The Biology Department's cooperative internship program allows students to obtain course credit for valid work experience. Additionally, many opportunities are available for volunteers. The true promise of the program is not immediate financial reward, although some positions with companies or agencies may include a salary. Students can better decide what directions to take in preparation for a career.
Potential employers recognize that the student has some realistic idea of the job at hand.
A non-academic perspective. Students often seem to fall into an academic track simply because they have received all of their training from academic role models. Our concern as faculty is not simply to reproduce our own, but to offer students real choices in career opportunities. Learning skills and insights not available in the classroom. This hands-on experience can significantly add to the knowledge obtained from the literature, discussion, and structured laboratory and field exercises.