Mollie Myers

The thing that has shocked me most about studying Criminology is that it’s not just about crime – it’s about everything. Before I came to an Edge Hill Open Day I had this idea that Criminology was about serial killers and forensic profiling. But once I got here, and found out more about the social justice side of Criminology, I realised I could help people with this degree – and after learning this, it just seemed to fit.

Studying Criminology has helped me realise what matters to me the most. It’s made me think about issues that affect me and people around me, like feminism, austerity and the media. I didn’t think Criminology would look at wider social issues, but it has opened my eyes to how much we don’t know or aren’t told. There’s so much that’s hidden in society. It’s easy to miss these things if you don’t learn about them.

The module on Gender, Sex and Violence really opened my eyes and feminism has now become really important to me. It has been my favourite module so far. It was the first time I’d really thought about feminism as something that directly affected me. It made me realise that I want to do a Masters, so that I can become a Criminology lecturer and educate others.

Through the course I’ve had the opportunity to visit Thorn Cross Prison in Warrington. We were all really nervous when we first went in because of the way prisoners are portrayed in the media, but you soon realise they’re just people and we ended up having a laugh together. It provided me with the chance to experience things for myself and gain a perspective that I wouldn’t have got otherwise. I’m so grateful that I had that opportunity.

Coming to Edge Hill is the best thing I’ve ever done. I think I’ve found myself since I’ve been here. Every time I go to a lecture, I learn something new – your mind just opens up and the world become a bit bigger. I’m much more confident, too. My whole family can see the difference in me. I used to find it hard to speak out about social justice issues, I was just too scared, but now you can’t shut me up.