I chose my degree as I’ve always had an interest in the law and criminal justice system, and criminology as a subject encompasses both of those disciplines, along with psychology, sociology, and therefore parts of history too.

Choosing Bath

The idea of a campus university really suited me and when I came to visit, I felt like it was very friendly and easy to navigate, as well as being close enough to the city of Bath itself which is really beautiful. I was also very aware of the great links that the University of Bath have with a massive number of companies and organisations. This was very important to me because I’m doing a sandwich course, so I wanted to have confidence that I would get support in securing a really valuable placement.

My course

I was pleasantly surprised that the course at Bath covered such a range of topics. It's great because if you find that the sociology modules (for example) are of lesser interest to you, there are plenty of optional modules to choose from after first year, including politics, sociology, and psychology, as well as plenty of criminology focused content.

Studying Criminology is not all about the criminal justice system, I've enjoyed the range of topics covered throughout the modules. Along with this, the department have had some really important and inspiring guest lecturers come in and speak with us about their careers, and if you engage with them, they can be useful links to have.

From school to university

Personally, I found the transition to be really smooth from school to university. In sixth form, independent work was vital, as well as being self-motivated to do coursework. This just intensifies at university as you get out what you put in so, as long as you’re someone who can manage their time and motivate themselves to work, it’s not too much of a shock. That being said, it’s not always easy to balance your time with uni work and social life but that’s why first year is great, everyone is in the same boat and its good practice for when things really count.

Getting involved in uni life

Outside of studying I've joined a few societies including the meditation society, the vegetarian society, and women in fitness – all of which are great places to meet people, especially in your first year. On the SU website there is a section that displays all of the societies at Bath, and you can always make a new one, which is something that me and couple of friends are working on.

Plans for the future

In the future ideally, I would work for one of the intelligence services, or even work within the government. A lot of agencies and organisations offer graduates really good programmes, so I would love to have the opportunity to work at the NCA or somewhere similar too.

My 'Top Tips' for future students

Your degree should be something you really enjoy because university is so independent, you need to be able to motivate yourself to do the work, which is a lot easier if it’s a genuine passion of yours. I would also say try and choose something relevant to the career you want to pursue so that you feel like you’re constantly working towards your goal. However, if you’re unsure on what you want to do in the future, choosing something you enjoy is a good starting point.