Red Flag 🚩Green Flag ✅: School Edition

going over some school red and green flags (but it turns philosophical)

Nov 25, 2024

Heya Mentee,

I’m relaunching The Mentor’s Memo!

But if you have no idea why you’re receiving this…you probably gave me your email for those guides I’ve been creating.

So if you found those helpful, then stick around because these newsletters are going to be even better! Today, we’re starting off fun with some school-related red flags 🚩 and green flags ✅

Before we jump in, check out our essay review service if you need help with your college essays. Our team of consultants can provide detailed feedback and edits in as little as 24 hours! And use code “mahad” for 10% off until 11/28!

🚩Red Flag: Being a Grade Grubber

I was a grade grubber in high school. Specifically, I was a grade grubber for the entirety of my freshman and sophomore years. I knew it, my friends knew it, and my teachers knew it. I’m pretty sure the janitors even knew it.

If you don’t know what a grade grubber is, here is my personal definition: “someone who worries just as much about getting a 97, as a 67.” Well, not just as much, but you get the idea. It’s someone who obsesses over every single point on every single assignment, and who bugs the teacher looking for ways to improve their (probably already great) grade.

“A grade grubber is someone who worries just as much about getting a 97, as a 67.”
Mahad Khan

No joke I once emailed my biology teacher asking for extra credit because I had a 97 in the class (albeit our school used a 100-point grading system rather than a 4.0).

Now why is this a red flag? Because being a grade grubber means you’re worried about the wrong things. It means you’re likely a perfectionist. And it also likely means — that you’re a bit annoying. Here’s a harsh truth — you’re going to fail a test in high school. You’re going to fail one in college. And you’re going to fail at something even more important after that. You’re going to fail. And that’s okay.

Don’t teach yourself that perfection is the only acceptable standard of life. Instead of looking at a 92 as being 8 points away from you being perfect, look at it as 92 points above where you were before. So how did I ditch this mindset during my junior and senior years?

Frankly, I was getting tired of worrying. I realized my GPA was in-line with the schools I wanted to apply to, so as long as I wasn’t getting consistent Bs, I just went about my day.

✅Green Flag: Building Relationships

Now I don’t mean romantic relationships — I am NOT your guy to go to on that.

No, I mean building relationships with the adults in your school, the teachers, lunch ladies, front-desk staff, and janitors. Instead of keeping them all in some mental bubble where all you see them as is their role, treat them like ordinary people that you can (and should) talk to.

There are some days when they probably don’t want to be at school just as much as you don’t want to. So instead of walking by without a hello, or leaving your garbage for them to pick up, be a decent human being.

I especially advise building up a real relationship with your teachers — I mean you spend so much time with them daily, and you’re going to need rec letters from them at some point, so don’t just sleep in class and leave. I got my rec letters from two of my favorite teachers whom I always chatted with after class or whenever I randomly saw them in the hallways.

Now I’m not telling you to create artificial relationships with all your teachers just to get good rec letters, that’s kinda tryhard behavior, no I’m just saying you probably have cool teachers, and that you should stop and make a real connection with them.

Now that does NOT mean start calling them by their first name and ask them to hang out — treat them nicely and talk to them — but don’t be an idiot.

🚩Red Flag: “Multitasking” While Working

What’s the best way to multitask while studying or doing homework? Don’t.

Seriously, you gotta stop checking TikTok every few minutes or switching back to that YouTube tab. I mean it’s just not productive. Here’s one of the many papers on this matter.

Now does that include listening to music? To be honest, I don’t know, I didn’t read the paper that carefully.

Personally, I can’t listen to music while doing any reading or serious writing, but for math or work that doesn’t require crazy attention to detail, I throw on Hans Zimmer. And as you can tell from the way this newsletter is written, I’m bumping the Inception soundtrack right now.

✅Green Flag: Knowing Your Limits

Is 8 AP classes enough? Maybe. Are 9 clubs enough? Maybe. Are 100 volunteer hours enough? Maybe.

I don’t like the word enough. Especially with the college admissions process, there is just no answer to the “enough questions.” And on top of that, it just makes everything you do seem superficial, and like it's simply a means to an end.

Now I’m not dumb, of course, AP classes, grades, and clubs are simply a means to get you into college. My issue moreso comes from the fact that to hit this enough threshold, you guys may be pushing yourself past your limits, for no reason.

If taking 8 AP classes instead of 7 leads you to sleep less, which as a result lowers your grades across the board, then was it worth taking it just to be enough? If joining a few more random clubs leads you to spend less time on the activities you really care about, then was it worth joining them just to be enough?

The truth is that to know your limits, you’ll have to test them first. But once you find them, please feel no shame in adjusting accordingly. Remember, it’s better to get an A in an honors class than a C in an AP. Don’t force yourself just to be enough.

College admissions is a tough and confusing process, but don’t lose yourself along the way.

🚩Red Flag: Comparing Yourself

I felt cliché writing the heading for this one because I imagined all the times people told me, “don’t compare yourself to others” or that “comparison is the thief of joy.” But that’s when I realized that despite this lesson being beaten to death, most of us still suffer from this problem.

I mean seriously, I don’t think there was a day in college where I hadn’t compared myself to one of my peers. Even at home now I am constantly comparing myself, and my God if I tell you it is so exhausting. I mean seriously, sometimes when I compare myself I get so down in the dumps that I can’t even think straight.

I don’t have a solid solution for you guys here, but if you have one please email it to me. No, I just want to acknowledge that high school, especially in the context of the admissions process, is a breeding ground for the comparison game. I’ve seen the admissions process ruin friendships, create rumors, and torment students because they were constantly wondering what others were doing.

“Oh, he’s only doing that because he wants to go to Harvard.”

“She has no shot at Yale, I mean she doesn’t do anything.”

Here’s another truth of life: people talk about you. And as much as you’re comparing yourself to someone else, that someone else may be comparing themselves to you.

I leave you with this: if you’re so worried about the path others are taking, you’ll never get the chance to find your own.

✅Green Flag: Caring

We’re in a weird time right now where it’s cool not to care. And it’s on both ends of the spectrum. On the one hand, absenteeism is at an all-time high, while on the other, students are doing whatever it takes to get into top colleges.

But Mahad — students are doing whatever it takes? That sounds like they care. They do, they care about getting in, but they don’t care about what they’re actually doing to get in. The nonprofits, the volunteering, the random clubs.

Now I’m not here to pass judgment on you guys as some holier-than-thou figure. I mean I did some stuff in high school I didn’t care about just to help me with getting into college. But with admissions becoming more competitive than ever, and the rise of “passion projects,” I want to remind you guys that it is okay to care.

You can join clubs, create passion projects, and take hard classes, but see if you can do this all in the context of a topic or interest you care about. Instead of trying to artificially create a “spike” or do whatever seems most impressive, focus your attention on spending your time (and therefore at the same time building your application) on your genuine interests.

Once again, I know this is easy to say as a now external observer of the admissions process, but I think doing things you actually care about might make this whole stressful experience just a bit easier.

And that’s a wrap! I will also be including a “Photo of the Week” in each edition so you guys can get a sneak peek into my exciting life. Today we have “Perception Isn’t Reality”

If you enjoyed this newsletter, DM me a ✅ at @mahadthementor on Instagram! (please I need validation)

And if you need help with college applications, check out Next Admit! We have a team of Ivy League consultants eager to help you navigate the admissions process.

Best,
The Mentor
^(does this sound pretentious?)