Eligibility

Currently registered Columbia College students who meet the following criteria are eligible to apply:

• A rising junior or senior in good standing with at least a 3.0 G.P.A.
• A recipient of Columbia grant-based financial aid. If you are unsure if you receive grant-based financial aid, please contact the Office of Undergraduate Financial Aid & Educational Financing.
• Secured an unpaid internship for summer 2012 prior to the application deadline.

Applicants who do not meet these criteria and incomplete applications will not be considered.

Please note, by submitting an application, you authorize the Center for Career Education to conduct academic, disciplinary and financial aid checks to confirm program eligibility and inform funding decisions. Certain University policy violations may disqualify you from consideration for the APIF program.

How to Apply

Please note that applications for 2012 are no longer being accepted.  Applications for summer of 2013 will be available in January, 2013.

There are two parts to the application process.

1. Submit the online APIF application prior to the deadline of 11:59 pm on April 18.
   
2. Upload six supporting documents to LionSHARE:
   • Resume
   • Unofficial Transcript
   • Personal statement - see details below
   • Employer Verification Form
   • One letter of recommendation
   • APIF Budget

Please note that the employer verification form and the letter of recommendation must be completed by people other than you. Once you receive the documents, they must be scanned and uploaded into LionSHARE. Scanners are available for your use in the Career Resource Center at CCE. Alternatively, your contact can send their form to Lisa Schroeder at ls3024@columbia.edu.

To upload your documents to LionSHARE, you must first register to use the system. Then click on the tab labeled "Job/Internship Search" and select "Job Search". Type "APIF" into the box labeled "employer name". Click on the posting and follow the instructions to upload all required documents.

Personal Statement

Please provide a written personal statement limited to three pages double-spaced in total addressing the following:

1. Description of the opportunity:  Describe in as much detail as possible the internship (the organization, your role/responsibilities). List duties, projects to be completed, deadlines, etc.  Talk about why you want to work at the particular organization.
2. Learning Objectives:  Provide your responses to these questions:
   • What do you intend to learn through this experience?
   • What goals do you hope to achieve through this experience?
   • How does this experience fit into your overall academic interests and/or career goals?
3. Supervision:  Describe in as much detail as you can the supervision to be provided.  Include what kind of instruction, assistance, training, etc., you will receive, and from whom you expect to get it.  Note when and how you will be evaluated and who will do it.
4. Commitment: Students selected for the Alumni & Parent Internship Fund are required to participate in all the different opportunities associated with the program, including:
   • Professional Development Workshop/Dinner (May 9, 2012; 5-7pm)- This "Internship Success" workshop will help students learn important skills and tips to succeed in their internships including how to initiate projects and responsibilities, work on a team, communicate with your supervisor and network.
   • Formal written reflection from student (due early September 2012) - Students will write a thank you letter/reflective essay to their Alumni and Parent Internship Fund donors and complete an internship evaluation at the end of their internship.
   • Reflection session (September 7, 2012; 2 - 3:30pm) – Students will participate in an interactive workshop to learn effective ways to communicate their internship experience to potential employers.

If you are unable to fully commit to all these events, please describe why you cannot commit to an event on your application in the essay section on "Commitment." You will still be considered for the program.

If you have any further questions not addressed here, please email Lisa Schroeder at ls3024@columbia.edu.