Erasmus student shares her experiences of Criminology placement
Fri, 03 Jan 2014 14:36:00 GMT
Carolina Campo
Criminology BSc(Hons)
14 September – 21 December 2013
My name is Carolina Campo and I am from Madrid, Spain. I’m in the second year of my Criminology studies at Universidad Europea de Madrid.
I first heard about the Erasmus programme through Universidad Europea de Madrid. Other universities were offered but I decided to study here at the University of Huddersfield because it was highly recommended by my tutor back home as he is doing a PhD here himself.
I have aspirations of becoming a lawyer in the area of criminal justice so my placement has involved three modules; Police and Policing, Working with Offenders and Victims, and Contemporary and Comparative Criminology. I have really enjoyed them, they’ve given me another point of view and perspective. I learnt how the English system works in terms of policing and how the adversarial system is applied.
Overcoming challenges with support
I came across a few challenges along the way during the placement, particularly when writing essays. In Madrid, we pass modules by undertaking exams, so this was very different. However, I did like it as it provided a way of showing what I’ve understood from the subject. I’ve found that writing essays gives you experience in independent study and in particular, teaches you how to research.
I found the Library a wonderful resource at the University as you’re able to carry out your work and research. The University has amazing facilities; it’s very modern and has all the latest technologies.
The tutors have been supportive. They transmit security when they are giving the lectures and show that they control the subject. They also put me at ease when I had to carry out presentations, as they understand English isn’t my native language so they took their time with me, which I really appreciate.
When I started the placement, I signed up with an international programme, directed by Matt Christie, which organises day trips to places like Whitby and other towns for free. This provided me with a great opportunity to visit other places in this country and because I signed up with my roommates, it brought us closer together.
Creating opportunities
I’ve really enjoyed my time here. It’s been a great opportunity to learn new perspectives and points of view, a new culture as well as meet new people and learn how to live independently. I’ve also enjoyed experiencing the different ways of teaching under the UK’s educational system.
The placement has really helped me realise I can undertake any opportunity I want in the future. I am more confident and fluent when speaking English and I think this will really help me in Spain when looking for jobs, as they prefer candidates that have experienced different cultures as you have the ability to adapt better to different situations.
Recommending an enriching experience
I would definitely recommend this programme to anyone who wants to live new experiences and experience new cultures. Studying in England gives you the opportunity to improve your English as well as develop both personally and professionally. If I had to sum the University of Huddersfield up in one word, I’d say ‘enriching’.
