Social Policy

Why do you want to study this course or subject?

The course which I wish to study is Social Policy with Sociology. I believe that I am very suitable for this course because I am interested in gaining knowledge about how individuals affect society as a whole. I am very passionate about pursuing my career in the social sector. I am interested to learn and understand how human well-being can be improved through tackling intractable social problems as well as delivering better-quality public services. I feel that I am now ready to go to university, excited to take my career to the next step as I fulfil my ambitions and goals.

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

I have always had a keen interest in working in the social sector of work, therefore, this led me to choosing one of my A Levels as Health and Social Care, alongside my other two A Levels of Business Studies and ICT. In Health and Social, I study a range of different topics, and each of them involving society. As part of the course, I produced a PowerPoint presentation alongside my classmates on the topic Bullying. Giving the presentation meant I had to come out of my comfort zone, and openly speak in front of a large group of people. This will benefit me for my course as I both produced and delivered a presentation successfully on a very relevant topic that has a major effect on our society. In school, I was honoured to be chosen as a Senior Prefect of Larne High School which involves me setting a good example to the younger pupils in the school. This has provided me with skills such as problem solving, and also being a good listener to those younger pupils.

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

I have recently taken part in a Makaton Course at Roddensvale Special Needs School, involving using different signs and symbols to communicate with people with specific learning needs such as Down's Syndrome, Autism and Speech and Language difficulties. This provided me with the opportunity to empathise with people who use Makaton on a daily basis as one of their only methods of communication. Through this programme, I gained new skills and I feel that they enhance my suitability for this course as I could use my Makaton skills to communicate with those who face barriers to society daily, and have some insight into what their life is like. I was recently involved in the Young Enterprise Programme, working within the Marketing Department. Through Young Enterprise I used my initiative to come up with ideas to effectively promote our Tri-Buy business which helped me gain new skills such as Team Work and Leadership Skills as well as skills in how to run a business effectively overcoming and working through problems along the way. I was one of the pupils who attended the Young Enterprise Trade Fair at the Abbey Centre where our business designed and sold attractive products to the public, honoured with Runner Up for Best Overall Business on the day against a strong field of competition. I previously volunteered to take part in the Toe by Toe Programme at Larne High School which involved helping Year 8 pupils with a lower learning ability in numeracy and literacy. I was able to use my literacy and numeracy skills to help someone with a lower ability and from monitoring the pupil's learning each week, I feel this was successful. This makes me suitable for this course as I am willing to openly help others as they go through society everyday with different struggles. I am also involved in the Sixth Form Formal Committee, helping to come up with ideas for the School Formal, helping me to learn how to use my initiative effectively and my organisational skills have developed as a result. For my work experience I went to Larne and Inver Primary School for one week in the role of a Classroom Assistant for Primary 3. I believe that I gained skills in using my initiative to come up with solutions to problems and also to improve my communication skills. This will benefit me for my course as I worked with children, who are just beginning to understand society and what goes on in their day to day life.