<p>@simplyjuil: I do not believe that going to Rice gives one any special advantage to doing an internship at NASA. I imagine that any internships there could be applied for from anywhere. Furthermore, I think NASA in Clear Lake is mostly run by contractors. With NASA cutting back on jobs, perhaps you should set your sights broader if not higher. For example, there are many places connected with NASA. I can think of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Goddard Space Flight Center, Cape Canaveral, Marshall Space Flight Center, etc.</p>
<p>I also noticed today that Astronaut Whitson did her undergraduate work at Iowa Wesleyan College.</p>
<p>So if your dream is to work for NASA, there are many other paths than through Rice U.</p>