Are your 10 extracurriculars actually hurting  your college application? It sounds crazy, but it’s a trap thousands of ambitious students fall into. You've been told to be "well-rounded," so you join the robotics club, student council, Model UN, and seven other things. You're constantly busy . But here’s the uncomfortable truth: colleges aren’t impressed by "busy" anymore. When an admissions officer sifts through 50,000 applications, they don't remember the student with twelv

The Story Beyond the Code: How to Write Your Project Essay You've created an incredible AI model, so you mention it in your essay: "I built a neural network to analyze environmental data.” An admissions officer reads it and has a single, brutal thought: "So what?” They are not unimpressed with the work. They see thousands  of impressive projects. The technical achievement isn't what makes you memorable. They are desperately searching for the human story  behind the code. Has

Introduction: Why AI Projects Are Game-Changing for High School Students What if your next science fair project could also be the centerpiece of your college application essay? Artificial Intelligence ( AI ) isn't just for big tech companies anymore—you can use it too, even in high school. With AI, you can help solve real problems  in areas like healthcare, the environment, and education. The best part? These projects teach you more than just coding. They give you great exper

Introduction: How a Passion Project Can Make Your College Application Unforgettable If you think perfect grades are your golden ticket to the Ivy League, you're only seeing half the picture. The other half? That’s where passion projects  come in. Unlike a one-time activity or a generic extracurricular, a passion project is a self-initiated, sustained, and meaningful pursuit . It shows admissions officers who you are, what you care about, and how you take action on ideas that

When 17-year-old Pierce Wright built an AI emergency response project as a high school student , he didn't expect to outperform trained 911 dispatchers. But that’s exactly what happened. His system, trained on over 24 million NYC 911 call records, clocked 94.5% accuracy higher than human professionals. This AI emergency response project by a high school student  shows that real-world AI innovation isn’t just happening in labs—it’s happening in classrooms and teen bedrooms ac

Five high school students created Buddy Bot , an AI chatbot that supports teens dealing with social media stress. We usually expect...