Student Blog

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Hi, my name is Abbie and I’m currently a BA (Hons) Criminology with Psychology student at Bournemouth University. I will be going into my third year this September (2024), and I am excited to start my dissertation and think about what my next steps need to be once I graduate.

woman smiling with book shelves behind her

I chose to study this course as I really enjoyed one particular unit from my psychology A Level, which was forensic psychology. However, I chose to go down the criminology route because I wanted to learn more about different crimes and the criminal justice system in addition to the psychology of criminals. I really enjoy having two subjects to study on my course as it allows me to apply a wider range of knowledge to my assignments.

This course wasn’t the only reason I decided to study at Bournemouth though. I did look at several universities but none of them gave me the same feeling as being in Bournemouth did. I really enjoyed the idea of being by the beach and having everything in town either within walking distance or a short bus journey away as it gives you lots of freedom. If you come from a small village like me it might be a big lifestyle change, but one that is well worth it.

Bournemouth has such a great social scene, day and night, there is always something for you to do. I have really enjoyed going to coffee shops and the beach during the daytime with my friends, even in the colder months, and at night Bournemouth has a great selection of clubs and pubs to choose from if that’s something you would want to do. The university also offers a wide range of societies and sports that you can join, so there will always be someway for you to make new friends.

Studying a social science opens a wide range of job opportunities in the future. While I am still unsure of what field I want to enter into, my course has certainly shown me lots of areas that I could get involved with due to the variety of course modules that they offer. During second and third year, you can choose some of your modules which allows you to either learn more in depth about a subject you’re already passionate about or learn something completely new like I did. During my second year, I chose a human trafficking module which was a topic I barely knew anything about. It was extremely interesting and I’m glad I gained more information about some of the harsher crimes in the world.

My time studying this course has been amazing, challenging at times, but I have always enjoyed learning new topics. I am very happy I chose this course and this university and I will be sad to say goodbye at the end of my three years. I would recommend choosing a social sciences course as it teaches you a broad set of skills to apply to a job later in life, and it is allowing me to get very excited for my future.

Overall, my time so far at Bournemouth University has been great, and I can’t wait for my third year!