Architectural internship should be a time of connection, connecting the ideas and theories learned in school to the working world of an architect. It is during this time of apprenticeship where necessary technical skills can be mastered and theory understood. In many ways it is a continuance of academic education, a time of learning. But as an apprenticeship it would also be a time to experience the design technique and style of a working architect and master those skills. It is through the integration and culmination of education, practice and experience that an intern can emerge into an architect.

Both the timing of the internship and its components are important. Most often it is when formal education comes to an end that an individual begins the internship process. However, university and work experience should be tightly interwoven. Internship programs that would require a mandatory rotation of schooling and working in a firm would lead to better comprehension through the integration of textbook and field education. Another beneficial aspect is that the transition from the university to the workplace would also be eased for the intern and potential employers would have more confidence in the skill level of architectural graduates.

Just as apprenticeships originally were conceived to teach complex trades, which only certain individuals had mastered, the architectural internship would fill a need for practical skill experience. The 2003 Internship and Career Survey found that only "half of respondents indicated that they had gotten practical work experience while in school". Working within a firm an intern would have the opportunity to sharpen technical skills such as architectural drafting, which can sometimes not be fully acquired in school. Interns can learn what comprises working drawings and coordinate details, aspects of architecture, which may have been lightly touched on in school, as design can be the emphasis of many curriculums.

In an apprenticeship, the master craftsman served as a mentor to the apprentice. It is important in the internship to have a designated mentor, someone to go to for advice and assistance. The opportunity to work with an architect who has mastered his profession cannot be overstated. The intern is exposed to an individual's unique style and methods. For this reason, the internship period should include as much diversity in buildings and firms as possible. Scheduled rotations, such as those employed by the medical profession, would provide a variety of exposures from which the intern could learn. This combination of experiences and influences would produce the opportunity for greater creativity and imagination in design.

Architectural internship should be a period of development, which occurs through the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and experiences. By partaking in the internship process simultaneously with university, working with a practiced mentor, and being exposed to the many facets of the architectural profession, an intern can take even greater advantage of the time of apprenticeship. As a result, an individual with vast ideas and dreams can be transformed into an individual with the comprehension and ability to realize them.