Everyone has something unique—whether that be an interest or a skill that sets them apart. Admissions officers notice differences among students as they read throughout the college admissions process. At top schools in the United States, admissions officers look for those who stand out, and for some, all it takes to make a difference in their college admissions is how well they demonstrate their passions. Here’s how to showcase your passion project on the Common Application.[1]
What Are Passion Projects
Passion projects, or “personal projects,” are unique projects that students conduct independently. Similar to extracurricular activities, passion projects offer students opportunities to demonstrate independence, leadership, and a passion for their chosen field. Students can make just about anything into a passion project, but the main draw is making a personal project that serves as the foundation for their college applications.
Since students have complete control over what they accomplish, a personal project works well as the backbone and centerpiece for their college application, upon which all other sections can build. For example, if a student wants to study computer science in college, a good passion project could be developing an app tailored to their niche with the aim of improving their community. For example: “A computer science student with a passion for biomedical engineering creates a phone app that tracks people’s exercises, with all proceeds going to cardiovascular research.”
How Passion Projects Can Improve Your Acceptance Chances
Admissions officers are more selective than ever at the top US schools and Ivy League universities. They consider every aspect of a student’s profile—from their GPA to test scores, extracurriculars, essays, LoR, and even personality and character traits. Admissions officers are looking for applicants who will be strong students and who can contribute to the school’s ecosystem beyond just high marks.[2]
Passion projects allow students to demonstrate all of these aspects favorably to admissions officers—on their own terms. Students can show the results of their initiative, passion, and creativity, not just talk about them in their personal statements.
Having a personal project as evidence of a student’s ability to pursue their interests independently will make an impression on college admissions officers, especially since most students don’t do a personal project at all. It’s a great way to stand out against the competition.
Highlight the Right Section
Once students have the results of their passion projects, they’ll want to properly highlight them in their application.
The Common Application has many sections where students can highlight their activities and projects. The most notable is the Activities section, where students will list their extracurricular activities. There, students can also list their personal projects, their results, who was involved, and more relevant details.
However, students don’t need to limit their passion projects to a single section of the Common Application. As previously stated, the main benefit of passion projects is the foundation they bring to the entire college application. Speak about your project in your supplemental essays, highlight your process and accomplishments in your personal statements, and include extracurricular activities that are not only related to your project but to your field of interest as a whole.
Also, if you have collaborated with others to conduct your passion projects, you can seek out letters of recommendation from them so they can speak firsthand about the project. These letters can come from teachers, mentors, or working professionals. Anyone that you collaborated with can provide valuable insights and will further support your project’s positive impact on your college applications.
Showcase Your Leadership Impact and Personal Development
One of the main aspects of a personal project, and a trait that is especially important for high schoolers and college admissions officers at the top US universities, is leadership. Effective leadership is often seen as the missing link in college applications.[3] So, throughout your college applications, be sure to highlight not only the project itself but also how it displays your problem-solving abilities, the impact you had on others, and the growth it fostered throughout your schooling. So, it’s a good idea when applying for college to mention leadership positions or any role in which you were a team member that contributed to any leadership initiatives or leadership skills.
Use your project as an opportunity to reflect on your personal development in sections like personal statements. Conducting a passion project could also help students find compelling topics for their supplemental essays.
The passion project itself is not as important as what it tells the admissions officers about the student’s character. Throughout your projects and high school, think back to the times you were challenged, how you changed and developed as a result of adversity, and speak on your future aspirations and how your experiences have prepared you for your course of study and the professional paths you mean to follow.
To learn more about leadership roles, listen to our podcast episode 72, “Leadership: The Missing Link in College Admissions.”
Craft Your Best College Application with InGenius Prep
Showcasing your passion and interests in your college application process can make a big difference in how college admissions officers see you as a student. But there is a way to craft your Common Application application optimally to enhance your chances.
To learn more about the Common App, best practices for high school students, and how to strategize your time in high school to have the best chances of acceptance into your dream school, see InGenius Prep’s Application Counseling Program, where our team of Former Admissions Officers from the top US schools advise you on what to do to make you the strongest candidate on your college applications. Our experts are here to help students who are still wondering how to put personal projects on the Common App.
Call today for a free strategy meeting with an advisor to learn more!
Visit the Leadership and Innovation Lab for more about passion projects, summer programs, and methods for making a difference in your school and community.