CHICAGO — Lollapalooza essentials: Ray-Bans, bandana, backpack and ... resume?
Lollapalooza isn't just Chicago's biggest music festival — it's also a career fair for 100 lucky students from across the country who will get free tickets as part of a program from the mayor's office.
ThinkChicago: Lollapalooza 2013 is designed to get the nation's top tech and engineering students to think about Chicago as a destination post-graduation.
"I am relentlessly focused on showing the country Chicago's quality of life, cultural amenities and business environment," said Mayor Rahm Emanuel in a statement.
Tickets to the three-day festival featuring headliners The Cure, Mumford and Sons, The Killers, Nine Inch Nails have already completely sold out. But 100 chosen students will get free admission and go behind-the-scenes with tours of the artist compound, production areas and a Q&A with Lolla producers.
Students will also get to attend a career fair with Chicago startups and go through resume pairing and "speed" interviews. They'll attend panels moderated by Emanuel with founders and top executives from Obama for America 2012, Siri, BrightTag, Eved and GrubHub.
The program is looking for students enthusiastic about digital technology, computer science, innovation and entrepreneurship. The application is open to students from computer science and engineering programs at Stanford University, University of Texas, Cornell University, University of Michigan and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, among others.
The deadline is May 31 and applications can be found here. Students will be responsible for their own travel and lodging, a statement said.
The program is part of ThinkChicago, which brings university students to Chicago, a partnership of the mayor's office with Chicago Ideas Week.
