UNIVERSITY OF DREAMS RELEASES LIST OF TOP COLLEGES PARTICIPATING IN SUMMER INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

University of Dreams, the leading summer internship placement company, has released a listing of the top institutes of higher education with students participating in their summer internship program. University of Michigan leads the list with 108 student alumni.

The full list includes schools from across the United States starting with the top 10 schools by number of participants:

School/Program Alumni:
University of Michigan /108
Washington University in St. Louis/66
Ohio State University/44
University of Texas in Austin/40
James Madison University/38
University of Southern California/38
University of Arizona/33
Boston College /31
Michigan State University/29
University of Pennsylvania/27

The job market is getting more competitive, especially with the low unemployment rate. Graduating college students need an edge to secure that first job and work experience through an internship is an ideal way to get it.

According to a November 12, 2006 article in the San Francisco Chronicle, national figures, both for the overall job market and for the new-grad market, bear out the increased demand. The Labor Department reported that the U.S. unemployment rate had dropped to 4.4 percent, its lowest level in more than five years. Additionally, the article notes that many schools are either moving up their job fairs which typically happen in the spring or adding an additional fall fair to cover the increased demand for talent.

University of Dreams has seen remarkable growth in the six years since it was established in 2000 and nearly 50% of University of Dreams’ participants receive offers from their employers to return as interns or full-time employees.

This figure shows the important role an internship can play in starting a career, a topic highlighted in the upcoming mid-December release of the Will Smith movie, Pursuit of Happyness, a film based on a true story about Chris Gardner who was a homeless, single dad who took an internship in the Dean Witter training program and is now the owner of his own brokerage firm. In a promotion related to the movie, Columbia Pictures is partnering with eight companies in “Pursue It: The Ultimate Internship Contest.”

As an all-inclusive program, University of Dreams takes care of everything—from internship placement and housing to weekend activities and daily transportation to and from work. University of Dreams guarantees an internship in the industry of the student’s choice, offers career and life coaching through a summer intern seminar series, academic credit, professional resume recommendations and expert interview coaching.

“Our student participation numbers are growing every year, showing the importance these internships play to college students as they approach graduation and their first job,” says Eric Lochtefeld, President of University of Dreams. “We’re glad to be able to provide so many students with the avenue to gain real world experience while pursuing their dream jobs and provide employers with highly qualified interns.”

Some of the companies participating in the University of Dreams summer internship program include 20th Century Fox, Dockers, Ericsson Inc., Time Inc., Hilton Hotels, Juicy Couture, Ketchum, Make-A-Wish Foundation, UBS, Disney ABC, Tommy Bahama, among others.

The early bird deadline for University of Dreams summer internship program is December 15, 2006.

About University of Dreams
University of Dreams is a summer internship program for college and university students. The mission is to positively change culture on a mass level by inspiring, equipping, and challenging people to discover and pursue their dreams. Founded in 2000, University of Dreams has 1363 alumni to date. For more information please visit the website at www.internprograms.com.