Internships and academic seminars

The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars is a nonprofit educational organization located in Washington, D.C. It provides an integrated academic and work experience that prepares college students and professionals for lives of achievement and civic engagement. The Flemish government donates each year a number of scholarships to participate in the Washington Center Internship Program for a period of 15 weeks.

Offer

An opportunity for VUB students to do an internship and follow academic seminars at the Washington Center in Washington D.C. (United States of America).

The exchange covers the following disciplines: arts, business and management, global trade, information technology, media and communication, international relations, law and criminology, political sciences.

The programme is based on the following components:

  • Internship: Students will be placed in an internship with an organization that fits their interests and the skills they possess and hope to learn. Students intern 4 days a week.
  • Academic Course: Each student will be required to complete one academic course during the semester. All courses meet for three hours one night a week and are led by highly qualified faculty members.
  • The LEAD Colloquium: This includes student attendance at the programme events, Public Policy Dialogues, Civic Engagement Project, panel discussions, networking events, site visits, tours, briefings, and other activities. The purpose of the LEAD Colloquium is to help students better understand the world of the US capital - its people and institutions, the issues debated, and the potential impact of these endeavours on the students' future lives as professionals and citizens.
  • Student Portfolio: Each student will be required to produce a compilation of documents that chronicles and summarizes the learning experience during the time with The Washington Center. The portfolio assignments are designed to encourage thought and reflection from students on their accomplishments over the course of the programme. Portfolio assignments include a goal statement in which students outline what they hope to accomplish from the semester, reflective assignments meant to help students think more deeply about what they are learning from their internships and programming, samples of the work they accomplish captured through a weekly journal, and a final writing assignment in which students write a letter in defense of their internship and how it contributes to their ultimate personal and career goals.

More information can be found on http://www.twc.edu

Eligibility

  • The exchange covers the following disciplines: arts, business and management, global trade, information technology, media and communication, international relations, law and criminology, political sciences.
  • You have to be enrolled at VUB  during the academic year of exchange
  • GPA of minimum 3 on a 4.0 scale (https://www.oecd.org/careers/young-associate-programme/yap_gpa_guideline...)
  • Your exchange coordinator has to award you 30 ECTS for this programme.
 
Duration

15 weeks during the first semester of the academic year 2022-2023.

Start

First semester (USA)

Deadline of application

The call has been launched by the Vlaamse Universiteiten en Hogescholen Raad (VLUHR), and information has been sent to the exchange coordinators and the students who indicated that they were interested. The internal deadline is mentioned in this notice. The application deadline for exchanges in 2022-2023 is 25 February 2022 (5pm Brussels time).

Grant

The department of Education and Training of the Flemish government, awards 12 grants of around €9,000 each.

For students receiving a Flemish study allowance the total grant amount is 12,000 EUR. The grant is a one time pay-off. The costs for the TWC program for one semester in the academic year 2021-2022 are:

  • Programme fee: $7,998
  • Housing fee: $5,600
  • Application fee: $125

Other costs that participating students will have to include:

  • The State Department J-1 visa SEVIS fee: $220
  • The US Consulate J-1 visa application fee: $160
  • Health insurance with international short-term coverage (estimated monthly: $50)
  • Airfare
  • Living expenses (estimated weekly: $200)

Procedure

The application form is distributed through the exchange coordinators and can be obtained from the International Relations Office (IRMO) (international.relations@vub.be). Applicants must submit:

  1. Application Form
  2. Curriculum Vitae
  3. Motivation letter
  4. Transcript of records of previous years and of the 1st semester of the ongoing academic year
  5. Copy of passport
  6. Written approval from the Exchange Coordinator

IRMO will send the applications for selection to the secretariat of the Vlaamse Universiteiten en Hogescholenraad (VLUHR). VUB has to apply on behalf of the applicants!

Selection

Selection is done by an international selection committee, in cooperation with the Flemish Ministry of Education and Training and is based on the quality of the motivation, academic results, quality of the CV, the profile of the candidate.

After the selection by the Flemish selection committee, selected students will have to complete the application on the TWC website.

Communication of the selection results

The Department of Education and Training of the Flemish Government communicates the selection results to the student and the International Office of VUB. The selected students will receive all information about the further steps to take from the secretariat of the Vlaamse Universiteiten en Hogescholen Raad (VLUHR) and from the secretariat of The Washington center.

Coordinating organization and funding
  • Coordinating organization: the Washington Center programme: www.twc.edu/ and VLUHR.
  • Funding: The Flemish Ministry of Education and Training
Service provided by IRMO

Applications should be directed to the International Relations Office of VUB (IRMO). IRMO is the liaison with  the secretariat of the Vlaamse Universiteiten en Hogescholen Raad (VLUHR).

Additional information

www.twc.edu or exchange.outgoing@vub.be