Book of stamps: $8.20. Store-brand mailing envelopes: $2.99. Printing and perfecting your cover letter and résumé: eight hours of your precious time. The experience you'll receive at an internship this summer: priceless.

Though, when I say priceless, I mean it twofold: yes, you'll be getting some great practice for that unavoidable real world beyond college. But unfortunately, by priceless, I also mean you will charge no price. Many internships are in the same sentence as a truly horrid word: unpaid.

Do these companies understand that we're poor college students? We already spend enough money on everything from textbooks to Canyon Pizza deliveries, so why do they need to taunt us with this whole unpaid thing? I'm no economics major, but I would think that goes against a minimum wage law somewhere (or perhaps that's just wishful thinking).

Giving students an opportunity for an unpaid internship almost makes companies look cocky. It seems like they're saying "Well, experiencing work at [insert organization name here] is so fantastic, you don't need to get paid. Putting our name on your résumé is good enough payment."

That is true in so many senses; wherever you're looking to work this summer, it's great that the company, organization, etc. is taking you under its wing to teach you the ropes. Nonetheless, we interns will probably be doing trivial tasks the managers don't want their professional staff doing. Doesn't that deserve a couple bucks?

To be honest, the idea of spending my summer working for a newspaper or magazine without pay didn't really bother me at first, since I could work at my lotion-selling job on weekends. But I had always grown up thinking summer was a time to relax and have fun. Can you really condemn me for wanting that? It's certainly not ideal to have a full-time, unpaid internship and squeeze in paid work on nights and weekends. I would love the opportunity to go to the beach, spend time with friends or perhaps breathe, if I'm lucky.

But with that stupid word (unpaid) looming over my head, I can't help but think I won't be breathing this summer. A while ago, my dad asked me for my bank account statement for taxes. It probably wasn't Papa Seraphin's proudest moment when I e-mailed him the amazingly low number that lies in my checking account. I can't say I'm too happy with the tiny digit that represents my life's savings, either.

So to all the students working your butt off for no money this summer, I commend you. If I'm in the same position, I'll be mourning the loss of both my social life and bank account.

But now that I think about it, I wish I wrote this column earlier in the semester. That way, the nine résumés I sent out could be accompanied by this column as my writing sample. Maybe then I'd get paid.

Catherine Seraphin is a sophomore majoring in journalism and an in-depth reporter for The Daily Collegian. Her e-mail address is cjs5105@psu.edu.