Interning has slowly become an integral part of any college student's academic career. Colleges are implementing internship requirements for graduation, students are told to have three to five internships before graduation and employers are looking for job experience for entry level jobs. It's no lie that an internship can be helpful in the long run; I've interned at some great companies and learned a lot in the process.

1. Now is the time to learn

You may feel dumb or stupid walking in not knowing anything but that's okay. In fact, it's also expected. Whenever I would walk into someone's office and tell them I didn't know how to do something, they were more than happy to show me how. At one of my internships, I knew I could walk into anyone's office and ask for help. I learned to write press releases, use the accepted vernacular for a specific company, create email content, write blog posts, write pitch letters and so much more. I had only a vague knowledge of how to do this.

2. Eavesdrop as much as possible

At one internship they invited us to eavesdrop on any conversation in the office and I took full opportunity to do so. I learned a lot about managing a full schedule and how to maintain relationships with clients. You never know what piece of information you might pick up on.

3. Work outside you internship hours

I wish I had learned this earlier. It's only recently that I realized I could work outside my normal hours to get things done or learn a new skill. Once I started doing that, I started getting bigger and bigger projects that really tested my skills and gave me new insights. The earlier you show you're open to taking on more responsibility, the earlier you get more interesting projects.

4. Be responsible

I'm not exactly the paradigm of timeliness. I'd like to be able to say I'm on time and ready to go right when the clock strikes 9 but that's a pipe dream. However, I make up for that in other ways. I don't mind staying later to finish something and when I say something will be done, it's done. I do my work to the best of my ability and ask questions for clarification.

5. Use your best judgement

My favorite phrase to hear at my internship is "I trust your judgement". That gives me kind of free reign to do what I think is best because I've proven myself to be reliable and to not overstep boundaries.