Tom

Tom read Biochemistry at a good Northern University. He shows mild dyspraxic behaviour with poor organisation and often excessive attention to detail. He had not worked hard enough in his first two years, and came for help in the final year, as he realised his ways of working were letting him down. He had five 2 hour sessions in the Christmas holiday, working with his motivation and his time management. He learnt to take charge of himself, got a good 2.1, and now has an excellent job in Biotechnological research, with the option of a PhD. He has learnt to recognise his weaknesses and to overcome them by some simple techniques. “I was fed up with never finishing anything”, says Tom, “and in exams I would be half way through a question when I’d run out of time. I have learnt that just finishing something on time is as important as anything else. In the commercial world this holds true as well.”

Jessica

Jessica is from a non-traditional background. She is taking a Social Work degree, and needs skills in reading, writing and analytical thought which she did not get at school. She will be an excellent Social Worker, but she needs help with expressing what she knows. For three years she has been coming for one hour every other week, and now can write clear and well organised essays. “I used to feel I had to use academic language to be taken seriously, and found I was writing stuff I didn’t really understand – nor did anyone else probably. I have learnt to find my own voice, and now I can really say what I think. I love the work I do, now that I feel more in control of things”.

Megan

Megan shows mild dyslexic patterns and is reading Pharmacy. She says she spent her first year partying, and things got on top of her. She needed ten 1 hour sessions in her second and third years respectively, developing her work habits and the way she presents her ideas. She is now an impressive student who may well get a First. “I found everything was such a muddle. I wanted to do well, but so much seemed to turn out less than my best that I began to lose heart. It was getting to be a vicious circle. The help I received was great – it helped me calm everything down and just get the work done, and see clearly where I was going. Now I feel much more myself”.