Should I stay at Colgate?

[Squeeler92]

No toothepaste jokes!

Ok, so I currently attend Colgate University (NY) and am starting my junior year here. I have decided that I would like to become a LEO, whether as a state trooper or perhaps as a county officer in Nassau or hopefully Suffolk County (Long Island, NY) where I currently reside. Now, if you folks know the school, it is a rather prestigious school, near the level of the Ivy's. However, this school is way over my head. I am convinced the main two reasons I got into this school are because 1) my extracurriculars fit in with the stereotypical Colgate student and much more influential, 2) I am asian (this school is on a quest to call themselves "diverse," despite it's lack of it in any regard). I currently have the pathetic GPA of 2.8, and that's not due to the lack of studying or too much partying. I'm a complete loser here spending most of my time locked up in my room and at the gym. This place has crushed any and all desires to even want to be become educated. Sitting in class I feel, "WTF is the point, I probably will get a C or squeeze a B out by some miracle of God..."

Now, I am thinking of transferring to CUNY John Jay. It's a city university, so obviously, the name is nowhere near the level as Colgate. However, I hear the law enforcement program is top notch....compared to Colgate who doesn't even have one (currently majoring in Political Science). Would you folks think it would be a better move to transfer to John Jay if I were to become a LEO? Am I completely wasting my money here at Colgate? Really, my parents want me to graduate from a real good school. We are financially comfortable and they don't have a problem paying for the school, but will it not serve any advantage (or even disadvantage) as compared to going to a city school?

Thanks for any insight/advice....

 

[TrueBlueGT]

Do what YOU want to do. If you do what others expect you to do, you will end up completely hating it....ask me how I know.

 

[FordSVTFan]

John Jay has a great program. But L.E. agencies like to train their own. So I suggest going to a school that is a "fit" for you and get a degree in a special skill area, like accounting, engineering, nursing, languages, etc. Not criminal justice. A C.J. degree is not was the vast majority of L.E. agencies are looking for. They want people that are critically skilled.

Now as for Suffolk County or even Nassau County, they are very locked up, unless you have a very good "in" you will be waiting in their hiring pool for a very long time. Suffolk Cty are the highest paid starting L.E.O.s in the country. Both of those agencies have easily 100X the number of applicants as they do positions, so you need to make yourself a stand out candidate by your special skills, your degree, experience and training.

Good Luck

 

[Freedom]

Just remember, there arent many employers that will look at your GPA at all, and a diploma from colgate will carry a lot more weight on a resume than a diploma from Backwoods Community College...... Just fight and scrape by and graduate..... you will be glad you did.

 

[ElGato]

Just remember, there arent many employers that will look at your GPA at all, and a diploma from colgate will carry a lot more weight on a resume than a diploma from Backwoods Community College...... Just fight and scrape by and graduate..... you will be glad you did.

+1

we all know reputation isn't anything substantial, and it sucks but its true: a degree on your resume from a presitgious school carrys more weight than a random school. The idea being the quality of education is better (it may or may not be, but perception is reality). Finish, you got in. Make the system work for you, you're paying for it. Don't leave now, you may regret it.

 

[FNsweetS3]

If you hate being there then you will never learn anything. Do what you want... follow where you think your heart leads you.

Most local PD's don't require a degree but if you want to go federal then most do!

A degree from a high end school looks great if you are going to an accounting firm or something like that.... but most of the guys I know in management positions in Law Enforcement went to Community College or the State U

 

[GH1086]

Most local PD's don't require a degree but if you want to go federal then most do!

In my county you need 60 college credits in order to become a cop, that's enough for an Associates degree.

I would personally stay, Colgate is from what I hear a fantastic college. John Jay is basically just a name, you will pretty much get the same education at any local school, this is from quite a few people, former students, current LEO's, etc.

Good luck getting on to Suffolk county, it's pretty much impossible. You're best bet is to become a city cop, stay on, but take the tests for some of the PD's in the suburbs. My department has hired 3 former city cops within the past 2 years and we're a very small department.