Elena Voltolina

BSc Criminology

I wanted to find somewhere that matched my ambition
And that is what I found when I spoke to Oxford Brookes. I decided to study in the UK quite late, and then it was suggested that I try Oxford Brookes for Criminology. When I reached out they came back at me very, very quickly. I also had calls with one of the professors, so that convinced me that they really wanted me. That made me choose them.

Lecturers teaching their areas of research
Really brought my enjoyment of studying to another level. They were all great and passionate teachers already, but when they have the chance to teach their areas, they really go the extra mile. The approach to the teaching worked well because Year 1 was introductory to give us a strong basis to build upon, and then as we progressed, we became well-equipped to begin an independent approach to analysis without needing assistance from our lecturers.

You get out of University what you put in
So if you’re somebody who didn’t engage at all in class, or barely showed up to any lectures and didn’t respond to a question from your lecturer, you won’t resonate with my experience. The academics are  just fantastic, but it’s ultimately your attitude and approach that shape your experience. If they ask you a question, it’s not to put you on the spot, it’s just to make you really think about things. And they are genuinely interested in your opinion, so speak up!

I'm currently completing my masters
At LSE, the London School of Economics and Political Science in Criminal Justice Policy. So I'm still in the field of Criminology, just in a more practical setting. Once I have handed in my dissertation at the end of summer, I will hopefully start up an internship at Europol, the UN or the OSCE. My dream would be to work at the UN in fields like Security, Defence, or Defence of Human rights as a researcher.