Like anything at university, Criminology is a challenging subject. It is very much dependent on which university you choose as to whether it will be a coursework based subject or an exam based subject. In my experience, you should expect it to be a mixture of the two.
Don't think you can glide your way through the topics as quite often there will be multiple theories and their theorists for you to learn. But similarly, don't expect to spend all of your time studying- university is supposed to be the best time of your life.
You won't be expected to study 24/7, but you will be set work to complete in time for your tutorials to compliment your learning in lectures. Tutorials are very much like small classes of people sort of like a small class you may be used to within a school environment. Be sure to use tutorials as a opportunity to go through anything that you did not understand from the readings or in lectures as your tutorial teacher will be able to go through this with you one on one. Get into the habit of speaking at least once in the tutorial, preferably nearer the beginning as it can help to enhance your learning also often the questions are easier at the beginning and when it comes to a difficult question later on that no one knows the answer too, it makes it less likely that you will be picked on as you have already answered.
It is important that you do the recommended readings, tutorial work and attend lectures regularly as getting into good habits from the beginning can help make your degree just a little bit easier.
But try not to worry too much- the first year is always the best time to make mistakes like testing out your essay writing style and finding out what works best for you. After all the first year usually doesn't count towards your final degree classification.
