Open a newspaper and one of the first stories you read will most often be related to crime, as nowadays few topics attract more public debate and attention than these. I have always been interested in the study of crime, from reading books about villains at a young age, to observing prevalent crimes such as speeding and alcohol abuse - both everyday occurrences in today's society,right up to studying Psychology at A level, where my passion and intrigue for Criminology was made apparent. I was fortunate enough to attend a thought provoking talk by Professor David Wilson a former prison governor and an accredited criminologist, his knowledge of serial killers and vast experience within the police force and running a sex offenders treatment course were just a few of …show more content…
Studying the Forensic Science half of the A2 Psychology course enabled me to decide that Criminology was the degree course I wished to study as I enjoyed the lessons enormously, particularly learning how and why criminals turn to a life of crime; Wiikstom’s “Peterborough Adolescent Development Study” being amongst the studies that intrigued me the most. The longitudinal study aiming to show how the social environment of young adults influences whether they turn to crime was especially interesting as it enabled an altered way of thinking around “criminogenic environments” and the impact they have on behaviour. Use of Mathematics has improved my information technology skills and my data analysis and statistical skills through this subject, something that is essential in today's evolving society. I have always been extremely passionate about books and reading ever since I can remember, therefore I also began to enjoy writing and studying English Literature enabled me to expand on my essay writing skills which is something I believe is a paramount skill and I feel that I am much more confident when writing essays