Several students are completing internships in Political Science and Paralegal Studies. If you are interested in completing an internship next semester, please contact our Internship Director – Professor Engels at eengels@iu.edu.
What’s it like to do an internship?
Bri – Hey everyone! My name is Bri and I am currently a Junior at IUPUI. I have recently started an internship at the Manning Law Office which is located 25 minutes west of campus in Plainfield, Indiana. As a Political Science and History major, the parallels between the work I do at the Manning Law Office and my required courses are quite plentiful. Much of my day consists of research, writing, and communicating ideas which are all essentials in order to succeed at IUPUI. This internship has not only enhanced my understanding of political science through understanding the real-world application but has also motivated me to further my understanding of topics presented in class as they frequently come up when discussing cases with my colleagues. My course work in political science has given me the ability to take broad concepts whether that be government systems, statutes, or precedent cases, and interpret them in a digestible fashion to clients who do come from various backgrounds. For those who are curious about how their political science degrees work in the real world, I highly encourage you to seek out an internship! The best way to get your foot in the door is simply by communicating, don’t be afraid to contact a place you could see yourself working as I learned they are eager for young interns!
Alex – My internship takes place at the Mayor’s office in downtown Indianapolis.
The internship teaches me about government legitimacy and trying to help its citizens. This connects well with my Western History class, because we have been recently learning about different countries’ revolutionary wars. For example, we have recently taken an exam on the French Revolution and learned about how the people wanted a government that was representative of them. By creating a legitimate government, it allows people to participate with the government more easily and to voice their concerns.
Some advice I give to students, who are interested about applying for an internship, is to prepare for their interview. Practice sample questions at least a few days before the interview. Be ready for those hard and subjective questions. Also, having questions for the interviewers is a good way to show that you were prepared for your interview.
Sukhdeep – I am completing the internship at Bleecker Brodey & Andrews, a law firm, where I am learning so much about how attorneys and paralegals work together to work with their clients. Bleecker Brodey & Andrews is a collections law firm so there are always challenges that arise with clients but I am learning how to handle these challenging situation by observing paralegals and attorneys. There are many connections between this internship and the work I have done in my classes. In class, I had to prepare many legal documents and I have now encountered those legal documents at work. Since I covered a lot of legal terminologies in my courses, I am able to pick up certain things at my internship faster.
