Lilly, Forensic Science Level 3

A new and exciting course

When I finished school, I started a health and social care course but it wasn’t right for me, I wasn’t excited or passionate about it so when it came to September I decided to look at other courses. That’s when I found out Reading College were offering a new forensics science course. Forensics has always been an interest of mine, it’s an intriguing and unusual subject that always leaves you wanting to know more. When I saw the opportunity to study it, I decided to take the leap and so far, it’s been amazing.

The learning experience

There’s a good balance of practical and theory work on the course and the college makes sure to break it up so it’s not continuous theory. With A Levels you can get bored of the classroom setting but at college they take it above and beyond and you get proper practical experience. Because forensics is such a technical and broad field, we have lots of mini lessons on the course. Every lesson is individual and each hour you could be learning something completely different.

I feel 100% supported by the teachers here. Forensics is a little out of the ordinary and can be a challenging topic, so it’s been a learning process with its ups and downs. But because of that there’s another level of support you get from the teachers, especially the ones teaching forensics.

In and around campus

The facilities for forensic science are great. There’s a mock-up apartment that we use for forensic photography where we stage crime scenes with a body from health and social care. There’s also a new lab which is exciting. Having that setting and all the equipment ready to be used really does offer you so much opportunity.

Reading College has a perfect location, its local, easy to get to and near town. There’s quite a lot of life going on here, it’s not in the middle of nowhere and there’s always something to do. The library is brilliant and has a great range of resources, computers and books.

Looking forward

After college, I’m looking at going to university to study forensic science. You can go in so many directions with forensics, it’s not just limited to one job but I’m leaning towards specialising in forensics pathology or forensics psychology in the future.

The course is definitely helpful for getting into the industry. Without qualifications like this, if you wanted to get a forensic qualification you’d have to go through A Levels or some kind of applied science first, which isn’t specific to forensics. Having this forensics course, if I apply to university, rather than saying I’ve got A Levels I can say I’ve done a course which specialises in what I’m going to be studying at uni. You’re that step ahead because you’ve already got that practical experience and knowledge of forensics.

With any course at Reading College, you pick up those skills needed for the work environment, and I feel like they really do provide that here.

Would you recommend your course?

To anyone thinking of taking this course I would say ‘go for it’. It’s a brilliant course and such a great opportunity that’s rare to come around. You learn so much, it’s not just education, you build yourself up as well. Even though you’re studying forensics, you learn a lot more about yourself and your skills, it’s a fantastic overall experience.