Finding Support in the Criminology Department

Third year is inevitably a very stressful period at university, but that doesn’t have to affect your happiness. I have written a blog post about being positive and enjoying third year in spite of all the stress if you feel you are struggling with your mind set.

For me, these past few weeks have been the most stressful so far due to approaching deadlines at the same time as illness causing me to miss lectures, sleep far too much, and generally have a weakened sense of self and mind set. I usually find that almost any trip into town in Leicester or to campus makes me feel a little better stress-wise as it takes me out of my own head and back into the comforting heart of Leicester and its people. However, this week, it was the Criminology department specifically that really helped me.

With my dissertation, I tend to find that after a few weeks I start to question myself and where I’m going, and a meeting with my supervisor has always made me feel instantly better and more on track every single time. This week, I went to see my supervisor whilst particularly stressed and she surprised me with her ability to still have a solution for me as well as being just incredibly reassuring and supportive.

I then asked her about assessment criteria and she took me over to see another lecturer in the Criminology department who took her time helping me to understand and continued to chat with me and understand how I felt about my other modules. Having previously been at a point where I could have easily given up, I left that day feeling so supported and so happy with where I am in life now. I feel continuously impressed with the Criminology department’s genuine care for our wellbeing and course satisfaction.

Also, I recently found out about Vinnie the therapy dog who comes to see us every Tuesday and Thursday just to make us feel better. He’s studying for his postgraduate pedigree and spends his time napping and posing for photos with his fans.