Mentee Stories
Want to know what a difference mentoring can make? Who better to ask than young people themselves?
Cerys
‘I honestly don’t think I’d be here without my mentor’s push. I was the first person in my family to consider anything medicine-related and my school wasn’t much help. I was pretty clueless so it was really important for me to have someone I could ask about what I needed to do to get into medicine. She inspired me to go to Imperial. I realised that if I was confused at that age there were other people who must feel the same way. It really helped me so I thought it would be fantastic to give something back by helping others.’
Muhammed
‘Mentoring has changed my life. Without my mentor I’d probably be sitting around doing nothing but thanks to her advice I now have a clearer idea of my future. I really wasn’t confident but my mentor’s messages really motivated me, especially when she told me that it was my career and it was up to me what I did. There are always opportunities in the world but it’s up to you to grasp and use them in the right way. She told me that tomorrow is a different day and – no matter what happens – to keep on track. You always change your future but if you decide to stop now that’s your problem because you’ve done that for yourself. That made me more motivated because she gave me goals and future targets and made me realise what I want to do.’
India
‘I signed up to Realising Opportunities because I wanted every possible chance of getting into a good university. But when I sat my A-levels I was really tired and my concentration was awful. But my mentor explained how I could get them re-marked due to mitigating circumstances. That meant my grades were all marked up and I don’t think I’d have had my university offers if it hadn’t been for her. Online mentoring really helped me to get through the problems I had. It’s reaffirmed all my beliefs about how important it is to go to university.’
Faye
‘I would never have dreamt of studying law at university. I was so scared of speaking to my mentor at first because you have this image of a typical person working in law. But she was fantastic. She’s been through the same experiences as me so we got on really well. Her messages gave me the confidence I needed and I wouldn’t be here without her. The university didn’t like the fact I’d done a business A-level. So I wrote a letter giving examples of how business can relate to law and that I was really interested in doing it. They ‘phoned and made an offer a week later. She carried on mentoring me after the scheme and I know she will always be there for me. She’s been a great inspiration.’
Testimonial
Alex
I received a lot of information about higher education and the different job opportunities it can lead to, and information about different universities and how to apply. The main benefit was knowing the information was coming from someone who is currently experiencing university life. They answered every question I had in lots of detail and explained everything I needed to know about different universities.