The study of politics is fascinating, particularly when considering the social impact of policy, politics, and law. Taking a multi- and inter-disciplinary approach to the study of contemporary issues, as discussed in Dean's Social Policy, greatly appeals to me. Politics is, undeniably, crucial in both shaping and representing outcomes in society. Two facets of social and public policy, which I have been deeply involved in outside my academic pursuits, distinctly attract me, namely policing and provision for mental health. From 2015 to 2020, as a member of my county council’s Youth Cabinet, a group I now mentor, my understanding of social and political issues facing young people was enhanced. In this role, I was a member of a campaign group which sought to improve local mental health services. In this role, I met mental health professionals and service users, experiences I reflected on when reading Rogers and Pilgrim's A Sociology of Mental Health and Illness. This includes an interesting discussion of the relationship between service users and providers, which may partly explain the divergence in assessments of the quality of services between the users and professionals that I spoke to. I also volunteer on my local police force’s Independent Advisory Group, providing advice to senior managers at divisional and force level on the impact of strategy on young people. Membership of the IAG has developed my understanding of policing policy and its impact on, and perception within, various demographic groups. An interesting comparison can be drawn between judgements of policing, or, indeed, any public policy, and a key argument of Hume's aesthetics essay, Of the Standard of Taste, that the 'good' of something is identical to the positive human response it generates, which may vary between societies, cultures, and individual observers. I am interested in the study of political philosophy and ideology, something I have enjoyed exploring within my Politics A-level and outside it, especially concerning anarchist thought. This prompted me to read Ward's Anarchism, which speaks eloquently about principles underpinning organisations (namely, they ought to be voluntary, temporary, functional, and small), and law and order under anarchism. I have explored anarchist theory alongside Marxist critiques of anarchism. Malatesta's Anarchy discusses the tenets of left-anarchism and proposes that, as the government cannot satisfy everyone, it must create, sustain, and ally itself to a privileged class; Lenin's The State and Revolution, where the state is described as 'an organisation of violence for the suppression of some class', argues the idealism of anarchism is, practically, impossible, an assertion I fundamentally oppose. In February 2020, I attended a Cambridge Subject Masterclass lecture by Professor David Runciman on lessons from the 2019 General Election. I found his analysis of the demographic factors influencing the outcomes particularly thought-provoking, leading me to study further the interrelationship between sociology, demography, and politics. This led me to read Mair's Ruling The Void, which provided an absorbing insight into the social, structural, and political factors depressing electoral participation and discussed the challenges to potential democratic legitimacy in the EU, notably the lack of a specific 'demos' that identify themselves primarily as European. Contemplating these social factors inspired me to explore social anthropology, including Engelke's Think Like an Anthropologist. This has helped to expand my understanding of anthropology as a discipline and its application to contemporary issues, such as Brexit. I will immerse myself in the academic and recreational activities and societies which form a large part of university life. After completing my degree, I aim to become more active in the political sphere, potentially through a career in the Civil Service.