Passion projects

Answered

The Ivy League includes the most prestigious universities with high-quality education. If you want to enter one of these universities, you should understand the high requirements for admission candidates. I believe that your passion project should involve some kind of research. It will help you develop writing skills, critical thinking, and the ability to conduct independent research. You will need these skills both for admission and during your studies. Personally, I constantly work in this direction. Every day I read books and useful blogs, and practice writing an essay, an article, and a small research paper. A source https://eduhelper/essay-samples where I find samples on different topics helps me a lot. It really encourages my own thinking and searching for relevant research topics. I am learning to express my thoughts correctly in written form and to select convincing arguments for each thesis, etc. So if you really want to get into the Ivy League, then develop your academic skills in your high school.

If you are planning to do a project to get into an Ivy League, that should be your secondary benefit to the intrinsic benefit you receive by making a difference. If you are going into passion project for the end reward of getting into a nice college, don't do it at all.

My first step I would take? First, find what you are passionate about and what you could see yourself doing in the future. It doesn't need to be your future job, although related to that field for your college applications would certainly be a plus.

Secondly, consider the preexisting options. Look at the current "market" - what opportunities currently exist for you to be able to make a difference? Are they good? Are they compatible? Can you dedicate the time, or is the time offered too little?

If none of these, consider creating your own organization that can allow you to find your niche. This often times means working with your school teachers, counselors, and principals in finding unique solutions for recruitments, and often times an adult manager that brings credibility to your program. Simply put, be nice to ol' teach and develop a relationship. They just might want the responsibility of helping your dream manifest.

(Sidenote: being a people person is CRITICAL. This just isn't for the formation of a club or extracurricular, this also means for college apps too. Constantly be socializing and learn to become good at it. Universities want caring, compassionate, and compelling people to join their ranks.)

This is where the above sidenote comes in. Network with the student body. Heck, even the community. Develop those connections, tried or otherwise, that will allow you to look for opportunities. This often times means socializing with people you hardly know. Even better is joining clubs that are out of your element - the more collaborative, the better.

Finally, work HARD. I am the sort of psychopath who works 11-16 hours a day, and I hope you don't think that is the right way to live. But being the top 0.1% of students in the nation ABSOLUTELY MEANS PUTTING IN MORE HOURS THAN EVERYONE ELSE. That's the buy-in for success. Sacrifice. (But don't forget: its not only about the work you put in. At least, in appearance. You want to have a social life and ability to interact, but that itself can be even more work depending on the person.)

Probably the most important thing to realize, however, is that T20s are a crapshoot. You may just get unlucky - in fact, some economists and admissions officers have argued that many top universities should be a psudeo-lottery at this point. But, if you do put in the work, not only on the practical but the intangible and self, you can get there.

Its just gonna be a bit of a commitment.

(Citation: Recently accepted into WashU and Olin specifically)

(Edit: For further citation, I run both a not-for-profit business from my sophomore year to my current senior year, and I also volunteer as a board member and communications director for a nonprofit. Leadership roles are a must for many typical applicants.)