the Vice President of Research and Operations. I did a
little bit of everything: I researched potential topics for roundtables and
other pieces, found scholars who could contribute to a specific piece, answered
phone calls at the front desk, and helped with events held by the NBR. I also
generated various ways to visualize data from the NBR's online database of
metrics from different states, culminating in some final designs that may be
implemented on a permanent basis. Lastly, I provided research and editorial
assistance to the Vice President whenever he would write pieces for publication.
Overall, the experience taught me a lot about how a think
tank operates on a day-to-day basis, even a slightly unorthodox one. I would
recommend this internship for people who want this experience, or who want to
see the kind of work required in a serious policy environment.
My second internship was with another policy shop, the Center for Political and Military Analysis at
the Hudson Institute. The Hudson is based in D.C., but one of their researchers
runs a non-resident research internship. Essentially, you select or are given a
topic to research, and then you are responsible for producing a 25-30 page
research paper by a deadline. If your work is used by the Hudson, you will be
credited accordingly. The topics available for me to choose from were very
diverse, and anyone with an interest in security, proliferation, or military
issues would have a bevy of topics to choose from.
This internship was
great for me because it exposed me to a standard of professional research and
writing that is not grade dependent. Either my work was good enough, or it
wasn't. My research and writing skills grew a lot through this process, and I
received good feedback from my superior.
Balancing both
internships was a challenge, and there were times where I thought I would have
to sacrifice one or the other. But, as so often happens, when we push our
limits, we can discover some surprising results. I made it through both
internships with nary a scratch, and I am much the better for it.
If you'd like to
learn more about these think tanks or their internships, you can visit their
websites here:
http://nbr.org/
https://www.hudson.org/learn/index.cfm?fuseaction=internship_home
(Look under "Center for Political-Military Analysis Interns)
Best Wishes and Good Luck,
Allen Smith
