Be clear about both your intentions and your attributes, by writing about why you want to study criminology, how your knowledge and experience supports this degree choice, and where you hope it will take you.
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Think about why you want to study the subject
- Have you been inspired by someone, a news story, a documentary, or a podcast?
- Do you have career aspirations in this area of study?
- What interests you about the subject – be specific; rather than saying you enjoy it or are good at it, try to explain the ‘why’ behind your reasoning.
- What do you already know about the subject and what are you looking forward to learning more about?
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What makes you suitable to study the subject?
- Have you done projects or essays in this subject at school or college?
- Think about who you are as a person; your personality, your strengths, your experiences in life – how do these make you suited to study the subject?
- How have you shown an interest in the subject outside of school or college – have you done extra reading, online courses, been part of clubs or competitions?
- Your current subjects and grades will be included elsewhere in your application, so try to think about specific things you’ve learned during your studies that relate to the subject, rather than listing your grades and subjects.
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Look at the bigger picture
- Have you done any work experience, an internship or had a part-time job in this subject area or related? Most job or work experience will give you transferable skills, even if it’s in a different industry.
- Do you have any hobbies you can mention that might relate to your chosen subject? Many hobbies show that you can be motivated outside of school to achieve and succeed in something you’re interested in.
- Think about how your life and personal experiences have helped make you the person you are today, and how these challenges and experiences can support your application by evidencing essential qualities for certain subjects.
- If you’ve got ambitions and goals for your life and career, can you express how this subject will help you reach these goals?
Guidance and examples you can use
Question 1: Why do you want to study this course or subject?
This is your opportunity to showcase your passion and knowledge of your chosen subject area and to demonstrate to universities and colleges why it’s a good fit for you and your future ambitions.
Examples:
- State clearly why you want to study criminology, and explain what you know already about the subject. Perhaps you’re a fan of Tim Newburn and his book Criminology. Elaborate on why that’s made you want to study this topic at degree level. Try and make it unique to you.
- Give examples of articles you’ve read, or podcasts you’ve listened to, that have given you further insights. You may have read about how social media can be used to spread criminal behaviour during riots, or how social media shapes our perceptions about crime. Reflect on what you think about that theory.
- Mention where you hope this degree will take you, whether you want to work in the police, the broader criminal justice system, or focus on rehabilitation. If you don’t know yet, that’s ok too.
Question 2: How have your qualifications and studies helped you to prepare for this course or subject?
This is your chance to shout about the relevant or transferable skills you’ve gained from your formal education and highlight your understanding of how they will help you succeed in this subject area.
Examples:
- Can you give examples of projects you’ve done at school, such as researching an aspect of human behaviour in sociology or psychology, analysing data in maths or geography, or understanding the British legal system in law?
- What other schoolwork or clubs have you done where you’ve shown good critical thinking skills, and been able to evaluate and interpret evidence? That could be through history or a history club, or through playing chess, for example.
- Have you done any online courses to boost your knowledge in the subject? For example, why not try Subject Spotlights or Virtual Work Experiences from Springpod to grow your skills and interest?
Question 3: What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences useful?
This is your chance to talk about any other activities you have undertaken outside of your formal education, or personal experiences which further demonstrate your suitability for the course. This section is likely to be highly personal to you and anything you do include should reflect on why you’re including it.
Examples:
- Write about any part-time jobs or volunteering you do, and what you’ve got out of them. For example, if you work in retail or customer service, you’ll have picked up good interpersonal skills and some knowledge of different human behaviours. You may also have learned how to collaborate with people from different backgrounds.
- If you do have any work experience with the police, probation service, social services, a magistrate’s, or at a law firm, tell admissions tutors what you learned from it.
- Can you give any examples of your empathy and cultural awareness? That could be from work you’ve done at a charity, care home or hospital, or from the neighbourhood you live in, like helping an elderly neighbour. Explain why these attributes might help you during a career in criminology.
- Do relate any examples back to the subject you’re applying to – make it relevant
- Do make it personal – admissions staff want to get to know who you are
- Do use a spell-checker and grammar-checker to ensure there are no errors
- Do ask people for feedback, whether that’s family members or teachers
- Do your research to find out what universities are looking for, and make sure you include evidence to show how you are suitable for the course
- Don’t just list out examples, subjects you study, or experiences you’ve had without any evidence
- Don’t copy something you’ve seen online or use AI to write something for you
- Don’t make things up just because you think they’ll make you look good on paper
- Don’t leave it until the last minute – you need time for several drafts
- Don’t worry about making each section the same length; as long as you hit the minimum character count, you can use the 4,000 characters across each answer in the way that suits you best
How to set yourself apart
The key to setting yourself apart in your application is to remember how important the ‘personal’ bit is to your personal statement. What makes you, you?
Perhaps you’ve always been fascinated by what makes people commit crime, and you’ve listened to true crime podcasts or watched programmes like In The Footsteps of Killers on Channel 4. Or maybe you watch Newsround, listen to the Today programme on Radio 4 or Dispatches on Channel 4, and you’ve developed an interest in how or why crimes are committed.
Also think about your personal life and experiences. If you’ve lived in an area with a high crime rate, been a victim of crime, or a relative of someone who committed a crime, you’ll have your own unique insight into aspects of criminology.
It's even better if you can link what you’ve written back to something you've learned in your law, sociology, or psychology studies, or read in The Times, The Guardian, or on the BBC website.
Some more tips to consider
- Relevant skills: Can you describe situations where you’ve demonstrated relevant skills like collaborating and working well with others, showing initiative, carrying out research or interpreting data?
- Research the course: Why do you want to study criminology, what specific aspects of the course interest you, how does it relate to your academic studies, and what additional reading or other activities have led you to apply? Make sure you tailor your statement to the course you’re applying for, and be aware that some courses are offered as joint honours.
- Transferable skills: Whether through extracurricular or supercurricular activities, work experience, or a part-time job, you’ll have lots of skills that will be relevant to your course. If you’ve competed in a sport or been involved in a community project, how has it developed your interpersonal skills, persistence, and ability to work well on your own and as part of a wider team?