Law and Criminology personal statment example

Are you thinking about studying Law and Criminology at degree level? Are you looking for a Law and Criminology personal statement? Well, here's mine to give you some ideas...

My extra-curricular activities have given me a lot of valuable skills to apply to other situations. Within school I regularly volunteer my time to help with clubs and organisations which benefit the younger students. I enjoy being a peer counsellor and am an active member within the club, helping to run events such as anti-bullying week while still maintaining the level of support and compassion the role requires. Last year I involved myself within the paired reading scheme, helping a younger student to develop their reading skills and this year I was selected to help children with Dyslexia to read once a week. Becoming a house prefect and later a school prefect has taught me how to adapt well to certain situations and relate to different people, the role requires responsibility and maturity as you are a role model to the younger students. As well as supervising certain areas of the school during break and dinner I have been given the responsibility of working closely with a year 7 form. In this position I work with not only the younger students to provide support and help, but also teachers to ensure that the students take as much from this experience as I have.

I also undertook a volunteer work placement at [a] Primary School where I built upon my organisation and leadership skills by assisting the teacher with a variety of age groups, and I continue to volunteer there at school events. Over the summer I volunteered at a Multi-Agency team who support children and families with additional needs, helping them to organise and supervise team building and awareness events. Outside of school I participate in many activities such as skiing, swimming and scuba diving, all of which I have achieved awards for. I particularly enjoy Oz-boxing which I was introduced to over the summer while volunteering at the Multi-Agency Team and attend regularly, so this would be something I would be interested in continuing at university.

I have taken English Language and I.C.T and continued them from AS to A2. Studying English Literature at AS level has encouraged independent research and wider reading which developed my skills in self-disciplined study. I.C.T has given me skills such as in-depth computer knowledge, an awareness of business and clerical skills. English language involves essay writing, analytical skills and working to deadlines which are all skills that will benefit me in further education.

I know that university students should be dedicated, hardworking and motivated I believe that I possess all of these skills. Through my extra-curricular activities and work experience I have developed many skills in a short period of time and I continue to build upon them in everyday life. I would relish the opportunity to study at your university and I will apply myself, not only to the course, but also to wider aspects of university life in order to gain the best possible experience.

This personal statement got me conditional offers from all 5 universities I applied for! So, even though its not directly solely at Law and Criminology (as I applied for a whole range of different courses) it is still a great example of a personal statement. 

Please don't just copy any personal statements you see on the internet and please don't copy this one. One you've written yourself will be much better for you in the long run- I used mine as the basis for my now rather impressive c.v. This is for educational purposes to give you some ideas only. 

What jobs can you do with a criminology degree?

Criminology is perhaps one of the most interesting subjects you can study for a degree in, even better there are a multitude of jobs that your Criminology degree would be useful for...

1. Police force- as Criminology focuses on understanding crime and how it affects society any role in the Police force would be a good career for putting things learnt during your degree into practice. 
2. MI5/MI6- Similar to the Police force these areas focus on some aspects of Criminology. Although the website does say they can't specify what personal characteristics they are looking for, you may find something like this an interesting career (and as long as you're over 21- which you will be by the time you finish your degree and gained at least a 2:1 it is possible).
3. Immigration officer/ Prison officer/ Probation officer- Anything to do with the Criminal Justice System will be beneficial with your degree in Criminology.
4. Social worker/ Youth worker- A background in the understanding of crime as well as a little extra training makes this viable options for anyone with a Criminology degree. 
5. Lawyer- As Law and Criminology go hand in hand, with a conversion course you can turn your non-law degree of Criminology into a Law degree to become a qualified solicitor. 
6. Criminologist- This career focuses on ways to prevent crime and includes analysing data and crime statistics in order to make sure the prevention methods are effective.
7. Any- don't feel as though that whatever you choose your degree in will be your career for the rest of your life. A degree shows that you are at a certain academic standard and with the right training and work experience you can get a job in almost any area you wish!

If you want to check out even more options for a Criminology degree please see the Prospects website, linked here. 

So what is Criminology? and how does it relate to Law?

According to Wikipedia...

"Criminology is the scientific study of the nature, extent, causes, control and prevention of criminal behaviour in both the individual and in society."

 Now that's a pretty simple explanation but what exactly does studying Criminology involve? 

In my first semester at University we were taught "Understanding Crime" which introduced various theorists and their popular and sometimes unpopular theories. But don't worry about that as we will go into the different theories in a later post. Basically Criminology involves understanding why people commit crime and the effect this has on wider society. 

So then why do people think that it compliments Law so well?

In order to commit a crime there must have been a Law that has been broken, and that Law would most probably be based upon something that people consider immoral such as stealing. There are also multiple Acts (or Laws) that regulate all of the things we associate with crime prevention, such as the Police (in the Police And Criminal Evidence Act) and other Law enforcement agencies.

Welcome to the new Law & Criminology blog

Looking for information on a criminology degree? Well, you've come to the right place! Law and Criminology go hand in hand, use the navigation bar at the top of the page or the search bar to the left to find what you're looking for. 

And if it isn't there, drop me an email and I'll get a post up on that topic as soon as possible for you and notify you when its been published. Simple!!