In this blog post, based on my personal statement for the Police Administration program, I will summarize my academic efforts and school activities during high school, examples of my consideration and cooperation, as well as my motivation for applying and my plans after enrollment.
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 gave me the opportunity to understand and reflect on social phenomena and culture as a whole. While every class was enjoyable, I remember the presentations on criminal cases we gave in Sociocultural Studies most vividly. As part of a performance-based assessment, we were required to give a presentation on a topic of our choice. 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 internalized this violent behavior 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 because, although he had hurt his victims, he himself was also a victim who had been hurt by someone else. I analyzed Justin’s family issues and the functionalist and conflict theories applied to his situation, and presented my findings. Furthermore, as I learned about the theory of stigmatization—one of the causes of deviant behavior—I came to understand that negative stigmatization from those around them can lead to deviant behavior becoming habitual, which 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 independently researching sociocultural concepts, taking notes, and applying relevant case studies to theoretical frameworks 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 mindset 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 fulfill 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 by my own definition of what it means to be a profiler and to uphold my convictions. Seeing how the protagonist, a profiler, continued to face challenges without giving up even when confronted with failure made me realize that I, too, must respond to failure with perseverance. Additionally, while reading ‘I Am a South Korean Police Officer’, I was able to objectively examine 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 lay out my plans for after entering college. 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 in which I hypothetically assumed I had already become a police officer, exploring 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 involved, leading me to begin this research paper. Using Yoo Young-chul, a perpetrator of serious crimes in Korea, as an example, I investigated how domestic violence in childhood tends to lead to distrust in society and identified the connection 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 delved deeper into theoretical frameworks such as social learning theory, I developed an attitude that goes beyond mere problem analysis to actively 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 storybooks 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 children’s book, I experienced the joy of volunteering. Through this experience, I learned that a spirit of giving to others without expecting anything in return can be genuinely felt by others, and 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 My School Years
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 that time centered on the topic, “Should artificial intelligence robots be granted moral and legal rights?” and took the form of a tournament in which 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 many clashes of opinion and a series of setbacks. Rather than dividing roles among ourselves, our team chose to collaborate on drafting the speech together; however, conflicts arose during preparation due to conflicting interests. The conflict escalated as we each insisted on our own convenience and positions without fully considering the perspectives of our teammates.
To resolve this conflict, I listened carefully to each team member’s opinions and attempted to persuade them while remaining neutral. While mediating the conflict among friends, I helped clear up misunderstandings by acknowledging our differing perspectives, and we established our own rules based on the principle of majority rule to avoid further disagreements. As a result, the discord among team members was resolved, and we were able to prepare for the competition smoothly as a closer-knit team 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 three times a week for at least 30 minutes each session: 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 was struggling greatly with middle school math concepts, and because I felt sorry for my friend’s situation, I prepared summaries of key concepts and various problem types, then explained them by solving the problems together. At first, my friend complained that they had trouble understanding the material, but by using break times to help them study whenever I could, we were able to improve our math grades together.
Reasons for Applying and Academic and Career Plans After Enrollment
Ever since I was young, I’ve watched the news frequently 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 a career in law enforcement, and I decided to apply to the Department of Police Administration at ○○ University because I aspire to become a police officer who prioritizes the public good over personal gain.
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 enrolling in university, I plan to continue exploring my career path toward becoming a police officer by meeting with senior alumni who graduated from the Department of Police Administration and are currently serving as police officers. Once a week, I will form a small study group with friends to explore subjects of interest. We 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 summarizing 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 develop insight into the social contexts hidden within these cases. Furthermore, I will endeavor to understand various incidents from multiple perspectives and work toward becoming a police officer who specializes in the study of crime in South Korea. By predicting the behavioral psychology of key figures in these 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 develops professional expertise and competence in my field at the Department of Police Administration at ○○ University.
