When I speak with students about their activities for the purposes of university & college applications, I regularly hear worries about whether they need a huge, life-changing ‘passion project’ for universities to notice them. But often, the complete opposite is true! In my 15 years of working in China and Indonesia with international students, I repeatedly saw unnecessary stress created by this misconception.

Yes, it’s important to show universities that you’re involved in your community, but universities want meaningful, realistic involvement, and not exaggerated, attention-grabbing personal projects.

Ask yourself these questions to avoid the red flags universities look out for:

Do I need to start this project, or does it already exist at my school?

Some students get the impression that to stand out you need to start your own club at school. This is absolutely not true, and often just creates unnecessary stress for a student. It’s in your (and your community’s) best interest to either join an existing club that is meaningful to you, or find a genuine niche need in your community.

Is my project a meaningful initiative that will outlast me?

Universities want to know that your service activities are based on genuine interest and hard work, not a flash in the pan to grab attention. If you do create a community based project, make sure it will carry on after you leave, and have actual, measurable, positive impact for everyone involved.

Am I prioritizing my individual project over involvement in my school community?

Universities and colleges want to know that their prospective students will be not only academically successful, but active members of their community. Students who aren’t required to participate in service at school often neglect the importance of showing a university that they’re committed to the fabric of the school. Ask yourself if you are contributing in positive ways to your school community, and if not, get started!

Can I keep up with my academic commitments?

Activities are important, but students often forget that the number one consideration for universities is their transcript (a student’s official academic record). Focusing on a project at the expense of your academic performance is not only risky, but also leads to a weaker application overall.

Am I exaggerating or being dishonest?

Have a friend read your description…do they recognise you in it? Does it match how your teachers talk about you in your letters of recommendation? Universities know that you are a full time student with many responsibilities in and out of school. They aren’t expecting you to be CEOs or saviors of your community, and if you present yourself as this, it can make your application be treated with suspicion; they want to see realistic, personal, meaningful involvement – whatever that looks like for you.

What the pros say about passion projects

In my conversations with university admissions staff over the years, they consistently complain about exaggerated, stereotypical passion projects. They’re seen as distractions from the more successful aspects of your application, and tend to create an overall poorer impression of the student.

University admissions staff see thousands of applications every year – sometimes in excess of ten thousand. They know what genuine passion looks like, and they can tell when a student has created a project just for the sake of the application. Being sincere, honest, and concise in your application is greatly appreciated and will go a long way to ensuring success.

My last comment regarding passion projects is this: when university representatives visit your school, ask them about this! They’ll often say that passion projects are completely unnecessary, or even seen in a less than favorable light.