Wellesley Signature Internships

Yangkyi Lhatso '17
Yangkyi Lhatso '17, EduCARE India, Microfinance Project Manager

Signature Internships

Wellesley-funded summer internships with employer partners around the world.

Wellesley Career Education offers dozens of Signature Internships in four different program areas. To explore the opportunities in each area, please click on the program links below. (To view all the available internships in one document, use this List of Signature Internships.) Apply for all Summer 2024 Signature Internships during the FALL Application Cycle (Oct. 1 - Nov. 1).  A limited number of sites are open for the SPRING Application Cycle (Feb. 1 - March 1). The sites include:

American Cities: 70 Faces Media, BMC Rooftop Farm, CitySprouts, Future Chefs, Jewish Women's Archives, Keseb, St. Stephen's Youth Programs (Academic Intern only), and YMCA East Bay, Head Start

Global Citizenship: Asian Rural Institute, Center for Cross-Cultural Learning, Observer Research Foundation, Roots of Health, and VIDYA

Lumpkin: EMPath, Family Aid Boston, YW Boston (these sites are open to both sophomores AND juniors)

 

 

 

 

American Cities: Internships in diverse urban U.S. communities like Chicago, IL & Oakland, CA.

Biomedical Research & Health: Internships in preeminent hospitals and research labs in Boston and Chicago.

Global Citizenship: Internships with international public, private, and non-governmental partners.

Lumpkin Service: Internships with nonprofit organizations in the Boston area.

 

 

Apply in Workday

February 1 - March 1, 2024 by 5 pm EST

*Note: Students can apply for up to 2 SIGNATURE INTERNSHIPS
but must submit a separate application in Workday for each one.

Click HERE for Application Tips and Guidelines
 
Click HERE for Instructions About How to Apply in Workday

Eligibility

  • Students can apply for up to two Signature Internships regardless of the program area, but they must submit two distinct applications in Workday.
  • Sophomores and Juniors are eligible to apply. However, please check the List of Signature Internships as some employers specify preferences for class year, language/academic skills, or current place of residency.
  • Applicants must be enrolled in the College for the Spring and Fall 2024 terms or in a study abroad program. Exchange program students from other institutions are not eligible. 
  • International students are welcome and encouraged to apply but will need to obtain Curricular Practical Training (CPT) authorization through Slater if interning in the U.S.
  • There are no minimum GPA requirements but students must be in good academic and social standing with no past honor code violations.

Funding Amount

  • Most Signature Internships award students $5,000 which the College distributes in two separate installments via Workday: $4,500 in mid-June and $500 in September. International students may have to pay taxes on this funding—please check our FAQs for more information.
  • A few select Signature Internships offer housing. For those placements, the Wellesley award is reduced to $3,500 and distributed in two separate installments via Workday: $3,000 in mid-June and $500 in September. [Signature Internships that include housing include: Observer Research Foundation (Mumbai, India), Center for Cross-Cultural Learning (Rabat, Morocco), Vieques Conservation & Historical Trust (Puerto Rico), Asian Rural Institute (Nasushiobara, Japan), and all placements in the Lumpkin Program.]

Internship Commitment

In order to receive the full stipend award, the participating intern must:

  • Work a minimum of 8 weeks/300 hours in the summer.
  • Complete all the Career Education Summer Internship Pathway exercises by the Career Education deadlines (e.g., Pre-internship Paperwork, Goal Setting, Surveys, Reflections, advisor meetings).
  • Agree to make the Signature Internship their only job responsibility during the designated internship weeks. 

*IMPORTANT NOTE: Students are not permitted to accept any other full-time or part-time positions or enroll in any summer courses (virtual or otherwise) that would coincide with internship program dates. (Some exceptions may apply; Students should discuss specifics with the Internships Team at internships@wellesley.edu.) 

Internship Credit

All students in Signature Internships are also automatically pre-approved for non-academic summer internship credit and do not need to apply for it separately.

Students can decide whether they want this credit to appear on their transcript as an internship or research experience (INT 101 or RES 101). For more information, please see our FAQS.

To earn internship credit, students must complete all Summer Internship Pathway assignments by the Career Education deadlines. Students who do not complete their internship or the Summer Internship Pathway exercises in full will not receive their final stipend of $500 or the internship credit, and they may be reported to the Honor Code Committee.

Application Requirements, Tips, & Resources

Students can apply for up to two Signature Internships but they must submit two distinct applications in Workday. For each application, a student must submit the following documents in PDF format in Workday. Please name each document in this format: YourName_DocumentType (e.g., HildaSuarez_CoverLetter). 

Keep in mind that Signature Internships are competitive so be sure to submit your strongest application. Start early and consult THIS Application Checklist for tips and resources or schedule an appointment with an advisor in Career Education (via Handshake). You can also sign up for a Preliminary Application Review with an advisor in Handshake (DATES coming soon!). Appointments open in early October. (Select "Application Preliminary Review" under the "Wellesley-Sponsored Internships and Grants" category once you sign in.)

☐ Two Short-Answer Questions
Answer each question separately in no more than one page (in total for both questions) in a single PDF. Margins of at least 1”. Single-spaced with minimum 11-point font in Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman. Respond to the questions below:

  • Career Motivation/Exploration: Which Signature Internship opportunity will you be pursuing and why? How will this opportunity align with your interests and career goals to help you grow? How do you envision contributing to your proposed opportunity? 
  • Academic Preparation: What have you learned already that you can build on and apply to this opportunity? While your answer should focus on academic preparation, you are welcome to mention other relevant extracurricular or volunteer experiences.

Cover Letter addressed to organizational contact on this List of Signature Internships.

Resume

Any additional documents required by the employer per this List of Signature Internships (e.g., Unofficial Transcript, Writing Sample).

Application Selection Process

Signature Internships award nominations are based on the quality of a student’s application materials and the needs of our Signature Internship employers, not on a student’s financial need. Our nomination process also prioritizes students who have not previously received summer funding from the College.  

Wellesley’s Career Education staff review and individually score ALL SUBMITTED APPLICATION MATERIALS to identify the strongest applicants and make nominations (typically 3-5 nominees per placement). Nomination decisions will be communicated to applicants by December 1. 

Students who proceed with this nomination are asked to be 100% committed to this opportunity if selected by the placement site. We certainly encourage students to explore other summer internship possibilities, but if selected, we expect students to prioritize their Signature Programs offer over other offers or pending applications. We ask for this commitment out of fairness to fellow students who would have been nominated if space had been available; it also helps us maintain positive partnerships with host organizations. 

Once nominated, Career Education sends submitted COVER LETTERS and RESUMES to each employer partner who will then review materials, conduct interviews, and select their final intern candidate(s). Wellesley Career Education will communicate final employer decisions to students in mid-January (fall applicants). Spring applicants will likely hear results in late April.

FAQs

Still have questions? Check out our FAQs or contact us at internships@wellesley.edu.

 

Resume Workshops

Join these interactive workshops to strengthen your resume content and accomplishment statements (or start your resume from scratch!) and learn more about the Career Education resume guidelines. 

Tues., Feb. 20 @ 2 pm, Science Center L220 Register HERE in Handshake

 

Cover Letter Basics Workshops

Whether you've never written a cover letter before, or you have some but would like to strengthen them, this workshop will help you get tips on how to write a strong and persuasive cover letter! 

Thurs., Feb. 22 @ 8 pm, Lulu 415 Register HERE in Handshake

Application Work Parties 

Revise your resume, cover letter, and short-answer questions with your Wellesley sibs and advisors to help! No question is too small, no draft too rough—bring them all!

 

Mailing List

For email reminders and application tips throughout the College's Fall/Spring internship application cycles, please sign up for our Internships Mailing List

 

Application Preliminary Reviews

Looking for application feedback? Sign up for a 30-minute Application Preliminary Review with a Career Ed staff Member. Spring application reviews can be scheduled on one of the days offered (Feb. 20-23, 26). Sign up in Handshake. (Select “Application Preliminary Review” under the “Wellesley-Sponsored Internships and Grants” category once you sign in).