Perhaps you are considering an internship this spring. Maybe you’d like to get some credit for hard work on a relevant academic learning experience outside the traditional classroom. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done. While the University makes it seem as if it is doing us a favor by allowing us to receive class credit for internships, getting one approved is often more trouble than it’s worth. And if you do receive college credit for your work, it’ll cost you.

While it is somewhat understandable that we would pay for credits if we are doing an internship outside of the University (Villanova has to make its money after all), it is not understandable that students who have internships in Villanova organizations still have to pay for their credits.

Students should not have to pay to receive internship credit if they are performing a service for the school. If a student is working for an on-campus organization to get class credit, that service to the school should be quite enough payment to Villanova.

It is absurd that a student who is dedicating his or her time and effort to a service that benefits the entire Villanova community should have to pay the school for the privilege.

In fact, at some schools, it is quite the opposite. Many prestigious universities pay students who dedicate their scarce free time to putting out publications such as the college magazine, yearbook or newspaper.

While we are not suggesting that Villanova students be paid, we do think this practice illustrates the idea that students who contribute to the community as part of their learning should not have to pay to do so.

Another obstacle you may run into while trying to obtain internship credit comes from the respective departments. It would be logical to get credit for working on a newspaper through the Communication department just as it would be logical to get credit for working in a hospital through the Nursing department. However, this is not always the case.

Beware when expecting internship credit, especially for academic-related activities, because unless the activity has formal ties to the specific department it will be next to impossible to make your case.