Pathways Internship Program (PIP)

What is PIP?

PIP is a guaranteed career-related experience for the summer after your sophomore year! See eligibility requirements below.

The College of Arts & Sciences Pathways Internship Program provides funding for students to pursue a career-related experience of their choice during the summer after their sophomore year. Selected students will work closely with Arts & Sciences Career Development during the school year to ensure they find an appropriate career-related experience. In return, Arts & Sciences will cover the student’s Summer Savings Expectation and will offer an additional grant up to $8000 to mitigate any financial hardship associated with unpaid or minimally paid experiences.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the Pathways Internship Program, students must:

Be currently enrolled in a degree-granting program in the College of Arts & Sciences at Cornell and working towards their bachelor’s degree.
Not be on a leave of absence
Be graduating in December 2022, May 2023, or December 2023 (for the 2020 application cycle)
Be a first generation college student (as defined by Cornell Admissions)
Have a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or above
Have received financial aid and have submitted their financial aid forms

Common items that ARE INCLUDED in Pathways Internship Program funding:

Travel to and from summer experience location at the beginning and end of the summer
Living expenses if living away from home, such as rent and groceries
Commute to/from summer experience site: public transportation/gas
Professional attire or uniform if that is expected for the experience
Summer Savings Expectation for financial aid
Professional Development opportunities

Expenses NOT covered by the Pathways Internship Program include (but are not limited to):

The purchase of a vehicle
Clothing other than a required uniform or professional attire
Test prep courses (LSAT, GRE, etc.)
Insurance
Personal travel
Entertainment

Students who pursue the following experiences will NOT be eligible for Pathways Internship Program funding:

Fee based programs: any program that charges tuition or a fee. If you go through a company that finds you an internship for a fee, or you are doing an internship through a program that charges tuition, it is ineligible.
Cornell in Washington, Practicing Medicine, Public Health minor programs, or any other college-based program charging tuition/program fees (at Cornell or any other university)
Personal research projects
Personal entrepreneurial ventures
Taking classes, at Cornell or elsewhere
Returning to a previous research lab or internship experience

Pathways Internship Program Requirements (subject to change)

Meet frequently with your career counselor
Conduct 2 informational interviews or shadowing opportunities
Identify at least 20 organizations of interest
Complete at least 10 summer experience applications
Complete and submit a summer budget
Complete and submit summer reflection

Selection of Candidates

Prioriy will be given to student who are:

First generation, first-year student status
Able to demonstrate financial need
Intending to pursue a summer experience away from Ithaca and/or their hometown
Intending to pursue a summer experience that is unpaid or minimally paid

Important Dates (2019)

The below dates are from the 2019 application cycle. Dates will be updated soon to refelct 2020 cycle dates.

Wednesday, February 27, 2019: Application opens
Friday, March 29, 2019: Applications due at 12:00pm
Monday, April 8, 2019: Decisions released via email by 4:30pm
Monday, April 15, 2019: Contracts due by 4:30pm

*All times are in Eastern Time

Apply for PIP

**Applications are closed for the 2019-2020 cycle.

You can expect the following short answer questions in the application:

Tell us about your career interests and goals. If you are exploring, what are your interest areas?
What are you planning to do this summer (Summer 2020)? What factors affected your decision?
Describe the opportunities you are interested in pursuing next summer (Summer 2021). Include information such as factors you are considering, locations of interest, what you hope to learn, industries of interest, type of experience (internship, volunteer/service, international, etc.)
How will receiving guaranteed funding for Summer 2020 influence the options you consider for a summer experience, if at all?