Summary
Highlights
The speaker, from Espírito Santo, begins by explaining the delay in posting the video due to his adaptation to life in São Paulo and his new university routine. He expresses how he managed to find time during his holidays to record the video and proudly displays his USP Medicine athletic gear, symbolizing his achievement. He promises to share his journey and the methods he used to achieve admission to USP's Medicine program.
Paulo shares his background, stating he always dreamt of pursuing Medicine, initially intending to study at a local university in Espírito Santo (UFES). He recounts his diverse educational path, including attending private neighborhood schools and public primary schools due to family circumstances. He also highlights his four years at IFES Guarapari, a federal technical institute, where he studied electrotechnics, noting its strong academic reputation, especially given that other USP Medicine students also came from there.
During his final year at IFES, a visit to UFES for a career fair left him unimpressed by the medical campus's infrastructure. This experience prompted him to research other universities. He discovered USP, which instantly captivated him with its impressive campus, facilities, and beautiful architecture. This led him to set his sights firmly on USP, making it his ultimate dream and goal to study there, driven also by a desire to live independently in São Paulo.
Paulo admits he wasn't a dedicated student in high school, even failing subjects due to a lack of effort. However, his ambition to get into USP forced him to become serious about his studies. In 2019, he began preparing for university entrance exams alongside his final year at IFES. He initially joined an evening preparatory course but found it unsuited to his needs, as it wasn't geared towards top universities like USP, and he struggled with self-study. He left the course after three weeks to study independently, using platforms like Descomplica and YouTube. Despite his efforts, he made many mistakes in his preparation, particularly for Fuvest (USP's entrance exam) and ENEM, and did not pass in his first attempt.
For his second attempt, Paulo dedicated himself entirely to self-study, utilizing Biologia Total, Descomplica, YouTube channels, and Ferretto for Mathematics. He performed well in the first phase of Fuvest, scoring 80 out of 90, and progressed to the second phase. However, he struggled significantly with Portuguese and essay writing, his self-proclaimed "Achilles' heel." He failed to complete several essay questions, which ultimately prevented his admission through Fuvest. He also faced challenges with time management during the ENEM exam, making critical errors that cost him his chance of entry that year.
The results of his second attempt, released late in the year, left him deeply disappointed. He felt his hard work was in vain and that he had failed. Compounding his sadness, his relationship ended shortly after. These personal setbacks made it incredibly difficult to resume studying, and he only managed to restart his preparations in August. Recognizing that time management was his main issue, he focused solely on solving past exams and simulations. He reviewed theory only when correcting mistakes or addressing doubts. Towards the end of the year, a friend helped him secure a 100% scholarship at Poliedro, which he primarily used for their excellent study materials and personalized essay correction, as he had already established his successful study routine.
Paulo dedicated himself to solving over a hundred past exams (Fuvest, ENEM). He meticulously corrected every error and clarified every doubt, reinforcing his understanding. This rigorous approach paid off: he scored 83 on Fuvest (later corrected to 82) and achieved an average of 817 on ENEM. He successfully gained admission to USP's Medicine program in Pinheiros through both exams, expressing immense happiness and pride in his hard-earned success, despite the exhausting journey. He concludes by stating that this video is Part 1, focusing on his trajectory, and an upcoming Part 2 will provide detailed study tips and advice for aspiring students.