This would be similar to internships in research labs (for the academically inclined) or startups (for product inclined). This is not at all similar to an inter

This would be similar to internships in research labs (for the academically inclined) or startups (for product inclined). This is not at all similar to an internship at a traditional company, where you're given some kind of a bullshit problem that no one else wants to touch. Doing research or building a product (or, preferably, a mix of both) should be central part of the curriculum, not an afterthought which you might or might not pursue.