Passion projects empower high schoolers to take an active role in their education. The sense of accomplishment that comes from completing an in-depth research project often has a profound impact on a student's confidence and self-esteem, setting them up for continued success throughout their high school career.
Thanks to our esteemed Research Mentorship Program, students can work alongside industry experts with advanced degrees to complete professional and meaningful passion projects that inspire them to make the most of their education.
Whether students are interested in using data science to identify what drives happiness or designing a sustainable and biodegradable band-aid, Polygence gives them the tools and guidance they need to make their passions come alive!
Do your own research through Polygence!
Polygence pairs you with an expert mentor in your area of passion. Together, you work to create a high quality research project that is uniquely your own.
Navigating the High School Transition with Polygence
High school is full of challenges. In addition to more difficult classes and a heavier workload, students are given more independence and responsibilities. They also have to start thinking about college, potential careers, and how to set themselves up for success. It’s no wonder that the transition from middle school to high school can feel so difficult!
Polygence alum Shailja Tyagi, however, believes that Polygence gave her the structure and confidence she needed to succeed during this transition:
“Transitioning into high school can feel overwhelming, but Polygence made the process much smoother for me by providing me with the perfect resources, guidance, and personalized mentor I needed for pursuing my research project. They connected me with a mentor who not only helped refine my research ideas but also supported me throughout the process of drafting and publishing my research paper and code.”
The Benefits of Starting Early with Polygence
There are many benefits to starting early with Polygence. In addition to developing valuable skill sets early in high school, high school freshmen and sophomores have more time to devote to their passion projects. This is because they don’t need to take the SATs/ACTs yet or worry about working on their college applications.
Polygence alum, Anushka Praveen, reflects on her neuroscience Polygence passion project, which she completed during her sophomore year:
“I believe that freshman to sophomore year (which is when I wrote my paper) was a good time to begin a project, as the workload of the first years of high school allowed me to not only commit to my school work but also gave me enough time to complete a literature review. Writing the paper during the school year also taught me important skills such as how to balance my schedule, which has been helpful.”
Polygence alum and 8th grader Rohaan Sanyal also found meaningful structure through his passion project, sharing that:
“As a school, you have a lot of students to think about. Obviously, there are a lot of different things going on, and teachers might have to deal with other aspects of school besides teaching. But with Polygence, you have one-on-one specific instruction, and it just adapts so well to you because your mentor is able to give you the perfect feedback and teaching in order to accelerate your learning journey. With school, obviously, you can get some of that. But you won't be able to get that same kind of personalized experience that Polygence gives you.”
Early Exposure to Passions
While some students come to Polygence with a passion project in mind, many students struggle to find their passion. Polygence mentors are able to provide students with structure, guidance, and inspiration so that they can design a project they are proud of through our Launchpad Program. Alternatively, students may choose to sign up for one of our Polygence Pods, where a group of like-minded peers explore popular career and research topics alongside world-class mentors within an online 6-week course.
Regardless of which path you find more appealing, exploring passions early in your high school career will help you make the most of all the opportunities available to you during this time. All-in-all, Polygence offers top-tier extracurricular activities for high schoolers and middle schoolers.
Supplementing High School Learning
High school is full of opportunities! But then again, some high schools have more opportunities than others. What if your high school doesn’t offer advanced classes or extracurricular activities you’re interested in? What if you dream of becoming a doctor, but your high school doesn’t offer AP Biology or AP Chemistry? What if you dream of becoming a lawyer, but there’s no debate club at your school?
Unfortunately, not all students receive the same opportunities. Working with a Polygence mentor is a great way to supplement your studies and find more meaning and depth within your academic and extracurricular interests. And even if you go to a great school, with all of the classes and extracurricular activities you want, completing a Polygence project is a great way to gain confidence and maturity so that you’re in the position to fully take advantage of all of the opportunities available to you.
Skill Development
Working with a Polygence research mentor and completing a final project teaches a variety of skills. In addition to strengthening your organizational, time management, and communication skills, Polygence projects teach students how to conduct professional-level research. This often involves finding a variety of primary and secondary sources, navigating databases, analyzing sets of data, formatting citations correctly, and understanding the structure and purpose of a research paper.
For instance, Rhema Yang shares the following in regard to her Polygence project:
“It gave me more confidence in my skills of research, writing papers, looking for sources, reading sources, and a deeper understanding of psychology and neuroscience, so when the first big psychology assignment shows up, I won't be as scared.”
The Role of Mentorship for Younger Students
Passionate and creative students thrive with proper mentorship. Mentors not only teach high schoolers time management and research skills but also inspire and guide them. After all, it can be difficult to envision a full and successful career without examples.
Polygence alum, Simone Parekh, shares her insights in regards to starting her Polygence project, Bilingualism in the Brain, early in her high school career:
“I chose to do Polygence in my freshman year of high school because I wanted proper mentorship in completing a personal passion research project. It helped me understand the process of writing a research paper, including the drafting and the different steps. Polygence prepared me to write these papers on my own and more complex ones later on with the skills I was taught by my mentor.”
Similarly, Polygence alum, Shailja Tyagi, remarks:
“When I joined Polygence as a rising high schooler, I was eager to delve into machine learning and research, with a clear idea of the questions I wanted to explore. However, despite my enthusiasm and sense of direction, I lacked any formal experience in conducting research.”
Explore at the cellular level
Interested in Biology? We'll match you with an expert mentor who will help you explore your next project.
Student Stories – Early Starters in Polygence
Completing a Polygence project is a great way to start off your high school career! Not only do you gain confidence and learn to take initiative, but you also gain valuable skills that will help you succeed throughout your high school career and beyond. Lots of high school freshmen, and even middle school students, use Polygence as a way to gain inspiration and valuable life skills. Looking for advice for 9th graders? Sign up for Polygence!
Balancing School and Research
It takes a lot of practice and perseverance to develop strong organizational and time management skills. This is why learning how to form good study habits is important to start sooner rather than later. After all, high school is about having fun, too! So it’s important to learn how to manage your time effectively.
Thankfully, time management is a skill set Polygence scholars learn really well. In fact, Shailja Tyagi shares that, ‘Polygence enabled me to balance my passion for research with my schoolwork and extracurricular activities and I learned how to structure my time effectively.’
Similarly, Simone Parekh shares that: “The intense planning and organization that was required for writing the paper and meeting with the mentor helped me better adhere to a schedule, and it is actually what helped me start using Google Calendar, which I still use religiously 3 years later.”
Overall, learning how to organize your time effectively is empowering. It also gives you the space to feel excited about your goals, such as Shailja Tyagi, who remarks, “This experience ultimately sparked my passion for machine learning and research, helping me see its incredible potential to solve real-world problems and benefit others.”
Long-Term Impact and Growth
Polygence passion projects empower students to take the initiative by seeking out additional opportunities related to their interests.
For example, Polygence alum Arnav Kolluru shares that:
“Participating in Polygence early in my high school years greatly benefited me. Under the mentorship of Ms. Jessica, I developed a website on Alzheimer’s disease, through which I facilitated donations and raised awareness about the condition. Furthermore, Polygence helped me to publish my article on sleep disturbances in people with Alzheimer's disease. Later, in my sophomore year, I participated in Alzheimer’s walks in my city. Working on a neuroscience project so early motivated me to compete and perform well in the state Brain Bee competition.”
As you can see, Polygence inspires and empowers students to share their knowledge and seek out opportunities to apply the skills and knowledge they’ve acquired throughout the course of their Polygence project.
For more information about high school freshmen completing Polygence projects, check out these student interviews:
High School Biology Research Student Creates Band-Aid Replacement
High School Research Student Jasmita Explores Connection Between Test Anxiety and Music
High School Research Student Lilian Shifts Our View on Social Media Through Architectural Design
The Unique Value of Polygence for Rising High Schoolers
Whether you start high school with a clear set of interests or are still looking for something that excites you, Polygence can help you to discover and develop your unique passions! Mentors provide expert guidance and customized support so that students are able to explore potential careers and enhance their high school resumes. Overall, working with a Polygence mentor is a great college admissions strategy. One that is sure to impress college admissions officers at top universities!
Access to Resources
Polygence provides access to valuable resources, including labs, academic journals, databases, and expert networks that students might not be able to access on their own. Not only are these resources of great monetary value but with the guidance of their mentors, students will be able to take full advantage of these resources with confidence and skill.
Skill Development
Regardless of their individual research topic, Polygence scholars develop important life skills, such as time management and organizational skills, as well as exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
Polygence alum, Simone Parekh shares that:
“The intense planning and organization that was required for writing the paper and meeting with the mentor helped me better adhere to a schedule, and it is actually what helped me start using Google Calendar, which I still use religiously 3 years later.”
Furthermore, Polygence projects teach students more specialized skills, such as research design, data analysis, scientific communication, citations, coding, mathematical modeling, etc.
Community and Networking
Student mentorships foster a sense of community while often leading to valuable networking opportunities. In addition to providing students with personalized advice and recommendations — in regards to schools, summer programs, internships, and competitions — mentors may also be willing to act as professional references.
Long-Term Benefits and Career Impact
Participating in a Polygence program has many long-term benefits. Let’s examine three of these benefits: enhanced college applications, career opportunities, and future growth.
1. Enhanced College Applications
Colleges want to admit well-rounded individuals who will contribute to the campus community in meaningful ways. Completing a Polygence passion project is a great way for students to demonstrate their potential. Overall, by pursuing a passion project, students gain invaluable experiences while simultaneously developing a compelling narrative for their application and ultimately increasing their chances of getting into their dream school. Colleges place a lot of value on continuity and skill building, so starting with Polygence early is a great way to accomplish this.
2. Career Opportunities
Polygence passion projects are a great way to enhance your high school resume, which can lead to internships, scholarships, and career opportunities. Additionally, Polygence mentors are respected professionals within their fields and, therefore, are valuable connections to have. And even if you change your mind about your interests, strong research and analytical skills are highly sought after in a variety of professions.
3. Future Growth
Polygence projects inspire future growth. Polygence alum, Shailja Tyagi, highlights this fact very succinctly, sharing that: “This experience wasn't just about completing one project—it gave me the confidence and skills to continue pursuing more independent research projects.”
Similarly, Rhema Yang shares that:
“I think doing Polygence (at least in my experience) has 3 very large benefits. The first one is something you can put on your resume, both the research and publication part, especially when applying for internships. The second is having experience doing research or writing papers in school and having a level up. The third is having a deeper understanding of psychology and neuroscience, so I'm ready for the school year.”
Polygence Scholars Are Also Passionate About
High school is the time when students start gaining confidence, independence, and a sense of purpose and community. It’s also the time when they start figuring out more generally what they like and dislike, especially in terms of classes and extracurricular activities. Polygence projects are the perfect way to explore student passions while gaining important life skills.
Polygence works with hundreds of world-class mentors with advanced degrees from top universities. During our onboarding process, students are paired with mentors based on unique shared interests, learning styles, and personalities. This ensures that each and every Polygence scholar has a personally and academically rewarding experience.
Interested in learning more about Polygence programs? Peruse our Frequently Asked Research Program Questions and explore past students’ Passion Projects. Then submit an interest form and we’ll be in touch about how we can help you meet your goals!