Apply to this Program

Admission to IBC is highly selective. Only those students who evince a strong interest in and capacity for community building are accepted.

Students interested in pursuing careers in teaching, social work, business, and other fields that call for effective educators, managers, and supervisors are encouraged to apply.

Only applicants who are currently in college or graduate school and will be enrolled in degree programs as of fall 2013 are eligible. We also require that applicants will have lived on a college campus in the United States for at least one academic year at some point prior to the beginning of the internship.

Application Deadlines

Summer 2013Friday, March 1, 2013

Applicants are encouraged to apply as early as possible. Acceptance decisions are made on a rolling basis and there are a limited number of available positions; most are filled before the deadline.

Due to the large number of applications, we will not be able to contact everyone who applies to the program. Only those applicants who seem particularly well-suited for the IBC will be offered an interview.

Application Materials

Applicants may send the application form in advance of the accompanying materials. Applications will not be considered until all materials are received.

  1. Completed application form.

  2. Sponsor Recommendation Letter, on university letterhead, from a professor or university administrator at the school you are currently attending, who is prepared to sponsor your participation in the program. A sponsor should know you well and should comment on your character; academic, intellectual, and creative strengths; capacity to work with young people; and promise as a future leader. The sponsor's key role in the program is to provide a candid evaluation of a potential applicant; once participants are selected, sponsors will be contacted only if a problem arises.

  3. Personal Statement: a 250–500 word essay describing your motivation for participating in the Internship in Building Community (IBC). Explain why you are interested in the program and why you feel that you would make a good intern. Give an example of a trip or activity you would enjoy organizing for high school students.

  4. Personal Interviews are required of all applicants. Qualified applicants will be contacted to schedule interviews once their applications are complete. All interviews take place at Columbia University in New York City.

  5. Résumé. Please submit a detailed résumé.

Submitting the Application

Send applications and accompanying materials to:

Columbia University
Internship in Building Community
510 Lewisohn Hall
2970 Broadway, Mail Code 4110
New York, NY 10027-6902