I know at UCLA Anderson there are many people who engage in these internships during the school year, and I assume this is not uncommon at schools in other major markets, as well. Some are for shorter durations than the full three months, some seem to stretch on for an entire semester. They are purportedly most helpful to career-switchers, but would seem to be valuable to just about anyone looking to gain more (or more refined) experience and exposure to a certain function or industry, in a real-world setting. Resume-building, skill-building, network-building, etc etc.
I am very interested in doing one or more of these, but with all the time pressures of the school year, I wonder how these really work? So, to all those who have done or are currently doing academic internships, I ask:
(1) Why are you doing one?
(2) How many hours do you work per week?
(3) How did you secure the internship?
(4) Is it paid or unpaid? Similar pay to summer internships?
(5) Is it worth it?