Application Process
iSTEP 2013 Program Application Timeline
- Sunday, November 11, 2012 - Deadline for student applications (11:59 p.m. U.S. Eastern Standard Time). No late applications will be accepted.
- Monday, November 19, 2012 - Email notification of semi-finalists selected for interviews and notification to applicants not selected as semi-finalists.
- Tuesday, November 20 - Wednesday, December 12, 2012 - Semi-finalist interviews. Please see our interview policy.
- Sunday, December 9, 2012 - Deadline for completed recommendation forms for semi-finalists (11:59 p.m. U.S. Eastern Standard Time). No late forms will be accepted.
- Monday, December 17, 2012 - Notification of final selection of interns, waitlisted applicants, and applicants not selected.
- Friday, December 21, 2012 - Deadline for finalists to confirm their acceptance of our internship offer (5:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern Standard Time).
- Friday, December 28, 2012 - Deadline for waitlisted applicants to confirm their acceptance of our internship offer (5:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern Standard Time).
The application system is now closed and the applications are being reviewed. Thank you to the CMU students who applied for iSTEP 2013.
Feel free to contact us at info@techbridgeworld.org or call +1-412-268-1289 with any questions on this program, our application process, or your application status if you applied for iSTEP 2013.
Selection Criteria
iSTEP (innovating Student Technology ExPerience) is a rigorous and competitive 10-week internship program that requires the involvement of students with high levels of dedication, team work, cross-cultural adaptability, initiative and academic achievement. Students who have participated in iSTEP in past years have exhibited tremendous personal and professional growth as a result of their experiences conducting field research in developing community settings.
Eligibility
- Students from ALL academic disciplines from the Pittsburgh and Doha campuses of Carnegie Mellon University are welcome to apply. If you are from another Carnegie Mellon campus and are really interested in this program please contact us in advance of the application deadline with your resume and a brief statement with your reasons for wanting to apply.
- Students from universities other than Carnegie Mellon are NOT eligible to apply.
- Graduate students, seniors, juniors, sophomores, and freshmen are all welcome to apply. Students graduating in May 2013 are also welcome to apply.
- Students are welcome to apply regardless of nationality or ability to travel.
Requirements
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Selected iSTEP 2013 interns must be able to commit to full-time work from late-May through early August 2013.
- Selected iSTEP 2013 interns must be able to work from Pittsburgh or India.
- Selected iSTEP 2013 interns must participate in a weeklong required Orientation and Training Session. Intern(s) based at CMU’s Doha campus who are continuing to India would be in Doha for the 1st week of the internship for remote participation in the orientation and training session. All other iSTEP interns will be expected to attend this session in person in Pittsburgh.
- Students must verify through the online form that they are in good academic and conduct standing with Carnegie Mellon University and that the program organizers have their permission to check their academic and disciplinary records for any violation of community standards as part of the application process.
- Selected iSTEP 2013 interns will also be asked to complete a variety of paperwork in order to facilitate logistics associated with their participation in the program. During the spring semester we will work with CMU colleagues in a variety of departments to coordinate the completion of forms required from students related to logistics such as: payroll and applicable taxes, travel booking, emergency contact information, health insurance, intellectual property ownership, research compliance, etc. Please feel free to contact us if you would like to know more specifics about these required forms before applying to the program.
Other Criteria
- Students are also strongly encouraged to conduct as much preparatory work as possible during the spring semester in order to get a head start on project work in the summer. To assist in this endeavor, TechBridgeWorld will be offering two optional mini courses in the Spring 2013 semester. Click here for more information.
- Involvement with other TechBridgeWorld activities or past experience with technology and development work will be a strong factor in the selection process.
- We prefer to select some students who will be returning to campus to continue their studies after their summer work so that they can share their experiences and help recruit future participants for the program.
Application Procedure
Before applying to this program, consider any personal or academic commitments that will affect your involvement in the summer internship and the spring preparations leading up to the summer program. Take into consideration any constraints related to your research obligations, family commitments, health issues, etc. as you decide whether to apply for this opportunity. See our Current iSTEP page for more details on iSTEP 2013.
To apply for iSTEP 2013, students must do the following by the specified deadlines:
- Complete an online application form.
- Upload supporting documents through the online application form. You can e-mail documents that have failed to upload to our online application system to info 'AT' techbridgeworld.org.
- If you are a semi-finalist, have your references submit completed reference forms. Click here to see an example reference form from iSTEP 2012.
We will select a group of semi-finalists who will participate in an interview process before we make our final selection of the team. Once we have notified students of their selection, they will have 5 business days to commit to our internship offer. We will also notify students if they are a waitlist for the team. Once we have notified waitlisted applicants, they will have 5 business days to commit to our internship offer.
Interview Policy
If an applicant is late on the day of the interview:
- The applicant should contact the interviewer ASAP using the contact information provided when the interview was scheduled.
- If tardiness is a mistake made by the applicant (e.g. sleeping in), he or she will be allowed to finish his or her interview during the remaining time of the designated timeslot. No extra time will given to the tardy applicant.
- If applicant does not show up at all during the designated interview time slot and has made no attempt to contact the interviewers, he or she will no longer be considered for iSTEP 2013.
- In the event of an emergency or if the applicant has a valid reason for missing the interview (e.g. situation beyond their control), the applicant should contact the interviewers at his or her earliest convenience. We will do our best to reschedule the applicant's interview.
- If it is the interviewers' mistake, the applicant's interview will be rescheduled.
If you have any questions on any of these details please feel free to contact us.