How to Get an Internship at the Kennedy Center (or at least how I did it)
Alright, Rose wanted me to post in here the process of applying for my internship at the Kennedy Center. So here goes - I'll try to make it pretty concise.
I'm a member of Sigma Alpha Iota, a women's music fraternity; Illinois State's chapter is Lambda Mu. All members of SAI have access to their national website where they list scholarships and other awards members can apply for. One of the awards they give is a living stipend for a SAI member to complete an internship at the Kennedy Center over the summer months. There's a link on that page to the DeVos Institute, the program through which all KC interns are coordinated. Here's the link - http://www.kennedy-center.org/education/artsmanagement/internships/home.cfm.
I checked it out, and decided to apply for it. Why not?? The least they could do is tell me no. My situation was a little different because I had to send my KC application to SAI Nationals before I could send it to the DeVos Institute (in order to apply for the scholarship through SAI), but the process of completing the KC application is in line with what the website lists.
First off, I will say that the Kennedy Center application is not short. The search for interns is very competitive, and my application took me a very long time from start to finish. Like any basic job application, I had to provide my resume and a cover letter. In the cover letter, the KC asks you to provide certain bits of information: I specifically had to address my computer skills, future goals, and three internships I was interested in. This is a lot of information to fit into a one-page cover letter.
Along with these items, I also had to provide my transcripts, a writing sample, and two letters of recommendation. I used a writing sample from a class I had taken in the spring, although I did have to edit it a bit (three-page limit). I asked my voice instructor, Dr. Michelle Vought and my Honors Program adviser, Christie Proctor to write letters of recommendation for me.
After I compiled all of the materials, I asked people to review my application. ...over and over and over again. Christie read through my application multiple times before I sent it in, and she gave me some really great suggestions that I may not have included. I also took my application to the Career Center about three times. The first time, I met with a graduate student who simply looked over the basic layout of my cover letter and resume. She referred me to an employee of the Career Center who deals specifically with students from the College of Fine Arts. I met with him twice.
I think the length of time spent working on my internship and also having others review it frequently really made the difference in the quality of my application. I received a call from my present supervisor telling me I had received the internship a few weeks after my application was submitted, after which I nearly peed my pants, called my parents, and spent the rest of the day in a surreal bliss.
I'm a member of Sigma Alpha Iota, a women's music fraternity; Illinois State's chapter is Lambda Mu. All members of SAI have access to their national website where they list scholarships and other awards members can apply for. One of the awards they give is a living stipend for a SAI member to complete an internship at the Kennedy Center over the summer months. There's a link on that page to the DeVos Institute, the program through which all KC interns are coordinated. Here's the link - http://www.kennedy-center.org/education/artsmanagement/internships/home.cfm.
I checked it out, and decided to apply for it. Why not?? The least they could do is tell me no. My situation was a little different because I had to send my KC application to SAI Nationals before I could send it to the DeVos Institute (in order to apply for the scholarship through SAI), but the process of completing the KC application is in line with what the website lists.
First off, I will say that the Kennedy Center application is not short. The search for interns is very competitive, and my application took me a very long time from start to finish. Like any basic job application, I had to provide my resume and a cover letter. In the cover letter, the KC asks you to provide certain bits of information: I specifically had to address my computer skills, future goals, and three internships I was interested in. This is a lot of information to fit into a one-page cover letter.
Along with these items, I also had to provide my transcripts, a writing sample, and two letters of recommendation. I used a writing sample from a class I had taken in the spring, although I did have to edit it a bit (three-page limit). I asked my voice instructor, Dr. Michelle Vought and my Honors Program adviser, Christie Proctor to write letters of recommendation for me.
After I compiled all of the materials, I asked people to review my application. ...over and over and over again. Christie read through my application multiple times before I sent it in, and she gave me some really great suggestions that I may not have included. I also took my application to the Career Center about three times. The first time, I met with a graduate student who simply looked over the basic layout of my cover letter and resume. She referred me to an employee of the Career Center who deals specifically with students from the College of Fine Arts. I met with him twice.
I think the length of time spent working on my internship and also having others review it frequently really made the difference in the quality of my application. I received a call from my present supervisor telling me I had received the internship a few weeks after my application was submitted, after which I nearly peed my pants, called my parents, and spent the rest of the day in a surreal bliss.
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