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18-Year-Old Student Balanced High School and College, Interrupted a Vacancy at a Federal University and Spent a Year Dedicated to a Preparatory Course in São Paulo, Accumulating Approvals in Some of the Main Public Institutions in the Country and One of the Highest Scores in the Essay of the Enem.
At 18, student Louise Caroline Morais de Araújo accumulated seven approvals for the Medicine course by the end of 2025, with vacancies in USP, Unicamp, Unesp, Unifesp, UFMG, and the Faculty of Medicine of Santa Casa de São Paulo, a result achieved after a year of exclusive dedication to entrance exams in São Paulo.
In the National High School Exam, the performance included 980 points in the essay, a mark achieved during the same period that the young woman decided to freeze a vacancy already won at the Federal University of Amazonas (UFAM) to concentrate her studies on a preparatory course.
Originally from Rio Grande do Norte and raised in Manaus (AM), Louise went through an unusual experience during her schooling, starting a Medicine course while still in the 3rd year of High School, balancing academic routines of different levels throughout part of 2024.
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Months later, faced with the possibility of competing for more selective processes, the student chose to temporarily interrupt her undergraduate studies and direct her preparation towards the entrance exams of São Paulo universities, a decision that significantly altered her academic trajectory.
Enem and Early Admission to the Medicine Course
The change in direction began at the end of the 2nd year of High School when Louise decided to take the Enem regularly, without registering as a trainee, with the main goal of familiarizing herself with the exam’s format and evaluating her own performance.
With the release of the results, it became evident that the score obtained would allow her to compete for a spot in Medicine, which led to her approval at the Federal University of Amazonas, even before the formal completion of High School.
To finalize the enrollment, however, it was necessary to present the completion certificate, a document that the student did not yet possess, as she had not completed the school stage nor did she have the minimum age to take the conventional alternative schooling.
Facing this reality, the family resorted to the Justice system and obtained authorization for the early completion of High School, allowing Louise to complete the alternative schooling, receive the certificate, and enroll at the university.
With the spot ensured, the Medicine course started in the second semester of 2024, a period in which the student chose to continue her 3rd year of High School at the school where she had studied since childhood.
Double Routine Between School and University
During this period, the routine began to be divided between shifts at the university and at the school, in addition to the academic activities required by both courses, which demanded a reorganization of time and adaptation to the pace of higher education.
According to the student’s own account, the initial subjects of the Medicine course presented a level of demand that was distinct from what she had experienced until then, with assessments and content that contrasted with her accumulated experience in High School.
While dealing with these demands, Louise also supported her schoolmates in preparing for entrance exams and graduation, simultaneously experiencing two distinct moments in academic life.
By the end of 2024, the prevailing expectation was to remain at UFAM, as her personal life and studies were concentrated in Manaus, and the spot secured represented a significant advancement at that stage of her education.
Still, throughout the second semester, interest arose in attempting selection processes outside the state, a movement that gained momentum with the encouragement of teachers and more frequent contact with information about São Paulo entrance exams.
At the end of the year, the student took tests such as Fuvest and the Unicamp entrance exam, balancing trips to São Paulo with academic commitments maintained at the federal university.
Entrance Exams Outside the State and Change of Plan
The first attempts at entrance exams outside Amazonas did not result in approval, but served as a reference to understand the level of demand of the tests and the formats adopted by the São Paulo institutions.
From this experience, Louise assessed that a more directed preparation period would be necessary, which led to her decision to temporarily freeze her Medicine course at UFAM.
As a result, the student relinquished a guaranteed spot to invest in a year of preparatory course in São Paulo, a choice previously discussed with her family and maintained with caution, as the federal spot remained as an alternative.
In addition to the academic aspect, the change also represented moving out of her home and adapting to a new city, factors that became part of her personal project at that moment in her journey.
Intensive Routine of Preparatory Course in São Paulo
Throughout 2025, already settled in São Paulo, Louise structured her daily life around her studies, with days starting around 7am and extending until 9pm, totaling up to 14 hours daily between classes, exercises, and reviews.
The strategy adopted consisted of keeping pace with the lessons and avoiding content accumulation by aiming to complete exercise lists and reviews before introducing new topics in each subject.
The breaks between classes were used as short pauses, considered necessary to maintain concentration throughout the day and sustain performance in a prolonged study routine.
According to the student, the pressure did not come from direct demands from her family, but from the responsibility associated with the investment made to enable the year of preparatory course and the decision to have let go of an already secured spot.
In this context, the support from her parents, friends, and boyfriend, who was also preparing for the Medicine entrance exam, was highlighted as a relevant element for maintaining the routine.
Approvals and Choice of University
At the end of the year, the results of the entrance exams began to be disclosed, a process that occurred gradually and without the student having a precise assessment of her own performance in the tests.
The first confirmed approval was at Unicamp, reported by a friend, followed by the announcement of the lists from USP, Unesp, Unifesp, Santa Casa, and UFMG.
At Unesp, Louise achieved first place, while at Unifesp she ranked second, in addition to scoring 980 points in the Enem essay, a result released later.
Given the available options, the student decided to enroll in the Faculty of Medicine of USP, where she has already completed her enrollment and is waiting for the start of academic activities.
School Education and Guidance to Students
The daughter of an engineer and a lawyer, Louise reported that the value of education has been present since childhood, a period during which she participated in extracurricular courses and sports and artistic activities.
At 10, she entered a military public school in Manaus, where she stayed until completing High School, balancing, in the first two years, the school routine with a pre-entrance course.
Reflecting on her own journey, the student stated that the decision to freeze her spot at the federal university required careful planning and evaluation of personal and academic limits.
For those beginning their preparation for entrance exams, Louise emphasizes the importance of organization, consistency in studies, and including rest periods throughout the process.
With a path marked by strategic choices and changes in direction throughout her education, how to evaluate the right moment to maintain a previously secured achievement or to bet on new academic paths?
Parabéns a menina. Mas sendo de origem familiar abonada é muito mais fácil conseguir essas pontuações.
Embora deve-se realçar o empenho denodado de estudar. É grande mérito.
Mas para quem não tem essa sorte devida e principalmente sendo de origem indígena, preta e de família de parcos recursos, essas conquistas se tornam quase impossível.
Parabéns ao Governo Federal pela “cotas” nas universidades e pelo programa maravilhoso do Pé de Meia.
É dever do estado cuidar de seus cidadãos, especialmente os mais fragilizados socialmente.
Parabéns pela dedicação aos estudos. Pelo estudo ÉS TUDO