Internship Handbook for Undergraduates

Career Services - Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy

Policy Memo Guidelines

All public policy majors are required to write a five-page policy memo analyzing some aspect of their internship experience. This memo is due in the Career Services Office two weeks after the conclusion of your internship.

If you do not submit a policy memo, then you will not satisfy the internship requirement of the public policy major for graduation. The policy memo must be submitted with the Policy Paper Cover Sheet provided by the Career Services Office.

Purposes of writing a policy memo:

  • To clarify what you learned during your internship.
  • To evaluate whether or not classroom theory relates to activities in your workplace.
  • To examine whether or not your workplace successfully applied what you learned in PPS classes.
  • To note all the considerations involved in decision-making processes.
  • To consider the ethical implications of applied policy.

Write the memo from a public policy perspective, but the memo should not be a simple rehashing of your job responsibilities. The memo, however, should be a thoughtful analysis and evaluation of your experience.   Ask yourself whether or not your internship experience in the real world actually applied to what you've learned in the classroom as a PPS major.  You can argue yes or no, just make a strong argument.  The subject of the memo may be an entire agency, one subject within your office or an event or issue that occurred during your internship.

When writing the memo, remember to:

  • Ask yourself if something you studied is relevant to your memo.
  • Work toward a practical and useful conclusion.
  • Avoid wordiness, passive voice and split infinitives.