Cato Institute

Federal Affairs Intern

May - August 2020 • Washington, DC

What I liked

While interning at this organization, I learned about many areas other than just the one that I was interning in! I had the opportunity to work with many different teams, and we had different seminars weekly.

What I wish was different

Advice

1 One person found this helpful

Government and External Affairs Intern

May - August 2019 • Washington, DC

What I liked

The Cato Institute offers an amazing internship program! My work was substantive, my supervisors were supportive and kind, and my intern class was full of incredible people and grew very close. There are super interesting seminars on policy issues or professional skills almost every day.

What I wish was different

Nothing! It was incredible.

Advice

Pay attention during the seminar series, you’ll learn more than you ever expected about a wide range of topics!

5 ${count} people found this helpful

IT Intern

May - August 2019 • Washington, DC

What I liked

Insightful, pertinent to my future, so much to learn. Really friendly staff. Welcoming environment.

What I wish was different

The experience was tailored to people with a future in poly/sci. It was difficult to maintain interest in those topics for someone focused on IT.

Advice

Go to all of the lecture circuits. And network, network, network with all of your peers. It creates a huge range of potential careers all over the country.

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Research Intern

May - August 2018 • Washington, DC

What I liked

I enjoyed how comprehensive the intern program was. While I heard experiences about friends interning in Washington that were bored on a day to day basis, there was also something to do around the office. Whether it was helping with research, attending the intern lecture series where we learned about the many policy issues that Cato works on, or taking field trips around Washington, Cato really cared about their interns and making sure they both learned and developed professionally.

What I wish was different

Honestly, there is not much I wish had been different. One thing that I wish in my work specifically was that it would have been more data driven, rather than qualitative research.

Advice

Knock on doors and meet people! Cato provides you the opportunity to be around so many smart people on daily basis who are very willing to work and talk with interns. It is an amazing opportunity to make contacts, and if someone interns at Cato, or really any think tank in Washington, one should take advantage of the valuable networking opportunities that are available.

15 ${count} people found this helpful