Personal Statements Essay

Thinking about humanity nowadays and people’s preoccupations made me realize the huge impact that crimes and criminal justice have on their decisions and the way they receive and react at the details and information about a crime. Television news, newspapers and magazines, they all speak about crimes, unsolved criminal problems or strange disappearances. The world’s evolution, its issues have pushed societies nowadays to extreme gestures to escape from poverty problems. Why do people commit crimes? How much crime is there committed around us? Which would be the profile of a criminal and which would be his or her characteristics? Moreover, how could these crimes is stopped? I have been attracted to criminology since the early age of just 12. I was watching Discovery channel series like â€Å"Deadly women†, â€Å"Life of a crime†, â€Å"Most evil† and I was fascinated by the way those people were investigating and solving those crimes helped by only some fragile and minor details. As time passed by, I realized that this was my hobby and so I started thinking how I could develop my skills for a career in criminology. I thought that if I entered an exact sciences high school profile, I would constantly keep my mind focused, as subjects like mathematics or informatics enlarge your vision. As criminology implies psychology, I was and I am still interested in this fascinating subject. I will always be interested in discovering the characteristics of human nature. I had contact for the first time with Psychology in the second year of high school. I also read very interesting books about psychology and criminology such as â€Å"Psychology and Crime Myths and reality†, by Peter Ainsworth, â€Å"Criminology†, by John Conklin, etc, describing its characteristics and feeding my curiosity. I have discovered myself a lot of skills after reading those books and this was an extra reason for me to attend to a Criminology course. Besides criminology, I also like IT (information technology). As technology occupies a significant part of our lives, I thought it would be helpful to certificate my skills: I obtained my OCP certificate for ORACLE sql database course; I attended the ECDL (European Computer Driving Licence) courses from where I got a diploma as a complete operator of the Microsoft Office package. At present, I am attending the ORACLE pl_sql programming course which I am going to finalise in May 2009 and obtain my certificate. Even though I have been focusing on my ambitious plans and my future, I haven’t forgotten the ones that weren’t so lucky when speaking about family’s kindness and warmth. So, I was involved myself in volunteer projects every Christmas and Easter. The volunteer action is called National Strategy â€Å"The Community Action†. In present, I intended a new strategy to help the mentally or physically affected children at the â€Å"Orizont† Center in my town, Constanta. In my opinion, abandoning you own child is a crime and if he or she has a handicap it is ten times worse. As I am a very active person, I also took part to a lot of extracurricular activities, like: general-knowledge quizzes, chemistry contests where I have participated with the project â€Å"Water crystals. Crystal therapy† and gained two prizes, I am part of the high school volleyball team with which I won a lot of regional and national competitions, I had a job as an IT operator for introducing and validating dates within the POL-RENAV company, etc. Considering the fact that criminology is my hobby (terrorism, youth crimes, homicide, violence in crimes), it would be the perfect course for me to study and improve at university. Studying the behavior of criminals or investigating their crimes will always create a challenging future and an interesting one, having always something new to learn. As a personal conviction, criminology is maybe the most complex job that one could want: it involves mental strength, devotion and 100% interest for this field. 2. For a number of years I have had more than a passing interest in Criminology, Psychology and Sociology; in particular Criminal Psychology, Neuropsychology, the nature versus nurture debate and the Criminal Justice System. Additionally, I hold equal interest in the research, both past and present, undertaken to develop theories and concepts in the Social Science fields. I would now like to pursue these interests at a higher academic level with the hope, upon completion of my study, to gain employment whereby I could effectively utilise the skills and knowledge I had obtained, possibly in the research field. The reasons behind my late entry into higher education are primarily due to immaturity and lack of direction. Throughout my teens and early twenties my life was unconventional; this is where I believe my interest in the working of the human mind and sociological influences stem from. I have reflected on the contributing factors that led me to make the choices I made during my adole scent years. For me this raises the question of whether the underlying causes were biological or socially influenced or even a mixture of the two. Over the years I have matured and gained a sense of direction regarding what I would like to do. In 1999, I decided I wanted to contribute to my local community by doing some form of voluntary work, in particular with those who suffer from mental health problems. I became a befriended through Hilling don Mind. A befrienderÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s role is to support a person who is feeling isolated from the community. Every week I would visit my friend and sit and chat and lend an ear, we would also enjoy trips out into the community. I enjoyed my 12 months working as a befriended; I found it a humbling, fulfilling and rewarding experience. Sadly I had to make the difficult decision to leave the Hilling don Mind Befriending Scheme in the later part of 2000 due to unforeseen increased family and work commitments. In early 2006, I made the decision to return to education. As I had not been in full time education for 21 years, I chose to ease myself back into the system by studying a Horticulture course part time over a period of 2 years. I completed this course in July 2008 passing with 6 straight Distinctions at level 2; completing this course was the catalyst to further my education it gave me the confidence required to progress further. In September 2008, I enrolled on an Access to Psychology and Social Studies course and an additional GCSE Moths course at level 2. I am finding my current course both exciting and thought provoking and am enjoying life as a student immensely. My hopes are that on completion of both these courses I will have acquired a solid foundation of Social Sciences and the skills required to study at University. Throughout my life I have experienced a variety of roles within the work force including care work, administrative roles, production line work and voluntary research work for several websites. I have raised my two daughters, 5 & 17, almost single handed for the last 8 years; the eldest of which is in her final year of a levels and is currently in the process of applying to universities. For a number of years I have successfully maintained 2 Allotments, although they require a great deal of physical work I find growing my own produce extremely satisfying. Additionally, I enjoy listening to a variety of music and reading, in particular non-fictional crime. I manage my ongoing commitments to my children, education and allotments extremely well, indicative of conviction, dedication and good time management skills. Law with Criminology Personal Statement Social development within the country is based around the well-structured judicial system; however, this fundamental principle is not true for all countries and therefore permits shocking injustices to be carried out on the most vulnerable members of a society. It is from this that I believe my interest in Law stems. I am a keen, ambitious, diligent student and always strive to reach the best I can in whatever I do. Studying A levels in Business Studies, English Language and Biology gives me broad knowledge of different topics from which I have acquired many valuable skills that I believe can assist my studies in Law. Business Studies has been particularly useful when developing my understanding of the financial world and ever-changing business laws. Applying and examining bureaucracy and red tape to set case studies, has encouraged me to research further into the world of consumer rights and explore what is acceptable and not. I have enjoyed studying Biology and having to work close ly as a team when completing practical experiments with precision. English Language has given me the opportunity to analyse written texts which will be an advantage when studying cases and having to pick out key information. Studying AS Psychology has encouraged me to examine how criminal minds work and whether particular events from earlier years of life can have an effect. Recently, I attended a Foundation Degree Law Course where the idea was to become a â€Å"Lawyer for the week† and develop the learning skills required for University. During the week I had ‘hands on’ experience and undertook many legal practices such as taking witness statements and drafting statements of case. I found the course thoroughly enjoyable, particularly offering legal advice, and it helped me to realise how Law influences everyday decisions and activities. I have contributed too many different aspects of school life ranging from playing in successful musical concerts to becoming a senior student as a Year 8 mentor for which I had to attend two peer mediation courses. From this I learnt how to enhance my listening skills and empathise with those around me, offering reliable advice at the same time. I believe this would assist me when recommending legal advice to clientele. Along with a small group of other students, I am currently helping to set up a Committee to improve Sixth Form Life. Although this is to be carried out alongside my lessons, it helps me to plan my time well who benefits my studies when completing coursework and other various set tasks. The Young Enterprise Scheme, where it was our job to set up a company and assign ourselves roles within it, was a good insight into having to work as a team and understand business laws. I was chosen as the company secretary as I had the organizational skills which were necessary, this meant I had to work closely with the Managing Director to discuss issues and then make sure that every employee understood the tasks set. This developed my interpersonal skills as I had to liaise between staff, students and visitors from external companies. Personal well being is something I value and so participate regularly in exercise, giving me a sense of achievement when I overcome a certain obstacle or beat a personnel target. At school, this reflects my self discipline approach to studying. I have had to institute a system of time management alongside my education as I work part-time twice a week at South Deep Cafe. Working there for three years has, primarily, made me particularly approachable, as I have learnt many valuable customer relation skills, but has also reflected my trustworthiness and commitment especially when training other employees. As an enthusiastic, well-rounded, dedicated student, I feel I have the attributes and genuine passion needed to succeed on a Law Course, and look forward to the many challenges and aspects of life at University. Law and Criminology/Sociology Personal Statement From a young age, I have been fascinated by law and was thrilled at the possibility of studying it at A-Level. In August 2007, I was able to spend two weeks working at Naves Solicitors in Lupton. Most of my time was spent in the Conveyancing department, where Andrew Orriss, a partner in the firm, taught me how to draw up commercial leases and business contracts, and about buying, selling and renting residential properties. I most enjoyed meeting clients and discussing their cases. I found that moving house many times as a child enabled me to be sympathetic and relate to the clients. My time at Neves has made me more intent on pursuing a career in the law, as I liked the work and fitted in well with the staff. I believe my current studies of Law, English Language and History complement each other well and would give me an advantage at university, as they have furthered my strong reading and writing abilities, and taught me to be more logical and investigative. I also took Religious Studies at AS-level as I like learning about other peoples’ beliefs, and it helped me to become more open-minded. I enjoy getting involved with activities in my Sixth Form, such as planning the Summer Ball in Year 12. I was chosen by our Deputy Head Girl to take the minutes for the meetings and email them to the other committee members, and my minutes were commended by my Head of Year. I was also asked to assist with the Sixth Form Induction Evening. My duties involved welcoming prospective students and their parents, handing out prospectuses, and talking to them about my own experiences of Sixth Form. In Year 13, I was chosen as a History subject mentor to help struggling Year 12 students, and I also helped out on a trip to Germany with students in years 7 to 9. Outside of school, my hobbies include photography, bass guitar, and writing. In 2006, I came second in a BBC writing competition for young people in Northamptonshire. Having grown up in France, I am bilingual, and my next challenge is to write a short story in French. I also have a part-time job at McDonald’s, which has taught me about working with others, as well as coping with pressure. One of the crucial parts of my job is ensuring that customers are satisfied, and occasionally dealing with complaints. I believe the people skills I have gained from McDonald’s will help me in other aspects of my life. I regularly attend my local church and Christian youth group. In July 2007, I had the opportunity to go to Kosovo for a fortnight with other members of the youth group. Our aim was to help widows and orphans affected by the Yugoslav Civil War and the ethnic cleansing of Kosovans in 1999. We redecorated homes and schools, ran children’s clubs, distributed aid, and visited a Roma gypsy camp. It was a very profound and moving experience, and one I hope to repeat at some point in the future. This is the reason for my deferred entry to university. I plan to spend a few months fundraising, and then return to Kosovo for the remainder of the year to continue the work we started there. I believe that I am a confident and enthusiastic person who would benefit greatly from studying at university. I am passionate about the law and would like to have a career as a lawyer. I also have a keen sense of justice and an interest in Sociology and Criminology and would consider working with the Prison Service or the CPS. I think that studying Law at university would help me make the best possible use of my analytical and writing skills, and that a career in Law would satisfy my need to help.