Independent research
Your own question, pursued with care and an honest method.
- Science and engineering
- Social sciences
- Humanities and history
- Papers and posters
RESEARCH, PROJECTS & AWARDS
Turn a question you care about into work you can share.
Depth comes from sticking with something you care about. We help you choose and carry out research, projects, competitions, publications, or community work that matters to you before it impresses anyone else.
Arrange your free introduction45 minutes with your proposed mentor. A personalized plan by email afterward.
See what we support
Stata Center, MIT · Rhododendrites / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and cropped.
WHAT WE SUPPORT
Research, projects, and competitions that grow from your interests.
Some students start with a question, others with something they want to build. We help with both, at the scale that fits your time and experience.
Projects and ventures
Something useful you build, test, and improve.
- Apps and software
- Community projects
- Small nonprofits and businesses
- Creative and design work
Competitions
Chosen for your skills and interests, not for prestige alone.
- Science and engineering fairs
- Math and science olympiads
- Essay and writing contests
- Debate and Model UN
Summer and research programs
Programs worth your time, and applications that show why.
- Selective free programs
- University summer programs
- Research mentorship programs
- Program applications
School research projects
Making the most of projects your school already offers.
- IB Extended Essay
- AP Seminar and Research
- UK Extended Project (EPQ)
- Senior projects
Sharing your work
Presenting what you did, clearly and accurately.
- Abstracts and papers
- Presentations
- Portfolios
- Your role on applications
HOW A PROJECT GROWS
Good work starts small and stays honest about what it found.
Every project is different, but most move through the same four parts. Here is an illustrative example of how one question could develop.
AN ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLE
One student’s question about a local river.
This example is invented to show the shape of a project. Your own question could come from any subject.
| Part of the project | What it could look like |
|---|---|
| A real question | Why does the river near school flood after short storms but not after long, gentle rain? |
| A workable method | Compare ten years of public rainfall and river-level data, then visit two drainage points after storms. |
| Honest evidence | A clear pattern for short, heavy storms, plus two cases that don’t fit and are worth explaining. |
| Sharing it | A short paper and a poster for a regional science fair, with the limits of the data stated plainly. |
HOW WE HELP
Support from the first idea to the finished work.
You might have a clear question or only a subject you enjoy. We’ll help you find a starting point and keep the work moving.
FINDING YOUR QUESTION
Start from curiosity you already have.
We look at what you read, notice, and keep coming back to, then shape it into a question you can actually investigate.
What we work on together
A focused question and a realistic scope.
PLANNING THE WORK
Plan a method and milestones you can keep.
We help you choose a method, find data or materials, and set milestones that fit around your classes.
What we work on together
A project plan with milestones and regular check-ins.
THE DIFFICULT MIDDLE
Keep going when the work gets hard.
Most projects stall at some point. We help you work through setbacks, record what you tried, and write thoughtful emails to experts who might advise you.
What we work on together
Honest feedback on your progress and your next step.
SHARING YOUR WORK
Describe your work accurately.
We help you write an abstract, prepare a poster or presentation, and describe your role on applications in words you can explain.
What we work on together
Clear writing about your work, at its real scale.
TRY THIS WITH YOUR OWN IDEA
Six lines tell you whether an idea is ready to start.
Fill in each row honestly. Gaps are normal, and they show us where to begin.
| Question | What to write down |
|---|---|
| Your question | One sentence you could investigate, not a whole subject. |
| Why it matters to you | What made you curious in the first place. |
| What you can do yourself | The data, materials, or skills you already have or can learn. |
| Who could guide you | A teacher, professional, or researcher whose work connects. |
| What you will produce | A paper, poster, prototype, dataset, or presentation. |
| How long it will take | A realistic number of weeks, around your schoolwork. |
A few well-known research opportunities are worth knowing about early.
Regeneron Science Talent Search
A national research competition for high school students. For the 2027 competition, applications close on November 5, 2026.
Research Science Institute (RSI)
A free six-week summer program at MIT for high school juniors: a week of STEM classes, then a five-week research internship.
Regeneron ISEF
Students reach the international fair by winning at an affiliated local, regional, state, or national science fair. ISEF 2027 takes place in Los Angeles in May 2027.
TWO STUDENTS, HONEST SCALE
Real work at its real size was enough.
These anonymized journeys show how describing research and projects accurately strengthened two applications.
FINAL CHOICE · UCLAZ.W. · BIOLOGY AND SCIENCE COMMUNICATION
Z.W. described her laboratory work exactly as it was.
How we helped
We helped her map her actual tasks in the lab and choose research verbs she could explain with confidence. Short programs that meant less got less space, and her work explaining science to younger students got more.
- Her offers
- Johns Hopkins, UCLA, and Cornell
- Her choice
- UCLA
Royce Hall, UCLA · Beyond My Ken / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and cropped.
FINAL CHOICE · PRINCETONN.S. · COMPUTER SCIENCE AND LINGUISTICS
N.S.’s small language project revealed questions worth pursuing.
How we helped
Fewer than thirty people had used his pronunciation tool. We helped him describe it at that scale and turn their responses into the questions about language and usability that shaped his essays.
- His offers
- Princeton, UC Berkeley, and Cornell
- His choice
- Princeton
Nassau Hall, Princeton University · Ken Lund / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0. Resized and cropped.
QUESTIONS STUDENTS ASK
A few practical answers.
If your question isn’t here, bring it to your free introduction.
Do I need research to apply to selective colleges?
No. Many admitted students have never done formal research. What matters is sustained work you care about and can explain. Research is one way to show that, not the only one.
Can you find me a professor or a lab?
We help you identify people whose work connects to your question and write thoughtful, specific emails. We don’t arrange placements, and we can help you build a strong project without one.
Are paid summer research programs worth it?
Some are excellent, and some mainly sell a name. We compare what you would actually do, who would guide you, and what you would produce, alongside the cost. Some strong programs, such as RSI, are free.
How long does a project take?
Most meaningful projects take several months. We plan milestones around your school year so the work doesn’t crowd out your classes.
Who does the research and writing?
You do. We ask questions, give feedback, and help you plan, so you can explain every part of your work with confidence.
RELATED SUPPORT
Other help you might need along the way.
These services often go together with a research project or competition.
PEOPLE ON YOUR SIDE
Your mentor is chosen for experience and care.
We carefully select mentors who listen, offer honest feedback, and help you feel comfortable asking questions. One lead mentor gets to know you and guides your work.
How we choose and match mentors
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Our team has guided students of different ages and stages. Their careers span technology, finance, consulting, education, and government at leading companies and institutions.
START WITH A CONVERSATION
Let’s work out your next step, together.
Bring your questions to a free 45-minute introduction with your proposed mentor. We’ll listen, talk through your options, and send you a personalized plan by email. No scare tactics and no pressure to sign up: we’ll tell you honestly what we think, even if that means pointing you somewhere else.
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