<p>I was looking up Columbia on campusdirt, and I came across one alumnus who wrote that Columbia discourages internships because they don't award credit. It struck me as odd, because, if anything, I've been led to believe that one of Columbia' greatest strengths is the prospect for academic year internships in NYC. What's the deal with this?</p>
<p>Off Columbia's website:
Students do not receive any academic credit or course points for internships.
If an internship requires students to obtain credit, "transcript credit" can be arranged through the Advising Centers. We encourage employers to pay interns or offer them some form of stipend. Past experience has shown that compensated internships are more attractive to students as many cannot afford to do unpaid internships, especially during the summer.</p>
<p>The only school I know how to compare this policy is NYU and at NYU they have to pay for their credits, so a lot of people don't take them. I don't think they DISCOURAGE you from internships, but Columbia, like many elite schools, is reluctant to take credit from anything besides Columbia classes.</p>
<p>ALSO, I don't know the policy for ALL schools, but most of my friends from other schools have classes on Friday, and it is rare for anyone, especially not taking an intro course in a langauge, to have classes on Friday at Columbia, which opens up more possible times for internships.</p>