Psychology and Criminology Personal Statement Example 1

The golden question seems to be why human beings behave the way that they do – a simple question yet a question that millions have failed to answer. Before taking Psychology as an A level, naivety allowed me to believe that the answer to this question was seemingly transparent.

Visiting places such as Sachsenhausen concentration camp in Germany and the site of the World Trade Centre in the United States really made me contemplate about what leads people to take such drastic measures, could it be that there was something mentally wrong with them or can the feeling of hatred really be that strong. This is why I aspire to have a career in Psychology. Whilst applying for college, I made the decision to take Psychology as an A level simply out of curiosity; shortly after beginning my course I knew that two years would not be enough to satisfy my desire to comprehend this subject and the constant feeling that I have so much more to learn excites me.

As a child, I grew up with family members’ suffering from anorexia, bi polar and dementia and now understanding what these illnesses really are and how they affect people has allowed me to empathise with said family members. Psychology has altered the way that I interpret people’s actions and made me understand that there is much more to a simple action than what appears on the surface. Reading case studies during lectures, through my own research and reading books such as ‘The man who thought his wife was a hat’ has intensified my desire for examining and understanding people’s behaviour.

As part of my A level Psychology course I conducted an experiment on the matching hypothesis and thoroughly enjoyed it. I feel it provided valuable experience in to planning, conducting, and analysing experiments which I believe will be extremely beneficial to me throughout university.

Alongside Psychology, I also wish to study Criminology at university as a joint honours degree. Studying sociology has enhanced my understanding of the society that we live in and how it functions and changes over time.

An important part of my Sociology course is looking at Crime and Deviance and this is what sparked my fascination in to the world of the criminal mind and what lead them down that path, whether it be pre-determined through their genes or through their socialisation and upbringing. Looking at different sociological theories as to why people commit crime fascinates me and studying Sociology has given me an insight in to how this may occur. I particularly enjoy taking examples of behaviour and interpreting them from different sociological perspectives.

Due to my multi-cultural upbringing and I am able to relate to people from all walks of life. Furthermore thanks to my upbringing, I speak four languages which I believe is advantageous as I can communicate and associate with those of many different races. Travelling is something that I am very passionate about and one day I hope to see the world.

I have been fortunate enough to have travelled to many different countries growing up and learning the history of other cultures, as well as seeing how they live is enthralling. I see myself as a charitable person and over a number of years I have organised many different events for charities such as Children in Need, UNICEF and Comic Relief. I am also currently enrolled in the Duke of Edinburgh scheme which I believe will be challenging but something that I look forward to completing.

I look forward to furthering my education at university and beginning my path to the career that I crave to pursue. I feel that the course I have chosen will broaden my knowledge in to this exciting field of study and one day hope to contribute to it.