Beyond your GPA, standardized tests, and even other high school activities, academic research can strengthen your undergraduate application and demonstrate your unique strengths and intellectual curiosity.

Ivy League schools, like Harvard, Stanford, MIT, and Yale, admit students who show genuine passion and the capability to enrich their academic communities (Stanford calls this “Intellectual Vitality”).

And, even if an Ivy League school does not meet your expectations for a college, participating in research during high school allows you to build a variety of skills, no matter what major you want to pursue or subjects you are currently interested in. Research allows students to develop their attention to detail, critical thinking, and collaborative skills, all crucial skills for college and beyond.

Types of Research Projects for High School Students

As the HSAFP January 2025 Research Course highlights, research doesn’t always mean laboratory experiments. There are researchable topics and innovative projects in every discipline! Here, we are going to add on to ideas in the Research Course, particularly looking at different types of projects:

• Literature Review (also known as a “lit review” or synthesis paper; see UNC Chapel Hill’s Writing Center webpage for more information): A detailed summary, with some analysis, of all of the existing research on a topic. For instance, see these literature reviews on medical drama TV series and Sjögren’s Syndrome.
  
  
• Surveys and Interviews: With supervision, you can conduct primary research to address social, educational, and health-related questions.
  
  
• Creative Projects: You might not think that writing, visual arts, dance, theatre, designing websites, or composing music are research projects per se, but they are projects that may require some learning. Not only do creative projects show your ability to engage with other disciplines but also your dedication, resilience, and innovation.
  
  
• Interdisciplinary Research: You can also combine different subjects to create new ideas! Why not try technology, ethics, and sociology? Or creating an educational game? The opportunities are endless, so be inventive!

As long as you choose a topic aligned with your genuine interests, you will be more motivated to learn and meaningfully contribute to the project. We suggest asking your teachers and guidance counselors about research projects that you can be a part of!

Strengthening Your College Application with Research

In addition to your skills, research experience enhances multiple parts of your college application:

• Personal Statements: You might share your passion, how you approached the research process, and what you would do differently.
  
  
• Supplemental Essays: Detail specific aspects of your research relevant to the university’s programs or research.
  
  
• Letters of Recommendation: Your research supervisor can highlight your dedication, analytical abilities, and growth. So, even if you are working on a creative project, get a teacher or adult involved!

These elements collectively demonstrate readiness for college-level academics and a potential for future innovation.

Build Your Research Skills

For high school students specifically seeking to build research skills, HSAFP and their partners offer some opportunities:

• HSAFP Research Journal Club: Our research journal club will officially begin in September 2025, where we will practice reading and summarizing up-to-date medical peer-reviewed journal articles, listen to and reflect on a medical professional’s perspective about the article, and participate in live discussions with your local chapter and online discussion board forums with all HSAFP members.
  
  
• Ken Tao’s Research Scholars Program: This 10-week program allows high school students to work virtually with a PhD mentor to create a research project Subjects include but are not limited to biology, computer science, public health, and environmental science.
  
  
• Future Projects: Stay tuned! We’re always working on more ways to ensure you, our high school students, can hone your skills.