The Endless Opportunties of DC ‘Registration’
Written by Aubrey Neal
As the 2013 calendar year comes to close, many of us, the Hillsdale college students out there, have already chosen our fates for next semester through online registration for classes. For a few of us, however, registration was only half of the planning for the rest of the academic year; students participating in the Washington-Hillsdale Internship Program (WHIP) are still waiting with bated breath for acceptance notifications from possible internship locations.
Unlike our regular course load of between 12 and 17 credits divided up between academic and extra-curricular courses, WHIP-sters are required to take on 15 credits: 6 credits from two academic classes, which are taught at the Kirby Center by Hillsdale College faculty, and 9 credits through their full-time internship positions at various DC locations. The combination of the two provides all who venture over to DC a special, skill-developing experience that is catered to specific professional goals.
No matter your major or your interest, you can join the ranks of Hillsdale students studying ‘abroad’ in DC and apply for a semester or summer of WHIP during your upperclassman years on the Michigan campus. Past students have interned everywhere from The Smithsonian Institute to the Department of Defense, while taking courses such as American National Security Studies taught by Dr. Lowry, adjunct fellow of the Kirby Center. The hands-on experiences, paired with the academic courses, make WHIP quite an opportunity. For our peers who are currently packing their bags for the spring, class options included, but were not limited to: The U.S. and the World since WWII; Naturalism and Modernism, 1890-Present; Intro to Philosophy; and Religion in American Life.
Although the arrival of registration signals the coming end of the current semester and the defining characteristics of the next, registration only outlined an element of experiences to come for the 22 of our Hillsdalian crowd who are participating in WHIP starting in January. As the Skype interviews dwindle and the email letters of acceptance are received, the future interns are realizing that DC is built of doors of opportunity, and all they must do is grasp on a handle.
Before any doors can be opened, though, term papers must be written, and books upon books must be read. After all, it is still Hillsdale.
If you were participating in WHIP next semester, what classes would you like to see offered? What internship would you try to capture? Comment below.
Learn more about the Washington-Hillsdale Internship Program.
Aubrey Neal is a junior at Hillsdale College, majoring in Political Economy. She is currently a participant in the Washington-Hillsdale Internship Program, interning in the public policy department at FreedomWorks. Originally from the mountains of Northern Idaho, Aubrey is excited to share her numerous new experiences and opportunities from the capitol with Hillsdale and its supporters.