welcome to envision ft. Jad! i’m Jad, a 16 y/o whose dream is to become a surgeon and I want to help you all achieve your dreams as well.

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Today — Getting into College: Part 2

after you have done your research, we can look into the requirements of getting into the college of your choice. i will also share what i am doing to inspire you and give you ideas.

Academics

🌟 CLASSES- it is important to succeed in classes that relate to your career path. for instance, i want to be a physician so doing well in classes like biology, chemistry, math, and anatomy is extremely important.

a lot of universities value AP, IB, and honor classes to show that you are prepared for college. i personally have 3 AP classes under my belt; however, by the end of my senior year, i will have my AA degree and over 20 state college courses completed. so, this will help my low amount of AP courses.

🌟 GRADES- obviously, grades are a big factor when applying to college. it depends on the university, by try to aim for a 3.5 unweighted GPA. a lot of colleges look at your weighted GPA. so if yours is 4.5 and above, that is a plus.

it is 100% okay if you have a low GPA. i have seen a ton of people get into their dream college with a low GPA because they excelled in their extracurriculars and college essay.

🌟 TESTING- this is another huge factor. colleges look at two major exams: SAT and ACT. please study for these. the first time you take it, it’s free but after that you have to pay like over $70. we want to do good on the first try. a great source to study is Khan Academy’s Official SAT Practice. Khan Academy in general is a great source because they work with College Board (the organization that creates the SAT & ACT). also since the SAT is going digital, they have updated course material to prepare for that.

🌟 AWARDS- now you do not need crazy national nobel prizes, but a couple big awards will look nice on your application. i was inducted into the phi theta kappa honor society, nominated to represent florida in the congress of future medical leaders, and more.

Extracurriculars 

🌟 VOLUNTEERING- if you want to get into the medical field, you must volunteer at a doctor’s office, hospital, or something similar. this shows colleges you are familiar and experienced with your career path; however, it does not always have to relate to medicine. you can always volunteer at a church, food pantry, your school, etc. whatever shows community engagement, DO IT. colleges love that. for me, i am volunteering at a hospital’s cancer institute.

🌟 LEADERSHIP/INITIATIVE- you do not understand the number of times i hear these words. colleges go crazy over this. if you show major impact and leadership in some way, your application will look stronger.

for example, i am showing leadership by making this newsletter and helping you all with your goals. i created a website that raises awareness about your overall health. i am also working towards a community project in which i help the youth obtain a passion to pursue when they reach high school.

leadership will help you a lot. if you impact a great number of people, this will not only help with your acceptance to college, but to scholarships as well.

🌟 FUN- have fun. live your life. play a sport, travel, get into art. colleges like to see that you are doing things outside of academics.

🌟 list of extracurriculars you can do, especially if you want a career in medicine:

• participate or lead a community event (e.g. fundraising for a cause)

• join or create clubs in your school (e.g. health club)

• volunteer (e.g. doctor’s office or hospital)

• participate in or create a research project (e.g. go to a local lab or college lab)

• play a sport (e.g. basketball)

(remember your extracurriculars can be about anything, not just related to medicine. as long as it follows quality over quantity. colleges love to see one extracurricular in which you made great impact. for instance, this newsletter, i want to reach over 3,000 subscribers to show my impact)

Other

this includes the requirements once you apply for a college. this means, the college essays and interviews play a big role in your acceptance. it is important to practice the essays by applying to scholarships (local or national). not only will this give you practice for college essays, but you are entering for some money. knocking two things done at once.

also recommendation letters are extremely important. these can be from teachers, mentors, advisors, or anyone who have seen your impact and your individual skills. ask from people who know you well so the letters of rec are not boring.

that is all for this week’s post. hopefully this helps you, and please… if you still do not know where to start on your journey, i am here to help. you can dm on ig (jad_jabb) or email ([email protected]).

idk what the next post will be about. i contacted some doctors with good questions to help yall. if they reply, that’s the next post. if they don’t, i will talk about scholarships.