ThroughALens said:
Will it hurt my chances if I dont take Physics?
For those of you interested in a forensic science career, three suggestions:
1) be aware that most crime labs today hire scientists for specific jobs such as genetics (DNA), toxicology, drug ID, firearms, latent prints, and digital evidence. Each specialty requires a different educational background (ie: emphasis on biochemistry for DNA analysis, on chemistry for drugs and tox, on computer science for digital evidence, etc.). Crime labs will usually allow scientists to transfer to other disciplines/jobs within the lab if they have the necessary educational background. And don't forget that virtually every job in a crime lab involves using a computer and taking digital photographs.
2) don't be surprised or disappointed if crime labs in your area don't offer internships. The issues of evidence security and privacy generally make it difficult to have student interns in a crime lab environment. Some labs (such as the Federal Wildlife Crime Lab I run here in Ashland, OR) have student volunteers who help with research projects a few hours a week, but they're not allowed to have contact with evidence.
3) consider joining one of the national/international forensic science associations, such as the International Association of Forensic Sciences or the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (the AAFS has student memberships) ... or , at the very least, try to attend one of the meetings. This is a great way to meet people in the field and become aware of educational and occupational opportunities.
In general: when we hire scientists for entry-level positions, we do look at transcripts/schools/grades, but we're much more interested in evaluating what the applicant did (visited labs, attended meetings, collected comparison sample for research projects, etc) to prepare themselves for a career in forensic science.
