There's a ton of wiggle room depending on what you want to do! Just to illustrate what I've done...
1. I interned at a newspaper during one summer in advertising and news graphics and didn't get paid.
I did gophering at the newspaper, but another of my friends worked there over the summer in the pit, and she actually wrote articles.
2. I interned at a hospital pr firm during the school year and did get paid, but didn't request college credit. I got to do real projects since they were so understaffed.
3. I interned at an organization in D.C., and they didn't pay me, but they knew me and liked me so they housed me, heh. And I was a paper pusher.
I didn't get school credit for any of these, although that certainly could have been an option. Internships weren't required when I was in college, so I didn't bother to hassle with paperwork, which can get extensive depending on what you want to do.
Here in grad school, internships during the school year are like taking a class, so not only would I get class credit, but I'd also be taking 2 other classes. I would have to put in the hours for the internship that I would for the class, which on the quarter system is typically 10-15 hours a week.
It's smart to do it over the summer before you graduate. Statistically, you're more likely to get a job, but that's just numbers talking. But I also know people who've done them right before or after they graduated, and their internship turned into a full-time job, so that's something I always keep in mind as well...And what you do at the internship really depends on who they are and what they need. It's always great to go with someone understaffed, I've learned, because you'll usually get to work on real projects LOL. If they have everyone they need, you turn into a shadow and a paperpusher. Zzzz
Annnd I think that's all of my initial thoughts on interning, heh.
JD
