• Question: i want to work in forensics do any of you have any advice?.. plz?

    Asked by sophielr to Amy, Drew, Julia, Kimberley, Sara on 21 Jun 2011. This question was also asked by kdouch555.
    • Photo: Sara Imari Walker

      Sara Imari Walker answered on 19 Jun 2011:

      Hello sophie! Great choice! It sounds like forensics is a really exciting career full of lots of cool science =) Not having direct experience with the forensics field, my best advice is to study hard, and study subjects relevant to your career interest. Not just chemistry, physics, and biology, but probably also psychology. You should probably start investigating some forensics programs and see what kinds of courses they expect you to take and also what is required to get into the program(s). Start gearing your study in that direction and you should be on your way!

    • Photo: Drew Rae

      Drew Rae answered on 20 Jun 2011:

      Hi Sophie. Good practical advice from Sara. There are undergraduate courses specialising in forensics, so you should look at what those programs need for you to get in, and what they include. As a backup, you could end up in a straight science course and study forensics as a specialty afterwards.

      Don’t forget to look out for what scholarships are available from different places as well.

    • Photo: Julia Griffen

      Julia Griffen answered on 20 Jun 2011:

      there are specific forensics courses out their.. look at uni websites and prospectus.. Royal Society of Chem site may be of use.

    • Photo: Kimberley Bryon

      Kimberley Bryon answered on 20 Jun 2011:

      Hy Sophie,

      You need a strong stomach to handle forensics. I went on a taster course for a weekend when I was in sixth form at the University of Nottingham, it was a really good experience if they still do them. We got to see real pictures from forensic scenes and hear about how they used evidence to catch criminals.

      If you want to work in forensics I suggest Biology, Chemistry and Maths A-level and then either Psychology or Sociology as that was what was suggested to me at the time. Most universities want maths now to study science but look at courses that interest you. By knowing what you want to do you are already well on your way to getting there.

    • Photo: Amy MacQueen

      Amy MacQueen answered on 21 Jun 2011:

      Hi Sophie!

      There are some taster courses around that you might wanna try out to see what things are like in practice! Best idea is to check on university websites for entry qualifications and maybe email someone in the department asking them if you can go for a chat or to look at their lab etc. It sounds scary – but most people are keen to help students so if you are keen and ask you might get to see some cool stuff!!! 🙂

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