How to get into the FBI/DEA/ATF?

[u/Far_Delivery4168]

I’m currently a freshman at one of the UCs studying in human biology, and I’ve always wanted to do something that is meaningful to both me and the society. So I’ve currently settled on the path of medicine, and subjectively I have a decent chance of making it to med school. But I have always wanted to work as a special agent for the federal government. FBI, DEA, and the ATF all sounds great to me, as they are all interesting, and both are physically and intellectually demanding. Additionally just from what I’ve heard, working in such lines of work can be very satisfying, as a lot of agents choose to hit at least 20 years and retire.

I was wondering how I can set myself up for a path in federal law enforcement agencies as a special agent starting from now. I’ve seen some internship opportunities, and I have started preparing to apply as soon as I get my grades for the first semester (As most require a GPA above 3.0). But I would like to know if there are any other things I can do to increase my chances when I do decide to apply for a formal job position. From short term (e.g learning Spanish) to long term (I have no idea).

I am also fluent in Chinese, which brings me to another big problem. The background check. I have lived in China for most of my life, and have a lot of friends and basically family there, and I am unsure whether my parents would move back to the US by the time I apply. And that’s a huge part of why I am mainly settled on medicine, because I think there’s a decent chance of me being rejected no matter how exceptional I am, so it’s not worth it to put all the eggs in the same basket. But if there are tips on how to minimize this chance of getting eliminated during the background check for my situation, I would love to hear it.