Penn State or George Washington: which is better for internships?

For internships specifically, George Washington usually has the edge because of where it sits and how students use that location. Being in Washington, DC makes it much easier to intern during the semester, not just in the summer, and that matters a lot for building experience early. Students at GW often take advantage of opportunities with federal agencies, nonprofits, think tanks, media organizations, hospitals, consulting firms, and political offices without needing to leave campus life behind.

GW is especially appealing for students interested in politics, international affairs, public policy, journalism, public health, business tied to government or nonprofits, and pre-law paths. The biggest practical advantage is convenience: when employers are a short Metro ride away, networking, part-time internships, and informational interviews become much more realistic. That kind of access can snowball, because one semester internship often leads to another.

Penn State makes a lot of sense for a student who wants a more traditional big-campus experience and is comfortable being more intentional about internship planning. It has a very large alumni network, strong employer recognition, and good recruiting in areas like engineering, business, supply chain, tech, communications, and some science fields. For certain majors, especially in engineering and business, Penn State can absolutely produce strong internship results, but many students rely more on summer internships, career fairs, alumni outreach, and relocating temporarily for opportunities.

If you want frequent in-semester access to employers and a campus culture where internships are tightly woven into the school year, GW is hard to beat. If you want the resources of a huge public university and are fine using career services, recruiting pipelines, and summers strategically, Penn State can work very well, especially in fields with strong national corporate hiring.