Middle school is when most students start figuring out what they actually enjoy. Competitions are an excellent way to speed that process up because they drop you into a subject rather than just introducing it. Whether your interest is STEM, writing, coding, debate, or business, a competition lets you test it under real conditions before committing any serious time to it. Some are team-based, others individual, but nearly all of them push you to think more carefully than a reg

If you’re interested in history, working on a research project while you’re still in high school is a good way to see how the subject actually works beyond textbooks. It gives you a chance to move from reading summaries to studying sources and building your own understanding. A lot of the process depends on the topic you choose. While it is tempting to go with the first idea that comes to mind, exploring a range of ideas before settling on one is a better approach. This ensur

Here’s our curated list of 8 urban planning internships and programs for high school students!