Academic courses at the academy?

[sdapplicant]

hello all,

I have a question for all of you chippies who already graduated or are attending the academy.

I will separate from active duty in Sept 2006 and will be attending college for 1 semester while I wait to get hired (hopefully). I understand that while at the academy, I qualify for GI Bill benefits and also receive academic credit for many of the courses given there.

My question is this, does anyone know how many college "credits / units" one receives for 6 months at the academy?? does anyone know the "curriculum"?

I do not want to take the classes at college that I will taught at the academy and basically doing the same thing twice. If I know which classes I will get credit for, I can ignore those closes at college and focus on other studies. Thank you for all of your help.

[shadow630]

I've taken 3 courses at the local community college relating to law enforcement, traffic and vehicle accident investigation that were taught by a former CHP officer hoping to better prepare for the academy. Personally I think it would be beneficial to take some courses relating to criminal justice and I know that the classes I've taken were looked upon as a positive during my QAP.

[Radar]

You know, since you're only going for a semester or two before going to the Academy, it might be a good idea to take a few of the core classes you'd otherwise need to get a degree anyway (e.g., English, Math, etc.). This will get you back into the groove of studying, taking notes, etc. and will help you fine-tune the skills you need to develop well-written reports, etc.

That is not to say you can't write a good report now, but unless you have been knee-deep in writing assignments during your AD service, you'll want to polish your writing and cognitive-thinking skills. Taking law enforcement related courses is a fine idea, but those courses may complicate things in the Academy unless you know it was taught the "CHP way." Besides, depending on how quickly you can get back into school to complete your degree (after the Academy), you may lose catalog rights and need different degree-specific classes to fulfill your degree or transfer to a UC/CSU. Not likely, but certainly possible. With basic classes like English and Math, you know you'll need those to complete a degree, no matter what.

For resume building, it may be nice to say "hey, I'm gearing my education towards a career in law enforcement - look at the CrimJust classes I've taken," but more importantly just showing that you are into self-improvement and making yourself more marketable by devoting your time to education is equally as beneficial - whether it's basic core classes or degree specific classes. Believe me, if you tell your Background Investigator and your QAP panel that you are pursuing a degree in Business Administration, Mathematics, Psychology, etc., they'll be just as impressed than if you said you're going for a degree in Criminal Justice...

No matter how you choose to go about it, Good luck!!! ...

[sdapplicant]

Thanks for the tip....

I will see if I can take some core classes as recommended by "Radar".

I haven't attended a school for over four years and all I have been doing in AD is Infantry stuff, so I know I need help on basica classes. I will try to enroll into some math, writting, english courses so that I can get back into the whole "school" environment thing.

Thank you all for your time.

[Mac]

When I went through, I believe we got 20 college credits for the Academy. I don't know how that has changed since then, as that was *coughcough* years ago. :D

I'd HIGHLY recommend you take the above advice, especially as it pertains to English / writing classes. More people flunk out of the Academy (and off of break-in) due to the inability to write than anything else, by a longshot. This job involves a ***LOT*** of writing! Taking those kind of classes will do you far more good than taking law enforcement classes, as you'll get all of the LE training you need at the Academy. It also looks good in the hiring process, as you can say that you're taking English/writing classes because you know that the job requires solid skills in that field, and you're doing everything you can to prepare yourself.

[SuperTrooper]

No way! We gain transferable credits in the academy?! That's freakin' sweet. :shock: