Help Me Get In's Marc Atiyeh on Men El Ekhir Mtv

He has started helping high-schoolers apply to colleges, and college students apply to Master’s programs abroad. Currently, along with these services, he’s helping people of all ages find work abroad, particularly in the US and the UK. He guides them on how to write a resume, a cover letter, and how to prepare to ace an interview. To learn more about this project, entitled “Help Me Get In”, let’s welcome Marc Atiyeh! Good evening Marc. Marc Atiyeh, Help Me Get In is for anyone who wants to reach internationally-renowned universities. Have you reached an internationally-renowned university? I study at Harvard University in the US, and maybe that’s what gave me the idea of starting “Help Me Get In”. Were there particular difficulties that you faced before reaching Harvard University? We know that Harvard is in the top 5 in the ranking of the best universities in the world. How difficult was it for you to get there? Decent grades are definitely required But they want applicants to be well-rounded, to be able to hold a conversation, to be cultivated For example when in an interview, because universities interview applicants, just like employers will later on. They’re not gonna ask you a math or physics question, but more general questions about what you know and what you’ve experienced. What’s Help Me Get In’s role, in this context? We help students prepare, just like a coach. You all know that Obama has a team that advises him on how to talk, how to address a crowd, how to walk. Do you provide guidance for students? Because we have a lack of career guidance. When someone chooses a career it’s often because their dad imposed it on them, while he might succeed in something else. So before you send a student to a renowned university abroad, and once you study their personality and everything Do you believe you can provide career guidance to the students who want to apply abroad? Can you do that -- do you do that? So to sum up, to avoid having too many students following the same career path That won’t offer many job opportunities - That’s correct. Do you advise them? Is there orientation from the start? “Don’t bother with this, it’s useless, you won’t find a job...” Of course. We look at the potential of each person. We look at what they like - that’s very important. But of course, they have to be realistic: if someone tells me “I’m thinking of being”, I don’t know... A rocket scientist Yeah, always, an astronaut. Exactly. But that’s something that happens. I met a Lebanese man in the US, Dr. Charles Achi, he works for NASA - Right, so he became a rocket scientist. You’re right. Absolutely. It happens, it works out. But the odds are small. So as much as we can, we guide them according to their potential, of course within reason To help them find what they should do when they go abroad, when they leave Lebanon, what they should study. Marc, Men el Ekhir, can any Lebanese student who wants to go to a world-renowned university succeed? Or is it a difficult path? The path is difficult, but it’s gradually getting easier, and that’s why we’re here. We want to make it as easy as we can. Men el Ekhir, Christiane Hajjar? Bravo, I really liked the initiative, even though you’re still, as I can read, just a sophomore, so you’re still at the beginning of the road. So good luck and may you succeed. Rached Bohsali? You’re making it easier for all these young people to continue their education in good universities. Ghida Tbeile? Very nice idea, especially that we don’t have proper orientation in schools. Good luck. Nayla Lahoud? I really liked it, and I hope you’re guiding the right people to the right universities as well. Georges Harb? Exactly. Super nice idea, and your goal is terrific. I can’t add anything. Good luck Marc. Roula Kehde? I agree, good luck, I can’t add anything else. You’re upset that he’s taking all these young people abroad. On the contrary, I want to go myself! You want to go too? Marc Atiyeh, thank you very much for being with us, and thank you for coming up with the concept. You’re a Lebanese person, who grew up and studied in Lebanon, and you were able to get into Harvard. You weren’t selfish at all, you thought about how you could help others get to where you got, And how you could make the road easier for them, and remove the difficulties that you faced Thank you very much. Thank you. Final break in our show, but don’t go anywhere, you can comment on the show on Facebook or Twitter. A break, and we’re back.