Answers to
Frequently Asked Questions
About WISE and the Application Process
Q. What are the dates for the
2009 program?
8 June - 7 August 2009.
Q. My college quarter/semester will not
be finished by the WISE start date. Can I start the WISE program
late?
Past Interns who have had this situation
have been able to work out an arrangement with their professors to
leave school early. Some have been excused from exams,
others have been allowed to take them early or as "take home" exams while
participating in WISE . Occasionally a society sponsor and the professor in charge of WISE
will allow an Intern to begin the program a day or two late, but it is better if you can begin on the
first day.
Q. How many interns is WISE planning to sponsor
in 2009?
10-12, depending on the number
of sponsoring societies.
Q. Do I apply to WISE
or to the sponsoring society?
Apply directly to a
sponsoring society. Contact information is provided on the
application form. If you are a member of more than one
sponsoring society, you will need to apply to each separately.
Q. What is the deadline date for submitting
applications?
Application materials must
be post-marked on or before 31 December 2008 to be considered for
the Summer 2009 program.
Q. Is there a salary?
There is a stipend of
$2,100, paid in 3
installments at the beginning, middle and/or end of the program. In addition, WISE
covers the $2,700 cost for housing at George Washington University, as well as providing
fare cards for use of the Washington Metro system.
Q. Do I have to belong to one of the sponsoring
societies?
Yes. Consider
joining to make yourself eligible for WISE.
Q. Are graduate students eligible to
apply?
The program is
open to recent engineering (or computer science) graduates beginning study in a
technology policy-related Master’s program or law school.
Q. Are Freshmen or Sophomore
students eligible to apply?
No. Students should have
completed at least two years of undergraduate study. The program sponsors
believe that the first two years of coursework are required to give
you the grounding needed to relate your engineering training to public policy.
Q. Are Computer Science majors
eligible to apply?
IEEE will sponsor individuals in a
Computer Science degree program if they are also IEEE student members.
Q. When will I hear if I have been accepted?
The sponsoring societies begin reviewing applications in mid-January and then compare sponsorship lists (in case of overlapping choices and to aid those societies without student members). Once the choices are made, students are contacted with sponsorship offers, usually in mid-February. Once all slots have been filled, a notice is placed on the WISE webpage and all applicants will be send responses advising them of the status of their application.
Q. What happens if I accept a WISE Internship sponsorship
offer and another opportunity comes along later.
It is very difficult to fill vacancies that occur within
a month or two of the start of the summer program, and certain
costs (e.g. the cost of the reserved dorm room) have to be
absorbed by the program sponsors even if you elect not to
participate. If you think you are likely to accept another
Internship or anticipate some other contingency that would
prevent you fulfilling your WISE internship, you are encouraged
not to apply and/or accept a sponsorship offer. If by some
circumstance you accept a WISE Internship, but are forced to
withdraw from the program, you are strongly encouraged to give
notice as soon as possible of your withdrawal so that an attempt
can be made to fill the vacancy.
 WISE Webmaster: Chris Brantley, c.brantley@ieee.org
(Last Update:
March 25, 2009
)
Copyright ©, 2008, Washington Internships for
Students of Engineering. Users are encouraged to link to this page and are permitted to
copy and make use of its contents for the exclusive purposes of publicizing the WISE
program. The WISE home page is hosted by the Institute of Electrical and
Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE) for the benefit of the WISE sponsoring societies.
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