Important Steps to a Career in Law Enforcement that Require a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology
- Get even more involved in research by doing a Senior Honors thesis or some other research where you can get your name on a conference presentation or journal publication. This kind of recognition is rare for an undergraduate and will really boost your standing when you apply to the military..
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You can get involved in research as part of Independent study course and thus earn credit hours and possibly increase your GPA if it counts as a graded course or volunteer.
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An advantage to working in a lab is that you get to know a faculty member who can write you a strong letter of recommendation if you need it. Given you need more than one letter of recommendation it is probably best to work in two different labs as an undergraduate.
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By doing an internship you show your high level of motivation.
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This internship can be with an on-campus organization or off-campus organization.
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There are a number of skills you can develop in addition to what you learn in classes and by conducting research--computers, writing, foreign language and oral communication skills.
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You can volunteer at an organization demonstrating a high level of motivation. Any involvement just adds to your overall record and makes you a more competitive applicant.
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This involvement demonstrates a high level of motivation and interest in law enforcement. Any involvement just adds to your overall record and makes you a more competitive applicant.
- It is very important that you start to interact with Professors right away. This can occur by making contributions in class or just going up to your Professors and having a conversation about issues in the field.
- These interactions can lead to being able to work in a Professor's research lab, hearing about job opening that may be available in the Psychology department, and a letter of recommendation.
- Remember, if a faculty member does not really know you or had you in one class, there is a lower likelihood that the Professor will agree to write a letter for you or knows you well enough to write a letter.
- There are two important things to keep in mind with regard to letters of recommendation. First, a short letter of recommendation from a faculty member who does not know you well can sometimes be worse than no letter at all. Second, It is almost always better to have a letter of recommendation from a full-time Professor than an Instructor. For better or worse, the former simply has higher status than the latter.
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