College students should be banned from taking internships, because they cannot focus on their studies while working for companies in positions of little significance, said Huang Guitian, an assistant to the president of Peking University. Would you prefer to study or do an internship? China Daily cellphone readers share their views with us :

I used to think that with good planning, to make the best use of time and energy, I could do an internship while still doing my studies. However, I was wrong. People have limited energy and it is better to focus on just one thing. The university period is a golden period of preparation. We should work hard on the groundwork, then we can do better jobs in the future.

A reader, Linyi, Shandong province

I think it is necessary to do an internship while at university. As a college student, you cannot learn the business trends if you spend all your time in school. If you only learn from books you will not connect with reality. An internship can help a student learn more about the needs of employers. By combining theory with practice, young people can develop better.

A reader, Changsha, Hunan province

Last week, I confronted the dilemma of whether I should do an internship or not. After talking it over with my friends, I spent a night going back and forth, before arriving at my final decision: giving up the internship and spending the time studying. I believe facing choices, you should find out what you really want. Society is too fickle to hear our inner voices.

Chen Youna, Hangzhou, Zhejiang province

Doing an internship is natural before you get a formal job. From my experience, an internship can increase your knowledge, make you stronger and stimulate thinking. However, you should not use the internship as an excuse to escape your studies. Solving the problems you confront in your courses will also be a useful experience and an important part of your development.

Maizi, Xi'an, Shaanxi province

Nowadays, an internship usually lasts the whole academic year. The length of internships has become longer because of the competition for jobs, which means students start thinking about their careers at the very start of their university days. Most internships involve basic and simple tasks that help students better transition to work. Therefore, I think it is enough to have just a two or three-month internship.

A reader, Shanghai

In fact, students can balance their studies with an internship. During their studies, they can take part in many school competitions and experience the joys of school life. Students can do an internship during their winter and summer vacations, or even find a part-time job since it is important to find out the interests of students when having internships. I think both courses and an internship are inevitable.

A reader, Mianyang, Sichuan province

You cannot have your cake and eat it too. Although an internship is a good experience, most of the current internships are just doing errands. Therefore, I think it is important that universities make agreements with the companies so that they can agree a suitable time and duties for students.

A reader, Beijing

Universities aim to cultivate students' life values, so that students can make a clear plan for their future career and even life development. Companies, as future employers should recruit and train potential employees instead of occupying students' studying time with internships. This misleading practice forces students to find part-time jobs at the expense of their studies.

BUZHI, Xi'an, Shaanxi province

Those intending to work as interns should think carefully about the pros and cons. There are lots of opportunities to do an internship when you leave university, but not many opportunities to be a student once again.

QINGCAI, Tianjin

(China Daily 05/28/2012 page9)