This is all very interesting.  I agree with many things on
          both sides of the discussion--however, my one question is,
          with all the universities and colleges out there with
          programs in the arts in general and with programs in museum
          studies in general, why doesn't the SCHOOL offer some
          assistance for those who can't afford to do an internship?

          I moved to DC from the Midwest to join (some of) my fellow
          Museum-L alums at GW.  I KNEW I had to do internships, true.
          I even did a great senior project as an undergrad to better
          prepare for them.  I knew I would have to live scarcely to
          cover the 480 hours (or whatever) it would take to complete
          those credits.  I was prepared for it before I moved out
          here.

          BUT, when I got here I found that the cost of living was
          what seemed like triple what it was in Minneapolis, I
          had (have) a husband who didn't know the right people
          and had to take "jobs" that didn't pay squat (instead of
          focusing on his career), and I attended an EXTREMELY
          expensive school (where student loans at maximum didn't even
          cover all school expenses)--I discovered that I had to get a
          part time job...and not just a 15-20 hour a week one.  I
          worked first retail, then receptionist anywhere between 30
          and 40 hours EVERY SINGLE WEEK because I had to just to
          help put the ramen noodles on the table.  I didn't feel like
          I expected to be handed money for doing an internship but by
          the time I had to start looking into doing it, taking time
          off to do an internship was simply not an option.  I went to
          several offices, including Museum Studies, at GW asking if
          there was any monetary support available.  Guess what the
          answer was.  Well, it wasn't NO, but it was close. (Museum
          Studies students at GW pay for Museum Studies courses that
          are listed under other departments so the money goes to them
          instead of "us"--to financially assist that department's TAs
          and Research Assistants--how fair is that?--enough of that
          tirade).

          Anyway, I was lucky enough to be able to count a VERY
          hands-on course for internship credits so I got out of that
          semester's "real" internship.  I waited and waited and
          waited until I was financially stable enough to do an unpaid
          internship until I could wait no more.  I finally applied
          for one of the oft mentioned National Council for
          Preservation Education internships (hi Laura) and got
          it--starting 3 weeks after graduation date.  I am extremely
          grateful for that--after being extended past my ending date,
          I went off to the Holocaust Museum for a year and a half,
          and guess where I am now?  In the same office I did my
          internship...

          The point here, finally, is that I AM grateful for the NCPE
          internship because it got me a job--at least through
          December.  I also don't feel like I felt museums owed me
          something for interning there.  But because I COULDN'T take
          the time off from an almost full time job for a non-paid
          internship at a prestigious (somebody mentioned that these
          are the ONLY places internships should be done) institution,
          I feel like I missed out on alot of experiences some of my
          classmates got.  And because the school I went to had very
          little financial support for people like me, I sort of
          blame IT a little for my missing out on those same
          experiences.

          This is not a cut and dried issue--this runs
          to case by case.  Every person is different and everybody's
          situation is different.  Some people honesly NEED to have a
          paid internship, not because they are surprised they needed
          to do internships, but because circumstances make it so.
          When you have 2 people living off 25,000 a year, the choice
          between pay and no pay is really a Hobson's choice...it's
          not a choice at all.

          Maybe the alumni from all of these museum studies programs
          should petition the deans of their former schools--telling
          them that you know what it was like, you know that the
          institution you work for now can do little in the way of
          financial aid, and that you would like--no, that you
          DEMAND--that more funding go toward a needy student fund in
          the museum studies programs.  Yeah, that might work as well
          as going to the director of your institution.  Clearly,
          however, something needs to be done or there are going to be
          alot of bright, young, hard working grads out there who
          can't get a job because they didn't have the "right"
          internships and, therefore, the "right" experience.  These
          are the people you should probably want working for
          you the most...

          And how about bringing back apprenticeships?  Wouldn't THAT
          just help solve the problem....

          My $4.57

          Jennifer
          [log in to unmask]