by K. W. Callahan

Created on: February 05, 2009   Last Updated: February 04, 2012

Those deciding to study criminal justice quickly find themselves learning to shoulder the burden of society's legal and criminal problems. While classmates study cost accounting, debate the virtues of medieval architecture, and view minuscule organisms under the lens of a microscope, criminal justice students spend their day scrutinizing the psychology of mass murderers, discussing the methods of violent criminals, understanding law enforcement procedures, and reviewing the case files of innocent people incarcerated by an imperfect system.

REAL WORLD vs. CLASSROOM EXPERIENCE

While certain law courses can be a bit tedious, and the intricacies of the legal system can make for lengthy debate, the relevance of criminal justice courses to our everyday lives makes their study fascinating. The difficult part of studying criminal justice is balancing the learning process, which often takes place in the relative safety and seclusion of a campus/classroom environment, with the reality of the real world. There is a huge leap to be made from reviewing case files and scenarios with solutions, to working in a criminal justice system in which the answers aren't always cut and dry and can have lasting repercussions.

LEAVING IT ALL BEHIND

While the typical daily schedule of a criminal justice student is much the same as his classmates in other majors - attending classes, grabbing a bite to eat, and reading a chapter or two in between - there are certain days that will leave your stomach churning. The statistics and case studies of criminals and their activities can be disturbing. It is after days like these that it can be nice to sit in the local coffee shop or hang out in the student union, if nothing else but to remember that the majority of society is good and law abiding. The social aspects of the college atmosphere can be the best therapy after a long day of studying the frustrating and often depressing aspects of crime and punishment.

LEARNING ASSISTANCE

From my personal experience, criminal justice professors enjoy their work, otherwise they wouldn't be professors of the subject. However, they don't normally have time for tutoring or one-on-one interaction. Typically, professors will offer office hours for students to ask questions, and many have teacher's assistants available for this purpose as well. Lectures or larger sized classes will usually have an added discussion class each week that offers a chance to explore the issues and topics covered in lecture in more detail and in a more intimate setting. These are the perfect opportunities for those unable or unwilling to voice their opinions in lecture to debate and discuss relevant topics and delve into the successes and failures of the criminal justice system.

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