Experience.  The purpose of an internship is to gain experience. 
Unfortunately, when one is a graduate student having a stipend or some pay 
to cover travel and living expenses can be very important.  I we do have 
to eat!  I am a first year graduate student in Museum Studies.  Part of 
our degree requirement is the completion of an internship.  My main 
concern with interning is working somewhere that I will not have new 
experiences.  I already have four years museum experience in collections 
and have been working for one semester as an assistant to the collections 
manager at a University Museum.  My past job and current job have been 
fantastic because my supervisors were and still are wonderful about 
sharing their experiences and teaching me as much as they can.  I have 
been challenged!  I have heard from numerous friends and fellow students 
that their internship experiences were not challenging.  For me, the 
learning experience is the most important part.  I am not interning to 
make coffee for someone or only do the busy work.  I want to be challenged 
and learn as mush as I can.  I believe that an intern who is given 
challenges will also be a better worker because they will not be bored.  
Of course, not part of the internship will be challenging or exciting but 
it should not all be busy work.

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