Criminology and Law Personal Statement

Why do you want to study this course or subject?

I first realised that I had an interest in the legal system while at school, having a family background in law is what drove me to choose this as a career path as well as my uncle teaching law at university-level. This subject interests me greatly and has done so for some time. I also thoroughly enjoy learning about the different areas of Scottish Law. I derive pleasure from reading up on the law and learning what influences a judges’ decision on criminal cases and looking up statutes for civil law. I applied for this course due to my enthusiasm towards law. After thoroughly researching the course, I believe that I may also benefit from spending some time away from home and learning another countries laws’ and how they differ from Scotland. I understand it is a demanding course and I am willing to put in a substantial amount of effort and keep my attendance consistent to attain the end grade that I want. I am eager to add to my current knowledge and believe I could do exceptionally well in this subject if given the opportunity.

How have your qualifications and studies helped you to prepare for this course or subject?

I picked subjects in school that would benefit me in a legal career path later on in life. After I received my place on the HND Legal services course, it was then that I was able to build on my knowledge of the Scottish Legal system and how it operates. I sought to apply for University before college but I did not meet the requirements at the time. I acted upon my interest for the subject and applied for HND Legal services and have undergone many modules that have benefitted my knowledge. Some of my favourite modules that I have undergone include, Scots Private law, Family Law and Conveyancing to name a few. I received a certificate for over 90% attendance in my first year of legal services. Due to health reasons my attendance slipped in the beginning of year two, but I overcame this and pushed myself really hard to achieve a BBB grade. I learnt best by reading up on things that I am unsure of and presenting my questions to the lecturer. This means that I will always take the time to thoroughly read and understand what I am learning.

What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences useful?

I was given the opportunity to carry out my work placement in school with Grampian Police. I got to experience first-hand how the law comes together and works in Scotland as well as working with CCTV, working with Police Dogs and some custody work. I tend to keep myself up to date with local news and national news and see how that could make a change in our legal system, for example, Brexit. I also thoroughly enjoy learning about the history of Scots law and looking at what has changed and what has remained the same. I work well as part of a team and as an individual and thrive on learning new things. I enjoy hearing others’ opinions and beliefs as I acknowledge there are many different approaches to law. I manage my time well and studying is always my priority. I am an extremely organised person which reflects my life outside of education, as a Bus Driver, I need to be very organised and time efficient. In this job role, I have to transport passengers safely in a time efficient manner and carry out pre-service checks on the vehicle in the morning to make sure it is fit to be used on the road. After taking a year out of education I feel I understand more how the real world is and how the economy operates. I Became a Shift Manager at the age of just 20 and it is one of my proudest achievements to date. I usually find it easy to make friends and I get along with everyone, again this is reflected from my job which has given me confidence to speak to most people I meet, making my time at school and college or university easy and enjoyable. Upon completion of this university course I wish to go into employment with Police Scotland and then possibly go on to pursue a career in a legal office setting.