If you were guaranteed an internship in the industry of your choice, would you pay for it?
At the University of Dreams, students do exactly that.
After College senior Jackie Newman couldn't find an internship on her own last summer, she turned to University of Dreams and landed a job at Vidicom, a media and public-relations company in New York.
The 'University' guarantees internship placement, housing, a meal plan and weekend activities for students who pay a fee - $5,499 or $9,499, depending on the location - to be in the program.
Though Newman, now a campus marketing intern for University of Dreams, acknowledged that the program is expensive, she said it was "worth it" because it is an "investment in your future."
Since University of Dreams started nine years ago, it has grown from 73 participants annually to over 1,800 this year - including 34 Penn students throughout that time.
Applications for the program are online and the University of Dreams usually gets back to an applicant with an admissions decision in about three days, according to Eric Normington, chief marketing officer of University of Dreams.
In order to be eligible for the program, a student must have a GPA of 2.5 or higher and be between the ages of 18 and 26, according to the eligibility requirements on University of Dreams' Web site.
Once accepted to the program, students are assigned an internship coordinator who works with the student to find internship opportunities, craft a resume and polish interview skills.
The student then interviews with employers and the University of Dreams guarantees that they will be placed in an internship.
"Employers want to work with us because we make it easy for them and provide incredible students," Normington said.
He added, "employers understand that the students in our program are extremely committed because they are paying for the program."
Normington explained that the bulk of the cost of the program goes to pay for housing and meal plans for the participants. The rest of the fee goes to cover transportation to and from work, weekend activities and training workshops.
The University of Dreams also provides scholarships and will work with students to secure financing.
"People aren't just paying for an internship," said Normington, who added, "in the current economy, interest in program is higher than ever because internships are harder to come by."
Kelly Cleary, senior associate director of Career Services, wrote in an e-mail that she wants to encourage Penn students to use Career Services' resources to secure internships "instead of paying an organization to place them."
Cleary wrote that Career Services frequently receives promotional material from these organizations but in general does not encourage students to pursue internships through programs that charge a fee.
She explained that the exception to this would be in the case of "some service-related or international programs where the program fees cover expenses that the student would likely incur if they pursued the opportunity on their own such as housing, insurance or work permits."
She added that students who are willing to put time and effort into their search should have no problem securing rewarding internships.
While Newman described Career Services as "a great resource," she said she found it "geared toward finance and Wharton-type jobs."
While the University of Dreams also places students in finance positions, Newman said it "helps student find jobs in more creative industries, which can be more challenging."
