9 Passion Projects That Admission Officers Loved

By Brandie Erickson April 28, 2023 BS/MD Admissions Consulting College Application Medical Admissions Medical School Admissions Consulting Press Summer Plans

For the Class of 2026, Brown University’s Program in Liberal Medical Education (PLME) had more than 3,827 applicants but admitted just 84 students for a 2% acceptance rate. While the school remained test-optional, the average accepted student who submitted scores had an SAT score of 1500-1570 or an ACT score of 34-36. With an average GPA of 3.9, the accepted students were almost always in the top 10% of their graduating class. 

However, thousands of students have a similar profile to the accepted students who get rejected. What is the secret to getting an acceptance letter versus a rejection?

Ultimately, it comes down to the resume. Accepted students have more than just strong academics; they also have been heavily involved in school clubs, volunteer work, and other extracurricular activities. 

For BS/MD students, they have to go the extra mile to gain one of the exclusive seats in a direct medical program. That means volunteering in medical settings, shadowing physicians, and completing research. However, students who want to stand out will often pursue a passion project to help bolster their resume.

At Moon Prep, we’ve interviewed dozens of admissions officers and students at top schools, BS/MD programs, medical schools and summer programs to learn what they are looking for in their applicants. One recurring theme emerged: passion. Admission officers want students who are passionate about a particular thing and figure out a way to use that passion to impact their community. These passion projects can be anything: a research project, a nonprofit, inventions, or advocating for a particular cause. 

Here are nine passion project examples from real students who were accepted at the most competitive colleges, BS/MD Programs, and summer camps in the world.

Read more about the projects in our full article on Forbes here.