What is an ACE Student Fellow?
ACE is proud to publish policy resources by and for youth voters.
Student Fellows collaborate to produce nonpartisan, accessible research briefs for publication. Research teams are led by ACE Research Associates, graduate students with expertise in their field or highly-qualified undergraduate students. Research Associates work one-on-one with Student Fellows to develop and provide feedback on their research projects. Over the course of the internship, Student Fellows will design a research plan and publish two briefs in their policy area of interest.
Check out the Frequently Asked Questions section at the bottom of this page.
Key Information
Time Commitment: 10 hours per week
Application Deadline: Applications are evaluated on a rolling basis, so we encourage interested students to apply as early as possible.
Our amazing fellows come from all across the country – to read more about them, click here.
Application Process
- Develop a sense of ACE’s writing style and publication goals by reading published briefs
- Fill out the Application Form to the right
- Round 1: Your writing sample will be evaluated and semi-finalists will move to the interview stage
- Round 2: Interview with a Research Associate
- Receive an offer letter
- Join ACE’s Courseworks account
Writing Sample Guidelines
Pick a current piece of legislation, describe the issue it aims to address, and discuss one argument in favor and one argument in opposition to the legislation.
Guidelines:
- The legislation does not have to have been enacted, you can pick proposed legislation.
- You can pick legislation at the local, state, or federal level.
- DO NOT select a topic that is not public policy. For example, do not discuss how universities responded to the pandemic. University policies are not the same thing as legislation, and ACE exclusively focuses on policies implemented by governments.
- Do not cite sources, this is merely a writing exercise.
- Your response should be 100-250 words in length.
Advice:
The writing sample is a major part of your application. Before deciding on a topic, read recent publications from ACE to make sure you understand the type of work and subject matter we aim to discuss. Make sure you can be unbiased and neutral about the legislation you write about.
Example:
The proposed Freedom to Move Act would provide federal funds for state and local governments to expand public transportation networks and reduce fares. The United States has historically prioritized car-friendly urban planning, and public transportation is limited outside of major metropolitan areas. Currently, transportation is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to climate change. Those in favor of this bill argue it will help the United States reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions, because public transportation is generally less emissions-intensive than individual vehicles or other forms of transportation. However, others argue it will be too expensive to expand public transportation to the point where individual vehicles are unnecessary, and the infrastructure project itself could be environmentally-damaging. They believe the funds could be better spent building infrastructure and providing subsidies for electric vehicles.
Writing samples will be evaluated using this rubric.
Apply to the Student Fellow Program
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! If you plan to use the Student Fellowship to receive academic credit, make sure to notify your Research Associate at the beginning of the semester and clarify any specific requirements to ensure you receive credit. It is the responsibility of the student to ensure this internship meets all the requirements for academic credit from their institution, and request any necessary information or paperwork at the beginning of the internship.
ACE also supports OPT candidates.
We ask students to commit 10 hours per week to this program.
We support students in prioritizing their academic coursework and mental health. It is common for Student Fellows to reduce their hours during particularly intense academic periods, but students consistently failing to meet their goals will be removed from the program. Regularly completing less than the 10 hours makes it unlikely that students will end the semester with a published brief.
ACE is looking for hardworking, motivated students to take on leadership positions within the organization.
Fellows can earn a semester-long, funded research position where they produce a 20-35 page in-depth paper for publication.
Student Fellows can also be invited to become Research Associates and manage research teams in their area of expertise, lead research projects, and mentor newer Fellows focused on the same field.
Student Fellows can come from any academic discipline or major, so long as they are passionate about empowering voters to make informed decisions and contributing to public policy research. A willingness to learn and take on new challenges is more important than prior experience with policy research or nonprofit outreach.
ACE supports research across many policy areas, and successful Fellows tend to be those who apply with at least one serious policy interest.