Personal Statement Essay - UCL (University College London)

Moving from Zimbabwe created a number of challenges for me, such as becoming proficient in English and adapting to a new culture. I became interested in Law after moving from this country, to one where the main concern was the structure and application of the rule of law. Taking AS Law then confirmed that I wanted to study it at University. This interest was further developed after spending two months working as a Voluntary Legal Admin for Shelter over the summer. It was fascinating to observe different areas of law I had never considered before and I learnt how important housing laws were. I witnessed how clients were directly affected, and how individual cases had the law applied to them when I attended hearings. This also showed me how important flexibility is to the operation of the law. Winning the National Catenians Public Speaking Competition made me confident that pursuing Law will give me greater understanding, and also enable me to use and further develop my debating skills. This illustrates how articulate I am and my ability to debate, as well as my willingness to take on a challenge and my determination to improve. As a result I have been put in charge of Speak Out, a youth podcast at my church, where we discuss current issues such as Human Trafficking. I have been able to use my leadership, organisational and debating skills in my role and I feel that these skills would be essential to a Law degree. Furthermore, participating in the Oxford Pembroke College Essay Competition and Bank of England Challenge developed my work skills. These challenges demonstrate that I am able to take on demanding workloads that are out of my comfort zone and prove my ability to research and continually evaluate ideas brought forward. AS History and Law have enabled me to explore a philosophical angle and this has led me to want to learn how the law developed and why it is so, especially from looking at Judicial Precedent in AS Law. Analysing the statutes encouraged me to question how preceding events developed the law as we know it, and to speculate on how the law should be. This improved my ability to think and approach scenarios in a logical and structured way, and challenged me to consider different possible viewpoints. I believe this flexible thinking would be further improved studying Law. English Literature taught me how to appreciate well written texts. I found this skill useful when reading statutes and cases in Law, as it gives me the ability to be meticulous, accurate and critical of the way ideas are presented and the way in which language is used. In Law this is important as it could result in significantly different meanings, and therefore understanding this concept has improved my analytical skills. For example when studying Statutory Interpretation I found this skill was vital in applying the rules. I have also gained skills outside of my academic work that would help in studying Law and they reflect my leadership potential and ability to adapt. My interests in Music and learning Italian GCSE during college have proven my ability to remain dedicated and passionate about a subject, whilst also balancing my time between commitments. I have learnt how to manage my work load without compromising any of my academic ability. Helping with the college Senior Citizen's Christmas Party provided me with the opportunity to associate with a different social group and helped me gain important skills in understanding society by listening to their experiences. Further to that, being appointed as a Student Ambassador enables me to play an active part in college and has improved my ability to lead and work as part of a team. I also feel that having been a 2012 Olympics Ambassador and a Volunteer at Wembley Stadium have helped me appreciate hard work, dedication and the rewards of challenges. Throughout my experiences I have discovered that I want to learn not only what Law is, but also how it can enable me to influence the world around me.