Shirley’s mentor supported her to get into her dream sixth form
The students on our programme benefit from regular support from our in-school mentors to gain confidence in their skills. Find out how Shirley worked with her mentor Charlotte to submit an exceptional personal statement to her dream sixth form.
Shirley is a student at one of our London schools. She joined our programme in Year 10 and was getting tutored in Physics and Spanish. “At first I was getting tutorials in Physics, but then my Spanish grades started slipping so I asked to get tutorials in Spanish too. The school sees the total of my grades combined, so working hard on my grades now will help me in the long run.”
Shirley tells us that her tutorials are making her develop time management and communications skills. The tutorials are also helping her feel more confident in school. “Before, if I was in a Physics lesson and I didn’t understand something, I would spend the entire lesson stressing over that. Now I am more confident in class because if I don’t understand something, I know that I can go through it with my tutor later on.”
“Without my mentor, my personal statement would not be as good as it ended up being”
Shirley worked closely with her in-school mentor Charlotte on her sixth form application. “Looking at schools on my own at the beginning of the year was daunting for me. My family is not experienced in sixth form applications, so they couldn’t give me a lot of support. I had to do it all alone.”
Shirley’s mentor helped her edit and rework her personal statement. “My mentor was extremely helpful. She suggested things that I could add, and also ways to write things. Every Friday, she sent an email to all the students on the programme with enrichment opportunities. She introduced me to a programme by Imperial College London. Without my mentor, my personal statement would not be as good as it ended up being.”
“I want to study Medicine somewhere that will help me be the best doctor I can be”
Shirley has been accepted into her dream sixth form with glowing feedback on her personal statement. “After I sent it, I received an email from one of the board members who said they were really impressed with the way I spoke about my achievements, and they seemed excited by the way I spoke about going to study medicine.”
When we asked Shirley about her hopes and dreams for the future, she found the answer easily. “I want to study Medicine somewhere that will help me be the best doctor I can be, so I am hoping to apply to a top university. I am interested in healthcare in general, so right now I want to explore that a bit more through reading and attending events.”