Most IT students could greatly benefit from partaking in internships (Click here).

A recent study from Computerworld found that there are often significant gaps between what tech-savvy graduates learned during school and what CIOs need from new IT staff members. This proves even the smartest graduates could benefit from internship opportunities.

Internships help students grasp what will be expected of them when they enter the workforce, which is particularly important to companies that don't have the time or money for on-the-job training.

Here are the biggest gaps that CIOs from the insurance, financial services and entertainment industries see between what IT graduates know and what they need to know:

• Inadequate grip on business realities - Many college graduates have unrealistic expectations. More internships and a map of skills and talents required to be successful in different IT jobs could greatly help close this gap.
• A narrow worldview - Companies expect IT professionals to be aware of and knowledgeable about cultural differences. This can easily be achieved by colleges promoting courses in global business practices and cultures.
• Social networking skills but wobbly relational skills - While most new graduates are proficient in using a myriad of social networking sites, texting and other forms of electronic communication, many have difficulty reading interpersonal signals and communicating with others.
• Lack of career focus - CIOs often think that college graduates don't receive the proper amounto f advice about hwo to match their talents and interests with specific IT jobs.

A recent report from the American Institute for Economic Research ranked the best areas throughout the country for students to attend college. The rankings are based on various criteria, including internships offered in the area.

The report found New York City; San Jose; Boulder, Colo.; and Ithaca, N.Y. as some of the top destinations for college students.

Researchers considered data on more than 360 metropolitan areas and came up with the top 75 destinations for students. The cities are ranked in four categories, organized by population.

Data considered included the academic environment, including the number of college students per 1,000 residents; quality of life, including cost of living and the number of cultural and entertainment venues per 100,000 residents; and professional opportunities, income per capita, unemployment rate and yearly increase in college-educated people moving into or out of the city.

The top five areas in the major metro category are:

• New York
• San Francisco
• Boston
• Washington
• Seattle

The top five in the midsize metro category are:

• San Jose
• Austin
• Hartford, Conn.
• Raleigh, N.C.
• Denver

The top five in the small metro category are:

• Boulder, Colo.
• Bridgeport, Conn.
• Ann Arbor, Mich.
• Gainesville, Fla.
• Madison, Wis.

The top five in the college town category are:

• Ithaca, N.Y.
• State College, Pa.
• Ames, Iowa
• Champaign- Urbana, Ill.
• Iowa City

"Your college years are shaped by the classes, the professors and the campus, but they're also shaped by the location of the school," Kerry Lynch, senior economist for the American Institute for Economic Research, said.

While students and families may have a sense of their surroundings, the institute recommends they should consider factors such as opportunities for internships, access to cultural activities and what kind of people their neighbors will be.

One company has helped create more internship opportunities by expanding its own 2009 program.

QuinStreet, Inc., which provides vertical media and marketing online, has expanded its internship program, which will continue through 2010. The program offers in-depth training and industry-related work experience to graduate level college students, primarily those in the process of earning an MBA.

QuinStreet is one of the few companies that have been able to increase the size of their internship programs. The economy has overall hurt student job prospects, with large employers decreasing the number internships by about one-fifth this year.

"We're in a unique position to offer internship opportunities to bright students looking to acquire practical, working knowledge with an industry leader," Michelle Berry, vice president of performance management at QuinStreet, said. "Our expanded internship program is one of the ways QuinStreet contributes to the growth and development of the online marketing industry. Of course, a second critical goal for us is to find and retain highly-talented professionals."

The company's expanded program is designed to help students practice and develop their online marketing skills in a professional, fast-paced environment. The company says its interns will benefit from:

• Networking - students have an opportunity to receive mentoring from industry leading professionals, possibly leading to future job opportunities
• Work experience - students can apply their knowledge to real-time situations gaining valuable experience and contributing to a student's resume
• Exploring career pathways - internships provide students with the chance to explore first hand a career of interest

QuinStreet's vertical media and marketing business approach offers a range of opportunities for potential interns in a number of industries.