Association of College Honor Societies/
The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars Scholarship

Association of College Honor Societies

The Association of College Honor Societies (http://www.achsnatl.org) and The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars (http://www.twc.edu) are pleased to announce a new partnership that will enable students who are members of an ACHS honor society to be eligible for scholarships to help cover housing expenses in The Washington Center’s internship program.  This applies to both undergraduates and recent college graduates.

The Washington Center is the nation’s largest full-time internship program, enrolling over 1500 students a year.  Over 33,000 students from more than 1,000 colleges and universities in the U.S. and abroad have participated in Washington Center programs since 1975.  The Washington Center internship program provides placement, supervision, programming, and evaluation of students, who receive academic credit for their internship from their home institution. Website: http://www.twc.edu

The Association of College Honor Societies Partnership

In recognition of the high quality students that enroll in The Washington Center’s internship program and the outstanding academic achievements of ACHS honor society students, starting with the spring 2006 semester, The Washington Center is pleased to provide three $1,000 scholarships a year to students who are members of these honor societies.

The Awards:  The Washington Center has designated 3 scholarships per society per year in the amount of $1,000 per award.  The awards are applied toward the cost of Washington Center housing.  Washington Center housing is located in high-rise, luxury apartments in the Maryland and Virginia suburbs, within easy distance of Washington’s Metro subway system.  Most apartments are shared four-person, two-bedroom, two-bath apartments with high-speed internet, basic cable TV, and basic phone service included.  Other amenities may vary by building.

Each $1,000 award is a minimum award.  Students may be eligible to receive a higher award, based upon school, state residency, special grants, placement funding, or other sources available at the time of application.  Washington Center financial assistance is not cumulative.  Only the highest award for which the student qualifies is granted.

These additional awards often come through arrangements The Washington Center has made with U.S. government agencies that are seeking top students and recent graduates to intern with them.  These agencies provide grants that result in stipend payments to students that range from about $4,000 to almost $10,000 per student.  The partnership with ACHS helps The Washington Center identify qualified students to fill these positions.  Most of these positions go to students with high GPAs and excellent quantitative and/or writing skills.  Therefore students in business, science, math, engineering, economics, and many other fields are encouraged to apply.

Why Intern with The Washington Center 

1.                  The Washington Center provides full-time internships for students in all major fields.  Out of a full-time staff of over sixty people, about twenty work full-time placing and supervising interns.  Over the course of a year, we work with literally thousands of potential placement organizations.

2.                  The Washington Center provides full support for interns, including placement, supervision, programming, and housing.  Although the largest internship program of its kind, The Washington Center works to customize the internship experience for students so that both college and individual goals may be achieved.

3.                  The Washington Center program is highly diverse, with 400-500 students each semester and summer from all parts of the U.S., from Canada and Mexico, and many other countries.  About half of the students are from public and half from private institutions and come from a wide variety of ethnic and economic backgrounds.

4.                  Our large size allows for considerable depth and breadth in program offerings.  These areas include international affairs, law and criminal justice, energy and environment, business and information technology, Congress and politics, nonprofit leaders, to name a few.

5.                  Housing is provided in luxury high-rise apartments in Northern Virginia and suburban Maryland, in close proximity to the Metro subway system.  A full-time director and two assistant directors of student services and resident assistants live in these facilities.

6.                  More than 80% of our students receive some form of financial assistance.  Students receive aid based on program, school, state of residency, or specific placement.  Financial assistance can range from $50 a week to almost $10,000 a summer at some placements.

7.                  The Washington Center encourages advance applications to ensure placement in such highly competitive organizations as CNN, the White House, U.S. Dept. of State, U.S. Dept. of Justice, U.S. Attorney’s Office, and others that require security clearances and background checks.

8.                  Evening courses are specifically designed for the program in order to help students qualify for a full-semester’s worth of academic credit at their home institution. There are over 30 courses to choose from with topics ranging from the arts to international business to homeland and national security. Courses are taught by professionals in Washington with academic credentials who help bridge the professional with the theoretical in their classes.

9.                  Visits to Embassies and other sites, briefings and tours provide students with a look at the “inside” of Washington that tourists don’t experience.

10.              The Washington Center’s Congressional Speaker Series gives students, regardless of where they are placed, the opportunity to meet Members of Congress in small group settings to learn and discuss the issues of the day.

11.              The Washington Center’s Presidential Lecture Series gives students the opportunity to hear from some of Washington’s most interesting personalities from business, government, and the nonprofit sectors. Speakers include cabinet secretaries and other high administration officials, ambassadors, high profile journalists, and chief executives and presidents of companies and organizations.

12.              The Washington Center’s alumni network adds another dimension to the opportunities for networking and job hunting while in the nation’s capital.

Requirements: To receive the award, a student who applies for the regular Washington Center internship program must fully participate in a Washington Center internship program and receive a grade of “C” or higher in both the internship and the required internship course.  Students must also live in Washington Center housing.  Students who apply for The Washington Center’s post-graduate internship program, College Plus One, must complete their Washington Center portfolio at an equivalent letter grade of “C” or higher.  Otherwise the award is revoked and the student is responsible for payment of the amount awarded.

How to Apply: Applicants must check off the box on the first page of the 2006 application indicating they are a member of an ACHS member honor society. (See Academic Information / For Competitive Awards on the 2006 Internship Application.)  To verify membership, students must provide one of the following: (1) a copy of their membership certificate or (2) a cover letter from their chapter representative, or (3) another verifiable document indicating membership in the society. 

Applications may be completed on line: See http://www.twc.edu/students/index.html for a link to the application.

Notification: Students who have been selected to receive the award will be notified within one month of the application deadline. 

Criteria for Selection:  Applications will be reviewed on the basis of quality of preparation, demonstration of a clear sense of purpose and direction for the internship, and demonstration of leadership in the student's academic field, prospective career field, or community.  The Washington Center will first screen the applications for eligibility.  The final choice will be made by either the honor society if they choose to do so or by a committee composed of a Washington Center staff person and two members of The Washington Center’s Honors Academic Advisory Committee.

Eligibility: The Washington Center will make one award per honor society per semester (fall and spring), and summer term: a total of three per year. Scholarships not awarded one semester or summer term will carry over to the next within a one-year period. Students must fully complete a Washington Center internship application and meet general Washington Center eligibility standards (i.e., minimum 2.75 GPA, second semester sophomore standing or higher and undergraduates must receive at least 1 hour of academic credit) and apply by the following deadlines to be considered for the award.  Recent college graduates who apply for the College Plus One program are not required to receive academic credit.

Term Applying	Application Deadline (postmark date)	Number of Awards per Honor Society*
Winter Quarter 2006 Spring 2006 Spring Quarter 2006 College Plus One Winter 2006	October 3, 2005	1
Summer Term 2006 Summer Quarter 2006 College Plus One Summer 2006	February 3, 2006	1
Fall Semester 2006 Fall Quarter 2006 College Plus One Fall 2006	May 2, 2006	1
Total		3 per year per society Each scholarship is $1,000 Potential total of all awards =  67 x $3,000 = $201,000 * Number of awards accumulate within one year period if awards are not made in one or two previous semesters/term.

For more information

Please visit our website at http://express0.targetx.com/subscribe.php?list_id=12000646 and fill out the request for information so we can keep you up to date on Washington Center programs.  

The Online application is available at http://www.twc.edu/students/online-application.html

Our email address is info@twc.edu 

Phone: 1-800-486-8921