By Sarah Crane
Searching for an internship for this summer and coming up empty-handed?
Look no further than the University of Dreams, a company based in Los Gatos, Calif. that finds and secures eight-week summer internships for college students.
The cost of the program varies by city - an eight-week internship in New York City, for example, will cost a student $7,499, and includes housing, transportation to and from work, some meals and weekend activities.
Eric Lochtefeld, the founder and CEO of University of Dreams, started the company in 2000 after a career in event production including the launch of the first Vans Warp Tour.
'I found that a lot of my friends who had the same college experience as I did were not enjoying their careers at all,' Lochtefeld said. 'I said I want more of my friends to have what I have, which is a career that I love.'
Lochtefeld said he created University of Dreams as a way to facilitate those students who wanted to branch out and explore careers in fields they could be passionate about.
'What I came to realize is that far too many students just follow the path that they think they''re supposed to follow; whereas the more enlightened person might take a step back and say, ''I want to do what makes me happy,''' he said.
In its seven years of operation, the University of Dreams has placed more than 2,000 interns at companies ranging from MTV to Smith Barney and 20th Century Fox.
Programs currently exist in six major cities, including San Francisco, New York and London and, after enrolling, students are guaranteed an internship in the industry of their choice.
'We''ve already gone out and established relationships with some of the greatest companies in the world,' Lochtefeld said. 'We''ll show you all the available companies, and you choose the employers you want to go after. Our job is to try and get you the best job possible.'
Chris Ingersoll, a senior from Orem majoring in business management, signed up for an internship through the University of Dreams after receiving an e-mail about the program.
'At first I was a little skeptical, but after I checked it out everything looked good,' Ingersoll said.
Ingersoll completed an internship in New York City with Chicago Investments Group, a move he said has put him ahead of many of his colleagues.
'One company that I interviewed with in particular was very impressed,' Ingersoll said. 'It was the distinguishing factor for them to choose me because of my experience in New York.'
Some are saying, however, that getting an internship shouldn''t require this type of service or come at such a high cost.
'There''s such a plethora of internships available that if the student is paying someone to find an internship then they''re robbing themselves of money,' said Angela Eckstein, communications and training coordinator with BYU''s Internship Office.
'They really should be out looking for their own internships to make sure that their internship matches their interests and their major,' she said.
Lochtefeld doesn''t see it that way.
'It''s not just about the internship,' he said. 'It''s about the city. It''s about a dream life and branching out from where you come from. The second component is a great internship.'