Washington Wintersession Program

Wintersession in Washington - not offered in Jan 2013 due to inaugural year - stay tuned for 2014!

Last year's program information:
January 8 - 20, 2012

The Political Science Department, the Washington Alumnae Club, and the Political Science Majors’ Council are proud to present the 2012 Wintersession in Washington program. This is a fantastic opportunity for students interested in politics, public policy, alumnae networking, and a possible career in Washington, DC. Participants will leave with a thorough understanding of Washington, DC, its workings, pace, and unique character, as well as, contacts for jobs when you graduate.

This program will acquaint students with Washington, DC through introductions and talks with notable DC figures, including many Wellesley alumnae. Last year’s program, for example, included visits to the White House, Congress, the Education and Labor Departments, the World Bank, and the Supreme Court, plus a “shadow day” that matched participants with alums working in public service in DC. The program will be directed in Washington by Julie Donnelly, who has served as a professor of American politics and as class dean at Wellesley College.  Students will live together in a hotel room on Capitol Hill, participate in events and visits throughout the week, and will have their weekends free to explore the city.

Wellesley College sophomores, juniors and seniors are eligible to apply for the Wintersession in Washington Program. Up to 20 students will be accepted. The cost of the program is $1800, but students on financial aid will receive a stipend to help cover their costs.  The price includes lodging, food and transportation expenses within DC as well as a flight back to Wellesley. (It does not, however, include transportation to DC.) The program is not for academic credit.

In a survey of students who participated in last year’s Wintersession Program, 86% said they would “strongly recommend” it to other students (the others all said they would “recommend” it).  Here are some of the things students last year wrote about their experiences:

I absolutely LOVED this program, I had a great time and got to experience things I never would have without this. I meet so many great people, from alums to fellow students, and learned so many interesting things about careers and work I am interested in.

I loved getting to know DC. I honestly learned more about American politics than I ever did from formal schooling. I came into this program not really knowing much about political science or law and I left DC with a wealth of knowledge...Alums were very willing to answer questions and were eager to hear back from us. It opened doors for a few of my peers and it encouraged me to look into the possibility of going back to DC.

Overall this program was amazing! It is a great learning and networking opportunity. It was a really diverse program in terms of race, ethnicity, job interest, experience etc.

I was really humbled and inspired by how hard the alums work and how much they really wanted to help younger students in spite of their hectic schedules.

I think this program is an invaluable opportunity for Wellesley women. Not everyone can do Wellesley in Washington, and this program offers Wellesley students another way to be exposed to the political culture of Washington, DC...I think that programs like this create bonds even stronger than women helping women...there are actually different "generations" of WIW alums that add a powerful element to networking. I went on an interview when I was in DC, and during the interview the employer said...we actually have a Wellesley alum working right now, would you like to speak with her? It turns out that she had done WIW, and that she had had her Shadow Day at this firm, and after WIW she interviewed and came back to work. If I get the job there, that will be three "generations" of people somehow involved with WIW. I think that's pretty incredible.

This program is truly one of the Wellesley experiences that I feel is invaluable. It's not an internship or anything long-term, but it is so "Wellesley" in that we get to meet people who are passionate about what they do and sincerely want to help us.

My shadow day was fabulous! I stayed with the alum almost all day from 9am to 4pm. The alum invited me to a meeting where this foundation was deciding how to continue the allocation for funds and programs for the next 10 years. It was a great opportunity to be able to see how different careers come together in governmental environments

...because of the WIW program in general most of us believe a lot more in the W Network that Wellesley is always going on about...

I think many people left the program changed or inspired...