Rice vs. George Washington University for Access to Washington, DC Internships

For students who want to pursue Washington, DC internships during the academic year, GWU offers a substantial practical advantage over Rice. GWU’s Foggy Bottom campus is within walking distance or a short Metro ride from federal agencies, Capitol Hill, embassies, major think tanks, advocacy organizations, and international institutions. That proximity makes part-time, in-person internships during fall and spring far more realistic, rather than limiting DC work primarily to summers.

At GWU, policy and international-affairs opportunities are integrated into the school-year rhythm: students can attend employer events, informational interviews, public hearings, panels, and networking meetings without leaving the city. Being nearby also helps when an organization needs an intern to start quickly or work a few set hours each week. For politics in particular, access to congressional offices, campaign-adjacent organizations, and issue-based nonprofits can be especially useful.

Rice can still lead to strong DC internships, particularly in the summer. However, a Rice student would typically need to arrange housing and relocate to DC for the summer, or seek a formal off-campus semester opportunity, while a GWU student can build several smaller experiences across multiple semesters. Rice also offers meaningful opportunities in Houston, including civic, legal, energy-policy, health-policy, and nonprofit work, but those are not substitutes for being embedded in DC.

The difference matters most if you expect internships, networking, and day-to-day exposure to public affairs to be central to your college experience. For a student focused specifically on politics, public policy, or international affairs in Washington, GWU’s location creates an advantage that is difficult for Rice to match.