In this blog post, I will summarize my academic efforts and school activities during high school, examples of consideration and cooperation, as well as my motivation for applying and my plans after admission, based on my personal statement for the Department of Police Administration.
Academic Efforts and Learning Experiences During High School
The Sociocultural Studies course I took during my senior year of high school was a subject that provided me with invaluable lessons. As someone who aspires to become a profiler, it served as an opportunity to understand and reflect on social phenomena and culture as a whole. While every class was enjoyable, the presentation on a criminal case I gave during Sociocultural Studies stands out most in my memory. The assignment was to give a presentation on a topic of my choice, and while researching family issues, I recalled a foreign crime drama I had watched previously. The protagonist of this drama, Justin, had been subjected to consistent abuse by his mother’s boyfriend since childhood, and his family failed to provide adequate protection. Subsequently, Justin learned violent behavior from his mother’s boyfriend and committed a secondary crime. While preparing for the presentation, I analyzed the character’s behavior and the reasons behind it, integrating the sociocultural knowledge and theories I had learned and organizing my thoughts in a notebook. Observing Justin’s criminal behavior, I felt a sense of sadness knowing that while he had hurt the victim, he himself was also a victim who had been hurt by someone else. I analyzed Justin’s family issues and the functionalist and conflict perspectives applied to his case, and presented my findings. Furthermore, as I learned about the theory of stigmatization—one of the causes of deviant behavior—I realized that negative stigma from those around him can lead to deviant behavior becoming habitual. This helped me change my own negative perceptions of criminals.
Afterward, I developed the habit of examining events by citing various social phenomena as examples in my Sociocultural Studies coursework, which made studying more enjoyable and provided an opportunity to reflect on how to approach diverse social issues. Furthermore, by actively researching sociocultural concepts on my own, taking notes, and integrating relevant case studies with theory to deepen my understanding, I was able to achieve excellent results. Through this experience, I not only gained academic accomplishment but also developed the observant attitude and investigative and analytical skills required of a profiler.
Meaningful Extracurricular Activities During High School
Throughout my high school years, I participated in various activities aimed at cultivating the fundamental qualities required of a police officer. Among these, reading was the activity I engaged in most actively. To realize my dream of becoming a police officer, I read a wide range of police-related books, including works written by various profilers. Among them, the book *Profiler*, which vividly depicts the life of a profiler, inspired me to live with my own definition of what it means to be a profiler and to uphold my convictions. After seeing the protagonist of this book—a profiler—continue to take on challenges without giving up even when faced with failure, I realized that I, too, must respond to failure with perseverance. Additionally, while reading *I Am a South Korean Police Officer*, I was able to objectively view the author’s life as a female police officer and gained new insights into the pros and cons of the profession as well as the various fields within the police force. In this way, engaging with police-related books solidified my dream, and I identified the specific preparations needed to formulate a plan for my future after entering university. Furthermore, I immersed myself in current affairs books addressing societal issues, striving to objectively understand the essence of social phenomena.
Meanwhile, I wrote a report based on the premise that I had already become a police officer, focusing on the relationship between domestic violence during childhood and adolescence and the occurrence of crime. According to existing research, analysis shows that a majority of adult offenders experienced domestic violence during their childhood or adolescence. However, this sparked my curiosity about the correlation between domestic violence and subsequent criminal behavior, as well as any specific patterns or characteristics, leading me to begin this research paper. Using the example of Yoo Young-chul, a perpetrator of serious crimes in Korea, I investigated how domestic violence in childhood tends to lead to distrust in society and identified the link between domestic violence and adult crime. Through this process, I gained an understanding of the severity of domestic violence alongside an analysis of the criminal’s psychology. Furthermore, as I studied theoretical frameworks such as social learning theory, I developed an attitude that goes beyond mere problem analysis to consider solutions and prioritize identifying the root causes of criminal issues.
Another memorable campus activity was my two-year participation in an English translation volunteer club from my freshman to sophomore year. In this club, I translated Korean children’s books into English and donated them to children in Africa. By donating books to a 12-year-old child who, due to difficult family circumstances, had never owned a proper storybook, I experienced the joy of volunteering. Through this experience, I learned that a heart that gives to others without expecting anything in return can touch people with sincerity. I resolved to become a person who practices sharing with society with a warm heart and a police officer who serves others.
Examples of Consideration, Sharing, Cooperation, and Conflict Management During School Life
I learned the value of consideration and cooperation while participating in a school debate competition during my sophomore year of high school. The debate at the time was held under the theme, “Should moral and legal rights be granted to artificial intelligence robots?” and took the form of a tournament where teams of three competed against other teams. Although we began the debate competition with a strong interest in social issues, we faced difficulties during the preparation process due to frequent clashes of opinion. Instead of dividing roles among ourselves, our team chose to collaborate on drafting the speech together, but this led to discord as our interests clashed during preparation. The conflict escalated as we each insisted on our own convenience and perspectives without fully considering the other members’ viewpoints.
To resolve this conflict, I listened carefully to each team member’s opinion and attempted to persuade them in a neutral manner. While mediating the conflict among friends, I helped clear up misunderstandings by acknowledging our differing perspectives. We also established our own rules based on the principle of majority rule, which allowed us to avoid further disagreements. As a result, the discord among team members was resolved, and we were able to prepare for the competition smoothly with a stronger bond than before, ultimately achieving the valuable result of winning the championship. Through this experience, I realized that a considerate attitude—where we compromise, cooperate, and respect each other’s perspectives—is the foundation of all human relationships.
Additionally, through my high school mentor-mentee program, I consistently helped my peers for at least 30 minutes three times a week: as a math mentor during my freshman year and as a mentor for the Law and Politics course in the social studies curriculum during my senior year. In particular, while serving as a math mentor during my freshman year, I learned the joy of sharing what I knew and the importance of putting myself in others’ shoes. At the time, my mentee struggled greatly with learning because they lacked a grasp of middle school math concepts. Feeling sorry for my friend’s situation, I prepared concept summaries and various problem types, then explained them by solving the problems myself. At first, my friend complained that they couldn’t understand the material, but by using break times to help them study whenever I could, we were able to improve our math grades together.
Motivation for Application and Academic/Career Plans After Admission
Since I was young, I have frequently watched the news and have had a strong interest in social issues, crime, and human psychology. I particularly enjoy psychology and became fascinated by the field of “criminal psychology.” While reading related books and researching various crimes, I developed an interest in the role of profilers within the police force, who contribute to society. I believe my personality—which finds fulfillment in helping others and solving problems together—is well-suited to the profession of policing. As I aspire to become a police officer who prioritizes the public good over personal gain, I have applied to the Department of Police Administration at ○○ University.
I was particularly impressed by the Department of Police Administration at ○○ University’s approach of integrating policing with national security to serve the national interest. I have made efforts to learn about the realities, responsibilities, mission, and qualities required of police officers through career-related reading. After entering university, I plan to continue exploring my career path by meeting with senior police officers who graduated from the Department of Police Administration. I plan to form a small study group once a week to explore subjects of interest. Together with my friends, I will watch current affairs and cultural programs to build knowledge about various incidents occurring in modern society. At each meeting, I will compile my own case analysis notebook by organizing the causes and solutions of each incident, the facts and interests of the individuals involved, the applicable laws, and expert recommendations.
Through this process, I will strive to acquire specialized knowledge not easily accessible in daily life and cultivate insight into the social contexts hidden within these cases. Furthermore, I will endeavor to understand diverse incidents from multiple perspectives and work toward becoming a police officer who specializes in researching crime in South Korea. By predicting the behavioral psychology of key figures in cases and comparing it with expert opinions, I will study the psychology behind criminal behavior and the root causes of crime, doing my utmost to move closer to my dream of becoming a police officer. Building on the efforts I have made thus far, I will strive to become a student who cultivates professional expertise and competence in my field at the Department of Police Administration at ○○ University.
