That's money, time, and opportunities your child could have invested in something that actually strengthens their application.
And here's what many families don't realize: Most students don't even NEED research to build a competitive Ivy+ application.
So when is research worth the investment, and when are you paying for a credential that carries little weight?
🎙️ I break it all down in the latest episode of the Admittedly Podcast: S5E31, Pay-to-Play College Admissions: When Summer Programs & Research Actually Help (And When They Hurt).
Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.
#ivyleague #collegeadmissions #highschool #researchprograms #parentingtips"
4 days agoabhinavnuvvula
how would you recommend to make research stand out as someone who doesnt not intent on spending money on programs and is willing to cold email professors in a stem feild which I intend to major in. ty for your help!
5 days agoj33p4
So many conflicting pieces of information from you on this. Nebulous generic statements. What else could someone be doing to mark “true” excellence. Such a BS game.
6 days agoneotheflyingdog
Thanks. What about non-traditional, self-directed projects driven by pure intrinsic motivation? My daughter has been obsessed with languages, culture, and human geography since age 2. She only joined clubs that she was truly interested in and intentionally skipped standard resume-padding existing clubs to start her own school club around her niche interest, launched an ongoing podcast interviewing multi-gen families about culture/code-switching (doing all outreach, research, and editing), and built an independent native-language archive b lending psycholinguistics and sustainability. It's not "published lab research"—it's 100% self-motivated field research born out of genuine passion. Does admissions view this type of organic, student-driven work differently than standard lab research?
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