<p>Are there people who go to T-15 schools and go on to become police officers? I’ve always wanted to be a police officer but there is no one at my school who also wants to be a police officer. Would I be considered a failure if I went on to become a police officer?</p>
<p>At a T-15 school? Yes I’d say you not only failed but wasted a colossal amount of time and money.</p>
<p>Increasing numbers of police officers have degrees. Some even have graduate degrees, including law degrees. Especially in a large police department, your training would be valuable. And what about a university police department?</p>
<h2>Especially in a large police department, your training would be valuable. ~Wordworker</h2>
<p>When you say training, do you mean education, or on the job training?</p>
<p>A degree from an T15 school won’t get you any further than a degree from any other school.</p>
<p>If you meet the requirements for promotion, you can then take the test. You are selected based on test scores and performance on the job (at times, it does get political).</p>
<p>Your superiors will not sit around saying, “Oh, this guy went to a T15 school”, or “This woman went to a Top 50 school.” </p>
<p>I cannot see how an education from a T15 will make you a better cop than an education from any other school.</p>
<p>If any applicant thinks that they will “WOW” a hiring panel with their education - think again. Personally, I am much more “wow’d” with an applicant who has completed multiple combat tours, has had leadership roles (real leadership roles, don’t feed me anything about school activities) and has shown an aptitude to perform the job.</p>
<p>Also, promotion in LE is in the eye of the beholder. Sure, you can move up the ladder, but why? It’s a boost in pay, but thats all. Most people become a cop because they actually want to do “cop like things”, such as investigations, special units, street work, ect. Getting promoted generally takes you further and further away from all that, and just pushes you into an administrative role.</p>
<p>It’s kind of like an enlisted serviceman compared to an Officer. Yes, the Officer gets paid more and will generally be provided a better quality of life, but if you ask a majority of enlisted soldiers if they want to be an Officer, they’d probably say HELL NO! Of course, that’s just an off the top of my head estimate, but you see my point.</p>
<p>Also pay is also tricky. Yes, you will get paid more with promotion, but overtime even things out dramatically. Plus, that may not include off-duty pay, which is pretty generous. </p>
<p>Saying someone “failed” because they attend a top 15 and now wants to be a cop is completely arrogant. Stop being such an eltist…please. If the OP likes his school and thinks it’s the right fit for him, wonderful. The only people who know about “Top 15”, “Top 20”, “Top 50”, universities are obsessed high school kids, people who work in academia, and a very small handful of recruiters at selective companies. Other than that, people in the real world don’t know and don’t care.</p>
<p>Now, going to a Top 15 school certainly won’t hurt the OP in LE, but I’d be suspect to believe it would do more than a degree from anywhere else.</p>
<p>Law Enforcement and the “typical” attitudes found on CC are polar opposites. The strategies one might apply to obtain a good career in business may be totally different than ones that are effective in LE.</p>
<p>To the OP, if you are serious about LE, here is some advice. </p>
<p>1) Be willing to relocate. Government budgets are in the red and many departments are laying off. You need to throw out a wide net.</p>
<p>2) Think about military service. The experience is invaluable to a career in LE. I’m not saying you need to have it, I’m saying it’s helpful and puts a very handy tool in your toolbox.</p>
<p>3) Stay out of trouble. The people who don’t get hired are people who have a poor background. Don’t develop patterns. Also, most PD’s require polygraph exams. I’m not a huge believer, but they are apart of the process.</p>
<p>4) Develop command presence. </p>
<p>5) Learn how to speak during panel interviews.</p>
<p>BIGeastBEAST is spot on EVERY single point.</p>
<p>You’re better off having an useful Master’s degree or a professional degree (MS Engineering, MS Comp Sci, MBA, JD, etc.) than having a Bachelor’s from a Top 15 school for recruiting/hiring purposes.</p>
<p>Hiring/recruitment in law enforcement will not care if you came from a Top 15 or Top 50 school. Most of the hiring is done by civil service exam anyways. Promotion to a degree (in big departments) is done by civil service exam as well.</p>
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<p>Agree for the most part. Now if an applicant received an education at a top 15 school and has served in a Tier 1/2 special operations capacity; that would probably WOW anyone - even outside of law enforcement. In that case, the education pedigree would definitely be icing on the cake.</p>
<p>People, recognize that the military and law enforcement are very “jock-like” environments where cowards and weak people are treated like absolute garbage. You will not “hang” in this environment if you present yourself like a top 15 educated nerd.</p>
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<p>Definitely. Same applies to the military.</p>
<p>You’d see many go to work for the FBI and CIA.</p>
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<p>Are you saying that because you “think” that is the case or because you actually know so?</p>
<p>Let me help you all out by linking you to the “requirements” page for both the FBI and CIA.</p>
<p>[Federal</a> Bureau of Investigation](<a href=“http://www.fbijobs.gov/1111.asp]Federal”>http://www.fbijobs.gov/1111.asp)
[Federal</a> Bureau of Investigation](<a href=“http://www.fbijobs.gov/1112.asp]Federal”>http://www.fbijobs.gov/1112.asp)</p>
<p>The CIA is very broad but I’m going to assume that the type of person that wants to be a Special Agent in the FBI is the same type of person that wants to be part of the Clandestine Service of the CIA.</p>
<p><a href=“https://www.cia.gov/careers/opportunities/clandestine/core-collector.html[/url]”>https://www.cia.gov/careers/opportunities/clandestine/core-collector.html</a></p>
<p>It’s split into two programs:</p>
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For noobs - your “top 15” graduate.
The real deal.</p>
<p>Many “top X” graduates want to work for the FBI and CIA, but it doesn’t mean they actually get to. I’m willing to bet a substantial amount of money on the fact that there’s a higher correlation between employment as a SA or CC and military experience (like BIGeastBEAST said) than between employment as a SA or CC and being a “top X” graduate.</p>
<p>This line of work wants you to bring REAL skillsets to work because they actually need to get “mission critical” tasks done (no BS). A “brand-name” pedigree is not an predictor of such in any way shape or form.</p>
<p>Who wants to kick in a door with a guy who went to Dartmouth?</p>
<p>No thanks, give me the former 03 Marine who graduated from a state school with a 2.3 gpa.</p>
<p>Preferably, he should have a nickname such as “Bubba”, “Tank”, or “Moose.”</p>
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<p>I’m down! Can we do the “show of force” on some motorist while we are at it just for “****s and giggles”? Let’s play some rock paper scissor shoot to see who gets to jump on the guy’s hood and kick out his windshield.</p>
<p>…this post is obviously a joke.</p>