It’s a far cry from mowing lawns and babysitting for cash in the summer. In today’s ultra-competitive summer internship market, one company is offering students guaranteed placement – for a price.

The University of Dreams, founded in 2000, offers students the ability to work anywhere from Hong Kong to London, Sydney to Costa Rica in eight-week programs that include summer internship placement, housing, seminars, résumé revision, meals and transportation. The all-inclusive tuition ranges from $5,000 to over $8,000.

Eric Normington, chief marketing officer at the University of Dreams, said students should put the cost into perspective.

“Internships are an investment, just as your four-year education is an investment. The more experience you have, the better able you are to set yourself apart from everyone else,” he said. “Students realize and value the opportunities that internships provide.”

Normington said that the company is more than just a placement agency.

“The heart of our company . is to inspire, equip and challenge individuals to follow their dreams,” he said. “We really believe the eight weeks is an impactful program for youths and provides applicable work experience.”

“Besides, it’s not free or cheap to live eight weeks in Manhattan,” Normington said.

Normington said that 16 Georgetown students have participated in the University of Dreams so far.

eredith Gadoury (MSB ’11), one of the 16, said that her experience with University of Dreams in Barcelona was a good one.

“I would definitely recommend it to other students, especially if they don’t want to go abroad for a semester and only want to intern for a short period of time,” she said. “As far as a long-term serious internship during junior or senior year, I would not really recommend it, but as a sophomore or freshman year experience, I would definitely recommend it, as long as you are ready to study abroad. . There were great training sessions, fantastic weekends and a really nice community of people there.”

The organization provides financial aid services for students who cannot afford the full tuition, according to its Web site.

The economic downturn has led to an increase in student interest in for-profit internship matching companies. According to the Wall Street Journal, interest in these organizations has risen between 15 and 25 percent in the last year.

Other internship advising and placement companies, such as Brill Street and Company and Fast Track Internships, have also experienced growth in popularity. Brill Street, which places students in paid positions and takes a cut of their paychecks, receives almost 200 applications per week.

Normington said that the University of Dreams was experiencing a similar increase in applications.

“We’ve been running our program for nine years and this year is by far the highest enrollment numbers we’ve ever had,” Normington said. “In this economy, opportunities are hard to come by, and we are a company that offers access to those opportunities.”

According to Normington, the University of Dreams most commonly places students in finance and public relations internships. Positions in marketing, event planning and the fashion industry are also very popular.

Whether students should pay for the experience at all, particularly if they are placed in an unpaid position, has become a question for college advisers nationwide.

ike Schaub, executive director of the Career Education Center, said students seeking internships have a wealth of support available on campus.

“We have not endorsed anything like [the University of Dreams],” Schaub said. “We place internship opportunities on Hoya [Career] Connection, so students can do a search [for internships]. We are also a member of the IRA Internship Network Consortium with eight other universities.”

Others suggested that finding internships should not involve a third party, arguing that students should be able to find unpaid positions without help.

“The type of students corporate America wants are the students who can find their own internships,” Claudia Tattanelli, chief executive officer of Universum USA, told The Wall Street Journal.

Schaub agreed that internships are a valuable activity for Georgetown students to pursue if they can find the opportunity.

“Whether in a good or in a bad economy, work experience is very important to have under your belt,” Schaub said.

“