Zoe Dudley

Law with Criminology - LLB (Hons)

Zoe was confused about what she wanted to study and where. At first, Zoe chose another university, but hours after moving into halls she felt wrong being so far away from home. Now she is at BCU and she feels much more at home. Zoe loves her course in Law with Criminology and gets the support she needs, enabling her to manage the demands of both study and part-time work.

“I didn’t always know what I wanted to study, my journey has been up and down. Firstly, back when I left sixth form in 2017, I was planning to go to a university that was far away from home to study criminology on its own. I moved up north to start uni but once I got to my accommodation I had a meltdown. I was unsure about everything; the course, the distance, the idea of university as a whole. I decided to take a gap year to figure out what I really wanted, and that is how I found BCU - a local university where I could commute and not suffer from being terribly homesick all the time. I had done my research into law and I was always intrigued with the justice system and how it worked, so I decided to study Law with Criminology at Birmingham City University.

I love my course now and everything about it. My favourite parts of law would have to be crime and justice and land law. The academics make the subject so interesting and it only makes me want a career in law more and more. The course is so practical and the facilities here at BCU mirror those used in the real world of law. Our Magistrate’s Court and Crown Court take modules and learning to a whole new level, making you so much more employable after you graduate.

The University’s open door policy allows me to visit academics whenever I like - I don’t have to book appointments, which is really helpful for commuting students. I have faced many challenges, and money is my biggest worry. I have four jobs in order to help me pay my bills and rent. Despite this, BCU is my escape from the stress of working.

I’ve become a lot more outgoing and confident, especially when it comes to meeting people, since starting at BCU. I remember my first day, I was worried and scared that everyone would be living in accommodation and that I would feel like an outsider. However, settling down in my own home at the age of 20 and starting a whole new course and making new connections and friends made me feel independent and stronger. Birmingham City University has allowed me to organise my own life, my own money, my own jobs. Everything about me is different - I have 100% grown up and matured.

Opening up to the whole world is what I AM BCU is about. I am so grateful for my course and the staff and I know after graduating I’ll be able to enter the job market with no worries. I’ve had ups and down, but everyone does. The main thing is that I know I can reach my end goal with a Law degree and succeed.”