The First-Year Fellows Program at Dartmouth College provides students with public policy internships in Washington D.C. through placements with Dartmouth alumni. Students gain real-world experience, learn about the policy process, and are mentored by professionals in fields like government, advocacy, and law. The highly competitive program selects 20 first-year students who attend training in D.C. and complete 8-10 week summer internships. Upon returning to campus, Fellows share their experiences and are expected to implement a campus event their sophomore year.

1. http://rockefeller.dartmouth.edu/studentopps/fyp  First-Year Fellows Program  THE NELSON A. ROCKEFELLER CENTER FOR PUBLIC POLICY
& SOCIAL SCIENCES AT DARTMOUTH COLLEGE
 What Fellows Say   First-Year Fellow Mentors 
"My participation in the First-Year Fellowship is
easily one of my fondest Dartmouth experiences. I These alumni provide mentoring, guidance, and
First-Year
received professional knowledge in boot-camp-style insights into the way public policy is made in
at CST, and I loved spending time with other
students. During the summer, I worked for a
Washington, DC. Examples include: Fellows
regulatory attorney in the power and utilities Senate and Congressional Offices
industry and I had completed a summer-long
project from which my supervisors continued to
 Office of Rep. Charles Bass (R-NH)
 Office of Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
Program
benefit after I had left.” —Julius Bedford ‘12  Office of Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH)
“The First-Year Fellows program is like no other Governmental Entities
program at Dartmouth. The Rockefeller Center  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
does an excellent job at matching students in their  Department of Education
fields of interest and finding internships that they  District of Columbia Superior Court
would otherwise be unable to attain… Rocky gave  Environmental Protection Agency
me the opportunity to grow as a person."  Smithsonian Institution
—Sam Lewis ‘13
Advocacy Groups
 The Charles Group LLC
 Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget
 Conservation International
 Human Capital Institute
 National Association for Biomedical Research
 Office of Sustainable Communities
 ONE Campaign
 Project on Government Oversight
 World Wildlife Fund
"The First-Year Fellows Program not only gave me
the opportunity to explore my interest in public
policy and politics in the real world but provided
me with amazing resources and tools to truly
succeed as a DC intern. First-Year Fellows is a
summer experience like no other--I was challenged
to apply the knowledge I learned in the classroom
into my daily work on the Hill."
—Diana Ming ‘14

2. THE NELSON A. ROCKEFELLER CENTER FOR PUBLIC POLICY  First-Year Fellows Program  http://rockefeller.dartmouth.edu/studentopps/fyp
& SOCIAL SCIENCES AT DARTMOUTH COLLEGE
What is the First-Year Fellows Program?  Eligibility and Selection 
The First-Year Fellows Program provides Fellows Any first-year Dartmouth student who has completed
with a unique educational experience early in their the introductory course to public policy (PBPL 5) and
academic careers. Fellows are placed with Dartmouth completed a statistical methods course or tested out of
alumni working in Washington, DC. for 8-10 weeks. the Dartmouth requirement is eligible. Students of any
These alumni provide mentoring, guidance, and insights major may apply.
into the way public policy is made in Washington, DC.
Mentors include members of Congress, federal judges,
lobbyists and interest group advocates, and officials in The required application materials include a general
federal agencies and departments. Fellows live together, application form, a 100-150 word biography, and one
work collaboratively to navigate the workplace, and learn recommendation from a Dartmouth professor,
about making responsible decisions. Upon return to administrator, or former work supervisor. After the
campus, Fellows are required to “give back” by sharing initial submission of the application, an applicant may be
their experiences with other students. Reflection is a key selected for an interview.  Expectations of a Fellow 
component of this program, enabling students to assess
their learning and set new goals for developing their Selections are made by the middle of Spring term. We
leadership capacities. receive upwards of 50 applications per year for only 20  Attend three on campus sessions and the full 4 days
spots resulting in a highly competitive process. of Civic Skills Training in Washington, DC prior to
the placement;
 Learning Objectives 
 Work for 8-10 weeks as an intern, spending 30-40
Fellows will: hours per week at the placement;
 Test public policy theories and propositions learned  During the placement, design and implement an
in the classroom through summer placements in independent project to benefit the host
Washington, DC; organization;
 Be exposed to the various roles of organizations and  Complete a final report and program evaluation at
institutions in the federal policy making process; the end of the internship experience;
 Learn to live and work in a group setting;  Attend a debriefing session upon returning to
 Achieve competency in public speaking and skills campus; and
required to be effective in a work place through the  As a group, design and implement an event related
Civic Skills Training Program; and to public policy for a campus audience during the
 Share lessons learned and “give back” to the following sophomore summer.
Dartmouth community in their sophomore year.
For more information, email
Rockefeller.First.Year.Fellows@dartmouth.edu