Fresh from the Fountain
Undergraduate Program Office
609-258-4861
spiaugrd@princeton.edu
Fresh From the Fountain is a continuously updated webpage where the most up-to-date events and opportunities for SPIA Undergraduate students are posted. We encourage all current and prospective SPIA students to keep this page saved and refer to it regularly to keep up with all that is going on within SPIA as well as related departments at Princeton and beyond. Please Note: Posts will be listed as they become available and will be sorted with the soonest deadline first.
PSU Research Internship Opportunities
Research internship opportunities are now available for students currently enrolled in, or accepted and about to enroll in, a Master’s program in Economics, Public Policy, Statistics, Communications, or a similar area of specialization. The application deadline is Friday, 27 December 2024. For more information and to apply, please visit the APEC website or view this linked pdf.
Pace Center Summer Service Internship Application
Check out the Pace Center’s Summer Service Internships page for all you need to know about application deadlines and how to apply. There are 300+ internships, and just one common app to submit. We hope you find something that’s just right for you! Deadline: January, 8 2025
Any questions, reach out to:
- Rose Holton (rholton@princeton.edu) about PICS
- Matt Lynn (mlynn@princeton.edu) about:
- John C. Bogle ‘51 Fellowship in Civic Service
- Nancy Weiss Malkiel Fellowship
- Projects for Peace
- Jenny Wagner (jenny.wagner@princeton.edu) about Princeton RISE
Stanford Center for Asian Health Research and Education (CARE)
Applications for the Stanford CARE Scholars Program are now open! The Stanford CARE Scholars Program is a year-long, virtual research program anchored by a 9-week summer research immersion, focused on training the next generation of leaders in Asian health research. CARE Scholars have the unique opportunity to collaborate with esteemed Stanford faculty, elevate their research skills, identify problems/solutions in vulnerable populations, and publish and present their findings. For application information and to learn more, please visit the Stanford CARE Scholars Program website. Deadline: January 10, 2025
Summer 2025 Faith-Based Internship Program
The Faith Based Internship Program provides Internships for secular, religious, and seeking students. For the past few years, the Office of Religious Life has sponsored 8-week Faith-Based Internships for students to grow vocationally as they develop relationships with mentors, learn how to serve the communities they work with, and reflect on the meaning of their work. The internship program is opened to Princeton University First-years, Sophomores, and Juniors. View the full catalogue of internship opportunities here. Students can apply here, applications are due January 13, 2025.
2025 Rangel International Affairs Summer Enrichment Program
This six-week summer program is designed to provide undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds with a strong foundation to understand current issues and trends in international affairs, career opportunities in international affairs, and the skills needed to pursue these careers. The 15 SEP participants live in Howard University dorms, attend classes in economics and U.S. foreign policy, participate in an intensive, non-credit bearing writing seminar, and engage in multiple activities and site visits with foreign affairs professionals. The program covers the costs of tuition, travel, housing and two meals a day, and provides a stipend as well. The program focuses heavily on Foreign Service and Civil Service career opportunities with the Department of State. Deadline: Wednesday, Feb. 5
CERP Summer Internship Program
The Center for Economic Policy Research (CERP) welcomes applications Princeton University students to do summer internships at CERP’s headquarters in Lahore, Pakistan. CERP has an ongoing research collaboration with SPIA’s Julis-Rabinowitz Center for Public Policy & Finance. This summer internship program is a unique opportunity for Princeton’s MPA, MPP and undergraduate students who are interested in international development, development economics, research, and policy analysis to get on the ground experience in Pakistan. CERP’s projects are led by leading development economists from universities in Pakistan, the US, and the UK. Interns will be matched with different projects and research programs at CERP. More information: Internships at CERP (video)
More information and how to apply, linked here. Deadline: March 3, 2025
Professor Assistant Needed
Professor Zelizer is seeking an assistant for a weekly radio show that he hosts. The candidate will need to be available on Thursday afternoons to provide some short research six/seven guests who Prof. Zelizer will be interviewing. If you are interested, please contact Professor Zelizer at jzelizer@princeton.edu. Include a short note explaining why you are interested in the work and any relevant experience. The pay rate will be $18/hour. Deadline: Open Until Filled
Work For America - Summer Associate Position
Work for America (WFA) is a new non profit initiative dedicated to addressing the critical staffing shortages within state and local governments across the US. As a summer associate reporting to the Chief Program Officer at WFA, you will be instrumental in supporting our efforts to tackle staffing shortages within state and local governments across the US. If you are interested please apply through the following link. Deadline: Rolling
Heu Learning - Volunteer Opportunities
Heu is a nonprofit organization devoted to dramatically increasing the supply of effective in-person English instruction for adults. We help community organizations like libraries, after-school programs, and church basements adopt standard operating models of English as a second language (ESL) instruction to launch effective and sustainable programs. These standard operating procedures center around software platforms that centralize and streamline all of the tasks necessary to lead one of these programs, and deliver a blended learning curriculum used inside the classroom.
Volunteer Opportunities:
Heu Learning is seeking volunteers (15+ hours/week) to perform one of three tasks:
- Assist distribution efforts (communicating with and supporting the launch of 7 new ESL programs this spring)
- Software Development (assisting in the development of the administrator, instructor, or learner platforms; proficiency in React required)
- Launching a program (helping to launch at one of the 7 new sites: Princeton, Columbia, NYU, Fordham, Tulane, UMiami, Duke)
City of Chicago Department of Law - Internship Opportunity
Law students, law graduates, and lawyers have many opportunities for meaningful involvement in the important work of the Department of Law as legal externs, law clerks, summer program participants, post-graduate fellows, and lawyers. Participants gain invaluable hands-on legal experience by working on complex and diverse projects with Law Department attorneys. They participate in negotiations and Client advising meetings, conduct research and analysis to draft dispositive motions on constitutional or procedural issues of law, and - utilizing an Illinois Supreme Court Rule 711 license - appear on behalf of the City in Court or before Administrative Tribunals. More information and how to apply, linked here. Deadline: Rolling
Research Assistant Position - Prof. Titiunik's Project "Measuring Charisma of Politicians"
Professor Rocio Titiunik is seeking applications for paid research assistant (RA) positions for a project on politician charisma. The project's goal is to produce a quantitative measure of politicians’ charisma using text from newspapers and other sources. The RA’s primary task will be (i) careful reading and labeling of texts according to whether the texts are charismatic or non-charismatic based on our definition of charisma, and (ii) subsequent recording of that information on spreadsheets. The RA’s will be working under the supervision of Professor Titiunik and Postdoctoral Research Associate, Dr. Francesca Tang. RA’s must be detail-oriented, careful, and thorough. Politics or SPIA majors are preferred but others are welcome as well. Applicants should be available to work at least 5 hours/week, starting soon. Hourly rate: $18/hour for undergraduate students. Interested candidates should send an email with their transcript and CV to Dr. Francesca Tang (frtang@princeton.edu). For any questions, please also contact Francesca. Deadline: Open Until Filled
Princeton Afghanistan Policy Lab (APL) Volunteer Opportunity
The APL is now accepting student volunteers for the 2024-25 academic year. We are looking for students with an interest in Humanitarian aid, Girls Education and Women's Rights, Civic Space/Freedom of Speech, and National Healing/Reconciliation. Deadline: Rolling
Internships and Post BA Opportunities
The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory recruits for a variety of roles as interns and post-bachelors research assistants. Positions range from energy and climate to national security to data analytics to computing and information systems. Positions in both Washington State and the Washington DC area. Deadlines: Vary
Summer 2025 Paid Research Internships with the St. Louis Federal Reserve
The St. Louis Fed Research Division provides high-quality, timely advice to the Bank’s president about monetary policy and banking issues. Working with the Division’s economists, research associates (RAs) help to produce and communicate important economic research in areas such as macroeconomics, international economics, and regional economics. RAs should be adept at collecting and organizing data from a variety of sources. They also know how to use key software packages to perform statistical, econometric, and computational research. Deadlines: Vary
Unified Site for All State Department Fellowships and Internships
If your students are seeking a substantive internship or fellowship supporting US foreign policy, the State Department has an aggregated website for opportunities. Opportunities are for a wide range of majors (from STEM to social sciences to the arts). They are in person and online.
World Food Programme Internships with Stipend
The World Food Programme offers internships to currently enrolled university students or those who graduated in the last six months. Candidates must have completed at least 2 years of undergraduate studies and have a working knowledge of English (other UN languages a plus). Open to citizens of WFP member countries. Internships normally last between two and eight months. WFP contributes a stipend that is connected to the specific duty station (maximum amount is US$1,000 per month). Interns must pay for and organize travel and accommodation arrangements; however, WFP will reimburse travel tickets for candidates who are nationals of developing countries and are pursuing their studies in their home country. Locations vary. Deadline: Vary per opportunity
Finance Interview Prep Workshop
January 22 and January 23 @ 1:30 – 5:30 pm
Location: TBA
RSVP Link
SPIA students are invited to apply for the Finance Interview Prep Workshop scheduled for Wednesday, January 22nd to Thursday, January 23rd from 1:30 – 5:30 pm (ET). Students who apply and are confirmed to attend, must attend both days. The workshop is sponsored by the Julis-Rabinowitz Center for Public Policy & Finance (JRCPPF) and the Bendheim Center for Finance. This workshop is geared to students pursuing opportunities in finance, banking, public finance, financial regulation, economic development, or in the Federal Reserve system. It shows students headed into recruitment how to effectively answer common finance interview questions, covering basic accounting, financial statements analysis, valuation analysis, cash flow analysis, and interview best practices and tips. All workshop participants will have a 12-month post-seminar access to a Support Team, whom participants can contact with any content-related questions, and access to the Ultimate Guide to Technical Finance Interview online course and accompanying Technical Finance Question Bank.
Prerequisite: In addition to the in-person training, which is modeling-intensive, prior to the workshop students are expected to complete a structured 3-5 hour, online course on core Excel functionality. To apply, please complete the Google Form by January 6.
Virtual Volunteer Opportunities with the United Nations
For students and alumni who still want to gain experience while they cannot leave home, the UN Online Volunteer Corps may be helpful. Online volunteering allows organizations and volunteers to team up to address sustainable development challenges – anywhere in the world, from any device.
More information and how to apply, linked here.
Virtual Student Federal Service
The Virtual Student Federal Service connects the talents of U.S. citizen college students with the needs of federal agencies. Since 2009, more than 10,000 remote interns have advanced the work of the federal government. The time commitment is about 10 hours per week during the school year. There are opportunities for all, from data visualization to political analysis. Internships are paid but may be eligible for course credit.
More information and how to apply are linked here.
Princeton Experimental Laboratory (PExL) for Social Sciences
PExL is open for registration at pexl.lab.run. Why register? Because your participation will earn you cash (about $25 an hour), because you’ll take part in frontier science, and because you might have fun—most experiments will allow you to strategize in computer-based interactions. If you have any questions, please contact us at pexl@princeton.edu.
Stokes Library - Viz Hub Fall 2024 Workshop Schedule
The Stokes Visualization Hub is a space and service, that responds to the evolving digital research, data visualization, and qualitative analysis needs of the Princeton Students and Faculty, with a focus on SPIA and the related social sciences. Workshops will cover a variety of topics including Zotero, R, Excel, Data Visualization and more. Please visit the website for workshop details and dates.
USAJOBS Career Explorer
The USAJOBS Career Explorer helps job seekers find occupations in the federal government that align with their career interests. Job seekers answer a series of questions that result in a matched list of federal occupational series. The list offers explanations of jobs in plain language and links to relevant open job announcements. The Career Explorer covers over 300 occupations in the General Schedule and Wage Grade pay scale.
Early Career Page
The Early Career Page is a central hub of information and resources for students, recent graduates and non-college degree seeking individuals who are early in their career. Information on the page includes the benefits of working for the federal government, tips to navigate the federal application process and best practices for federal resumes. The page also links to the Federal Internship Portal and the Recent Graduate Portal to easily connect page visitors to these early career jobs.
Federal Internship Finder
This resource—part of GoGovernment.org—houses nearly 1,000 federal opportunities and had nearly 90,000 visits in its first year. We recently added two new search filters to the finder to make this tool even more effective for you and your students.
Practice Foreign Service Officer Test
The State Department offers a practice Foreign Service Officer Test (FSOT). The purpose of the practice FSOT is to provide a realistic preview of the computer-based FSOT and an estimate of the likelihood of passing.
Google Interview WarmUp
DYK Google has a tool that lets students practice interview responses, get AI-generated insights into their answers, and get more comfortable interviewing for select fields.
Advice on Quality Letters of Recommendation
Letters of Recommendation provide valuable insights into a candidate. If students are struggling to figure out how to secure the "right" letters, here is a piece I wrote with 5 Tips for a Quality Letter of Recommendation. Printable copy linked here
Unified Site for All State Department Fellowships and Internships
If your students are seeking a substantive internship or fellowship supporting US foreign policy,the State Department has an aggregated website or opportunities. Opportunities are for a wide range of majors (from STEM to social sciences to the arts). They are in person and online.
Siegel Public Interest Technology Summer Fellowship
Elevate your academic journey this summer with Princeton University’s distinguished fellowship program. Foster intellectual growth and join a community of scholars dedicated to excellence. Siegel PIT SF program is aimed at rising juniors and seniors interested in getting first-hand experience working on technology policy at the federal, state, and local level. We select between 16 and 20 students to participate each summer in the paid fellowship. The program accepts applications from students at Princeton University, as well as any university in the United States. You can participate in the fellowship in three different ways:
1) Students will be placed with a government agency.
2) Students will be placed with a nonprofit organization working on tech policy issues.
3) Students can secure their own internship independently.
Deadline: January 5, 2025
Govern for America - Fellowship
The GFA Fellowship is a two-year paid opportunity for recent graduates to serve in high-impact roles in governments across the country as a part of a diverse community of engaged leaders. Our program is a direct-apply program, which means that we do not reserve slots for universities and we do not select Fellows based on nomination or recommendation. Deadline: January 12, 2025
Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Postgraduate Fellowship
Are you interested in working to impact policy on Capitol Hill after completing your graduate studies? The CHCI Postgraduate Fellowship Program offers Latino leaders the opportunity to draw connections between their graduate field of study and public policy. This paid nine-month fellowship will allow you to spend four days a week working on Capitol Hill, obtain unparalleled work experience, and gain exposure to the legislative process. Learn more about our application process on our website, or attend one of our upcoming info sessions to discover how to make your application stand out. Apply here! Register for the information session here.
Nuclear Security Junior Fellow - MIT
The Center for Nuclear Security Policy (CNSP) at MIT is seeking Nuclear Security Junior Fellows to serve as research assistants for faculty, researchers, and fellows on topics related to nuclear security. Fellows will report to the director of the Center for Nuclear Security Policy. Recent college graduates who are interested in nuclear security are encouraged to apply to this 1-yr program, which would begin fall 2025, includes MIT benefits and can be renewed for a second year. This is an ideal position for someone interested in gaining research experience in political science with an interest in nuclear security before pursuing graduate education. A full job description is available here. Deadline: Open until filled
P*Law Undergraduate Scholars (PLUS)
The P*LAW Undergraduate Scholars (PLUS) program offers Princeton undergraduates opportunities to engage with P*LAW faculty and staff via special programming for law-interested undergraduates. You will also be eligible to receive funding to support participation in legal research. Students who join the PLUS cohort commit to the following :
- Attending two of P*LAW’s events each academic year
- Participating in a set of pre-law advising panels and lunches
- Enrolling in a PLUS Program Canvas page
To join PLUS, please fill out this form(Link is external). For further information, contact the faculty advisor, Prof. Lynda Dodd (lyndadodd@princeton.edu). To view our PLUS Scholars for 2024-2025, please click here. P*LAW Resources. PLUS October Updates.
UNA-USA Fellowship at the United Nations Foundation
The UNA-USA Fellowship is a stipend-based award that provides up to $13,000 for up to four months for American undergraduates who have received their bachelor’s degree within one year of graduation, and first year master’s students from underrepresented groups who have secured unpaid internships with the United Nations. Apply here. Deadline: Application opens on October 15, 2024, and closes on February 28, 2025.
CFPB - Director's Financial Analyst Program
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), a 21st century government agency that implements and enforces Federal consumer financial law and ensures that markets for consumer financial products are fair, transparent, and competitive is recruiting this fall for the Director’s Financial Analyst (DFA) position to start in June 2025, and we want to encourage graduating seniors/recent graduates to apply. A highly selective, two-year rotational fellowship designed to engage young professionals in meaningful public service work. Each year, the CFPB hires a new cohort of Director’s Financial Analysts to gain a unique experience working alongside senior policymakers and researchers to help make financial markets work better for all. Visit the CFPB DFA Program webpage to learn more about program eligibility requirements and how to apply during the live application window. If you have questions or want to be added to our mailing list, please send an email to CFPB_DFA_Program@cfpb.gov. You can also reach out to me at milo.chang@cfpb.gov to hear more about my experiences as a DFA. Deadline: TBC
Ryan Martel Fellowship on Climate and Energy
The Ryan Martel Fellowship is a year-long fellowship designed for a highly motivated self-starter who has some prior policy campaign experience, but who is in the early stages of their career. This fellowship will be based in DC engaging and educating policymakers on climate and energy legislation culminating in the annual Lawmaker Education & Advocacy Day event mobilizing hundreds of businesses to deliver the business case for ambitious federal clean energy policy. Applicants must have a Bachelor's degree and three years of full-time related work experience required; experience with policy in government, nonprofit, business, or trade association sectors preferred. Deadline: Rolling
AEI Jeane Kirkpatrick Fellowship and Scholars Program
The American Enterprise Institute Jeane Kirkpatrick Fellows and Visiting Scholars Program is designed to mentor talented foreign and defense policy scholars by offering postdoctoral students and junior faculty the opportunity to work alongside senior AEI resident scholars and develop and disseminate their own research over a two-year term. Deadline: Rolling
State Department Consular Fellows Program
The Consular Fellows Program enables US citizens to use their language proficiency in Mandarin, Spanish, Arabic, or Portuguese at US embassies and consulates abroad. It is a limited time, non-career appointment of up to five years which directly supports the US State Department Bureau of Consular Affairs’ mission to provide overseas consular services that protect US citizens, ensure US national security, facilitate the entry of legitimate travelers, and foster economic growth at home. US Citizens. Deadline: Rolling
Samuel Huntington Public Service Award
The Samuel Huntington Public Service Award provides $30,000 stipends for graduating college seniors to pursue one year of public service anywhere in the world. The award allows recipients to engage in a meaningful public service for one year before proceeding on to graduate school or a career. Non-US citizens can apply if they are graduating from a US college/university. Deadline: January 10, 2025