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Hopefully this post will help and get to you before your interview.

The FBI manual is still the go to book for classification. I have not been able to find a website that allows you to practice classification, but there is certainly a need for one. I would recommend classifying the numerous fingerprints printed in the FBI manual then reviewing the classification rules for each pattern type to see how you did. Also, be a little familiar with the Henry Classification System.

Chances are there will be a lot of in house training around the subject. Kudos to you for studying beforehand. It will help out a lot during the application process and in the long run.

For a general overview of fingerprints I would recommend the NIJ Fingerprint Sourcebook.

For crime scene investigation the go to book is Practical Crime Scene Processing and Investigation by Ross M. Gardner.

For more recommended readings check out the Forensic Certification section of the IAI's site .

Oh yes, and know what the definition of a latent print is. There is a really good chance they will ask, and the question often trips people up.

Forensic Science: The Basics by Siegel and Mirakovits is a great choice. It is written to be used in a high school curriculum, but it is very indepth and easy to understand. It gives a good all around solid understanding of most forensic techniques. I personally know both of the authors and combined they have such a great understanding of Forensic Science it isn't even funny.

Crime Scene to Court - Has a UK focus but delves into all fields in fair detail without overloading you, its a good reference manual.

Forensic Science - May be a bit of a hefty one but also covers everything.

Practical Skills in Forensic Science - Probably better for when actually studying but has a lot of the information for being a forensic scientist rather than just knowing forensic science.

I would say those three, as well as those that ayeroger has mentioned will be all you need for an overview of the subject, if you have any specialist fields in mind I have a wide selection of reading material.

Hey there! Full disclosure, I'm not a forensic scientist/criminologist myself, but I work in the overall field.

The two books our forensics director gave me to get the quick and dirty were Fisher's Techniques of Crime Scene Investigation and Criminalistics: An Introduction to Forensic Science - though of course as you're already a criminology student I'm sure you wouldn't need that much from the latter.

I highly recommend the Fisher's text, and make sure you do the first international edition I linked. It's Prime Day on Amazon today so it might be a good day to book shop!

Let me know if you want any recommendations for specific topics within the field and I'd be glad to look into our library.

I'm still in school so unfortunately I can't give you an accurate answer of what is expected of you going in for a job. However, this is the book we used for my forensic photography class at my university.
Also, if it is all encouraging, my brother-in-law made it very far into the interview process in a major city for a forensic photography job with a normal photography degree. I'm confident that if he had some sort of side courses/training in the area he could have sealed the deal.

Thanks so much for a response! While I would definitely take up the one you offered, it can't be shipped to the UK, I found a more appropriate product than the graphite I found originally, I'll probably be OK with this. I'll have to stick with what I got, misread this one, it doesn't arrive on time either. I found other sellers that would ship it too the UK for the one you mentioned, but they are laughably expensive and get here too late.

I'll take what you said into account when making the prints, I've done it before but I'm just a bit rusty, will practice a few times before the presentation.

I'm not in the field, but I've been picking up a lot of knowledge lately, about how to enter the field, there are 2 main types of computer forensics, recovering data from devices, and incident response. I haven't gotten into any IR yet, so I can only answer for the data recovery.

Tools:
Write blocker: this prevents any write commands from being sent to a drive you are imaging, thus preserving the hash id(s), so the evidence you find, if any, is much harder to dispute. You can have hardware and/or software write blockers.

Software: You have a pretty wide range of paid, and open source software to choose from, what you use is often decided by the task you're trying to complete. The 2 most popular paid suites are EnCase and FTK. I may be wrong here, but I think the more popular open source tools are SIFT and TSK (The Sleuth Kit).

I am having a hard time putting my thoughts into words as far as what computer forensics people do. I will edit when my brain starts working again.

In the mean time, I would highly recommend this book. The author is revered in the industry, and has written the book so anyone with a decent understanding of computers will be able to get into computer forensics, as a hobby, or as a career.

Professionals, chime in and correct me if I am wrong, or misleading with this answer.

I know that there is a chapter/s within the book I've linked above regarding statistics. I cant think of any books that are solely based on the relating statistics.

EDIT
[This has a great explanation of stats used] (http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Forensic-Analysis-Second-Edition/dp/0849302331)

I'm sure you're finished with your class now but, if you are still interested in the topic of Mr. Bundy, you may want to read Stephen Michaud's "The Only Living Witness".

It's an absolutely fascinating read that follows Bundy's journey from the Pacific Northwest, to Colorado, and finally into Florida. Along the way, Michaud details each killing and ensures to add speculation as to other murders at the time that could or could not be attributed to Mr. Bundy.

Hope you did well on the paper!

Assuming she doesn't have it ready: The Poisoner's Handbook is a great read about the early history of forensic science mostly told though cases/the life of NYC's first medical examiner.

Hi! We have a subreddit wiki page of all the 'required reading' for our disciplines here.

This was my undergrad Forensic Science textbook. It's a nice overview type of book. Libraries or used bookstores tend to have this one. Pretty cheap paperback version.

The graphite may work but Sirchie powders are probably the most common in the US.

Sirchie Hi-Fi Volcano Latent Fingerprint Powder, 2 oz Jar, Silk Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004VWADSC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_ZzdAwbMGBTQ5D

Your method seems correct, but apply very little powder for that fresh of a print. Wipe your fingers through your hair and on your forehead for maximum oil prior to making your 'cheater' prints.

Here are links to a few books that I've used and found helpful during my first year of Forensics:

• Criminalistics: Introduction to Forensic Science
  
• Introduction to Criminalistics
  
• Jackson Forensic Science

https://www.amazon.com/Flashlight-Portable-Ultraviolet-Detector-Batteries/dp/B00GU55270/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=black+light&qid=1574649945&sr=8-1

Something similar to this would work as long as the bulb is a black light.

I've been told reading this book is a must.

Seconded.

https://www.amazon.com/Rural-Life-Verlyn-Klinkenborg/dp/0316735515

I believe the partial text at the left side is "borg", part of the author name.

I used Fundamentals of Forensic Science as my textbook in first year uni.

Its all about applying science to law and vice versa, to me anyway.

One book that I liked that is not on the reading list for this sub is Crime Science: Methods of Forensic Detection by Joe Nickell & John Fischer.

It’s a little older (published 1998) but it’s written as a general knowledge/introductory book for the topic (it’s not a dense textbook or professional manual). Other than some of the outdated computer technology that is mentioned, the basics of how investigators look for and process evidence are still relevant.

I’m going into forensic anthropology, and some of my personal favorite books on that topic are:

Teasing Secrets From the Dead by Emily Craig

The Bone Woman by Clea Koff

Dead Men Do Tell Tales by William Maples

Death’s Acre by William Bass

Disaster Archaeology by Richard Gould

Happy reading!