One valuable piece of advice for high schoolers is to stress less about school and spend more time pursuing passion projects.

Passion projects can help distinguish you from other applicants in the college admission process, and the most important benefit is that it can be a lot of fund.

In this blog, I will outline the different passion projects and guide you through the process.

What is a Passion Project?

A passion project is just like it sounds.

It is an endeavor that is uniquely yours.

It is not a school assignment or a prescribed task

- it is your opportunity that is unique to you.

It is usually something that you pursue outside the confines of school work or your profession.

Benefits of Pursuing a Passion Project in High School There are many benefits of doing a passion project in high school, but one of the most important is the opportunity to learn more about career paths.

You can dive deep into a topic that interests you and see if that topic is something you could see yourself exploring further.

Passion projects can also help distinguish yourself as an applicant for college admission.

Examples of Passion Projects for High Schoolers Write a review paper To kickstart your passion project journey writing a review paper on some subject area that you don’t know about much but is of your passion.

There is tremendous value in learning how to distill, paraphrase, and summarize existing research for the rest of the world to consume.

Compete in a Science Fair or a Competition If you are a science whiz who wants to put your best foot forward at a science fair or competition?

You should look into science fair competitions such as Regeneron ISEF or STS.

Check out Rishab Jain’s comprehensive video on How to Win Science Fair (ISEF) Producing a photography exhibition Are you a causal iPhone photographer but interested in learning more about what makes photos great?

You can put together a local exhibition.

If at first you feel intimidated, start your passion project journey by following some photography blogs or even making one!

Starting a fundraising campaign or a non-profit If you have a cause that you mostly care about then starting a fundraiser or non-profit can be a fun and fulfilling experience because it gives you the opportunity to make a positive impact on your community.

You can also get leadership positions along the way and also work with a team of like minded individuals.

Learning an instrument and holding a recital As you progress your instrument, you can see your technique and ability to improve, which can culminate in a performance you hold for friends and family, or for your wider school community.

Public performance is an excellent platform to overcome performance anxiety and build confidence.

Developing a website Have you always tried to build a website to educate the world of your passion and reach a greater audience?

Building a website might be the right passion project if you don’t have the requisite coding skills needed to build a website, you can always lean on website building such as Wix and SquareSpace.

Creating a YouTube or a TikTok Video If you are interested in film or a big admired of YouTube creators?

Try to be creative as possible

- there are so many different ways you can take this!

Make engaging YouTube channels to get a sense of how you can create an informative and engaging video.

Creating a magazine or pamphlet See if you can take a academic topic that you’re interested in and turn into a fun game with its own mechanics and rules, and potentially its own unique board and game pieces.

Performing your own one-person show or stand-up comedy routine Think you have what it takes to make an audience laugh?

Try doing a standup comedy routine!

Develop your material by brainstorming ideas and writing down everything that comes to mind.

Perform in front of a live audience and use their feedback to refine the performance.

This project can double as an opportunity to improve your public speaking skills and boost your confidence!

Organizing a community service project Help our your local community and boost your resume at the same time!

A community service project can take variety of forms, like doing a beach or public park cleanup, a neighborhood beautification project.

Just think about something that would benefit the society and bring happiness for all.

One thing to Note… There are so many other passion projects outside of this shortened list.

You can make everything a passion project if you are passionate about it and at the same time you are effecting your community in a good way.