The application deadline for the 2012 summer internship has passed. Information about the 2013 summer internship program will be posted in the fall. Sign up for internship program updates in the box at right.
ARI Summer Internship 2012
Are you a college student or recent graduate intrigued by Ayn Rand's books, ideas, and the debate surrounding them? Are you looking to gain professional work experience this summer? If so, the Ayn Rand Institute’s summer internship program may be the ideal opportunity for you.
This unique three-week program combines an educational curriculum exploring Rand’s novels, philosophy, and the applications of Rand's ideas to the world today with a traditional internship in a professional workplace. This year's program will bring up to 30 college students and recent graduates from a range of disciplines, backgrounds, and viewpoints to ARI's main office in Irvine, a small city centrally located in Orange County in sunny Southern California. To assist with living and travel arrangements, all ARI interns receive a $1200 scholarship and $500 travel stipend.
What does the ARI internship consist of?
The classroom component is aimed at students who are relatively new to Ayn Rand, and takes a critical look at her novels and ideas. The curriculum covers a significant portion of Rand's corpus, both fiction and nonfiction, with Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead serving as keystone texts. (Note: it is not necessary to have read these works to apply.) A variety of writings from other authors are read and compared with those of Rand, and the classroom is an open, respectful environment where students are free to express their own views on the topics discussed.
In past years, the curriculum has included such topics as:
debating the meaning of egoism in The Fountainhead;
exploring character development in Atlas Shrugged;
discussing Rand’s theory of art in The Romantic Manifesto;
comparing Rand’s view of capitalism to that of other thinkers;
applying Rand’s philosophy to current issues, such as the financial crisis, environmentalism, and foreign policy;
and much more.
The internship faculty typically comprises a mix of ARI and outside scholars. Past faculty have included Objectivist Academic Center instructors Onkar Ghate (ARI Senior Fellow), Doug Altner (ARI Instructor), Keith Lockitch (ARI Fellow), and Elan Journo (ARI Fellow), as well as Eric Daniels (Research Assistant Professor, Clemson University), Robert Mayhew (Professor, Seton Hall University), and Gregory Salmieri (Visiting Assistant Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill). Additionally, the past two years interns have enjoyed a special Q&A with John Allison, former Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of BB&T Corporation, and Distinguished Professor of Practice at Wake Forest University, and meetings with ARI executive director Yaron Brook.
Complementing this educational program is an office work component in which interns spend 2–3 hours each day assisting members of ARI and being mentored on the ins-and-outs of working in a professional setting. Through a variety of activities in support of ARI's Education & Research Division, interns hone their communication, research, and basic technical skills, and gain valuable experience to strengthen their resumes and apply in their careers. Office work may include beta testing online courses, research in support of ARI policy analysts, data management and analysis, clerical support, and more.
Here's a sample daily schedule for an ARI summer intern:
1:05-2:20 | Class: Liberty; Topic: Rand's defense of freedom versus that of Smith, Hayek, and Friedman
2:20-2:35 | Professional development mini-seminar; Topic: Meeting standards and expectations
2:35-3:30 | Study period
3:30-5:30 | Office work
Weekends are left free for interns to explore one of the world's most beautiful locations. Irvine is abound with hiking and biking trails and a short distance from Southern California's famous beaches. Los Angeles and San Diego are easily accessible by car.
See the intern testimonials at right for firsthand accounts of the value of the program from past interns. You can also read more about the program in the Ayn Rand Institute’s newsletter, Impact.
The application deadline for the 2012 summer internship has passed. Information about the 2013 summer internship program will be posted in the fall.
Details
Application Deadline: April 1, 2012
Application Requirements: 1) Online application; 2) Essay response; 3) Transcripts. All three components of the application must be received by the application deadline.
Duration: June 4–June 22, 2012
Location: Ayn Rand Institute, Irvine, CA
Scheduling: 9:00am–5:30pm, Mon–Fri
Scholarship Grant: $1200
Travel Stipend: $500
Other Benefits: Set of Ayn Rand books, lunch provided daily
Accommodations: It is the intern’s responsibility to make all transportation and housing arrangements.
Eligibility and restrictions:
The internship is open to university undergraduates and recent high school and college graduates.
The program is targeted primarily at students pursuing intellectual careers, but we consider and accept applicants from every discipline, as well as those undecided about their future direction.
Students must be 18 years or older to participate.
To qualify for the free book offer you must meet the internship eligibility requirements and your complete application must be received by April 1.
If you would like to spend part of your summer studying Ayn Rand’s ideas in Southern California, and receive financial assistance while doing so, we encourage you to fill out an application today.
Read what our past interns have to say about the program:
2011
“No matter where your studies or interests lie, an internship at ARI is an extremely valuable and rewarding experience. If you are at all interested in philosophy, politics, literature, or Ayn Rand, you stand to benefit. . . . Even if your experience with Rand is minimal, you will come out of here smarter and more prepared to face the world.”
“I can honestly say that I learned more information that can be applied to my life in the past three weeks as an intern at ARI than I have in the last year at the university."
“The internship exceeded my expectations for several reasons. Not only did we receive financial aid to be taught, but we were given an actual quality education coupled with a skillset for the business world. The guest presenters and Q&A’s were phenomenal, and having a connection to people really engineering our world in the intellectual arena was very satiating."
"At every turn in the assigned readings I was uncovering gems of ideas and knowledge, all of which were different from what I’m used to in the university setting. The ability to diversify and explore new interests was a larger part of why my expectations were exceeded. I was not expecting it.”
“ARI’s internship program is a unique and mentally uplifting experience. I really enjoyed the constant exposure to new ideas from both the Objectivist experts and my peers.”
“If you are interested in Ayn Rand’s ideas and want to pursue them seriously—apply. The experience allowed me to see the connections between ideas that I had studied disparately on my own, ask questions, and interact with top-notch instructors and other students of Objectivism. This is not an experience that is—or can be—replicated on campus.”
“This internship is great for anyone who wants to seriously study the principles of Objectivism. The program is led by great facilitators and the world's preeminent Rand scholars. I gained much from participating in this program, including lifelong friends.”
“The vitality and quality of the discussion between peers and mentors greatly exceeded my expectations. Passionate, intelligent students from a wide variety of fields made it easy to expand my views on many different topics.”
"I would recommend the program to college students of any major, age, and philosophical background who are interested in understanding and exploring Rand's philosophy.”
2010
“The ARI summer internship is a thought-provoking, fun, well-executed and valuable program. I went away from the program with a better understanding of a difficult but incredibly enlightening system of philosophy that held as its end a surprisingly hopeful goal—the flourishing of the individual."
"Regardless of what field you plan on returning to after the internship—medicine, engineering, physics, literature, philosophy, education, business—the internship offers a view into a philosophy that will serve as a guide to your life and your happiness.”
“Interning at ARI was probably the best and most interesting experience I have ever had. The opportunity to study Ayn Rand’s ideas through her essays and the combined knowledge of the employees of ARI provided me with a greater understanding of Objectivism than I would have ever been able to come to on my own."
"Spending time with Ayn Rand intellectuals, as well as the other interns, provided a great forum for bouncing ideas off of one another and learning how Objectivism is implemented . . . I would recommend this internship to anyone who has a keen desire to further his or her understanding of Objectivism and spend some time immersed in its application as a philosophy for life.”
“The ARI internship was a tremendously beneficial experience. The instructors managed to educate without indoctrinating, pushing us to think for ourselves about the core of Objectivism. The internship gave me a better understanding of Rand’s philosophy as well as a grasp on what I still have to learn. I would recommend it to any person serious about ideas and their application to life.”
“If you take ideas seriously and wish to explore them with individuals who share the same profound commitment to knowledge and understanding, then this program is a perfect opportunity for you."
"The ARI summer internship is geared to introducing young intellectuals to Objectivism as well as other philosophies that end up shaping our understanding of the world and provide the values and principles by which we live. For me personally, the internship served as an important stepping-stone in my intellectual development.”
“My purpose for the ARI internship was to gain an understanding of the fundamentals of Objectivism and their accurate application in everyday life. Even as someone with no formal philosophic background, I was able to accomplish these goals.”
“The ARI internship experience afforded me an incredible opportunity to study Objectivism with interested students from all over the country studying a variety of subjects. I am grateful for having been able to hear from several excellent lecturers on different topics, from Rand’s metaphysics to the application of Objectivism to environmental issues."
"I was impressed by how much time the intellectuals at ARI devoted to teaching and discussing Ayn Rand’s ideas and how thorough and helpful they were in addressing our many questions. I look forward to applying everything I have learned as I begin my college studies.”
Weekends are left free for interns to explore one of the world's most beautiful locations. Irvine is abound with hiking and biking trails and a short distance from Southern California's famous beaches. Los Angeles and San Diego are easily accessible by car.