Journal Prompts

Journals are due on the following WEDNESDAY for each week. For example, for the week of Monday, December 10 - Friday, December 14, your journal will be due on Wednesday, December 19. Your journals should be a minimum of 1/2 page double spaced, 12 point times new roman font. They should ALWAYS use the template linked here. Journals should be emailed to Mrs. Hamilton at glenda.hamilton@sau57.org or dropped off to the Work Based Learning Office (C533). In addition to the below prompts, you should include a recap of what happened at your internship that week. Each day late will result in losing 25 points. No assignments accepted after Friday for credit.

Click to open/edit template.

What are your first impressions of your work site? What are some goals you hope to accomplish? What are three things you have learned about your site so far?

Do you feel as though your mentor enjoys their job? How do the employees dress? What type of vibe does your internship site have (relaxed, all-business, stressful, etc.)?

Think back to some of the learning objectives you established on your training plan. What are some projects or work you can be involved in at your site to master these goals/objectives? Set forth a plan on how you will achieve these goals.

Tell me about an example of a stressful situation you have observed at your internship. How did your mentor and/or the team respond to this situation? Do you believe they handled it effectively? What would you have done differently?

Do you feel you have had a positive impact on your internship site so far? Are you considered part of the team? Give examples. If you do not feel as though you have made a positive impact or that you are part of the team, what do you think you could do to change that?

Besides your mentor, who have you met during your internship that you feel could be a part of your network (a network is a group of people who have a mutually beneficial relationship -- you help them, they help you. Also providing opportunities & connections) in the future? Who is in your network now (in your personal life, school, work, or internship) that you could use as a reference? Identify someone who you would: ask to write you a recommendation letter and ask for a job/internship connection. Now, identify what YOU could offer to someone in your network in terms of help in the here and now.

Identify a challenge that your mentor and/or workers at your internship have faced. What was the solution to the problem? What steps did they go through to solve it? Do you feel as though they solved the problem effectively? Did you play a part in the solution?

Tell me about how teamwork plays a part at your internship site. Do employees work together often? What is the attitude regarding teamwork? Do they meet as a group often? Do individuals get a chance to provide feedback?

How does your internship manage time/projects? Are things strictly scheduled or do they go with the flow? Do you have any ideas on how they could improve their time management?

What type of training and/or degree is required to work at your internship site? Does everyone have a degree? Are there opportunities for growth at your internship site? If so, what have you observed as the path to advance (i.e. starts as associate and can become manager or starts as teacher and can become administrator)?

What is the workplace environment like? Do people appear to enjoy their job? Are there any team building activities or events? Do people appear to socialize or is it strictly business?

What feedback have you received from your mentor and other employees? How do you deal with criticism? Have you made any mistakes? What did you learn from your mistakes?

What skills have you acquired/polished during this experience? How has this experience challenged you?

Who at your internship would you consider to be an influencer during your time with them? This person may have impacted future decisions for you or just been a positive person during your experience. It does not necessarily have to be your mentor.

Describe your style as an intern. Example: assertive, responsible, inquisitive, patient, etc. Give examples. How does your experience relate to what you want to do after graduation? What did you discover about your fit in this type of career?

What insights into the professional work world have you gained as a result of your experience? What will you take with you into the future? What did you value most in your experience? Would you recommend this experience to other students? Prepare an “elevator speech” (2-3 sentences) that you could use to tell recruiters and friends about your experience.