Mentee case study: "The best mentor I could have asked for!"

We are delighted to present this special guest blog by Segen, a Year 13 student who took part in our Application Mentoring in the 2020/21 cycle. The programme provides university applicants from state schools with end-to-end application support in the form of workshops, access to our OSCAR applications platform and a partnership with a subject-specific expert mentor. Segen’s place on the programme was funded by the Sutton Trust.

Before I started working with my Application Mentor on OSCAR, the personal statement often felt like the hardest part of the application. As an applicant for medicine, I knew I had a lot to say in my personal statement, but I struggled to know how to word it. I had plenty of skills and experiences that seemed relevant to my course, lots of ideas buzzing around in my head, but I was unsure how to translate that into an effective statement. I was worried that I would be writing about the right things, but not in the right way.

Using the OSCAR platform really helped me in that regard. I was always trying to start with a catchy introductory phrase but knowing that sections 1 and 2 [reasons for studying the course and topic of interest] were most important was useful in allowing me to focus. It enabled me to pick out the most important skills and examples from events, which was something I did not get from other places that were advising me about personal statements. OSCAR made me realise I could make my examples, like from volunteering, more focused towards my chosen course of medicine, rather than just relating them to random skills. The platform really made me think through what I had not thought to mention before and it makes sure you do not over-complicate or make writing the statement harder than it needs to be.

The most helpful part about the programme was working with my mentor. They really were the best mentor I could have asked for. Even if I wrote something that was not great, they never made me feel bad and they were always really encouraging. They really helped me through even when I was finding it difficult. Being able to talk to someone who has been through a similar process was what made the programme unique; even though we never actually spoke to one another in real life, I felt they understood how I was feeling and what I was going through. They have even helped me with my interview for medicine by making me feel more comfortable talking about why my experience is unique. I feel much more confident about the interview now.

In the context of COVID, the programme made me feel more on top of things. It has made my application seem much more manageable and I would definitely recommend it to others!