Poor Academic Performance
Many university students face the prospect of having to discover a new career
goal because they have not obtained the grades necessary to enter the program
they desired. University 1 students are particularly prone to facing this
reality because they are perhaps the most likely group of university students
to struggle academically. Their academic struggles can be tied to the many
challenges and adjustments they must make during their first year of university
study. Making the adjustment to university can be very challenging. Differences
from previous educational experiences can and usually do include increased class
size, increased independence, increased workload, and new testing format. In
addition, some University 1 students are making the adjustment to a new city
and new living arrangements. All of these challenges conspire to increase
students' stress and thereby negatively affect academic performance. Other
university students are certainly not immune from adjustment challenges and
academic struggles as well.
Having poorer than desired grades during first term or during your university education to date does not necessarily mean that you have to find a new career goal. For example, all of you have likely heard how difficult it is to gain entry into the Faculty of Medical Rehabilitation (i.e., Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy) or the Faculties of Law, Medicine, Dentistry and Social Work. You must obtain very high grades to have any opportunity to enter these and many other highly competitive programs. What many students do not realize is that many highly competitive programs use an "adjusted" G.P.A. formula when evaluating applicants. The adjusted G.P.A. allows you to "drop" some of your lowest marks, thereby increasing your application G.P.A. Check out the program you were considering and learn whether or not an adjusted G.P.A. is used.
If you are not achieving the kind of grades you need or want it is imperative that you begin doing so as soon as possible. This will entail some soul searching on your part and the answering of some tough questions such as "Am I working as hard as I can?" If you are working as hard as you can (be honest) and are still having less than desirable outcomes, consider contacting the Learning Assistance Centre (Room 519 University Centre) for help with your academic abilities. They offer a wide range of workshops focusing on such topics as study and writing skills and they can make a positive difference in your academic performance. You can recover from poor grades, but the longer you wait the harder this becomes.
Learning New, Undesirable Information About Your Chosen Career
Many of you may be considering changing your career goal because you have
learned something about your chosen career that is casting doubt on that choice.
This new information may not match with your interests, personality, career values
or skills and has likely created some uneasiness. What kind of new information
do students discover? Many of you will learn that you "hate" your chosen career
perhaps because it is boring. Others will discover an aspect of a career that
may not cause them to abandon the goal but will "sour" it somewhat. Others may
learn that a desired skill area is not within their strengths. We encourage you
to not abandon your career goal too quickly in the face of new information.
Evaluate the new information slowly and thoroughly before deciding your course
of action. Visit our Career Resource Centre or use our Career Mentor Program
to learn more about your career goal so that you can make an informed decision.
If you do decide to change career tracks and need help in planning a new career
path, try attending one of our career orientation sessions. Students at these
sessions learn about career decision-making strategies and about our various career
resources including career testing and career counselling.
Making That First Career Decision
A large number of you may still be trying to determine your career goal.
You may be surprised to learn that career indecision is not solely restricted
to first or second year university students. We find that students from every
level of university education can and do have career questions. We have a
number of career resources that can help you resolve your career indecision.
The best first step would likely be to attend a career orientation session.
This session can help you decide your next best step to help resolve your career
indecision. Alternatively, you could visit our Career Resource Centre or Web Site
to research career options and get career ideas. Making a career decision is not
easy! We can help.
Don't Give Up!
The urge to give up on university or on your chosen career goal may become
very strong at this time of year, or after you receive your grades for first
term. Don't let the anxiety of career indecision or poor academic performance
drive your career decision. Most university students struggle with career
decisions and performance anxiety at some point during their education. Remember
that there are at least a couple of careers for everyone. We can help you find
your career. Come visit us at 474 University Centre.
Forensic Anthropology :
This field in forensics involves the application of scientific physical
anthropology to the legal process. For legal and humanitarian reasons,
the identification of skeletal, decomposed or other unidentified human
remains is important. In addition to the location and recovering of suspicious
remains to assist in the detection of a crime, Forensic Anthropologists work to
suggest the age, sex, ancestry, stature and any unique features from the skeleton.
Forensic Entomology or Medicocriminal Entomology:
Forensic entomology is the science involving insect evidence to uncover
circumstances of interest to the law often related to a crime. Insect
evidence is properly collected, preserved and analyzed from and around a
corpse. Forensic Entomology has been divided into three components:
Forensic Chemistry:
This stream in forensics is the scientific process used to recover,
compare and identify non-biological trace evidence such as clothing,
fire debris and glass, etc. A forensic chemist is responsible for
chemical analyses of all non-biological materials except for drugs and
poisons. This also involves physical matching of any seized material which
greatly assists the RCMP.
Forensic Toxicology:
Forensic Toxicology is a continually increasing field in the area of
Forensic Sciences. Toxicology involves the interpretation of the harmful
pharmacological effects of alcohol, drugs and poisons on living systems.
Forensic toxicologists play an important part in the court room dealing with
homicide, impaired driving, and death cases. They are also involved in the
analysis of biological fluids and tissues but in this field it is in search
of drugs and poisons.
There are many fields within Forensics, and therefore it is impossible to list every domain in which forensics is involved. However, forensics is continually involving more and more scientific areas. Two recently developed areas are Forensic Nursing and Forensic Accounting.
Forensic Nursing:
This type of career is a forensic field in preparation for the health care which
is necessary as we head into the 21st century. Basically, the application of
nursing in regards to public and legal proceeding. A registered nurse with biopsychosocial
education deals with investigation and treatment of death/trauma of victims
or perpetrators of abuse, criminal activity and violence. More information can
be found at New Jersey Chapter of the International
Association of Forensic Nurses
Forensic Accounting:
This sector of forensics has been around for a few years but awareness of
this fact has not been made in the general public. Forensic Accounting involves
the integration of auditing, accounting and investigative skills. The analysis
forms the basis for discussion in court and attempts to resolve a conflict involving
financial transactions.
For more info, try Forensic Accounting
Dr. Jeannine Cutler is a Forensic Psychologist at Stony Mountain Institution, Manitoba's only medium-security federal prison. Dr. Cutler's training, which she received from the University of Manitoba, is in Clinical Psychology. However, since she works in the correctional system, she is considered to be a forensic psychologist. By definition, "forensic" refers to anything pertaining to or used for the purposes of legal proceedings. Forensic psychologists may also work in hospitals or in private practice, and must have a strong clinical background. There are specific postgraduate programs in Forensic Psychology that are offered at a few universities in Canada, but they tend to be very research-oriented, and hence are not the only way to become a Forensic Psychologist.
Dr. Cutler came to Stony Mountain in September, 1994. Her experience consisted of a background in Community Mental Health, but she found that working in corrections gave her the opportunity to do many different types of assessment and counselling, much more than when she had worked in the community. She says that she was fascinated with the idea of working in a prison, because she saw that psychology could play a role in so many different aspects of the prison structure. The Psychology staff at Stony Mountain must administer to all of the personal, social and family needs of over 400 inmates. The main goal of Dr. Cutler and the other prison employees is to ensure that prisoners will adjust to living in the community upon their release from the institution, and that they won't be back.
A typical day for Dr. Cutler may involve assessing a newly arrived prisoner in order to determine whether he should be placed in a minimum, medium, or maximum-security facility. Dr. Cutler also sees inmates who have been identified as a suicide risk or who have requested a consultation with her. She is currently developing several programs in an attempt to facilitate inmates' transition from the prison to the community. In addition, she has various administrative duties and occasionally supervises graduate students. Working in a correctional institute can be very stressful, so the Psychology department at Stony Mountain also attends to the emotional well being of the staff. Although rare, there have been incidences of hostage taking and assaults on staff members by inmates. In those cases, Dr. Cutler would become involved in "critical incident" debriefings in order to ensure that all staff had properly dealt with the incident before going home for the day. While she feels completely safe working in the institution, Dr. Cutler admits that her first few months at the prison involved a lot of soul searching and examination of her own ideas about punishment vs. rehabilitation, and of what her new roles would be. The diversity of challenges she faces every day makes Forensic Psychology a rewarding career for Dr. Cutler.
The most important thing to remember is that there is more than one way to do things.
When asked what advice she would give to a student considering either Clinical or Forensic Psychology as a career, Dr. Cutler says that the most important thing to remember is that there is more than one way to do things. For example, she was in her thirties with three teen-aged children when she went back to school, and because she was unable to leave the province, she created her own internship to satisfy the clinical component of her Ph.D.! Dr. Cutler strongly advises getting "hands-on" experience, especially if one is considering a career in corrections, as this type of work environment is not for everyone. There are volunteer opportunities available at Stony Mountain or with organizations such as the John Howard Society or the Elizabeth Fry society. Finally, Dr. Cutler says that while obtaining a doctorate in any field may seem like an incredibly long haul, it is essential to establish a network of supports for yourself and to take things one step at a time to avoid becoming overwhelmed.
Another Mentor Spotlight: RCMP Forensic Labs - Profile of a Forensic Scientist
Becoming a Forensic Psychologist will usually require you to get a doctorate in psychology, often in the fields of clinical or counselling psychology. Usually it takes an average of seven years after the completion of an undergraduate degree to obtain your doctorate! So the path to becoming a forensic psychologist will probably be a hard road to travel upon. However, dedication and perseverance are key characteristics that will certainly help one to get through the long haul of completing a doctorate program.These include:
British Columbia Institute of Technology: Has a Forensic Science Technology Advanced Specialty Certificate Program.
University of Toronto at Mississauga: Offers a double major, honors B.Sc. Program in Forensic Science. You may choose your area of study for the second major from Anthropology, Biology or Chemistry. It is possible to choose other majors as well, but Program Coordinator approval must be obtained.
Laurentian University: the home of the Laurentian Institute of Forensic Evidence and Research, offers a Bachelor of Science in Biology with a specialization in Forensic Biology.
St. Mary's University: Offers a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology with an option of taking courses in Forensic Anthropology.
There are also a few graduate programs in Canada that directly train people to become forensic psychologists throughout their doctoral psychology programs:
Queen's University: Within the Clinical and Social Sciences Programs offered through the Department of Psychology, students can participate in a special training emphasis in forensic psychology.
University of British Columbia: The Department of Psychology offers a Masters and a Ph.D. program in Forensic Psychology.
Simon Fraser University: Within the graduate program in Clinical Psychology is a sector that focuses upon Clinical-Forensic Psychology. Students interested in this stream of work, must complete the first two years of their training as part of the Clinical Psychology Program. Those students who want to specialize in clinical-forensic psychology might be required to do an additional year in order to complete their doctorate.
Do you want more information about a career in forensics? Come and visit us at the Career Resource Centre or sign up for the Career Mentor Program!
December 3, 1998