Gabbitas’ Senior consultant and the Director of School Placements and Higher Education, Paul Kelly, breaks down what academic mentorship is, how this might help young people through their studies, and its differentiation from traditional tuition avenues. 

Paul has worked at some of the UK’s most prestigious boarding schools such as Millfield and Wycombe Abbey. For 30 years, his experience has covered teaching academic subjects up to A-Levels, coaching sport, house parenting, and leading departments focused on preparing students to make the most successful university applications, including Oxbridge.   

 

What are your experiences in independent education, including your role as an academic mentor? 

I spent over 30 years teaching history in several large independent schools up to A Level and Pre-U. Inevitably, over the years I was called upon to give plenty of guidance to students considering choosing certain subjects; writing references and giving practice university interviews, including many successful ones for Oxford and Cambridge.  

My career progressed to taking charge of university applications and then heading the entire higher education and careers departments in these schools.

This gave me huge experience in mentoring thousands of students in making key educational decisions, providing enrichment opportunities and suggestions for the most competitive and demanding applications, while assisting them make successful higher education, apprenticeship and employment applications.  

Another aspect of my career involved house parenting and in a boarding school students will often seek guidance and advice on what they should do to try to help them secure that desired placement, degree course or other opportunity.

Much of my work also involved visiting universities, admissions departments and recruitment centres to be able to offer the best possible guidance for students seeking assistant with their futures. 

 

How have you personally seen academic mentoring help young people?  

It has been incredibly satisfying to help a student over many years achieve his ambition of an Oxbridge place. This was the result primarily it should be said of the student’s own hard work.

However, reading/blog suggestions, courses, exposure to a wide range of differing opinions, practice interviews and considerations of many drafts of applications as well as required statements helped that particular student achieve his goal.  

Another occasion involved helping a girl trying to achieve a medical place. Appropriate extra tutoring was suggested for the necessary aptitude tests and some practise multiple mini-interviews were given.

In these it became clear that, in fact, the student’s ultimate abilities and talents lay in psychology rather than clinical medicine. Ultimately this was the path she chose, and it is the one she is now following very successfully. 

 

What are the roles and responsibilities of Academic Mentors?  

I think ultimately to act a little like a project manager, someone who considers an individual’s hopes and ambitions as well as someone who will help the student decide on the most appropriate courses of action for them as their education progresses. 

It is a journey, and the final goal can be very different from the original ambition. This is where appropriately suggested experiences, courses, placements, master classes and reflection on progress with a critical outsider- the mentor, can really help a young person make the best possible informed decisions for them on their successful futures. 

 

How do you choose the right academic mentor?   

In certain cases, the right academic background for the target area might well be the best academic mentor for you. However, the mentor must also be a person that you feel comfortable with and someone with whom you can honestly discuss your progress and ambitions.

They should have that experience to help you consider other options that you perhaps hadn’t thought about. Someone who will encourage you and someone interested in your ambitions who will help you find satisfaction in achieving your genuine potential. 

 

When should a student choose a tutor, and when should they choose an academic mentor?  

A tutor will often be selected when a student has a specific need, it might be an aspect of an exam subject or a particular entrance test that needs specialist help or an area of a syllabus where the student needs more practise to fully understand the concepts.  

A mentor will not give that specialist help, but act as an overseer suggesting when specialist tuition might be to a student’s advantage and suggest other, often non-teaching experiences that will help the student grow and develop in making their own successful decisions on their own futures.  

 

How often should a student be in contact with an academic mentor?  

That can depend on many things including the length of the relationship between the mentor and the student as well as the particular stage of a student’s journey.  

Initially, meetings between the mentor and student might be once or twice a term to review progress, consider options and make the best possible educational decisions.

Later, in the relationship the contact might be much more frequent especially once applications are being made, statements drafted, interviews prepared for, and key decisions being made. Much of this depends on the personal circumstances of the student and the specific goal. 

 

Can academic mentors look after the mental well-being of students? 

Mentors are not trained counsellors. However, there is inevitably a lot of encouragement and considerations of alternatives when a particular path no longer seems viable.

Simply giving someone the opportunity to talk about their fears and ambitions, as well as to consider alternatives, is going to alleviate much of the stress and concern that can be such a cause of worry and stress.  

 

Lastly, do Academic Mentors report back to parents?  Or is communication strictly between them and a student?  

This depends on the arrangement that is formed between the student and the mentor. Parents are often an important key part of this. However, the ultimate relationship is between the mentor and the student.

The mentor will want the student to achieve the best possible and most appropriate outcome for that student as an individual. The aim is to enable the student to flourish successfully and achieve their full potential.

Sometimes these goals can differ from parental expectations and part of the mentor’s role is to help the student negotiate these issues.

 

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Gabbitas’ Academic mentorship program provides bespoke and tailored support to students at all levels of education. Whether students want to improve their study skills, critical thinking, reasoned and effective arguments, and essay structure, mentors can look at the overall ambition, potential and the areas of improvement of a student. 

Gabbitas’ mentors are highly trained specialists in their field of study, as well as highly experienced tutors and teachers, with an in-depth understanding of how learning takes place.  

If you’d like to learn more about our selection of academic mentors or want to find out how academic mentorship can help with your specific needs, email info@gabbitas.com, or call +44 (0) 203 026 7443.