Updated 9/20/2023
Timeline for Exploration and Launch Summer 2024
- August/September:
- Close out Summer 2023 and cultivate learnings from reflection and conversation.
- Reconsider the questions, Who am I? What's important to me? How do I want to learn and grow?
- Learn about other Scholars' summers for inspiration and information (see below)
- Talk to Alumni! This list includes Alumni who are interested in talking about Summers, being a Summer Coach, or what you might need. Look these Alumni up on Robertson Connect to learn more about them.
- Come to a Q & A September 18-22. Check Vicki's email invitation from 9/15/23 for specifics.
- Invite a Summer Coach to join you. This person will work with you throughout your planning.
- October:
- Enroll in the Summer 2024 process by October 1.
- Sophomore retreat, October 7-8
- Summer Workshop, October 27 and 28 options, in person and online (details TBD)
- November:
- Optional online coaching sessions with Alumni, November 13-21
- December:
- Complete online Progress Report by December 20.
- January:
- Submit an optional draft for review by January 22.
- February:
- Revise according to feedback.
- Prepare final proposal and budget for submission.
- March:
- Submit complete packet of materials by March 1.
- April:
- Submit complete packet of materials by April1, if relevant.
- Attend Robertson Send-Off April 18, 2024.
- Final preparation of materials: register international trips, risk forms, etc.
- May:
- Final preparation of materials.
- August:
- Complete reflection as requested.
Important documents
- Vicki's invitation email 9/15/23
- Choosing a Summer Coach
- Proposal Components and Funding a Transformational Summer
- Commonly asked questions
- Coming soon: How to get the most from your work with your Summer Coach!
- Tips from Vicki (updated frequently!) on proposal writing
- If you get stuck, try these strategies.
- Notes For Optional Scholar/Alumni Coaching Conversations in November
- Instructions for Final Materials will be updated for 2024
Where can you go for ideas and inspiration?
- Watch the Alumni stories at the bottom of this page. They're great sources of ideas for Summers!
- This list includes: Alumni who want to talk to you about their Summers or anything else Robertson-related; Alumni interested in being a Summer Coach; Alumni who want to be involved and are waiting for you to ask them.
- Consider this statement, suggested by Mikhal Ben-Joseph (2023): “During the Summer, I would love to _____.”
- Alumni offered excellent comments for planning an intentional Robertson Summer.
- Matthew Tweden (2025) shared this list of the world's most pressing problems. Robertsons can make a difference!
- Read about recent Scholar projects. Check Robertson Connect for more details about specific Robertson projects.
Info for International Travel
- All Scholars (Duke AND UNC) will follow Duke policies for international travel and will abide by Duke's Restricted Regions List.
- Duke's international travel registry: ALL Scholars traveling internationally will create a profile and register their trips with Duke.
- UNC has a new petition process for students who want to go abroad during the summer outside of an organized UNC group. UNC Robertsons will follow these steps if they are asking for UNC recognition of their activities OR they are international UNC Scholars. Will be updated for 2024.
- US Department of State Travel Advisories: The State Department informs Duke's and UNC's policies. This site also has excellent resources for travel to any international location.
- This is a great resource from UNC for international travelers.
Resources and Opportunities for 2024--posted as they are shared with staff
- Public Policy and International Affairs program (PPIA) has summer learning opportunities for students interested in public service. Deadline 11/1/23.
Resources and Opportunities for 2023--there might be ideas here for 2024
- American Dance Festival in Durham offers internships in arts production and administration. (Vicki's sister, Kimberly Bartosik, was on faculty Summer 2022. Her intern was busy and was extremely valuable to the organization and the artists.)
- American Enterprise Institute offers a Summer Honors Program recommended by Alumnus Andrew Sugrue
- American Federation of Teachers will publish a list of summer internships.
- Annunciation House in El Paso has a ten-week summer program to work with refugees.
- Bellwether Education Partners, a national nonprofit dedicated to underserved children, is looking for summer interns in _Policy & Evaluation and Strategic Advising. Alumni Jagir Patel and Jeremy Knight recommend this organization
- Community Empowerment Fund's summer internships offer meaningful, purposeful learning experiences or Scholars who want to stay local.
- DistributeAid reached out to Vicki 2/9/23 to invite Robertsons to apply for a summer internship. Kyle Ryan, Jake Sheridan, and Weston Lindner all worked with this group during a summer, and Weston works with them now
- FLAS fellowships. Many Robertsons, including Rahel Petros and Eli Hornstein, have participated in the Foreign Language and Area Studies fellowship program, which is offered through both Duke and UNC.
- University of Iowa Writers Workshops are known in the writers' community.
- Leland Ben (2020) shared this information about Morgan Stanley events for Summer 2024.
- Alumnus Lawton Ives (2020) strongly recommends the National Park Service summer internships.
- NC Department of Justice offers legal internships.
- OceanX has a very cool summer program--applications due 2/26/23. Thank you to alum Blake O'Connor for sharing!
- The Oliver Wyman process that comes via Dr. Rasiel will not be accepting Robertson interns for summer 2023.
- The Penland School of Craft in Western North Carolina offers summer workshops.
- Public Consulting Group provides management consulting in the public sector. Internships are available in a number of areas, such as Consulting, Technology, and Corporate Operations.
- Rivian. Alumnus AJ Hatzis invited Robertsons interested in electric vehicles or green energy to apply for the Rivian summer internship.
- RTI International offers domestic and international internships in social and lab science, engineering, and international development.
- Student Action with Farmworkers, a longtime partner to the Robertson program, offers an outstanding summer internship with some of the best support/training/reflection practices and most authentic community engagement Vicki has seen. Alumni Professor Chris Paul and Dr. Nandini Kumar highly recommend this experience!
- Unite for Sight supports eye clinics worldwide by investing human and financial resources in their social ventures to eliminate patient barriers to eye care. The Global Impact Corps provides year-round health care delivery in Ghana, Honduras, and India and offers summer fellowships.
Additional Resources
Transferable Skills Worksheet This will help you organize and articulate the skills you have and those who you want to gain through Summers.
Third-party providers (examples--there are a lot! These organizations provide opportunities for interactions that are hard to create as an individual, particularly in international medical, educational, or other settings. Some offer valuable opportunities to learn about new places.