Sabina Lee

Police Trainee

The lecturers that taught me were so knowledgeable, they were able to share their real life experiences in prisons, in the police force and working in crime reduction.

Why I chose to attend Leeds Trinity

I chose Leeds Trinity due to the structure of the course itself and the facilities available. The smaller classrooms and lecture theatre settings offered me the best of both worlds. After attending an Open Day, I could just see myself studying here and it was great being so close to Leeds city centre.

What I enjoyed most about the course

The lecturers that taught me were so knowledgeable, they were able to share their real-life experiences in prisons, in the police force and working in crime reduction. In addition to this, I benefited greatly from the flexibility with assignments and not having to take exams. There was such a wide variety of assignments and these also enabled me to build new academic skills through giving presentations. In the final year, I was able to select which modules I wanted to specialise in and this gave me the opportunity for strong debates within the classroom and also real in-depth discussions about key topics I was so interested in.

Valuable placement opportunities

Through the support of the Careers+Placements team, I was able to get two placements as a special constable, this would not have happened without them. Placements were very different as they both gave different experiences. The first placement involved training to prepare myself fully to go out and about. The second placement enabled me to go out on both night and day shifts two-to-three times per week with regular police officers.

How I have changed as a person during my student days

When reflecting on how I have changed, there has been a huge difference in just a few years. I arrived from a small town as a very shy person but quickly benefited from meeting other students from all over the UK. Living away from home for the first time I also had to learn how to cook and fend for myself as well as come to terms with how to manage my money, and budget effectively.

Overall, I thoroughly benefited from being in a supportive environment where I felt secure. I also enjoyed working as a student ambassador throughout my time at Leeds Trinity. This involved working at Open Days as well as representing the University at UCAS recruitment fairs.

Life after University

After graduating I will be pursuing a route into the police force.

My advice for prospective students

You will get out what you put in and even if you are shy at the start, you will no doubt make your first steps to becoming a more confident person. Approach your student days with a clear mind as it's very different to college or sixth form and make sure you take advantage of all the support available, like I did.