About the Internship

October 14, 2011

For nearly 50 years, the American Society of Magazine Editors has sponsored the Magazine Internship Program—a ten-week program for rising college seniors at magazines in New York and Washington. Since the program was founded in 1967, some 1,800 college students have worked as ASME interns. Nearly 250 have gone on to successful careers in print and electronic journalism.

Join This Magazine-Journalism Tradition

• College Students
• Click here to download an application form. The application deadline is December 1, 2011.
• Journalism Educators
• Encourage your students to apply. Every year students from colleges and universities across the country are chosen to become ASME interns. Download an information packet and a promotional poster.
  
• Magazine Editors
• Make sure an ASME intern is working at your magazine next summer. E-mail asme@magazine.org to learn how to participate.
  

What you need to know about the Magazine Internship Program

• Only 10 percent of all Magazine Internship Program applicants are accepted. ASME interns have distinguished academic records and usually have extensive experience working on city and regional magazines or websites as well as on college newspapers or magazines.
• ASME interns participate in a three-day orientation program and learn the fundamentals of reporting, fact checking and copyediting. Over the course of the summer, ASME interns also attend special events in New York and Washington and meet for lunch with top editors.
• ASME interns report, edit, fact-check and copy-edit for print and online publications. They may sometimes interview celebrities, attend press conferences and work the red carpet—but most of the summer they do the un-glam but essential work of magazine journalism.
• Last year's ASME interns were students at these colleges and universities:

How to Apply

Applicants must have completed their junior year of college by June 2012. Only full-time students with a grade point average of at least 3.0 within their major will be considered for an internship.
Potential applicants should review the application requirements here. Applications must include:

1. A completed application form (Click here to download an application form)
2. A one-page cover letter (addressed to Nina Fortuna, Program Coordinator, ASME) explaining the reasons you want to be in the program and why we should pick you
   
3. A letter of recommendation from an educator who can attest to the applicant's abilities and experience
   
4. No more than five clips from a college newspaper or magazine or from a newspaper or magazine where the applicant has interned or worked
5. A nonrefundable processing fee of $25. Checks should be made payable to MPA/ASME.

Applications should be sent to Nina Fortuna, Magazine Internship Program, American Society of Magazine Editors, 810 Seventh Avenue, 24th Floor, New York, NY 10019. Applications must be postmarked on or before December 1, 2011.

How Interns Are Chosen

Besides overall academic performance, criteria used to select ASME interns include:

• Academic training in journalism (but students shouldn't be afraid to apply for an ASME internship if their school doesn't offer journalism courses or if they're not majoring in journalism)
• Experience in campus journalism, preferably as a reporter or editor on a newspaper, magazine or website
• Previous internships or employment at city, regional or national newspapers, magazines or websites

Applicants will be notified by e-mail of the selection committee's decision in mid-March, 2012.

What Schools Should Do

Journalism departments and career-guidance offices are asked to recommend no more than two students for the Magazine Internship Program. (Students do not need to be nominated by a college or university to apply.) Letters of recommendation should be included in each student's application package. To ensure geographic diversity, only one student is usually accepted from any college or university.

Internship Dates

The Magazine Internship Program Orientation begins on Wednesday, June 6, 2012, at ASME in New York. All ASME interns are expected to attend orientation, including interns assigned to magazines outside New York. Orientation concludes on Friday, June 8.

ASME interns begin work at their assigned magazines on Monday, June 11; the Magazine Internship Program concludes on Friday, August 10.

Finances and Housing

ASME interns are temporary employees of the magazine they are assigned to. ASME interns are paid a minimum of $350 a week before deductions.

ASME interns are responsible for their own travel, housing, meals and personal expenses. ASME arranges a group housing at New York University dormitories. Most interns live at NYU, but some stay with family or friends. ASME also provides housing information for students assigned to magazines in Washington.

Housing costs for the length of the Magazine Internship Program are approximately $2,800 at New York University (costs are comparable in Washington). A three-week deposit is required when housing is reserved for the summer; payment must be made in full before the scheduled move-in date.

Magazine Internship Program Graduates Include:

• Chief editors at Bauer Publishing, Hearst Magazines, Scientific American and Time Inc.
• Executive and managing editors at American Express Publishing, Condé Nast, ESPN The Magazine and Meredith
• Television producers at ABC and CNN
• Reporters at The Wall Street Journal and Politico

What People are Saying About the Magazine Internship Program:

"This summer essentially served as a VIP pass into the magazine industry. I can't believe how much I learned at my internship in such a short period of time"

"This summer has really changed my life. I've had dinner with the editor-in-chief of Esquire, received advice from the editor-in-chief of Glamour and have had an amazing internship at SELF magazine—and that's only the tip of the iceberg!"

"There's such an advantage to being an ASME intern: orientation, the mentor program, the weekly lunches, and so much more. I really feel like I've gotten a jump-start into my career."

"I loved the moment I realized I can do this. This can be my career. The people around you are so knowledgeable, but there is a reason you're here, too."

"The people in this program are incredible—living with them has been an adventure. I can't wait to see them all back up here hunting for jobs next year so we can all continue the experience together."

"A/C unit drips and oppressive humidity aside, I felt that New York was a fantastic place to spend the summer to make new friends and cultivate a budding career. You're at the crossroads of the world, and that's an amazing feeling to wake up to every morning."

For more information about the Magazine Internship Program and to download application forms, click here

Applications must be postmarked on or before December 1, 2011

Please send all application materials to:

Nina Fortuna, Program Coordinator
Magazine Internship Program
American Society of Magazine Editors
810 Seventh Avenue, 24th Floor
New York, NY 10019