It’s been embedded in our brains: have an internship before graduation.

But while juggling a full-time class schedule, athletics, jobs, clubs and a social life, who has time for an internship?

Putting in 120 hours of unpaid work just to fetch coffee for the office doesn’t sound ideal.

But internships allow you to get hands-on experience and learn how to apply the knowledge you learned in class in the real world.

Keith Hassell, Associate Director of the Gerri Rip Center for Career Development, debunks the stereotype.

“It’s your first time to experience what the industry is like,” Hassell said.

Hassell works with students through the entire process of applying for an internship.

From creating the resume to conducting mock interviews, Hassell and the many other counselors at the center will help guide students through the sometimes difficult and frustrating process.

Having an internship under your belt is incredibly helpful in finding a job after graduation.

According to a survey published by Internships.com in 2012, 69 percent of companies offered full-time jobs to interns.

“Companies do look at internships as practical experience, so that just makes you look more competitive,” said Hassell.

Internships can also help create contacts.

Meeting and talking to people is a part of having an internship, and striking up a conversation at a meeting can lead to more job opportunities.

“Even if that company can’t hire you at that specific job, if you did a good job, they’ll help you find a job. They know the professionals in the field,” said Hassell.

By utilizing the internship opportunity, a student can figure out if the field they’ve been studying is really the field they want to go into.

“I majored in psychology but I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with it,” said Hassell. “I did an internship working with adolescents and realized that wasn’t the field that I wanted to get into. Working at a college made me realize what I wanted to do.”

Internships are not always unpaid.

Iona offers an internship class, where if you land an internship during the school year, you’ll get credit for that internship, just like you do for a class.

This allows for more flexibility in your schedule.

Some internships do pay, whether that be at the end of the internship or for expenses.

“There are internships that offer stipends for lunch and travel,” said Hassell.

Iona students have interned at many well-known companies. Some of these companies include Morgan Stanley, IBM, CBS, NBC Universal, Saturday Night Live and Westchester Magazine.

However, if no Iona student has interned at a company you would like to intern for, Iona will create that relationship.

“Even if you’re from Florida or Kansas or something, we can work with you to create that internship while you’re home,” said Hassell.

According to the Internships.com survey, more than 53 percent of employers said that they would hire more interns.

This means more opportunities for students.

The survey also found that 66 percent of employers looked more at internship performance than academic performance.

Having one or two internships on your resume might look better than graduating summa cum laude, or with highest honors.

If you’re interested in perusing internship opportunities, you can visit the Gerri-Ripp Center for Career Development on the 2nd Floor of Spellman Hall, or call (914) 633-2462.