Published October 28, 2026.
Start with one question your student can explain in a minute, and a result they can finish this school year. A famous summer program comes later, and only if it still takes high school students. Jackson Laboratory’s summer program, for example, now takes undergraduates. What belongs on an application is the question, the method, and what your student learned. A logo without those three things is just a line on a list.
The order that holds up
| Step | What done looks like | What to ignore for now |
|---|---|---|
| 1. One question | A sentence a teacher can understand, narrow enough to finish | A field chosen because it sounds impressive |
| 2. The reading | A short stack of sources, with notes in the student's words | A literature review copied from a lab page |
| 3. A small result | A data note, a prototype, or a paper the student can defend | A certificate from a program they cannot describe |
| 4. A person who will answer | A teacher, or a researcher who agreed to a specific question | A mass email to every professor in a department |
| 5. A program, if it fits | Eligibility, dates, and cost copied from that program's site | A ranking of programs from a blog that does not link the source |
Steps 1 through 3 can happen at the kitchen table. They do not require a university email address. A student who can show the notes and the result has something to say in an outreach email. A student who only has a wish list does not. Our guide to writing to professors is for step 4, after the question exists. Our research portfolio guide is about what to keep so the work can be explained later.
Check the program page before you plan around it
Read the eligibility line before you build a year around a program. Jackson Laboratory’s Summer Student Program takes undergraduates for 2027, due January 25, with a $7,500 stipend. If a page does not say a high school student may apply, pick a different program.
The research deadline list is free and needs no account. Our research programs guide covers programs that still say who may apply, what it costs, and when it is due.
How the work shows up on an application
Common App's activities section, renamed Activities and experiences for 2026-27, holds up to 10 entries. The description allows 150 characters. The organization name allows 100. Hours per week and weeks per year have their own fields, so the description should say what the student did and what came of it, not how long the summer was. Common App says you do not need to fill all 10. One research entry a student can discuss is enough. Ten vague ones are not.
If the research is the center of the application, the personal statement can carry the question and what the student learned. It should not repeat the 150-character line. Our personal statement guide is the place for that choice. The activities checklist at /collegeprep/activities-check shows whether the entry says the role, the contribution, and the hours without padding.
A weekly rhythm
Two or three hours a week of reading and notes will beat a weekend of panic before a program deadline. Keep a log: the source, the sentence the student wrote about it, and the next question. Every two weeks, cut the question if the log shows it is too wide. A finished narrow project is a better file than an unfinished ambitious one.
Parents can keep the calendar and the source list. They should not write the notes. A letter, an interview, or a teacher who watched the work will notice the difference, and so will the student when someone asks them to explain it.
Questions families ask
Do selective colleges require high school research?
No. Research helps when your student can explain the question, what they did, and what they learned. A program name by itself does not.
Where do you start if the family has no university contacts?
Start with a question the student can finish, then a teacher or a local lab that will answer. A selective summer program is a later step, and only if its current page says high school students may apply.
Does the Jackson Laboratory still take high school seniors?
No. The Jackson Laboratory Summer Student Program says it no longer accepts high school seniors. The 2027 program is for undergraduates.
How do you report research on the Common App?
As an activity, if it was real work. Common App allows up to 10 activities. The description is 150 characters. Hours per week and weeks per year are separate fields, so do not spend the description on the calendar.
Should a family pay for a research program first?
Not until the student has a question and has read the program’s current eligibility, cost, and dates on the sponsor’s site. Our research programs guide collects the programs that still publish those facts.
Sources
- Jackson Laboratory Summer Student Program, admission, high school seniors are no longer accepted. 2027 dates and the $7,500 stipend are on that page.
- Common App, Approaching the Activities section, September 2026: up to 10 activities, and the 50-, 100-, and 150-character fields.
- Common App, 2026-27 first-year updates for counselors, the section is renamed Activities and experiences, and the character limits stay.