Originally from The Netherlands, Femke is studying for an MPhil in Criminology. She is currently finishing up her research focused on the wellbeing of men convicted of sexual offences residing in a prison that exclusively houses individuals convicted of sexual offences.

Can you tell us about your personal journey to Cambridge and what life for you looked like before you joined the University?

During my undergraduate program, I studied law, psychology, and history at University College Roosevelt in Middelburg, the Netherlands. I always knew I was interested in criminology, I even got accepted into an undergraduate degree in criminology when I was applying for undergraduate programs, but I decided to study something more interdepartmental, at a more international university. At this university, I discovered several alumni were accepted into the University of Cambridge, and simply figured if they could get in, so could I! During my last year of my undergraduate program I applied to Cambridge, and got rejected. I set my sights on other masters programs, and happened to run into a former professor of mine who convinced me to reapply (less than a week before the deadline, mind you!). Because he so firmly believed in me, I did reapply and got accepted on my second attempt. I am so passionate about my degree here, and am so happy I decided to reapply, I cannot imagine what my life would have been like if I did not have the courage to reapply.