For Ambitious High School Students: The Best Project Timeline

Hey there. If you’re reading this, you’re probably feeling the pressure of high school already.

But here’s the thing — the best time to start your project isn’t when you’re drowning in junior or senior year. It’s now.

We’ve talked to top students from Top 20 Colleges, project-builders who’ve launched successful initiatives, and the biggest regret they all share is the same:

So how do you make sure you don’t have the same regret? We’ve laid out an ideal project timeline — a proven model that keeps you balanced even with exams, tests, and everything else you have to handle in high school.

Freshman Year/Grade 9 - Explore

This is your exploration phase. Try as many new things as possible. Don’t overthink it — volunteer, take up a self-directed research project, make a YouTube series, or get involved in community events. Your goal? Figure out what interests you.

By the end of freshman year, you should have a rough idea of what you’re passionate about.

Example: “I think I’m interested in chemistry, especially sustainability around pollution in the oceans. Maybe I could work on a project that uses chemistry to solve a real-world problem.”

Sophomore Year/Grade 10 - Launch

Context: Start something and create your first team. Your initiative doesn’t have to be perfect. It’s more important that you go through the motions of ideating, planning, and launching something in your local community.

Common examples:

By the end of sophomore year, you should have a team and a structure for your project. Aim to have launched 2-4 recurring initiatives, whether that’s recurring fundraisers, prototypes for a website, or even a couple short films you’ve submitted to local film festivals.

Whatever you choose to do, keep your impact sustained and focused. Picture the communities you are affecting and see if you can leave them with a physical, tangible experience.

Junior Year/Grade 11 - Scale

We’re going to be real with you - junior year will be the busiest time in regards to your project. Your main goal is to scale, scale, and scale.

Your main priorities:

By the end of junior year, your project should have significant quantifiable impact. Some of the most successful achievements from our students:

• Fundraised $8000 to go towards a sports education charity

• Hosted workshops which engaged 300+ students

• Sold 40 books at a book launch with all proceeds going towards a charity of choice.

The results of your projects will vary depending on its type. Maybe success looks like hitting a certain number of views on a social media campaign, or constructing a prototype that is going to be used at a research institution.

Senior Year/Grade 12 - Refine and Develop Your Story

This is your polishing phase. By this point, you should have accomplished the majority of your organization’s goals. At this stage, the sole focus of your senior year is refining your personal story.

Remind yourself of why you began this project in the first place. What were the core experiences and challenges you faced throughout your project journey? What are your “blue-sky” goals — your big vision for your impact if you had unlimited resources?

We know what you might be thinking - “I’m in junior year and I haven’t even started my organization. Is it too late?”

Short answer: it’s not. However, it will take more effort and investment from your end to make the difference.

This is why we stress the importance of mentorship. Reaching out to an older student or alumni of your school who’s done this before for help can streamline your project development process.

If you’re interested in being matched with a Top 20 College mentor and work with them 1-on-1 to create your project, learn more and contact us through this meeting link. In the meeting, our team will:

For more resources about project-building, we post weekly student resources. Some of our top advice articles are below:

Thanks again and we’ll see you next week for more project tips!

Kindly,

The Porte Team