Personal Statement

Throughout my education life I have always wanted to go to university as I enjoy writing, learning and researching. Whilst I never really knew what course it was that I wanted to study, I was certain that I would eventually decide where my future lay. At Grammar school I excelled in English as I enjoyed reading crime stories and then analysing how and why these events took place.

My interest in criminology stemmed from watching crime programs and news stories ,such as those on the disappearance of Madeline McCann, on television from a young age. I was fascinated by how people would commit all manners of crimes and then attempt to get away with it like a game of cat and mouse. I would imagine how I would catch these people, and alternatively how I would get away if I were the criminal. Whilst attending my Media and Journalism course at College, my tutor encouraged me to explore my interest in Criminology further through my research. This has really given me a focus and drive to continue my Criminology study at university.  I have focused my writing on the genre of crime throughout my 2 year course and have built up an extensive understanding of the subject. Whilst on this course I have explored the world of criminology through writing news articles, short stories and radio pieces, which has given me plenty of time to study aspects of criminology such as police procedure and the psychology behind criminals.

In the future I aim to go into the field of anti terror/ military policing, and I feel this course would allow me to pursue this goal. Being able to use my career in policing to help others and become a positive influence on society is a big motivation for me. I hold a huge amount of respect for the police force and it would be an honour for me to be amongst their ranks.

One of the major elements in the field of criminology is teamwork, which is something I have excelled in through playing a variety of sports. I have played football for many years, including captaining a local league winning side. I feel that this helped to develop my leadership skills and made me a vital member of the wider team. Drawing from this experience I feel it will have not just a positive impact on myself, but also my fellow students. As previously mentioned, I also enjoy reading and have an interest in reading news articles relating to what crimes have occurred both in the United Kingdom and abroad. I find it particularly interesting finding out whether the criminals have been caught or not, and if so how they were caught. It is also apparant to me that a career relating to criminology requires me to be good at dealing with the general public. This is no issue to me as I have been doing part time work in the customer service industry for some time, and in doing so have built up my confidence when talking to people who I do not know. I can now confidently say I can hold a conversation with nearly anyone as I have dealt with a variety of people.