I opted out of the internship during school for various reasons. I graduated about two weeks ago and landed an unpaid internship.
I know there are plenty of paid internships out there but companies that offer those do not understand what an internship is or are looking to take advantage. All the paid ones I have seen want you to have either advance knowledge in the subject, x years of experience, and/or previous work history.
What field are you in may I ask? Because it sounds like the exact opposite of what I've seen for CS; extremely well paid, and very understanding about expected skill levels (as in, I was easily able to land a very good, and wellish paid position after merely my freshman year)
I know there are plenty of paid internships out there but companies that offer those do not understand what an internship is or are looking to take advantage. All the paid ones I have seen want you to have either advance knowledge in the subject, x years of experience, and/or previous work history.