2008 Woodie Awards
Video related to this article is available below.Issue date: 2/19/08 Section: News
Paying a hefty price for summer
Sara Himeles
It's no secret that the top summer internships are often unpaid.
But what's less known is that many students must pay their universities to receive the academic credit that some employers - wary of labor laws governing unpaid internships-require as a condition of the job.
When the expense of academic credit is added to lost wages, summer housing, transportation, wardrobe overhauls and expensive city living, it can be difficult for interns to maintain a positive outlook.
"We will never give academic credit for something that's not academic," said College Director of Academic Advising Diane Frey, noting that no Ivy League school grants credit for an internship without an academic complement.
The College will place a "notation" on students' transcripts indicating that they have completed an internship.
The policy, which was instituted approximately four years ago, was designed to satisfy the legal concerns of non-paying employers, who are frequently found in the communications, fashion, arts, politics and social services sectors, according to director of Career Services Patricia Rose.
"It usually works," she said of the notation.
College senior Jessica Reich, who used the notation to satisfy the academic credit requirement at Modern Bride Magazine last summer, suggested the policy might work as a result of vague communication between the University and employers, who are under the impression that their interns are receiving credit.
In Frey's standard letter to non-paying employers, she writes that "the internship credit will be noted on [the student's] transcript" - a statement that could be misinterpreted as academic credit, although employers are able to access the detailed policy online.
"I don't think I was ever really nervous that [the magazine] would find out [that I wasn't receiving credit], but I think that if they had known Penn's policy, they wouldn't have liked it," Reich said.
But what's less known is that many students must pay their universities to receive the academic credit that some employers - wary of labor laws governing unpaid internships-require as a condition of the job.
When the expense of academic credit is added to lost wages, summer housing, transportation, wardrobe overhauls and expensive city living, it can be difficult for interns to maintain a positive outlook.
"We will never give academic credit for something that's not academic," said College Director of Academic Advising Diane Frey, noting that no Ivy League school grants credit for an internship without an academic complement.
The College will place a "notation" on students' transcripts indicating that they have completed an internship.
The policy, which was instituted approximately four years ago, was designed to satisfy the legal concerns of non-paying employers, who are frequently found in the communications, fashion, arts, politics and social services sectors, according to director of Career Services Patricia Rose.
"It usually works," she said of the notation.
College senior Jessica Reich, who used the notation to satisfy the academic credit requirement at Modern Bride Magazine last summer, suggested the policy might work as a result of vague communication between the University and employers, who are under the impression that their interns are receiving credit.
In Frey's standard letter to non-paying employers, she writes that "the internship credit will be noted on [the student's] transcript" - a statement that could be misinterpreted as academic credit, although employers are able to access the detailed policy online.
"I don't think I was ever really nervous that [the magazine] would find out [that I wasn't receiving credit], but I think that if they had known Penn's policy, they wouldn't have liked it," Reich said.
Be the first to comment on this story