Karen M. Gil Internship | Department Of Psychology and Neuroscience

Karen M. Gil Internship Program

The Karen M. Gil Internship Program offers UNC undergraduate Psychology and Neuroscience majors an opportunity to deepen their understanding of psychology and develop professional skills. The Gil Internship Program places students at a worksite in the Triangle area, offers a monthly stipend, and a 3-hour course credit towards the Psychology or Neuroscience major. The program is funded by a generous gift from anonymous donors.

This prestigious, highly-competitive program accepts 10-13 applicants per semester based on qualifications and achievement. Please meet our current cohort of Gil Interns and learn about their internship experiences by reading their blog posts on our Confessions of a Giller Blog. Interested in applying to the program? Learn about our requirements for eligibility and apply now!

Applications for the Fall 2024 Gil Intern Cohort are due by Friday, March 22nd, 2024 by 11:59pm. Please send applications to gilinternship@unc.edu. Interviews will take place in early April. Interns for the Spring 2024 cohort will be announced by the end of April.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why apply to be a Gil intern?

Gil interns have the opportunity to deepen their psychology, neuroscience and general professional knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as to make connections and develop relationships with community leaders. Gil interns find the program to be a rewarding experience that enriches their resume/CVs, allows them to earn course credit as a Psychology or Neuroscience elective, and pays monthly! Learn more about the program by reviewing this short video.

Am I eligible?

To be eligible for the Gil Internship program, students must meet all of the following requirements:

Psychology major or Neuroscience major
Junior or senior
- If applying for the Fall cohort, you are eligible as a rising Junior or Senior
- If you are a sophomore but have junior-standing (completion of 60 or more credit hours), you are eligible
Completed PSYC 101 and two additional PSYC or NSCI courses
- If you took AP PSYC 101, you are eligible. Please just note that on your application.
Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.4 (recommended)
Demonstrated knowledge of psychology and/or neuroscience, professionalism, and motivation to contribute and learn in the program

What should I expect as a Gil intern?

The Gil Internship Program finds each Gil Intern a worksite in the Triangle area and matches accepted interns to an appropriate internship worksite based on the student’s interests in psychology or neuroscience.

Students balance 9-10 hours a week at their internship worksite in addition to their classes. Students are enrolled in PSYC/NSCI 493 during their internship semester and the course is graded. Grades are determined jointly by the internship worksite mentor and by the Director of the Gil Internship Program. As part of the PSYC/NSCI 493 course, students will present their research findings and/or experience during their internship at a poster session. Check out the Spring 2020 virtual poster session to learn more about their experiences.

Where could I work?

The following is a partial list of the organizations with which the Karen M. Gil Internship Program has relationships. Please note that we are always vetting new worksites for possible Gil Intern placement and as such this list may change in the future.

How do I apply?

Please note the Gil Internship application deadline. All applications must be typed and include the following:

Student Application
Unofficial Transcripts
- Include UNC and any other college(s) attended
Resume

Applications should be sent to gilinternship@unc.edu. Questions should be directed via email or to (919) 962-4977.

What does the Gil application process look like?

You will submit a completed application with your resume and unofficial transcripts attached to gilinternship@unc.edu. The application can be found on the Gil homepage. Once the application deadline has passed, a committee will look over each application. If selected for an interview, you will be emailed directly and asked to sign-up for a 15-minute interview with the Gil Program Manager and Director. During that time, the Gil Manager will correspond with your references (listed in your application) and ask for a letter of recommendation. After all the interviews are complete and all letters of recommendation are received and reviewed, the Gil Manager will email you directly to inform you of the final decisions. The Gil program typically will accept 10-13 Gil interns per semester.

What kind of course credit will I receive?

Students enrolled in PSYC 493 receive 3 credits as a Psychology elective. Please note: this course does not count towards the major’s upper-level course requirement.

Students enrolled in NSCI 493 receive 3 credits as a Mathematics, Methods, and Statistics elective.

Please note that PSYC 493 and NSCI 493 are the same course. You will be registered for either PSYC 493 or NSCI 493 based on your major.

What does the Gil onboarding look like?

If you are selected – congratulations! You will be asked to complete a questionnaire to help the Gil Manager and Director in the internship matching process. After reviewing your questionnaire answers, the Gil Manager and Director will select the top 4 internship worksites that best fit your interests. You will then rank them. We make sure this is a joint effort and that you have a say in where you are matched. The Gil Manager will then reach out to your top choice. If they are interested in having you as a Gil intern, you will likely have an informal interview with your potential internship mentor to confirm it’s a good fit. If after the interview, it feels like a good fit, you will be matched with that worksite and start your internship the beginning of the semester. If after the interview, it does not feel like a good fit, you will meet with the next worksite in your rankings until you find the perfect internship worksite!

Interested in partnering with the Gil Internship Program?

We are always looking for new and meaningful internship worksites. If your company is interested as partnering as a placement site for Gil interns, please contact us at gilinternship@unc.edu.

Connect with the Gil Internship Program

Karen M. Gil Internship Program
Department of Psychology and Neuroscience
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
Campus Box #3270
235 E. Cameron Avenue
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3270

Dr. Steven Buzinski
Gil Internship Program Director
334 Davie Hall
(919) 843-7759
buzinski@email.unc.edu

Emily Dolegowski
Gil Internship Program Manager
333 Davie Hall
(919) 962-4977
edolego@live.unc.edu