This page provides additional information about the BKC Project Summer Internship. BKC’s Cyberlaw Clinic hosts a separate internship, which is described in detail on this page.
Berkman Klein projects host both undergraduate and graduate student interns coming from a wide range of disciplines. Project interns are deeply embedded within specific projects and work closely with project team members to learn about the research and create outputs guided by project’s needs. Each project team defines the types of students they seek for their project.
What will I do as a summer intern at the Berkman Klein Center?
How does Berkman Klein think about diversity, inclusion, and belonging?
Which programs can I apply to?
What if I am between my undergraduate and graduate studies?
How do I apply?
To whom should I address my cover letter, and how long should my cover letter be?
Should I contact researchers to ask more about their work?
Are the internships paid?
Will you interview me for a position?
When will I know whether or not I’m selected for an interview?
May I call or email you to find out more information about the status of my application?
How do my references factor into the review?
Do you want letters of recommendation from my references?
When will I know if I am not selected as an intern?
When is the internship? Are the dates of the summer program fixed?
May I volunteer as an intern with the Berkman Klein Center for the summer?
May I do a remote summer internship?
Does the Berkman Klein Center sponsor visas for international summer interns?
Am I eligible to be selected for an internship if I’m an international student studying at a U.S. institution and qualify for CPT or OPT?
Do you have internships during the academic school year?
Who can I contact if I have questions?
What will I do as a summer intern at the Berkman Klein Center?
Interns are embedded with project work and conduct collaborative and independent research under the guidance of staff, fellows, and faculty. Specific roles, tasks, and experiences vary depending on Center needs and interns' skills.
How does Berkman Klein think about diversity, inclusion, and belonging?
The work and well-being of the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society are profoundly strengthened by the diversity of our network and our differences in background, culture, experience, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, age, ability, and much more. We actively seek and welcome people of color, women, the LGBTQIA+ community, persons with disabilities, and people at intersections of these identities, from across the spectrum of disciplines and methods.
Which programs can I apply to?
All of our summer internship opportunities are employment positions managed through the Harvard Law School Human Resources Office. The Summer 2020 internship program works with the Harvard International Office (HIO) to sponsor J-1 Student Intern Visas for summer interns who meet requirements. Internships are based in Cambridge, MA, and work must be conducted in the state of Massachusetts. Interns do not have to be affiliated with Harvard University, and many of our interns have no previous affiliation with us or with Harvard.
If you are an undergraduate, you may apply to any BKC Project internship opportunity that seeks undergraduate students. If you are a graduate student, you may apply to any BKC Project internship opportunity that seeks graduate students.
What if I am between my undergraduate and graduate studies?
If you are currently enrolled in undergraduate or graduate studies, then you may apply for their respective internships.
If you are graduating this year from an undergraduate program, but you are not currently applying to graduate school, then the undergraduate internship opportunities are most likely the best fit for you.
If you are an undergraduate who is currently applying for graduate school, we recommend applying to opportunities that align with your current skills and background. Similarly, if you have been working for several years after your undergraduate degree and have work experience that a graduate-level internship opportunity requires, you may be well-suited to it. Trust your judgment!
Every intern, regardless of whether they are an undergraduate or graduate student, has the same title. Everyone hired will be a Berkman Klein Center Intern, which we affectionately abbreviate to Berktern.
How do I apply?
Appy to the BKC Summer internship program here.
The application includes your contact information, a resume or CV, a cover letter, and two references. You may apply for multiple internship roles. In the application, you will be asked to select your top two internship opportunity preferences. Additionally, in your cover letter, please indicate the particular internship opportunities you are applying for, why you are excited about these opportunities in particular, and why you are a strong candidate for them.
If you are a law student applying to the Cyberlaw Clinic internship, you should submit through the Cyberlaw application portal. Law students are also welcome to apply to BKC Project internships that are available to graduate students.
To whom should I address my cover letter, and how long should my cover letter be?
Multiple people may be reviewing your internship application, so we would encourage you to use a generic opening of your choosing on your cover letter.
Cover letters should generally not exceed one page, and more concise writing is strongly encouraged.
Should I contact researchers to ask more about their work?
Researchers will be involved in the application review process, including applicant interviews, but cannot respond to individual requests. Additional information about our research projects is available here. Programmatic questions can be directed to internship2020@cyber.harvard.edu
Are the internships paid?
Interns are paid $12.75 an hour (with the exception of the Cyberlaw Clinic internship law students who receive summer public interest funds.) No other benefits are provided, and interns must make their own housing, insurance, and transportation arrangements.
Will you interview me for a position?
While we would love to talk with all applicants, we will only be contacting selected candidates for interviews.
When will I know whether or not I’m selected for an interview?
We move through our review as comprehensively and thoughtfully as possible. We expect to begin contacting selected candidates as soon as we are able, but don't have a specific date by which this will happen. Please know that we are working as fast and mindfully as we can and appreciate your patience.
May I call or email you to find out more information about the status of my application?
We are carefully reviewing each application and are working to keep the highly dynamic review process moving forward. So that we can focus our energy on the review and on getting answers back to you, please do not call or email the Center to get information about the status of your application. We unfortunately will not be able to provide a status update for you.
How do my references factor into the review?
The references of selected candidates may be contacted during the course of our review, though we do not have precise dates when this will happen. We will not be contacting all references for all applicants.
Do you want letters of recommendation from my references?
All we need are the names and contact information you provide in the application.
When will I know if I am not selected as an intern?
All applicants - those we select, and those we're unfortunately unable to - will be notified when we have finalized our selection process. We do not have a specific date for this, but we do expect our review to carry into Spring.
When is the internship? Are the dates of the summer program fixed?
Summer internships are full time positions (35 hours/week) for 10 weeks. The Summer 2020 program will run from June 1 through August 7. It is a cohort program in which you learn together and grow to become part of our community. As a result, it is better if you can attend the whole time. If you are selected as an intern and have schedule constraints, please let us know right away if you need to make adjustments.
May I volunteer as an intern with the Berkman Klein Center for the summer?
We do not work with volunteers in the context of the summer internship program.
May I do a remote summer internship?
All of our summer internships are based in Cambridge, MA, and due to labor laws and other interests of the program, we are unable to accommodate remote internships.
Does the Berkman Klein Center sponsor visas for international summer interns?
We work with the Harvard International Office (HIO) to sponsor J-1 Student Intern Visas for summer interns who meet the requirements. More information can be found on the HIO website at http://hio.harvard.edu/j-student-intern-visa.
Am I eligible to be selected for an internship if I’m an international student studying at a U.S. institution and qualify for CPT or OPT?
If this is relevant to you, you should be in touch with the relevant administrative office responsible for handling CPT and OPT employment considerations at your home institution. We have been able to hire summer interns in the past with CPT or OPT.
Do you have internships during the academic school year?
During the academic year, we sometimes host student Research Assistants who work part-time on specific projects. These opportunities are not part of our summer internship program. They differ from this program in that Research Assistants are not part of a cohort who engages in shared activities and learning opportunities.
Who can I contact if I have questions?
If you have additional questions, please email internship2020@cyber.harvard.edu.