Freshman undergrad, pre-pharm to criminal justice

College Majors
1

So I’m currently a freshman and majoring in pre-pharmacy at the moment but want to switch to criminal justice to become a police officer instead. As of right now, I’m halfway into the semester and so far, I don’t see myself even in pharmacy school, much less becoming a pharmacist. 1 reason being, I won’t be able to handle the future material. Right now, I can get by here and there but looking into what I have to learn later on, I KNOW it’s way out of my reach and comfort zone. I ask that anyone posting to refrain from telling me to get help. It’s more a matter of want. This leads me to reason 2, I don’t really want to be a pharmacist. Even if I get to be one, I just can’t see myself doing the things a pharmacist does. Other than that, I’ve always joked about doing something related to law when I was a little younger. My family would joke that I argued the best in the house but I never took any of that seriously. I’ve thought about this for the last 2-3 months now and the pros definitely outweigh the cons. I am good at remembering a lot of information, I qualify in all categories to be part of law enforcement i.e never done and never will do drugs, alcohol or any of that. I’m in peak physical condition and other than that, I don’t see why not I can’t try to become a police officer.

What I want to know is, if there is anything I should know about when it comes to switching majors or anything about becoming a police officer. I live in North Carolina and the requirements are 20 years of age, high school diploma, good moral standing, no criminal offenses and a flurry of other training program requirements that I have time to complete. So far, I’ve passed all green lights and haven’t reached any reds yet so really hoping someone out there that IS a criminal justice major or has switched to criminal justice, to help me out.

2

If you don’t want to be a pharmacist don’t be a pharmacist. That’s simple.

One thing to know about law enforcement is that although there are minimum standards, often in certain departments - especially depending on location - all of the officers they select may exceed those requirements. So for example, in NC even if the minimum is a high school diploma and being at least 20, you may find that in your area that all the successful police academy graduates are really 25+ with a bachelor’s degree. Or you may find that you can meet the minimum but you hit a road block when you try to advance up the ladder. (This probably won’t be a problem since you plan to stay and finish a BA, but it’s worth noting.)

My sister-in-law was a criminal justice major and is now a correctional officer at a regional prison.

Also remember that there are lots of different roles in law enforcement. You don’t necessarily need to major in criminal justice, and in fact, you may find another major quite useful in pursuing employment in law enforcement - especially if you ever desire to move into federal law enforcement or such.