Describe what an internship is supposed to be as well as what it is not supposed to be

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The answer should contain an adequate amount of the following information:
A criminal justice internship is:
• An opportunity to get real exposure to a variety of agencies in the local criminal justice
community
• A chance to meet professionals in the field who can advocate for your future employment
• An opportunity to explore a specific profession prior to committing yourself to it in a
full-time capacity
• An appointment as a representative and ambassador of your academic institution
• A privilege
• An opportunity to broaden your educational experience with some real practical experience
• A huge responsibility–the vast majority of which falls upon the student
• Unpaid (usually)
• To be set up far in advance of starting, usually five to ten weeks before the internship semester begins
• To be completed by individuals who have declared criminal justice as their major and are of junior or senior standing
• To be granted at the complete and mutual discretion of the internship coordinator and the participating agency
• For students who have demonstrated adequate academic performance, and are in good academic standing with the department, any faculty committees, and the college/university

A criminal justice internship is not:
• To be taken for granted
• A filler because you can't find a class that you like
• Something to do because you can't think of anything else to do
• A "fast-track" to guaranteed post-graduation employment
• A blow-off course
• A right as a student (see "privilege" above)
• Required
• A guaranteed "A"—students are assessed as stringently as in most other courses in the department
• To be done at an agency or business where you already work or have worked in the past
• For students who have any type of criminal history in their past