What is an ACE Summer Fellow?
ACE is proud to publish policy resources by and for youth voters.
Summer 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 Summer Fellows to develop and provide feedback on their research projects. Over the course of the internship, Summer 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.
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
- Start on May 30th!
Key Information
Location: This position is entirely remote.
Time Commitment: 10 hours per week
Start and End Dates: May 30-August 18
Application Deadline: Applications are evaluated on a rolling basis so we encourage interested students to apply as early as possible.
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- Do not cite sources, this is merely a writing exercise.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.
Application Form
Summer Fellow applications are now closed, as all teams have reached maximum capacity. Please check back next April to join the ACE team in Summer 2024, or apply for the Student Fellow Program this fall or spring.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are several attributes which define a successful Summer Fellow.
- Communication: because ACE is entirely remote, it is imperative that Summer Fellows communicate with their Research Associates via Slack clearly and frequently. If you have to miss a meeting, push back a deadline, or need clarification on a piece of feedback, let your Research Associate know ASAP. The phrase “it’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission” could literally be the opposite of ACE’s motto.
- Nonpartisan values: ACE relies on Fellows to be mature and put aside their personal feelings when discussing policy issues. In order to maintain credibility for our readership, ACE Fellows must be prepared to discuss perspectives which they may not agree with in a neutral, unbiased way.
- Work ethic: in order to meet publication and research expectations, Fellows must put in the expected 15 hours per week every single week.
At this time, ACE’s ability to create a flexible calendar is limited. Summer Fellows have deadlines throughout the summer to stay on track with research and publication goals, so it is difficult to adapt the calendar for individual schedules. If you would prefer a different timeline, make sure that is clear during your interview as it will be a factor in our decision process.
Summer Fellows are encouraged to apply for the Student Fellow program, which takes place during the academic year. Summer Fellows who do not enter the Student Fellow program are not able to continue working on research projects with ACE past August.
Yes! If you plan to use the Summer Fellowship to receive academic credit, make sure to notify your Research Associate at the beginning of the summer and clarify any specific requirements to ensure you receive credit.
It is the responsibility of the student to ensure this position meets all the requirements from their university, and request any required information AT THE BEGINNING OF THE INTERNSHIP.