Are you a student with a big passion for science, but you’re feeling overwhelmed by the college admissions process? Are you wondering if competitions like ISEF are actually worth your time, or how you can even get a busy professor to mentor your research project?
In today’s new episode, we’re doing one of my favorite things: pulling back the curtain on a real-life coaching call with one of our amazing Passion Prep students! She is so organized, and she had tons of great questions ranging from science competitions to how to find mentors. So, you’ll get to hear the step-by-step process we work through together.
You’ll discover why timing is everything for competitions, get our proven strategy for reaching out to professors, and learn to make all of your extracurriculars, from volunteering to even SAT tutoring, really stand out on your college applications. Get ready to turn your passion into a standout application that truly impresses admissions officers!
I wanted to let you know that I have a Back-To-School – Live Free Training that I’m hosting tomorrow, August 27th. This training focuses on new trends, new policies and how you can best prepare yourself or your child for your college admissions process. So make sure you register and we hope to see you inside. You can start by registering at https://passionprep.com/live!
Get ready to open your “Congratulations, You’re Accepted!” letter from your dream college! You can reserve your spot for Passion Project Bootcamp, our 1-year group college consulting program to get you ACCEPTED into your dream college using your passion, strength and potential. Start your journey to your dream college at https://passionprep.com/bootcamp!
If you are looking for a more affordable way to level-up your college admissions strategies, we’ve officially launched our PPBC: Self-Paced Online Course. This digital, step-by-step course will help you build a strong college admissions gameplan, select the right extracurriculars, brainstorm & execute your unique Passion Project, create your resume, and much more: https://passionprep.teachable.com/p/ppbc-self-paced-online-course!
As always, if you have questions, please reach out to our support team at info@passionprep.com. Also I’d love to connect with you on Instagram – our Instagram handle is: www.instagram.com/passion_prep.
TUNE IN BELOW:
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT IN THIS EPISODE:
- Why you need to start your science competition research your junior year vs. waiting until your senior year.
- How to find a research mentor and the approximate number of reach outs you can expect to make.
- Why it’s so important to align your research topic with your dream college, like using Rice University’s Biosciences department as a starting point.
- Specific ways to make your volunteer work specific and impactful for your college applications.
- Why SAT tutoring can still be a valuable personal interest on your college application, as long as your essay focuses on the principles of education and mentorship.
- Why participating in a local health committee is a great way to showcase your passion and even make a real difference in your community.
NOTABLE QUOTES:
“If you want to do ISEF, we want to do it as soon as possible. Not when you’re a senior, because that’s when you’re applying. So it just doesn’t match.”
“We can always make it specific. So let’s say you want to volunteer at Children’s Health, then your reasoning needs to be that you’re really interested in a specific disease or illness that children have that is related to biology.”
“You don’t need to always finish your research. Completing research takes four or five years. So even if you’re just in progress, you can actually load the abstract of your research…when you apply to colleges.”
LINKS/RESOURCES MENTIONED:
- [LIVE FREE TRAINING] 5 Proven College Admissions Strategies That Got My Students Accepted Into Ivy League & Top-tier Colleges In 2025
- [PASSION PROJECT BOOTCAMP] Our Signature 1-Year Group College Counseling Program To Help You Get Accepted Into Your Dream Colleges
- [SELF-PACED ONLINE COURSE] Our Digital Step-By-Step Course That Will Help You Build A Strong Gameplan, Select The Right Extracurriculars, Brainstorm Your Passion Project, & More!
SUBSCRIBE AND REVIEW ON APPLE PODCASTS
If you enjoyed the episode, consider subscribing on Apple Podcasts! You’ll get exclusive notifications when I upload episodes and if I release any bonus episodes, you’ll be the first to know. Click here to subscribe!
If you leave a review on Apple Podcasts, I may also give you a special shoutout–click here to leave a review! Be sure to select “Ratings” and then “Write a Review”, and let me know what you enjoyed the most about this episode or if you have any ideas for a future episode.
I’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas! Email your suggestions to info@passionprep.com.
Don’t use Apple Podcasts? You can also find us on Spotify and Google Play!
