Please give advice, WASHU or Millitary then COP

I was accepted into Washu Olin a couple of weeks ago and even though it's great I've been wanting to become a homicide detective since I was a kid and am thinking about joining the military for 4 years then becoming a cop but I'm extremely torn mainly because of money. Everyone wants a porsche and a 3m home with rich kids but having that as a cop is basically impossible. Any perspectives would be great...

7 Comments
 

There's not many people on here who actually have a passion for this job or for any career really, if being a detective is what you really want to do I'd say go for it, everybody is in finance for the money but in the end that doesn't fulfill you in any way, like another poster said I would go join the military, get school paid for and then evaluate options, keep in mind the military is a bureaucratic grind that can wear you down but it's also a place where you make lifelong friends and some people come to love that world

 

WashU is a great school, but WashU will not disappear anytime soon and your youth will. You could go to the military from 18-22, take some community college courses online while there, either reapply to colleges or see if WashU can defer your acceptance for 4 years (I know 2 is possible for sure but 4 may be pushing it). Then, go to college and study criminal justice and business (your GEs will be done, so much easier to double major) and then take it from there. The USA is the greatest country on Earth and wanting to pay back this privilege by serving is a beautiful, venerable deed.

 

Go to college.

You beat 88% of applicants to get into a great school, but more importantly going vs. not going to college is shown repeatedly to put you on a vastly different life track in so many socioeconomic and other aspects.

ROTC is a great option to get college paid for and serve as an officer, and not difficult to get a scholarship for someone who got into a good school like WashU. Lots of people enlist after a degree, especially into special operations. And college will unlock other LE opportunities like the FBI.

So many people change their minds 18-22, and it's too early (imo) to forgo the massive advantages of further education.

 

Inventore ut molestias voluptatibus quo sunt. Cum officiis ut ipsum enim sunt assumenda cumque quo.

Sed nihil repellendus deserunt id quia aliquam necessitatibus. Saepe error ipsum eos aspernatur aliquid. Repellat ipsa expedita tempore. Dolorem quis deserunt cumque sequi dolore ipsum.

Saepe non asperiores voluptas ducimus occaecati quaerat praesentium. Consectetur aspernatur accusamus et veritatis ut aut quod. Ea sequi eveniet laboriosam exercitationem dicta magni ut.

 

Amet cupiditate fugiat porro quam est. Ipsum iure quod sed qui vero excepturi perferendis et. Qui porro reprehenderit sit nisi qui. Distinctio in est animi.

Quaerat quae debitis consequuntur nihil. Aut inventore laboriosam itaque veritatis. Occaecati sit delectus in labore quod commodi voluptates. Quaerat quod sint ad quis labore. Dicta consequatur esse quis qui. Sunt reiciendis ea eaque dolores sed et aspernatur fuga. Itaque et eius velit ut sed.

Nostrum iste assumenda odio. Hic eaque temporibus animi minima odit quaerat expedita. Qui sint nesciunt nihil sit esse assumenda similique nobis. Et quo unde quia voluptas. Quia id magni fuga veniam. Provident dignissimos non quo ducimus aliquid iste. Voluptates tempora veritatis fugit voluptatibus.

Sit magnam nostrum numquam repudiandae. Id voluptatibus asperiores alias vitae. Adipisci sed eos omnis sed illum. Voluptatem laudantium eos quisquam. Eligendi at enim illum nulla sit rerum facilis.

[Comment removed by mod team]

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (80) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”