The Washington Center

Important Message - The Washington Center has announced funding for paid internships in D.C. for the Fall 2009 semester. The deadline for applying is Tuesday, August 4th. For more information, click on this link to the detailed announcement. If you have further questions, contact the CACL Internship Coordinator by phone at 336-316-2187 or by email.

About The Washington Center (TWC)

Guilford College is affiliated with The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars in Washington, D.C. Eligible students can attend TWC's semester or summer term program, complete a full-time internship tailored to their individual interests, take an academic course of their choice, and receive academic credit for their work. Excellent placements are available in the government, nonprofit organizations, and corporations -- as well as numerous international organizations. Many students are able to attend The Washington Center at a cost comparable to what they'd spend on campus for the same period.

Guilford students from widely different majors have done internships through The Washington Center at a variety of sites. Recent examples include an Art major who did a photography internship with the Smithsonian; a History major at NAFTA; a PECS major at ACLU's national office; an Economic major at APCO Worldwide; a Political Science major at Grameen.

Additional info can be found at TWC's website at www.twc.edu.

TWC logo

 

Policies and Procedures for TWC

A Guide for Students

Guilford College has a partnership with The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars (TWC). Guilford's Internship Coordinator/Vocational Counselor serves the campus liaison to TWC. Students must contact the Internship Coordinator before applying to the program at TWC. Students seeking information on Guilford's fees related to a semester at TWC should contact the Business Office. 

Procedures:

  1. Obtain a current TWC Viewbook from Career & Community Learning or go on-line to learn about The Washington Center program.
  2. Make separate appointments with your academic advisor and the Internship Coordinator/Vocational Counselor to discuss your desire to study at TWC. Each fall and spring, a representative from TWC is on campus to talk with interested students.
  3. Complete the application either on-line (Link: TWC Future Students) or utilizing the paper application included in the Viewbook.
  4. Bring a copy of you completed application to the Internship Coordinator/Vocational Counselor. Applications to TWC cannot be approved until a copy is on file.  

Once you have been accepted to TWC:

  1. Ask a faculty member in the department in which you wish to earn credit to be your faculty sponsor for the internship portion of your course of study. Students should plan carefully with their advisors before designating the department to which credit will be applied. Students must identify a faculty sponsor who agrees to receive information about their work from TWC. The faculty sponsor must be in the department where the student will receive credit.
  2. Fill out the abbreviated TWC/SAB Internship registration form. Obtain the required signatures and return to the Internship Coordinator/Vocational Counselor.
  3. Contact the Registrar's Office and register for your coursework at TWC. For registration info, see the section titled "The Registrar" (below).
  4. Contact the business office and settle your account with them. For program cost info, see the section titled, "The Business Office" (below).

Once you arrive at TWC:

It is very important that you submit an early grade request form at the beginning of the term in order to make sure that your Guilford faculty sponsor receives your grade recommendation before exams end at Guilford. If you do not request an early grade submission with TWC, your final grades will not post until after the semester has ended.

dc intern

 

The Registrar

Fall/Spring/Summer
Typically Guilford students receive 12 credits, 8 credits for the internship and 4 credits for the TWC Seminar. A student may earn an additional 4 credits (making a total of 16) by registering for an independent study, although this is strongly discouraged due to the full-time work involved in the internship. This requires an independent study proposal before the semester starts and a Guilford faculty sponsor to supervise the project.

Students register for a GST 450 or PSC 450 class called The Washington Center. This is credit for the weekly seminar offered at TWC. Students also register for an 8-credit 390 internship that is listed as PSC 390. It should be noted, however, this credit may be awarded in a variety of departments depending on the student's major and the nature of the internship work. Guilford faculty sponsors assign grades based on evaluations from TWC faculty. The TWC/SAB internship registration form should indicate the department in which credit is desired.

The Business Office

Fall/Spring
TWC will bill Guilford College for their program costs. A student attending one of these programs will pay the Guilford Business office the current cost of Guilford's tuition. Any financial aid received as a Guilford College student will apply to the semester at TWC.

Summer
Guilford College uses the cost of TWC to determine the price students will pay to attend the summer program. Students pay Guilford the cost of the program's summer fees plus an additional twenty percent of the program fee. This fee will be a minimum of $1,000.