Why does college take so long?

Question

Im 19. About to be 20 in May. (currently attending community college) Still living at home :-(

I only have 34 credits, attempting 13 more this semester, so 47 by the end of this semester....

And will probaly take about 7 more in the summer.

Thats about 54credits, and about only 50, maybe even less transfer to the Univeristy I want to go to.

Plus I only took general education courses, because for a while I was unsure what I wanted to get a degree in.

I takes like 120 credits to graduate. But you really need like 140 to complete all the damn requirements that schools have.

By that time ill be like 23 almost 24 years old.
I want to become a cop. Nothing else really interests me. I didnt choose that right away because I didnt like the pay, but I kind of realized that im not much interested in anything else.

But this is taking for ever.

Should I just get and A.A.S. instead of trying to get a B.A. Plus I hate school, I just know I have to have it.

Answer 1

A person with a bachelor's degree will command a higher salary than someone with equal experience and no degree. If you drop out of college before you get a job it only shows your prospective employer that you do not have the maturity to finish what you started.

19 is young. You have your whole life ahead of you. Transfer to a 4-year college your Junior year. Live in the dorms. Enjoy it while you can. Because you can never go back. Don't skip the experience just because you want to grow up. There's plenty of time to be old.

Answer 2

When you're 53, the age of 23, 24 seems so young. I would definitely go for a BA because even though you think you might want to be a cop most people don't really know what they want until around age 25. It's better to get school over and done with while you're still young. Take school seriously and learn all you can. I happen to work at Brown University and sometimes it takes our graduate students 7 years to complete when it actually should have taken them 4, but it is all worth it in the end. I think some of them don't want to leave!

Answer 3

wow, i didnt know you needed so much just to be a cop. well, since u dont like school, theres not much i an say except go for whats quick, but i dont think thats helpful. being a cop, you will probably do things u dont wanna do, so get used to it now with schoolwork. see it as like a training field, even if it bores the mess out of ya. make friends, do what it takes to make it as entertaining as possible. ur want to be a cop should be ur drive to get through school and do the best u can. also, think about it from the employers view, would u hire someone who just finished school at the lowest possible time or someone who pushed and was determined to get the job done and get it done right?

Answer 4

First, why don't you look at several of the police departments where you would like to work, and find out what their requirements are. Then, you could pick your courses according to what your really need.
Secondly, why not look into a school that has a program in criminal justice or forensic science (or whatever you are interested in), because if you are interested in the subject, you will be more likely to study it, and get better grades. One school is John Jay, and their web site is http://www.jjay.cuny.edu/

Answer 5

I didn't know that Police Departments required four year degrees to get into Academy. You should try to apply to get into the Academy ASAP since they'll probably run their own specialized course of education while training you. In the meantime I'd only take courses towards a two year degree.

Answer 6

Impatient, whiny and disgruntled -- exactly the qualities I want to see in police officers.

Please find a different career.