What summer internship pays students $575 a week? What internship lets you hob-knob with world leaders? Which internships give students free CDs? There are a lot of internships in the world; some are a bit cooler than the rest. Here, in no particular order, is a rundown of 10 of the coolest.

Central Intelligence Agency

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), as the bodyguard for American government, takes the highest security precautions, even when considering interns. A lie detector test is part of the selection process for the two types of internships offered by CIA: the Minority Undergraduate Studies Program and the Graduate Studies Program, which share similar projects and privileges. Interns are assigned to one of three divisions: the Directorate of Science and Technology (DS&T), the Directorate of Intelligence (DI), and the Directorate of Administration (DA). More than 40 percent of interns are offered permanent jobs at CIA.

Rolling Stone

We?re talking about positions with the magazine, not the band. Rolling Stone interns are usual gofers surrounded by phoning, faxing, and filing, but they have an excellent opportunity for exposure to all areas of magazine publishing. Although interns rarely do any writing, they do tend to undertake a variety of interesting short-term projects and assignments relating to "Campus Issue," a biannual publication college news and trends. Promotions often go along with the work: concert tickets, T-shirts, and advanced movie screenings come readily to those who have done their job well. The office at Rolling Stone is far from stiff-necked and stuffy; cool illustrations by Philip Burke decorate the walls and music is almost always heard above the tapping on the keyboards. ~ J.P. Morgan

The nation?s fourth largest bank hires interns during summers for positions in the following departments: Management Services, Audit, Financial Management, Global Technology and Operations, Global Markets, Corporate Finance, and Human Resources. The internship is well structured: interns receive training as well as lunch, and a trip to the famed New York Stock Exchange. Another benefit of interning at J.P. Morgan is the generous $575 weekly stipend.

Liz Claiborne

Liz Claiborne is one of the largest marketers of women?s apparel and accessories in the world, selling over $2 billion worth of products annually, from jewelry and shoes to dresses and menswear. Internships in this upscale fashion company are offered in all sorts of divisions in New York City and North Bergen, New Jersey. Interns participate in projects from making company posters and stationary to producing layouts for a sweater design. Exposure to managers is frequent and you can?t beat the 35 percent employee discount at the outlet store. The discount jumps to 40 percent at retail stores.

MTV

Internships at MTV have progressed from something like a haphazard music video to a more organized program with recent improvements of a full-time intern coordinator, speaker luncheons, and a field trip. Interns may be placed in either a "business" department like Marketing or a "creative" department such as Arts Promotions. Every year at MTV, about 150 interns learn about television in a funky black building with rubber floors where promotional CD?s, concert tickets, and frequent visits by major artists compensate for the heavy load of busywork.

National Public Radio

College junior and seniors and grad students looking for an exciting radio network internship in a creative environment should consider applying to National Public Radio. Twenty to thirty interns are accepted every season.