Quitting an unpaid internship?

[concerned]

So currently I am a junior in college and accepted an unpaid internship for this semester. Well, I have gotten through 4 days of it and want to leave already (its that bad). And I have stayed with jobs I HATED for years before. Right now I am taking 5 classes, and this UNPAID internship is asking 20 hours a week (on top of my paid job). What really gets me is the boss though. As far as I can tell the company has only 2 paid full time employees and relies completely on unpaid interns otherwise (which to me seems like a scam, there are 4 of us). This is a local-based PR/social media managing firm.
The boss is possibly the most stuck up, nasty, unpleasant woman I have ever come across. She sneers at everyone, curses all day stomping around the office, and tries to make you feel like an idiot constantly.
On top of all this, I am feeling over committed and stressed from my heavy work load.
everything I have read on the internet says quitting an internship is the worst possible thing you can do, but I cannot see myself sticking this out and think its better to call it quits sooner rather than later.
HELP!!!!
also: i am not receiving college credits for this either!!! this internship was described as "for experience only" so it will not hurt my academic criteria at all. basically i am worried about future job prospects, but I figure what are the odds that anyone in 2 years will remember an intern who worked there for 4 days. Also obviously would not include on my resume.

[Kino]

I'm assuming you just want a confirmation..since you obviously want to...

Quit. It sounds absolutely awful.

[UncleAndross]

I would say to stick with it because it is only a semester. Even if you have an awful time, any experience is better than none. Also, if your boss is as bad as you are making her out to be, I would try sticking up for myself next time she does something unjustified or malicious towards myself or a co worker. If that gets you fired, really give it to her.

[Karen B]

Quitting an internship is bad if you leave on a bad note and if you don’t have any other education related work experience and “Need” the internship for your degree or to get into Grad School.

Never just outright quit any job - even an internship. Give notice, or tell them that the internship is not working out for you as you had hoped, and ask them how many days notice they would like. As it is unpaid, they will likely not hold you to two weeks.

The reason you never want to end on a bad note is that you never know where you or the people from that organization will be 5, 10 or 15 years from now. One of them could be in a hiring position for a company that you want to work for somewhere in the future. Networking is the best way to move up in the world - particularly in the worlds of business and PR.

[maliboo_girl]

Many states have strong intern laws, stating that an intern cannot replace a paid employee, and cannot do the same tasks as a paid employee. You should consider looking up the laws on interns in your state. If she is breaking them, report her anonymously. If she is found to be breaking laws, get a copy of the report or some confirmation in case anyone asks you why you left. Some states take this extremely seriously, as unemployment is high in many states, and the states lose income tax if employers are using unpaid interns instead of employees. Also, the state may end up picking up costs for health insurance, medical care, etc, if a person is not employed.

What about the credit you are receiving for the internship, is losing that going to be a problem? If your college found you the internship, you should tell them about it. Can you find another internship, or even better, a paid job? That way if anyone (potential employer) asks, you can say you needed the money, your car broke down so you had unforeseen expenses, blah blah blah.

Those who know what really goes on with a lot of interns will understand. The abuses have become really bad in some industries and area, and in many states, highly illegal.

Good luck!