How to Start a Passion Project in 3 Different Ways

With over 400 thousand students applying to Ivy League schools every year, college admission rates have become extremely competitive in recent years. In order to stand out amidst the large pool of applicants, many students opt to complete a “passion project” during their time in high school.

To that end, it may be difficult to find your passion. With so many opportunities available, anything could pique your interest. Now you may be asking, how can I come up with an idea for my passion project?

In this article, I will break down 3 simple ways to jumpstart the planning process for your passion project!

Before we begin, the word “passion project” gets thrown around a lot, and I feel its definition is a bit hazy. So with that said, what exactly is a passion project?

What is a Passion Project?

A passion project is a self-initiated endeavor driven by your passion (it’s literally in the name!), genuine interest, and dedication to a specific subject, cause, or activity.

Yes, it seems like a lot, but really it comes down to finding something you enjoy doing. I think it’s reasonable to start small, then expand your idea as you start developing it.

Generally, all passion projects should meet these 6 criteria:

Authenticity and Genuine Interest

Demonstrated Passion: Admissions officers can discern when a project is pursued with genuine interest versus one undertaken solely to enhance an application. Authentic passion projects reflect your true interests and long-term commitments.

Personal Connection: A strong passion project often has a personal story or background that ties you to the project. This connection can make your project more meaningful and impactful.

Impact and Contribution

Measurable Impact: Projects that have a quantifiable impact, whether in your local community, broader society, or a specific field. These are measurable outcomes like the number of people helped, funds raised, or products created.

Sustainability: Projects that show long-term growth or impact are highly valued. Admissions officers appreciate that your project will continue to thrive after high school.

Leadership and Initiative

Leadership Skills: Passion projects should demonstrate your ability to lead, manage, and execute your ideas. This includes organizing teams, delegating tasks, and guiding the project to completion.

Proactive Approach: The best projects illustrate how you identified a need or problem and proactively took steps to address it, showing creativity and resourcefulness.

Innovation and Creativity

Originality: Innovative and creative projects that offer unique solutions or new perspectives on existing problems are particularly appealing. This demonstrates your ability to think outside the box.

Problem-Solving Skills: Projects that address and solve real-world problems, showcasing your analytical and problem-solving abilities, are impressive to admissions officers.

Skill Development and Learning

Growth and Development: Successful projects often highlight your personal growth and learning. This could be new skills acquired, challenges overcome, or knowledge gained.

Application of Knowledge: Demonstrating how academic knowledge has been applied to real-world situations through your project can be particularly compelling.

Consistency and Commitment

Long-Term Commitment: Passion projects that span several months or years indicate your commitment and perseverance. This shows dedication and the ability to see projects through to completion.

Consistency in Theme: Projects that align with your broader academic and extracurricular interests present a cohesive narrative about your passions and goals.

It’s ok if your passion project isn’t fully developed right now. Many students start to work on their project with just a rough outline at the beginning. 

As they continue to work on it, they slowly add to it and make it a fully fledged idea.

One Final Tip: Be Yourself! 

So many students embark on an arduous endeavor, but lose interest or motivation halfway through because they aren’t passionate about the project they’re pursuing. 

The project you choose should align with your goals and values. You need to make sure that you enjoy what you’re doing and can sustain it for a long period!

Don’t start something to impress an admissions officer. Start a project because you care and want to make a difference in your community. 

Remember: “True leaders don’t necessarily do the most groundbreaking things, they get the people to do the greatest actions.” – Ronald Reagan

Brainstorming / Ideation

If you’re wondering how to start a passion project in high school, you’re not alone—many students struggle to take that first step.

The first step to developing one is to brainstorm ideas.

A lot of students make a mistake at this step. They start thinking of these extremely ambitious projects, extending statewide, nationally, or even internationally.

The truth? It’s not possible, at least not in the beginning. The average high schooler doesn’t have the time, money, or connections to build a large organization within a couple of months.

Circling back to one of the criteria of a passion project, you need to make an impact. Just because you are international doesn’t justify your organization’s merit.

Moreover, most passion projects aren’t groundbreaking discoveries. In fact, many don’t discover anything; rather, they focus on influence.

In reality:

The easiest and most meaningful projects come from the heart and directly affect your local community. Think district, city, or county-wide.

With that said, here are six methods to brainstorm ideas for your project.

Reflect on Your Interests and Hobbies

Start by thinking about what you love doing in your free time. What activities make you lose track of time? Whether it’s playing a musical instrument, coding, writing, or volunteering, your hobbies can be a rich source of inspiration.

• Ask Yourself: What activities bring me joy? What am I curious about? What issues do I care deeply about?

Identify Problems You Want to Solve

Consider the challenges or problems you notice in your community, school, or even globally. Sometimes, the best passion projects come from a desire to solve a problem you’re passionate about.

• Ask Yourself: What issues do I see around me that I feel compelled to address? How can I use my skills and interests to make a difference?

Incorporate Your Academic Interests

Think about the subjects you excel in or find particularly fascinating. There might be an opportunity to dive deeper into a topic you love or explore how it intersects with real-world issues.

• Ask Yourself: Which academic subjects am I most passionate about? How can I apply what I’ve learned in these subjects to a larger project?

Look for Inspiration Around You

Sometimes, inspiration can come from observing the work of others. Look into community projects, non-profit organizations, startups, or even art installations that resonate with you.

• Ask Yourself: Who inspires me? What projects or initiatives have I come across that sparked my interest?

Ask Friends and Mentors

Discuss your ideas with friends, family, teachers, or mentors. They can provide valuable feedback, offer new perspectives, and help you refine your thoughts.

• Ask Yourself: Who can I talk to about my ideas? How can I use their feedback to improve and clarify my vision?

Combine Different Interests

Don’t be afraid to combine different areas of interest to create something unique. Maybe you’re passionate about both environmental science and art—how can you blend these to create a meaningful project?

• Ask Yourself: What unique combination of my interests and skills can I bring together to create a standout project?

Make a Plan/Roadmap/Timeline

After you brainstorm, you need to plan out your project. Starting spontaneously without planning is a bad idea. Seriously. You will get lost, really fast.

Planning helps organize your projects and set goals and deadlines. You essentially want to time-block your day using something like Google Calendar.

Furthermore, I find that putting down some tools or resources you may need to start up is also helpful. You can form a list of things you need so you can get all the materials you need as quickly and efficiently as possible.

When planning, try to look into the future. Now, that may be difficult if your project is bare bones, but that’s fine. One major skill you will learn is iteration. You will develop and make changes to your project as you go.

Whenever you get a fresh idea, write it down. When a new opportunity pops up, pin it on your calendar. Make sure you stay on top of your work and keep yourself accountable.

I have summarized the process down into 6 steps as shown below.

Define Your Goals

Start by clearly defining what you want to achieve with your passion project. Having a clear goal will help guide your planning process and keep you focused.

• Ask Yourself: What is the main objective of my project? What specific outcomes do I want to achieve?

Break Down Your Project into Manageable Steps

Big projects can feel overwhelming, so break your project down into smaller, manageable tasks. This makes it easier to track your progress and stay motivated.

• Create a Task List: Write down all the steps you need to take to complete your project. Organize these tasks in a logical order.
• Set Milestones: Identify key milestones in your project. These are major achievements that mark significant progress.

Develop a Timeline

Creating a timeline helps you stay on track and ensures that you complete your project on time. Be realistic about how long each task will take and build in some buffer time for unexpected challenges.

• Set Deadlines: Assign deadlines to each task and milestone. This will help you stay organized and focused.
• Use a Calendar: Consider using a calendar or project management tool to keep track of your timeline and deadlines.

Identify Resources and Support

Think about what resources you’ll need to complete your project. This includes materials, funding, and any help or support from others.

• List Your Resources: Make a list of everything you’ll need. This could include supplies, equipment, access to certain facilities, or online tools. Also, include any funding you may need.
• Seek Help: Identify people who can support you, such as mentors, teachers, or friends. Don’t be afraid to ask for advice or assistance when needed. Apply for grants targeted towards high school students (yes, those exist!)

Document Your Progress

Keep a record of your progress throughout the project. This will not only help you stay organized but also provide valuable documentation you can include in your college application.

• Keep a Journal: Document your thoughts, challenges, and achievements. This can also help you reflect on your personal growth.
• Take Photos and Videos: Visual documentation can be a powerful way to showcase your project’s journey and impact.

Evaluate and Reflect

Periodically take a step back to evaluate your progress. Reflecting on what’s working and what’s not can help you make necessary adjustments and stay on track.

• Review Your Goals: Check if you’re meeting your milestones and deadlines. If not, consider what adjustments need to be made.
• Seek Feedback: Get input from mentors or peers. They can provide valuable perspectives and suggestions for improvement.

Execute your Project Effectively

After completing the above steps, you can know execute your project!

There are many ways to go about this, and everybody will execute their project differently. However, there are 3 things that you should be doing in order to properly produce an impactful passion project.

Stay Motivated

Its pretty much a given that you will run into roadblocks. Nobody is perfect, and overcoming obstacles is natural part of learning.

If you’re tackling a field that you are mot familiar with, you will struggle. Most likely, you will spend a lot of time trying to remove those obstacles. Maybe you need to patch up your plan or try to cover up some errors.

However, most importantly, you need to persevere. It’s very easy to lose interest after a weeks. If you can’t solve an issue, it only becomes worse, with stress and anxiety only exacerbating it.

I find that when you reach these kinds of points, remind yourself WHY you started this project.

Going back to the definition of a passion project, you need some kind of reason or motivation behind your endeavor.

I recommend that you keep a document of all the reasons why you started this project. It could be anything: from past experiences, to new opportunities, or even something you want to look forward to.

This sustains your passion and enthusiasm, making sure you stay motivated until you reach your goals.

Stay Committed

Backing up the previous point, commitment is just as important as motivation.

Sometimes you might want to quit or just forget about your project completely because of a roadblock.

Go back and remind yourself that you’ve gotten really far already. Why did you embark on this endeavor? Who will be impacted at the end? How will this shape your values and character in the future?

Asking yourself these questions as you move along can help you stay on task and committed to your goals.

Challenges are a natural part of the process, and even life, for that matter. Knowing how to effectively handle, combat, and overcome them is a skill that will extend far beyond college applications.

Enjoy the Process

If you got to this point, chances are, you chose a topic you’re passionate about. To that extent, you should enjoy the process.

Through everything that you will face, nothing is impossible to overcome. Many times, you might spend days or weeks trying to fix an issue.

Just remember, enjoy what you’re doing. The experience you’ll gain far surpasses what you learn in a classroom. It gives you a chance to apply your knowledge and explore different possibilities that aren’t limited to your academics.

Once again, remind yourself WHY you started, and keep on going!

Passion Project Execution Summary

Follow Your Plan

Stick to the detailed plan you created during the planning phase. Use your timeline and task list to guide your daily and weekly activities.

• Daily and Weekly Tasks: Break down your tasks into daily and weekly goals. This makes the work more manageable and helps you stay on track.

Stay Organized

Keep all your project materials, notes, and resources organized. This will save you time and help prevent any confusion or miscommunication.

• Use Tools: Consider using project management tools like Trello, Asana, or Google Sheets to track your progress and collaborate with others.
• File Management: Keep digital and physical files well-organized. Label everything clearly and create folders for different aspects of your project.

Communicate Effectively

Regular communication is key, especially if you’re working with a team. Keep everyone informed about progress, challenges, and any changes to the plan.

• Regular Updates: Schedule regular check-ins or updates. This could be a weekly meeting or a daily update message.
• Open Communication: Encourage open and honest communication. Make sure everyone feels comfortable sharing their ideas and concerns.

Monitor Your Progress

Continuously monitor your progress to ensure you’re staying on track with your goals and timeline. Adjust your plan as needed based on your progress and any new insights.

• Track Milestones: Check off milestones as you achieve them. This will give you a sense of accomplishment and keep you motivated.
• Evaluate Regularly: Periodically evaluate your progress. Are you meeting your deadlines? Is the project moving forward as expected?

Be Flexible and Adaptable

Sometimes things won’t go as planned, and that’s okay. Be prepared to adapt and make changes as needed.

• Stay Flexible: If something isn’t working, don’t be afraid to change your approach. Flexibility is key to overcoming obstacles.
• Learn and Adjust: Use any setbacks as learning opportunities. Adjust your plan based on what you’ve learned.

Overcome Challenges

Every project will encounter challenges. The key is to approach these challenges with a problem-solving mindset and not get discouraged.

• Problem-Solving: When you encounter a challenge, take a step back and analyze the situation. What are the possible solutions? Who can help?
• Seek Help: Don’t hesitate to ask for help when needed. Whether it’s from a mentor, teacher, or friend, getting a fresh perspective can make a big difference.

Final Thoughts

Now that you know how to start a passion project in high school, it’s time to take action and make your ideas count.

Your passion project doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to be real, meaningful, and consistent with who you are. Focus on something you care about and use it to grow as a person, student, and future leader.

Remember: You’re not doing this to check a box. You’re doing it to make a difference—and that is what colleges want to see.

Check out our guide on how to start a passion project in high school for college applications.