Carrie Li, MSc Crime Science 2009-10
Department of Security and Crime Science
University College London
My Background
I was born and grew up in Hong Kong. I came to England for A-Levels and have just finished my degree on experimental psychology at the University of Bristol. My main interest is to work in a psychology-related field, for example, I have been a summer research assistant in the department of psychology in the University of Hong Kong and have worked for a clinical psychologist in a hospital in Hong Kong. I have also been working as a volunteer in the Hong Kong Correctional Service Department for three consecutive summers.
Why I have taken the MSc in Crime Science
During my work in correctional institutes in Hong Kong, I had my first contact with offenders who have committed offences such as illegal immigration, prostitution, drugs abuse and crimes under mental-ill state. I was shocked to find that all offenders in my class committing drugs abuse were a similar age to me. A series of questions about what makes them commit crime immediately came to my mind. Through my time with them, I understood that most of them were influenced by their peers. This, coupled with my studies in psychology, led to a further investigation of the reasons why certain types of people engage in certain types of behaviour that is identified as being criminal in nature. I chose the course to equip me with professional knowledge to participate in establishing government policies to reduce crime in future.
The best bits......
This course provided me with a broad, integrated understanding of the criminological theories. The opportunity to work alongside professionals from different disciplines specializing in crime science was a great experience and provided an insight into the ways in which professions can and help analyse offenders’ behaviours. Also, from an academic point of view, the chance to further my knowledge of this field and conduct my own research was an exciting opportunity. I especially like the module of ‘Presenting Evidence’ because this equipped students with the fundamental and essential skills needed for good academic writing and research to a professional standard.
The challenges
To me, as I did not possess any previous knowledge on criminological theories and crime-related studies, I found it really challenging to catch up at the start of the first term. However, this process is really fruitful because I had a science background and I realised crime science has a similar thinking logic as other science disciplines. Most of the theories and studies are easily integrated into my schema. And recently, I have had this opportunity to design my own dissertation.