Summer - what, what?

So, I decided to keep with the seasonal theme - and after spring comes summer!

Not that it's summer in New Haven yet - that would be an ambitious statement - but it;s around the time that everyone begins finalizing their summer plans.

It may seem odd, but for most Yalies, Yale doesn't end with the coming of summer. Rather, the vast majority of students, from Freshman to Juniors (Seniors join the real world), do some sort of a Yale affiliated program or internship during the summer.

These summer experiences range from taking art history classes in Paris, to studying Arabic in Jordan, to working for the US Embassy in Cote D'Ivoire or working for Morgan Stanley in Hong Kong. Many students also spend a portion of their summers in New Haven with paid research positions working with Yale professors.

Over 70% of Yalies study abroad at some point during their time at Yale and since most Yalies can't pass up a semester here on campus, the common choice is to study abroad during the summer. Yale offers literally hundreds of programs across the world for students to choose from, and the approval process is relatively easy. Yale employs a team of study abroad advisers to help you with your choices, plan your itinerary and receive in-country support once there.

The second most popular option for Yalies over the summer is internships. Once again, many Yalies choose to work abroad for the summer. These positions range across a variety of fields - from finance, to law, to NGO work in international development, to journalism. Yale is unique that it offers over 400 domestic and international internships that a reserved solely for Yale students. Many summer opportunities are paid, but for those that aren't, Yale offers generous funding through a variety of grants, financial aid, and fellowships.

To give you an example based off my experiences - I worked the past two summers in London through a program called British Bulldogs. Both times I lived in a group of three apartments with 15 other Yale students for the months of June and July. The first summer I worked as a journalist for the Wall Street Journal, and though I wasn't paid, Yale provided me with a $8000 grant for the summer. Last summer I went back to London and worked for a small hedge fund. During my time in London I got the opportunity to visit Parliament several times, go to two Manchester United soccer matches, and see the queen, to name just a few things.

In addition to my two internships, after Freshman year I spent the month of August on a Yale fellowship in Freiburg, Germany taking intensive German classes. Last summer, I spent the month of August working on a farm near Dijon, France - a placement I found through a Yale contact.

What I'm trying to say is that Yalies do anything and everything during their summers. Yale doesn't end during the school year - the resources and opportunities continue into the summer months.