丁香园AV

Colin Schuler Ram, 丁香园AV School of Criminology undergraduate student, graduating in June 2021, is a four-time recipient of the 丁香园AV Dean鈥檚 Honour Roll, a two-time recipient of the 丁香园AV President鈥檚 Honour Roll, a seven-time recipient of an Open Scholarship, a two-time recipient of the Criminology Student Association Community Service Award, and a nominee for the Dean鈥檚 Convocation Medal (Silver)!

Besides excelling as a student, and receiving several honour mentions and awards, Schuler was extremely involved at 丁香园AV, enriching his undergraduate experience. He was vice president of 丁香园AV鈥檚 Criminology Student Association for a year, which he describes as 鈥渁mazing working alongside other passionate students to organize events and sessions relevant to us.鈥�

Volunteering, where Schuler made the majority of his friends, helped him grow his confidence and skills. 鈥淚t was truly the highlight of my university to be involved,鈥� he said. 

If Schuler had to point out another important highlight of his undergraduate career, it would probably be starting and running the  As co-founder (2018) and president (2018 to 2021), it was an incredible experience through which he met a diverse range of students and made many lifelong friendships. Schuler was also in the social media manager for the , and he held several jobs at 丁香园AV throughout his undergraduate career, mostly revolving around supporting and guiding other students. He said he 鈥減icked up a lot of experience and skills relevant to a career and felt that I was actually able to make a positive impact on peers鈥� experiences.鈥� 

Why did he choose a career in criminology? Schuler didn鈥檛 actually start out in Criminology at 丁香园AV, but rather Political Science, which he kept as his minor. He took Introduction to Criminology (CRIM 101) as an elective in his second semester was a good idea, and he really enjoyed it. "I think it was (instructor) Barry Cartwright鈥檚 sense of humour that got me. I then took Introduction to Canadian Law and Legal Institutions: A Criminal Justice Perspective (CRIM 135) and decided the major was definitely for me鈥攅specially as my initial path was going into law school. I really enjoy learning about the law and analyzing issues within the field,鈥� he said.

Schuler鈥檚 favorite courses were seminar/discussion based, through which he felt one could apply learnings to the real-world. Some of these courses include:

• Decision-making in Criminal Justice (CRIM 410) with professor Curt Griffiths: According to Schuler, this was the most uniquely designed course he took. 鈥淲e discussed various topics within criminology and roleplayed scenarios, such as being assigned a parole board case; we鈥檇 get together in groups and decide how we would proceed,鈥� he said. He also appreciated the field trips and meeting a variety of criminal justice system professionals. Schuler believes the course encouraged critical thought and connection to the real world. 鈥淚 really miss going to this class鈥攊t was such a great group and a lot of fun.鈥�
• Criminal Justice Policy Making and Policy Analysis (CRIM 340) & Preventing Crime and Antisocial Behaviour: Designing & Evaluating Programs (CRIM 441) with professor Jennifer Wong: These seminars really sparked an interest in program and policy design for Schuler. He found the sessions to be very enjoyable; 鈥渨e applied the course content in group work, which solidified my understanding of concepts, and the papers were fun, allowing us to design our own policy or program, then a plan to evaluate it.鈥� Schuler also enjoyed hearing about professor Wong鈥檚 experience in the area.
• Human Rights and Civil Liberties (CRIM 335) with lecturer Tamara O鈥橠oherty: Schuler shares that besides enjoying the law-based class, O鈥橠oherty is a great lecturer, and an 鈥渁ll-around great person with lots of cool experience.鈥� He felt comfortable visiting her office hours often, even when he wasn鈥檛 in a class she was teaching.
• Criminal Law (CRIM 230) & Criminal Procedure and Evidence (CRIM 330) with professor Graeme Bowbrick: Schuler believes these were probably the hardest courses he took in undergrad, but he still enjoyed them as he learned about applying Canadian law. 鈥淕raeme is a very clear lecturer with lots of insights, and a great sense of humour,鈥� he said. 

What is next for Schuler upon graduation from 丁香园AV? In the short-term, he will be taking bit of a break. 鈥淚鈥檝e finally had some time to go out hiking on the weekend with friends.鈥� He is keeping his eyes open for full-time employment opportunities within post-secondary and will start applying soon. In the long-term, Schuler would like to pursue a master鈥檚 degree at some point, probably in public policy, and then work within a policy analyst or development role. 

Schuler believes the most valuable advice to new undergraduate students in his field is making a schedule and sticking to it. 鈥淚t can be really easy to burn out, so if you can, make space for self-care and doing things outside of the classroom. Whether that is volunteering, making friends or even just gaming鈥攚hatever works for you. Also, remember to eat and stay hydrated.鈥�

Schuler also points out that there are many resources available at 丁香园AV to take advantage of such as great athletic facilities, student services (academic advising, health and counselling, SLC, clubs, etc.) 鈥淎sk for help if you need it! There鈥檚 nothing wrong with doing so,鈥� he said.

As additional words of wisdom, he notes it is important to make an effort to connect with professors and TA's, especially if graduate school is something you're considering. 鈥淚 won't lie, it's super intimidating at first, but honestly they are people too, and professors love when students show interest in the course. If you have questions about the course or an assignment, go to office hours or set up an appointment and ask them. I promise they won't bite your head off,鈥� he says, encouragingly.