Jack Tonge

Review of Clear Links Support Ltd.

I'm currently a third year student going into my f...

I'm currently a third year student going into my first semester exams. My entire time at university has been blighted by struggles which I have found very difficult to overcome. I arranged Clear Links support last summer through my university's Disability and Support Service.

Clear Links arranged for me to see my current mentor Mark Harris and I cannot put into words how much of an impact he has had on my studies this year. For the first few weeks I was really struggling with motivation and attendance as part of my condition and every single week Mark had a new approach for me to consider to solve this problem. I now have never felt more motivated for my degree and Mark is a huge part of that. He is an extremely wise man who I see not only as a mentor to my degree but a mentor for this stage of my life as his revision techniques and advice can be transposed into other areas of my life. I constantly refer to some of the advice Mark has given me on a day-to-day basis and for that alone I cannot thank him enough for. Every week I take away a valuable lesson from him and I genuinely see the one hour I have arranged with Mark as one of the most exciting hours of my week due to how much I learn.

The most important thing I can say about Mark is that not only do I see him as a mentor but I also see him as a friend. He has all the wisdom you would want from a mentor but the delivery and the warmth of a friend and that is the biggest compliment I can give to him. Having tried to sought help for the past two years via university and counselling, I can say that he is head and shoulders above every other person I have reached out to. Seeking help from university and via counselling in my experience can seem very mechanical and for somebody like myself I find it much harder to relate to such help as I do not have a connection with those people. Its not just his wisdom, it is his warmth, his listening skills and his caring nature that are truly impactful on me. I look up to his mental attitude and his work ethic and take it as inspiration. He gives me 100% and for that reason I try and give him the same in return. I will most definitely be keeping in touch once this process is over.

Thank you for everything you've done for me this semester Mark, I more than look forward to where I can improve next semester and learn even more about my degree and myself. I've gone from a troubled student to one who can confidently say is in a very good position to go on to achieve what he is capable of. Thank you also to Clear Links for arranging Mark as my mentor. To say he is a credit to your organisation is an understatement.