High School Research: How High School Students Can Benefit from Research Opportunities
Getting involved in research as a high school student can help you prepare for the next stage in your academic or professional career.
In this blog post, we are discussing some of the benefits of conducting your own research as a high school student. We will also share some tips to help you get started with high school research.
What is research for high school students?
Research helps fuel innovation in every industry — from healthcare to sustainability to even sociology. Research is a systematic process of collecting and analyzing data, expanding on work in a specific field, and drawing new conclusions. Research helps us discover new knowledge.
As a high school student, you may be most familiar with research in the classroom. Many high school students work on small-scale research projects at school. For example:
Writing a research paper for a history or English class.
Conducting scientific research for a lab science class.
Presenting research findings on a historical, scientific, or other academic topic.
These are all great examples of introductory research experiences! But, did you know that high school students can dive even deeper into the research process? High school students can get involved in hands-on research, outside of the classroom.
Benefits of high school research
At Inspirit AI, we love recommending that students pursue a research project in high school because there are so many benefits—from professional to academic to even social emotional. Some of the benefits of high school research include:
Standing out in college admissions: Conducting research as a high schooler is an excellent way to stand out in college admissions. In fact, according to CollegeVine, high school research may have a significant impact on your application.
Helping your internship prospects: The job market can be tricky, so having research experience on your resume may help you land a great internship. An internship is oftentimes a student’s first work experience, so if you have relevant research experience, you may have a leg up in the application process.
Receiving mentorship from top industry professionals and researchers: One of the biggest perks of participating in a research program is connecting with experts in your field of interest. At Inspirit AI, we connect students to AI and CS mentors from Stanford, Harvard, MIT, and other leading universities. Learn more about our team here.
Developing academic and professional skills: Of course, you will gain incredibly valuable academic and professional skills as a high schooler conducting research. Some of these skills include scientific inquiry, academic writing, teamwork, and presentation skills.
How to get started with high school research
How do you get started with research as a high schooler? The research process might be time consuming, but setting yourself up for success doesn’t have to be!
Narrow Down on an Area of Interest
To start off, it can be helpful to think about a series of questions related to your research interests:
In which field do you want to conduct research? Internship directories such as Forage can be helpful to explore opportunities from technology and business to fashion and real estate.
Are you looking for strictly in-person research opportunities or are you open to remote programs? If you expand your search to online summer research programs, you may be able to access research that is not offered in your local area!
What are your research goals? Are you interested in acquiring useful research skills/tools? Are you trying to prepare a research paper for submission to a science competition or research journal? Being clear about your intended takeaways/learning outcomes at the start of your search process can help to clarify what summer research program is right for you.
Of course, some students may be more unsure about where their interests lie. In these cases, high schoolers—especially underclassmen—can treat their summer research programs as a way to gauge their interest in a particular field while cultivating useful skills at the same time. Don’t be afraid to try something new and explore how more unfamiliar topics might synchronize with your other interests.
You can read more recommendations on How to Conduct Research as a High Schooler from another blog post here.
Apply to a Program or Conduct Your Own Research
Once you have a stronger sense of what area you would like to pursue, you can make a plan to pursue high school research by either:
Applying to a research program: Many universities, laboratories, academic institutions, and organizations offer summer research programs, available to high school students. These programs typically require applications, so you will need to make sure to plan ahead! At Inspirit AI, we recommend that you start apply by January or February, which is when summer applications for most programs are typically due.
Starting your own research project (with support from a mentor or professor!): Other students may prefer to pursue their own research projects. While this option may feel a bit more daunting, it does provide you with flexibility to pursue research on topics you are most interested in! Once you have determined your research focus, we recommend updating your resume and writing a cover letter to email to potential researchers and labs that can support you on this endeavor.
At Inspirit AI, we combine both approaches with our students. We believe that students learn best when they participate in a structured program that still provides them with flexibility to pursue their own interests and passions!
Inspirit AI offers a project-based research program in artificial intelligence for high schoolers. In our 10-session, live online program, high school students will develop their own AI-enabled projects to tackle important social issues. Students will emerge from the program with a completed AI project as well as a certificate to mark their achievement in computer science.
We even offer a 1:1 mentorship program for returning students who are interested in preparing a research paper for submission to a science competition or research journal.
Are you ready to get started with high school research?
In this blog post, we shared some benefits of high school research, as well as some tips for how to get started. We can’t wait to see all the amazing findings you discover through your own high school research!
