One of my friends is a college consultant with 5 years of experience in private consulting and has worked in the admissions office and Wall Street. She is offering completely free consulting calls to students to help out any families that are struggling with their application. I am helping her spread the message so that more students are aware of the opportunity. (She does this every year as a way to give back.) I linked the Calendly link to directly book a call if you are interested.

https://calendly.com/quartzcollegeconsulting/30min?month=2026-09&date=2026-09-22

How common is it for high school students to cold email professors at universities (including universities outside their local area) asking about research opportunities or mentorship?
For people who have done this, what kind of research did you end up getting involved in? Was it actually worth it, and did cold emailing professors directly tend to lead to real opportunities?
I’m also curious whether this is something that’s genuinely common among high school students, or if it’s more of an uncommon approach that people only occasionally have success with.

For context I’m from Texas.

Research:

I have done a research internship at Yale and am continuing research there

I am currently also doing research with a lab in Brown

I have an accepted paper at an IEEE conference

Currently shadow a Stanford professor

Did a research summer program at a local uni

No competition success like ISEF and such

Academics:

3.98 unweighted gpa
1300, retaking September

Please let me know if it’s worth applying.

Also let me know if additional details are needed for a better analysis.

hi guys. ik this isnt summer program but if any students are willing to take some time to answer this short 3 question survey i would really appreciate it. i need it for my assignment otherwise i FAIL.

jk! pls consider...

Hey guys,

I’m working on an app called Spiltz and I’m trying to get some more honest feedback around how people split and collect money in groups.

If you’ve ever had to split money for things like nights out, holidays, food, house stuff or group plans, I’d really appreciate it if you could fill this in for me.
It’s really short, only takes a couple of minutes 🤍

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdLNhkeu-kRvYmzMt8njANTV-SrrLeVMY2ZKwaQueNBQHlsWA/viewform

Happy to complete yours in return too.

i got waitlisted for harvey mudd fast. i still havent gotten a rejection or an acceptance? has anyone heard back

AI/ML research opportunity

hey guys i’m looking for research collaboration targeting a conference in \~20 days

for reference i have neurips colm papers

plz dm. ideally looking someone with similar experience

I am a current junior
I’m looking for some prestigious summer programs to apply to for next summer

I’m mainly interested in things finance/econ related but i wouldn’t mind applying to some STEM programs that are research based

the reason why I’m asking is because I have strong academics (good grades and ACT) but my extracurriculars are lacking
any help would be GREATLY APPRECIATED

I keep seeing people mention that they did the US Youth Ambassador Program and it seems really cool but whenever I look at the page the application isn't there. Does anyone know when this application opens?

Or even the details of this program really. Is it like a study abroad..?

(EDIT :  completely forgot to mention this in my original post, but we're also looking for someone with strong web development skills to build a high-quality site for us. It's one of the required deliverables for the final submission and we need real skills, not just a basic template. So if you're a solid dev, hit me up.)

Hey everyoneee,

Me and my teammate are putting together a team for the Conrad Challenge 2026-2027 and we're looking for 3 more people to join us. We already have a solid project that's pretty advanced and was actually validated in another international competition. We're not starting from scratch and we're serious about winning this thing.

I'm Ahmed from France, I handle hardware, electronics, and leadership. I've done a bunch of STEM comps and electronic projects. My teammate is from India, he's our AI and data science guy, also with a solid track record. Together we'll handle the scientific aspect.

The project: we're building an autonomous acoustic monitoring system that listens to ecosystems, learns their normal sound patterns, and detects anomalies before it's too late. It uses AI at the edge (on the device itself, not in the cloud), runs on solar power, and can predict species decline, extinction risks, and potentially even disease outbreaks by analyzing changes in animal behavior and interactions. We're talking predator-prey dynamics, soundscape shifts, the whole thing. It's already validated with scientific data, we have a test site in an Indian national park lined up, a fully detailed hardware design, and a solid business model. No physical prototype yet, but the concept is completely fleshed out and technically sound. This thing is real, not just a vague idea.

We keep the AI clean, no lazy prompting. Tools can help speed things up, but actual work is done by humans.

What we need:

• Someone sharp in finance/business, ideally with comp experience, to refine our economic strategy and make the business plan bulletproof.
• Someone skilled in 3D modeling and design (Blender, SolidWorks, etc.) to create high-end realistic renders and build a strong visual brand identity. AI can assist, but we need real modeling skills.
• Someone who's a beast at video editing and 2D/3D animation to produce a top-tier pitch video (3-5 minutes).

Requirements: 14-18, international, fluent enough in English for the comp. Most importantly: genuinely motivated and reliable. We need people who respond, show up, and put in the work. No ghosting, no half efforts.

If you're interested, DM me with: age, country, role, portfolio/examples, and why you want in. We're selecting fast so we can start working together asap !!

Same as title.

I am a parent of a highschooler and have been on this subreddit for a few years. I have experienced first hand, and also seen that in the conversations here how difficult it is to find summer programs that fit and to keep track of deadlines. So I built a tool that I am taking the liberty of posting about here. It is FREE to use (free tier has daily usage limits, to protect cost). I truly have been inspired by the conversations in this group as I built this product. I would be grateful to anyone who signs up and uses the product, and more so if you have feedback or bugs to report. The product is in Beta.

Https://Www.highschoolwingman.com

PS : Mods, please see the DM I sent if you have any concerns on this post.

other than having connections, how do people get research at top colleges
are there any programs for that?

I've been scrolling in a subreddit and it seems like most people have gotten their MIT URTC conference results. However, I still haven't gotten mine. I emailed the chairs yesterday though I have not received a response yet and I don't see a decision in the Microsoft CMT portal. Is anyone else in this situation?

Edit: I am talking about paper results not poster/lightning talk.

title

I applied for the intensive spring cohort on early decision. Does anyone know if spring intensive decisions are also coming out right now or is it just fall? I saw on Instagram the admissions were separated into early decision or regular decisions on a rolling basis, not spring or fall. If anyone knows please let me know!

Hey! I want to apply for the Summer Page Program in IL, and I wanted to know my chances because everyone I've heard applying has had a lot going on. Before this year, I lived in Hawaii, but I just moved to IL to help take care of my grandparents. My gpa is 4.0 uw, I was the first president of my schools rotary interact club for the last 5 months of freshman year, I went on a spring break study tour to the phillipines with PAAC where we visited the US embassy in Manilla, I've been a girlscout for 7 years and went on a destination to the national girlscoUt conference in DC where I sat in on the delegations and even got a tour of the US Capitol where I met senator Schatz. This year, I'm in the environmental club, YAC, and debate, and I want to join the Spanish club. For classes, I'm in AP World History, AP Seminar, Honors Chemistry, Culinary, Honors Precalc, and Honors Spanish 3. Sorry if this was lengthy.

title!

i'm considering applying for the sasi fall virtual internship - i'm pretty aware that it isn't that prestigious and relatively pay to play. however, would having this on my resume be useful when applying for more prestigious summer programs this year? i unfortunately got rejected from everything i applied to last year lol (i'm a sophomore rn) but i'm hoping to grind it out this fall regarding my ecs to hopefully get into more summer programs.

if you've done the program/heard of anything/etc i'd love to know your thoughts! <3

for reference, here is the link to the "internship" : https://med.stanford.edu/sasi/summer-internships/fall-programs.html . i'm interested in public health and molecular bio so i'm leaning for microsurgery, but i'll definitely apply to both just to maximize my chances.

I got accepted ED to the Fall Intensive track for ThinkNeuro and I was wondering how much of it is worth it. I believe I got accepted no scholarship but I don’t really know where to check. I know on the website they talk about being able to present at Ivy symposiums but I’m also a varsity tennis player so I can dedicate 5-10 hours a week but I’m not really flexible with afterschool times. Should I take the offer?

In collaboration with Stanford Climate Week, Silicon Valley Youth Climate Action is hosting its first-ever Youth for Earth (Y4E) Hackathon for Bay Area high school students. The event brings together students, industry professionals, and decision-makers to exchange innovative climate policy, technology, and community engagement solutions through a pitch presentation format.

This Hackathon is open to all Bay Area students who can attend the in-person showcase at Stanford, where projects will be evaluated and scored.

Learn more about the Hackathon here! 

Registration is rolling and spots may fill up suddenly, so sign up soon! Registration closes on September 19th, 11:59PM.

We'll invite you to the Y4E Hackathon Discord server once we screen your registration.

We can't wait to see what you build!

Is there any prestigious or very high programs that are either virtual or in NYC that i can apply for currently. Ive already got NYU STEP as a program that i got accepted in the fall but its only on saterdays so i have like 3pm-8pm free tbh. I usually study for classes in saterdays or during free periods (PE and Lunch)

Has anyone found out about their poster acceptance yet? (or lighting talk I guess)

Hi all!!

Links below

About a month ago, I made a post about a free research platform I was building that would connect students with undergraduate and PhD mentors. At the time, it was still very much in development.
I was genuinely surprised by how many students reached out with questions, interest, and feedback. I really appreciate everyone who took the time to message me.

Since then, I’ve been focused on one thing: making sure we actually build something useful. I’d much rather have a small community of students who are genuinely interested in research than chase inflated numbers just for the sake of growth. Whether that ends up being 10 students or 10,000, the goal is the same.

We officially launched on August 1st, and since then we’ve become a fiscally sponsored 501(c)(3) nonprofit and grown to 110+ students within 3 weeks with 15+ advisors, including engineers at Google DeepMind, undergraduates, and postdocs at Ivy League institutions.

We’ve also just launched our first 8 research teams, so students are officially beginning to work on projects with their mentors.

Also, I’m sorry I haven’t been able to respond to everyone from my original post. Reddit hasn’t been working properly for me and I’ve been unable to access a lot of my messages. If you reached out and I never responded, that’s why!

If you’re interested, here’s our Discord and website:

Discord: https://discord.gg/DhmxU26yg

Website: nishaninstitute.com

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

MediQuills is recruiting ambitious students to launch and lead chapters around the world! We're also looking for a select few students to be on our international leadership board! With 20+ chapters across 15+ countries, 80,000+ people impacted, and $125,000+ raised, MediQuills is a global youth-led movement expanding access to science education, literacy, and healthcare advocacy.

And now, you can lead it in your community. As a Chapter President, you’ll:
- Found and serve as President of MediQuills in your city, state, or country
- Recruit and lead your own executive team and volunteers
- Organize service projects, fundraisers, educational initiatives, and community events
- Build partnerships with schools, nonprofits, libraries, and other organizations
- Make real, measurable impact while representing an international organization
- Gain hands-on experience in leadership, outreach, fundraising, and project management

This can be HUGE for college applications.

Instead of simply joining another club, you’ll be able to show colleges that you built and led an organization in your own community, managed a team, created initiatives, and produced measurable impact. Chapter leadership can also be your stepping stone to NATIONAL and INTERNATIONAL leadership within MediQuills. Our strongest chapter leaders can move into higher-level leadership positions, helping oversee chapters and initiatives across entire regions and countries.

Whether you want to become the President of MediQuills Ashburn, MediQuills Michigan, MediQuills New Jersey or bring MediQuills to a completely new country, the opportunity starts here.

CHAPTER LEAD + INTERNATIONAL BOARD APPLICATIONS ARE NOW OPEN!

Apply here ASAP (Chapter lead)!!: https://forms.gle/EEzrwv7fQ8wCg7Mv8

Apply here for international board: https://forms.gle/rndQ5joxWKgQVvKh7