essay on personal project

MYP Personal Project

Important Dates and Timelines
What is the Personal Project
RCHK Handbook
Learning and Product Goals
Process Journal
Success Criteria
Developing a Plan
ATL Skill Information
Impact of Product
Product Evaluation
Bibliography
Academic Honesty
RCHK Samples from 2021-2022
OIS Samples from 2021-2022
IB Support Materials

PP Level 7 Video and Evidence Report OIS 1

This level 7 sample is a 9 minute video with an accompanying 6 page evidence report. The student asks the view to refer to the report to see more detailed information.

PP Level 7 Video and Evidence Report OIS 2

This level 7 sample is a 1 minute video with an accompanying 14 page evidence report. the student asks the view to refer to the report to see more detailed information., pp level 7 video and evidence report ois 3.

This level 5 sample is a 9 minute video with an accompanying 6 page evidence report. The student asks the view to refer to the report to see more detailed information.

PP Level 7 Video and Evidence Report OIS 4

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Last Updated: Jun 18, 2024 3:33 PM
URL: https://rchk.libguides.com/personalproject

The Heart, Head, and Hands of Learning

A step-by-step guide to the MYP Personal Project

(This blog post and the resources attached have been updated and can be found in the following location: Caring Practitioners )

Welcome to the Personal Project!

To effectively complete your personal project you need to follow each step listed on this webpage. To help you understand each section of the personal project Inquiry cycle there are five 10-minute videos to watch that will provide extra guidance. We recommend you read the steps under each heading and then watch the videos to reinforce what you have read.
At each step of the personal project, there is a .pdf exemplar for you from a previous Good Shepherd Lutheran College student that can help you structure your own process journal. See the hyperlink at the beginning of each objective. (Disclaimer: this is not an example of an excellent personal project, but rather a simple guide for you to follow as you complete your own personal project.)
Before you embark on the personal project journey ensure you have a process journal that suits your preferred journaling style, e.g., notebook, visual art diary, blog, pages document, etc.
Your process journal is where you document your progress throughout your Personal Project – it is extremely important that you back this up as you travel along your personal project journey.
Enjoy the process of engaging in your personal project and ensure you make regular contact with your supervisor; they will be your greatest support throughout the personal project.

We wish you all the best as you embark on this journey that will consolidate your International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme learning and prepare you for the further rigours of Stage 1 and Stage 2 at Good Shepherd Lutheran College.

Objective A: Investigating

(Supporting document for Investigating: Process Journal Exemplar – Investigating )

Personal Project Mind-map

In your process journal mind-map ideas for your personal project based on your personal interests. Spend time thinking about which product/outcome you would like to create and ensure this is a project that can maintain your interest and enthusiasm for an 8-month duration.

Defining a clear goal

In your process journal outline exactly what you want to create for your personal project and explain how this is based on a personal interest.

Ensure you document the following:

Give a precise meaning of the goal of your project. Explain what you want to achieve, when, where, how and why you want to achieve this.
Describe what makes the personal project personal: the experiences, interests and ideas that make it important to you.

Defining a global context

Select one global context from the six global contexts below that best applies to your project

Once you have chosen a global context, you need to decide on an area of exploration within this global context. An area of exploration is a way to make the global context you have chosen more relevant and specific to your project.

You now need to articulate in your process journal how the global context and area of exploration you have chosen can help you answer the following questions:

What do I want to achieve through my project?
What do I want others to understand through my work?
What impact do I want my project to have?
How can a specific context give greater purpose to my project?

Clarifying your goal

Drawing together your initial goal definition based on a personal interest and the global context and area of exploration of your choice, refine your goal using the SMART goal graphic organiser. Ensure you document this in you process journal .

Identification of prior-learning and subject-specific knowledge

In your process journal identify what you already know about the goal for your project, the sources of your knowledge and how this will help you achieve your personal project goal. For example, prior-learning could be a night class, sports clinic, previous training or experience, etc.

In your process journal identify what you have learned from your MYP subject groups that will help you achieve your personal project goal.

Demonstrate your research skills

In order to effectively achieve your personal project goal you need to firstly research and evaluate the sources you have researched so you can then transfer this research to your actual project.

Research Process

Using the research model below, you need to document your research in your process journal.

Ensure you have 1 – 3 primary sources and 4 – 8 secondary sources.

Ensure you copy/print your sources and ensure they are all documented in your process journal – see exemplar for example of how to do this effectively. (See process journal exemplar – Criteria A – for example of how this information can be documented.)

Ensure you highlight relevant sections of your sources and annotate how you can apply this to your product/outcome.

Evaluate sources

Each source you research you must ensure you evaluate this source using the process on the following page.

Authority – Who is responsible for presenting this information?

Who has written or provided this information and can you check their qualifications?
Is the information from an ‘expert’ in this field?

Accuracy – Is the information accurate, can it be proven and verified?

Is the information correct?
Can you check the accuracy of information through links, footnotes and bibliography?

Objectivity – Is the information based on facts, things you can observe or based more on opinions and emotions? Is it from just one point-of-view?

Is there personal bias?
Can you verify that facts, statistics and links to sources are accurate and truthful?

Currency – How old is the information and is this important?

Has the author(s) provided a date for when the information was written?
Has the information been revised or updated, and if so, when?

Ensure you document your source evaluation in your process journal . (See process journal exemplar for an example of how you can document this.)

In your process journal ensure you reflect on how your research skills have developed over the duration of the project. Ensure you document how you have shared your research skills to help your peers as they progressed through their projects too.

Here is a video tutorial to reinforce the information above:

Objective B: Planning

(Supporting document for Planning: Process Journal Exemplar – Planning )

Develop criteria for your product/outcome

Now that you have set your goal, defined the global context for your project and completed your research – you need to transfer this into criteria for success for your project.

In order to develop criteria for your project you need to develop a set of specifications for your product/outcome.

When creating your specifications ask yourself the following questions:

How will I know when I have achieved my goal?
How can I judge the quality of my product/outcome?

You need to create a minimum of five rigorous specifications for your criteria.

When creating your specifications you can consider the following options:

You now need to transfer your specifications in a draft form in your process journal and once your supervisor has approved this, write the final copy in your criteria for success rubric breaking down each specification from excellent to limited. (See process journal exemplar for what the criteria for success rubric should look like.)

Develop a plan and development process

In your process journal create a timeline or Gantt Chart (see personal project exemplar for example of a Gantt Chart) for the completion of your Personal Project.

Your timeline needs to include the following:

due dates for each segment of the Personal Project
meetings with supervisor
incremental stages for the completion of your product/outcome
how you will manage your time to complete your personal project (for e.g. balancing sports with school work, etc.)
draft of report
final copy of report
submission of whole personal project – process journal, report and product/outcome.

As you progress through the creation of your project, ensure you document your progress and how you are keeping to your plan.

(Disclaimer: the process journal exemplar for develop a plan and development process is very limited, you need to expand on this with much more detail.)

Demonstrate self-management skills

In your process journal you need to ensure you document your self-management skills as you create your product/outcome.

The next section of your personal project is to place your goal into action . As you create your product/outcome you need to continuously reflect on and document your developing ability to:

Organisational skills:

Meet deadlines
Stick to your goal
Maintain your process journal with regular updates
Select and use technology effectively and productively

Affective skills:

Mindfulness – practise strategies to overcome distractions and maintain mental focus
Perseverance – demonstrate persistence and perseverance
Self-motivation – practise analysing and attributing causes for failure and practise positive thinking

Reflection skills:

Develop new skills, techniques and strategies for effective learning
Keep a journal to record reflections
Identify strengths and weaknesses of personal learning strategies (self-assessment)

In your process journal, document your reflection. Be honest, explain how you have overcome self-management difficulties and reflect on how you can continue to have self-management success.

If you need further information on mindfulness and positive thinking strategies see our College Director of Positive Psychology, Mr Boyce or our College Chaplain, Pastor Andrew.

Objective C: Taking action

(Supporting document for Taking Action: Process Journal Exemplar – Taking Action )

Create a product/outcome in response to the goal, context and criteria

Here is the part of your personal project where you place your investigation and planning into action.

In your process journal you need to ensure you document the creation of your product/outcome. You need to ensure you take regular photographs and annotate these in your process journal.

Demonstrate thinking skills

As you progress through creating your product/outcome you need to document the following:

Problems you encountered and how you critically and creatively solved these problems
How you have transferred and applied information to make decisions when creating your product/outcome (explicitly explain at least 2 primary sources and at least 4 secondary sources – how have you applied this research to your product/outcome?)
Skills you developed as you created your product/outcome
How your prior-learning informed the creation of your product/outcome
How your knowledge and skills have grown throughout the creation of your product/outcome
How have you designed improvements

Demonstrate communication and social skills

Communication with experts and how their advice informed the creation of your product/outcome (make sure you document communication as evidence)
Communication with your supervisor and how their feedback informed the completion of your Personal Project (make sure you save all emails and record Skype sessions, etc.)
How you have read a variety of sources for information on your personal project
How you have transferred information given through communication to your product/outcome
How you have made inferences and drawn conclusions.

Objective D: Reflecting

(Supporting document for Reflecting: Process Journal Exemplar – Reflecting )

Evaluate the quality of the product/outcome against their criteria

For this section of your personal project you need to refer back to your specifications and criteria for success rubric that you created and have been seeking to achieve as you took action to create your product/outcome.

Using a highlighter, highlight in your process journal what you think your product/outcome has achieved against the specifications you have set.

You now need to provide a justification of why you have given yourself the grade against the specification. This needs to be documented in your process journal . If you have not achieved the top achievement levels you need to justify why and explain how you can improve your product/outcome so you can achieve the top achievement level.

Reflect on how completing the personal project has extended your knowledge and understanding of the topic and the global context

In your process journal respond in detail to the following questions:

how has completing the personal project extended your knowledge and understanding of the topic of your product/outcome?
how has completing the personal project extended your knowledge and understanding of the global context you have chosen?

Reflect on development as a learner

In order to respond to this part of your reflection choose at least 2 of the learner profile attributes in the following table and in your process journal reflect on how you have developed the characteristics of the learner profiles of your choice as you have progressed through the personal project.

Writing your personal project report

(Supporting document for Report: Personal Project Report Exemplar )

(MYP Personal Project Assessment Criteria: Personal Project Assessment Criteria )

Now that you have created your product/outcome and reflected and documented each step of the personal project inquiry cycle, you now need to transfer this information to your personal project report. This is a formal piece of writing that provides a report on the completion of your personal project. The word count is 1500 words to 3500 words.

Using your personal project report graphic organiser you need to respond to each heading using the information you have gathered in your process journal.

Personal project report checklist

To achieve at your very best in the personal project report, ensure you address each dot point in the personal project report checklist.

Criteria A: Investigating

Define a clear goal and context for the project, based on personal interests

In my report:

– I give the precise meaning of the goal of my project; I explain “what I wanted to achieve; when, where, how and why I wanted to achieve it”..

– I define the global context that applies best to my project and explain its connection.

– I describe what makes my project personal: the experiences, interest and ideas that make it important to me.

– If I made changes to my goal during the project, I explain the changes and why I made them.

Identify prior learning and subject-specific knowledge relevant to the project

In my report:

– I identify what I already knew about this topic/project and the sources of my knowledge.

– I identify what I learned in MYP subject groups at Good Shepherd Lutheran College before the project started, and how this was helpful.

Demonstrate research skills

In my report:

– I outline the research skills I had when I started the project.

– I discuss the research skills I developed through the project.

– I explain how I may have shared my research skills to help peers who needed more practice.

Criteria B: Planning

Develop criteria for the product/outcome

In my report:

– I refer to the criteria I designed to evaluate the project product/outcome.

– If I made changes to my criteria during the project, I explain the changes and why I made them.

Plan and record the development process of the project

In my report:

– I provide evidence of my planning through timelines, milestones or other tools/strategies.

– I present a record of how the project progressed from start to finish.

Demonstrate self-management skills

In my report:

– I outline the self-management skills I had when I started the project.

– I discuss the self-management skills I developed through the project.

– I explain how I may have shared my self-management skills to help peers who needed more practice.

Criteria C: Taking action

Create a product/outcome in response to the goal, context and criteria

In my report:

– I discuss the product/outcome as the result of the process undertaken during the project.

– I check that I have included evidence of my product to be submitted with my report.

Demonstrate thinking skills

In my report:

– I outline thinking skills that I had when I started the project.

– I discuss thinking skills I developed through the project.

– I explain how I may have shared my thinking skills to help peers who needed more practice.

Demonstrate communication and social skills

In my report:

– I outline the communication and social skills I had when I started the project.

– I discuss the communication and social skills I developed through the project.

– I explain how I may have shared my communication and social skills to help peers who needed more practice.

Criteria D: Reflecting

Evaluate the quality of the product/outcome against their criteria

In my report:

– I evaluate the product/outcome against the criteria I designed.

– I identify the strengths, weaknesses and possible improvements of the product/outcome.

Reflect on how completing the project has extended their knowledge and understanding of the topic and global context

In my report:

– I identify challenges and the solutions I developed to meet them.

– I demonstrate a deeper knowledge and understanding of my topic and the identified global context.

– I base my reflection on evidence, including my process journal.

Reflect on their development as IB learners through the project

In my report:

– I identify how I have developed as a learner (using the IB learner profile as appropriate).

– I discuss my strengths and weaknesses in completing the project.

– I summarize the impact the project could have on my future learning.

Ensure you provide a bibliography and an appendix. (See Bibliography guide for examples of how you need to structure your bibliography.)

Ensure you double-check your report for spelling and punctuation errors.

Once you have finished your report, you need to email this to your personal project supervisor for their feedback and when they have responded with feedback you need to update your report according to their feedback.

Submission and Exhibition

You need to submit the following to the MYP Coordinator’s office. On the bookshelf in the office there are alphabetically organised boxes, you need to place the following in the box (ensure all parts of your project are collated into a file of sorts or clipped together ):

Process journal (if electronic either printed out, uploaded to Coneqt or provide a url address for your process journal if this is a blog or website)
Academic honesty form, signed by yourself and your supervisor
Product or evidence of outcome (if you product is very large in size, please see Ms England to make a special arrangement for storage, delivery, etc.)

The week prior to your exhibition and awards evening, ensure you have pictures, headings, artefacts, etc., organised so when your rostered time comes to prepare your exhibition space you are ready to simply spend 20-minutes preparing your exhibition space.

Congratulations – you have officially finished your personal project!!

*Your final standardised grade will be submitted via Seqta.

References:

MYP: From principles into practice, 2014

Projects subject guide, 2014

Further guidance for MYP projects, 2015

How to Write Your PERSONAL PROJECT Report in a Weekend (2022)

Updated: Oct 12, 2022

Personal Project Guide (MYP 2021 2022 Edition Updated):

How to write your ib myp pp report and get top marks, part 1: structure of 2022 pp report.

Your MYP personal project report should demonstrate your engagement with your personal project by summarizing the experiences and skills recorded throughout the process and be presented succinctly.

The report should be presented in three sections, based on the objectives and strands (a) planning, (b) applying skills, and (c) reflecting and provide evidence for all the strands of all criteria.

Max 15 pages (5 pages for each section)

PART 2: Requirements of 2022 PP REPORT

Other requirements laid out in the Personal Project Guide:

To ensure that the written part of the report is clearly legible, each page must have a minimum 11-point font size and 2 cm margins.

Evidence presented in images must be clearly visible at the size submitted.

Audio and video must be recorded and submitted in real-time.

The bibliography is uploaded separately and is not included in the page limit.

Please do not include a title page; if included, it will count towards the page limit.

Criterion A: Planning (5 PAGES)

Criterion A i. states a LEARNING GOAL and explains the connection between personal interest(s) and that goal

Your LEARNING GOAL should be a clear and concise statement/paragraph. Your LEARNING GOAL should be measurable, observable, manageable and meaningful. Your LEARNING GOAL should be an identified action that can be demonstrated in terms of knowledge, skills, and attitudes upon completion of a project.

Your LEARNING GOAL statement/paragraph should then be expanded upon and aim to address some of these key elements:

WHAT skills are you planning to develop through this project?

WHAT knowledge do you hope to increase as you work on your project?

WHY are you doing this (what need will this fulfil? what is the purpose)?

HOW will your learning goal be demonstrated?

WHAT degree of mastery is required to meet this learning goal?

WHAT are you specifically planning to learn through this project?

WHICH strategies might you employ to achieve your personal and academic goals

An excellent idea is to support your learning goal with a well-written project DESIGN BRIEF paragraph. Your DESIGN BRIEF should include some of these key elements:

WHAT are you specifically going to make/build/do/perform?

WHERE will your end product/project be situated (provide context)?

WHEN will your project be completed (Students should set an overall goal that can be achieved within 25 hours).

WHO is your target audience? WHO will see/use your product/project? WHO are the key stakeholders involved?

WHAT materials/resources/tools will be used when creating, making and building your project?

Connect your DESIGN BRIEF and your LEARNING GOAL - explain in a paragraph how the project and learning goals are in sync.

Clearly identify the topic/focus and provide evidence that this TOPIC/FOCUS REALLY INTEREST YOU and that you want to learn more about this topic. This element of the assessment criterion can be addressed by:

Clearly identify your prior learning - identify skills and your level of knowledge of this topic/focus

Considering that Criterion C should be directly linked to this section -- In Criterion A you paint a clear picture of your skill level and knowledge level... then in Criterion C you outline how your skills level has increased and your knowledge has increased. From A to C there should be clearly identified and measurable growth.

Linking your project to classes/courses you have taken in the past to convince the reader that TOPIC/FOCUS REALLY INTEREST YOU (e.g. a global context that your found particularly compelling in Science, a service as action experience that you would like to build on, a specific topic/unit that you found very interesting in Design can wish to explore further, explain how you have learnt piano for 4 years at Jenny's Music School and I and a level 3 and can play 14 songs off by heart and wish to move to level 4 and increase the number of songs in your repertoire 28, etc.)

Convincing the reader that this TOPIC/FOCUS REALLY INTEREST YOU and that you indeed possess intrinsic motivation to work hard on this chosen project.

Convincing the reader that your LEARNING GOAL for the project is linked to a TOPIC/FOCUS REALLY INTEREST YOU.

Providing a list (brainstorm list) and/or diagram (mind map) of all your interests and then explain how you chose TOPIC/FOCUS and it REALLY INTEREST YOU and related LEARNING GOAL from your long list of interests.

The above image demonstrates that I have been playing the Piano and have had a love for music since a very early age.

The above image is a mindmap I created when I was searching for a topic for the Personal Project, this is a mindmap of all my interests.

The above image shows that I am a beginner level with Python coding and my learning goal is to build on this and get to level 3

Criterion A ii. state an intended product and develop appropriate success criteria for the product

DESIGN BRIEF - start with your well-written design brief

Create a list of SUCCESS CRITERIA / DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS specific assessment specifications/criteria for your product. Identify key design specifications; explain WHO will test each specification/criterion; explain HOW each criterion will be measured/evaluated and JUSTIFY each specification/criterion with RESEARCH. (e.g. I will make a video that will be 3-5min -- this will be measured by my supervisor in May and if the video is between 3-5 this will be a PASS, otherwise it will be judged FAIL. According to XXX research 3-5min is the optimal time for a short video because YYY)

Pro-Tip - RESEARCH and find how to measure success for your product (e.g. how to judge a pizza, how to critique a short video, how to measure the success of a piano recital) and use this as a guide when you create your own list of success criteria.

Pro-Tip - create a design specification table with these columns:

Design specification

Explanation of specification

Justification of this specification linked to research

How the specification will be tested, measured and by whom

Criterion C will be directly linked to this section when you evaluate the success of your product.

SpecificationDescription & link to research analysisTest Aesthetics: Modern and MinimalI made this choice because my client likes this style and because he values practicality more than style and he also wants the chair to blend in with many different styles.Testing from the client in which he will give a rating between 1-5 which will be test by looking at the chair in detail.Cost: 900 bahtAccording to research, the average price of a modern chair is about 1000 baht but because they don't care about the materials used to make a chair. The material used can be a lower grade but be cautious that the materials still have to be good enough for the client.Testing by calculating the cost of the material used to make a chair while also keeping track of the budget.ErgonomicsThere are many ways that a chair can be made comfortable. One of these ways is about the materials of the chair. The angle of the chair also matters because it determines how the client sits and also the posture of the client. https://www.chairoffice.co.uk/blog/the-ergonomics-of-a-chair-explained/ https://ehs.unc.edu/workplace-safety/ergonomics/office/ Testing from the client to see if the chair is comfortable or not by having the client sit on the chair for a period of time to see if the chair affects the posture or gives any pain to the client.SustainabilityThis chair will be made out of wood because it doesn’t hurt the environment as opposed to plastic which is very harmful to the environment. The chair will also be put together using different types of joints and metal nails and screws. Non toxic glue. But the only place where plastic or rubber will be used is for the stopper so that the chair doesn’t wobble. https://www.mymove.com/home-inspiration/decoration-design-ideas/the-ultimate-guide-to-sustainable-furniture/#:~:text=The%20best%20sustainable%20furniture%20choices%20are%20created%20from%20recycled%20items,for%20furniture%20and%20home%20decor .Testing from the client and creator by researching the sustainability of each material and the consequences of using the material to see if it’s harmful to the environment or not.SafetyWhen building the chair, be sure that there will be no sharp edges, splinters, and any other things that can hurt the client. The chair also has to be stable so that when the client is sitting, he/she doesn’t fall backward. https://www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/content/workstation-health-and-safety-desks-chairs-and-posture Testing from the creator and the client by sitting on it to see if the chair has any place which can be considered harmful to the client.FunctionA chair made for sitting in which the chair will be used in the study room or bedroom.Testing from the client where he/she will judge whether the chair suits the surroundings or not.MaterialsThis chair will be made mostly out of wood which can be found in Thailand.Testing from the designer by testing each material and comparing it to other specifications.PracticalityThe chair should be light and portable while also giving comfort and functionality.Testing from the designer and client by doing a series of tests which involve moving the chair around to test if the chair is movable or not.ComfortEven though the chair will be made from wood, the chair will include a cushion which will give the client more comfort. https://www.onyamagazine.com/australian-affairs/comfort-or-practicality-can-you-really-have-both-when-purchasing-office-chairs/ Testing from the designer and client by sitting on the chair and giving a rating of 1-5 where 1 is the least comfortable and 5 is the most comfortable

Criterion A iii. present a clear, detailed plan for achieving the product and its associated success criteria.

Your DETAILED PLAN needs a clear reference to TIME &/or your due-dates list. (when will each task take place and how much time is allocated (23rd March | 2hrs)). Create yourself a timeline for completing short- and long-term tasks.

The emphasis is a DETAILED PLAN of how you will create your PRODUCT - NOT a plan to write your report and NOT a plan to meet the learning goal). Your creating the PRODUCT DETAILED PLAN should be a how-to build guide; a step by step guide &/or a to-do list. It should be a clear series of steps leading to the completion of the product. Your plan should so clear and user-friendly that it be able to be understood and followed by a third party.

Pro-Tip - create a table or a Gantt chart or a Timeline or a Flow-Chart or a Table with these elements addressed:

Key steps - easy to understand and doable steps

Your plan needs a clear reference to TIME &/or your due-dates list. ((when will each task take place and how much time is allocated (23rd March | 2hrs)

Materials, Skills and Tools - what materials and tools do you need for each step (sketch several ideas for the main character of my storybook - sketching on paper, with pencils)

The above image outline my detailed plan for creating my product

Criterion B: Applying skills (5 Pages)

Criterion B i. explains how the ATL skill(s) was/were applied to help achieve their learning goal, supported with detailed examples or evidence

Above is an image that outlines all the ATL skills (add citation)

Research ATL skills and select each ATL skill that was applied to help you achieve your learning goal.

Identify the specific ATL skills;

explain the skills (link to research);

then provide clear examples/evidence of how you demonstrated and developed the ATL when learning.

1 - ATL Skill of Thinking & Researching - focus on Observation

2 - Observation Skills are the starting point for critical thinking. People who are observant can quickly sense and identify a new problem. Those skilled in observation are also capable of understanding why something might be a problem. They may even be able to predict when a problem might occur before it happens based on their experiences. (citation)

3 - Twice a week I observed my vegetable garden looking for insects, growth, soil quality, moisture blah blah blah and below is a picture of me inspecting the leaves of my coriander plant.

Above is an image me inspecting the leaves of my plant and demonstrating THINKING and RESEARCHING and OBSERVATION skills.

Criterion B ii. explains how the ATL skill(s) was/were applied to help achieve their product, supported with detailed examples or evidence.

Research ATL skills and select each ATL skill that was applied to help you build and create your product. Identify the specific ATL skills; explain the skills (link to research); then provide clear examples/evidence of how you demonstrated and developed the ATL when creating, designing and building your product.

Evidence of the ATLs (Developed and demonstrated)

Evidence might be: visual thinking diagrams, bulleted lists, charts, short paragraphs, notes, timelines, action plans, annotated illustrations, annotated research, artefacts from visits to museums, performances or galleries, pictures, photographs, sketches, up to 30 seconds of visual or audio material, screenshots of a blog of website, self and peer-assessment feedback.

List, explain and identify a range of Self-Management ATL skills - then provide evidence that you have developed/demonstrated each skill. Explain how each specific ATL skill had a positive effect on your Personal Project &/or you as a student.

Examples of research into the ATL skills of self-management skills identified and explained:

https://www.businessphrases.net/self-management-skills/

https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/self-management-skills

https://www.careerizma.com/blog/self-management-skills/

Research "thinking skills" and identify 3-6 specific thinking skills you developed/demonstrated when working on your Personal Project.

Explain each specific thinking skill, then link this with some evidence of how well you developed/demonstrated these skills, then explain how each skill impacted you as a person OR impacted your project. (e.g. Critical Thinking Skills of Curiosity - explain what this is, identify how you demonstrated this skill and explain how it had a positive impact on your project OR you as a learner/student.)

Here are some thinking skills identified and explained:

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/collegesuccess2x30master/chapter/types-of-thinking/

https://open.lib.umn.edu/collegesuccess/chapter/3-1-types-of-thinking/

https://cetl.uconn.edu/resources/design-your-course/teaching-and-learning-techniques/critical-thinking-and-other-higher-order-thinking-skills/

Research "communication skills" and "social skills" and identify 3-6 specific skills you developed/demonstrated when working on your Personal Project.

Explain each specific communication/social skill, then link this with some evidence of how well you developed/demonstrated these skills, then explain how each skill impact you as a person OR impacted your project. (e.g. Empathy - Social Skill - explain what this is, identify how you demonstrated this skill and explain how it had a positive impact on your project OR you as a learner/student.)

A well structured, presented and written PP Report is imperative for top marks in Criterion CIII that focuses on communication skills.

Here are some communication and social skills identified and explained:

https://www.thebalancecareers.com/interpersonal-skills-list-2063724

https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/interpersonal-skills

https://www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/

Criterion C: Reflecting (5 pages)

Criterion C i. explains the impact of the project on themselves or their learning

Revisit your LEARNING GOAL - Was well was it met? Provide evidence that it was met (measurable and observable evidence)

Revisit your prior knowledge level and skills level from Criterion AI then discuss how specific knowledge, from a variety of knowledge areas has increased because of the project. Identify some skills that have increased because of the Personal Project. For top marks, there needs to be clear evidence of growth.

Research "IB Learner Profile attributes" , and identify 2-3 LP attributes that you developed when working on your Personal Project, and how this has had a positive impact on you as a student.

Research "IB ATL skills" , and identify 2-3 ATL skills that you developed when working on your Personal Project, and how this has had a positive impact on you as a student.

Conclude with a general statement about your growth, as a result of the PP and how the PP has made you a better person and how the world is a better place because of your PP.

explain the impact of the project on themselves or their learning

support their comments with specific evidence or detailed examples.

Criterion C ii. evaluates the product based on the success criteria, fully supported with specific evidence or detailed examples.

SHOW YOUR PROJECT - share your product here

DESIGN BRIEF - Revisit your DESIGN BRIEF and compare it to the product you completed - did you meet the requirement of the DESIGN BRIEF ?

SUCCESS CRITERIA / DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS - When evaluating the product students should use their success criteria. Students should gather evidence to show the success of the product. Their evaluation should focus on what extent they achieved their goal. When evaluating the impact of the project (both the learning goal and the product), students might talk about how it impacted them personally or how it impacted others.

Examples of supporting evidence could include:

evaluation of the product against the success criteria

images showing key features of the product

analysis of the causes for success and/or failure

share data your collected from the test and analyse the data/scores/feedback and explain the data/scores/feedback

Discuss some things you could change/improve to make the outcome even better.

IB MYP COMMAND TERMS

Describe - Give a detailed account or picture of a situation, event, pattern or process.

Evaluate - Make an appraisal by weighing up the strengths and limitations.

Explain - Give a detailed account including reasons or causes.

Learning Goal - What students want to learn as a result of doing the personal project.

Outlines - Give a brief account or summary

Presents - Offer for display, observation, examination or consideration.

Product - What students will create for their personal project.

State - Give a specific name, value or other brief answer without explanation or calculation.

Personal Project

IB MYP Personal Project: The Complete Guide for 2023

by Antony W

July 19, 2023

The MYP Personal Project is a practical, final-year, individual assignment that gives IB students the opportunity to choose a subject of interest and delve into it by acquiring new skills and knowledge while producing tangible results.

Given that the Personal Project serves as the culmination of the Middle Year Program, it provides a unique academic platform for IB students to commemorate their learning journey.

Moreover, it’s through this project that students can demonstrate and enhance their Approaches to Learning skills.

In MYP Personal Project:

Students explore a topic that genuinely motivates and captivates them.
Students establish their own objectives and determine the means to achieve them. It means they have the right to set their personal criteria for success.
Students exhibit and cultivate ATL skills while reflecting upon the influence of the Personal Project on themselves and/or their community.

What Are the Aims of IB MYP Personal Project?

The objectives of the MYP Personal Project, as outlined in the IB’s Personal Project guide, align with the principles of inquiry, action, and reflection.

Inquire: Engage in an inquiry that holds personal significance and assume responsibility for self-directed learning.
Act: Apply and transfer skills to pursue learning goals and produce a tangible output.
Reflect: Acknowledge and provide evidence of personal growth and development.

In essence, the Personal Project empowers students to explore their passions, take charge of their learning, and reflect on their progress. In the end, they become inquisitive, proactive, and self-aware individuals.

What Are the Objectives of IB MYP Personal Project?

The following are the objectives of the IB MYP Personal Project:

1. Planning

The student should be able to formulate the project’s learning objective and elaborate on how their personal interest influenced the selection of that goal.

Secondly, they should define the desired outcome and establish relevant benchmarks for measuring the success of the final product.

Lastly, they should outline a comprehensive and precise plan for attaining the product and meeting the associated success criteria.

2. Application of Approach to Learning Skills

The student should be able to describe how they utilized approach to learning skills to help in accomplishing the learning objective.

Furthermore, they should be able to elaborate on how they applied the same skills to support the creation of the intended product.

3. Reflection

First, the student should be able to analyze the impact of the project on personal growth and learning experiences.

Second, they should assess the project’s effect on oneself or one’s learning, considering personal development and knowledge gained.

Finally, they should be able to evaluate the product based on the predefined success criteria, critically analyzing its performance and effectiveness.

What’s the Assessment Criteria for IB MYP Personal Project?

The following is the assessment criteria used to grade the IB MYP Personal Project:

Criterion A: Planning

Maximum Points: 8

This criterion requires that a student define a learning goal for their project and explain how their personal interest influenced the selection of that particular goal. By explaining the connection between their interests and the learning objective, student can show their motivation and enthusiasm for the project.

Moving on, students should state the intended product they aim to create and establish appropriate success criteria for evaluating the product’s effectiveness and quality. This entails outlining specific benchmarks or standards that the final product must meet.

Lastly, students need to present a well-defined and comprehensive plan that outlines the steps and strategies they will undertake to achieve the desired product and meet the associated success criteria. This plan should be detailed and provide a clear roadmap that demonstrates the student’s understanding of the necessary actions and resources required to accomplish their project goals.

By fulfilling these requirements, students can demonstrate their ability to set meaningful goals, create tangible products, and develop effective plans to bring their ideas to fruition.

Criterion B: Applying Skills

Throughout the personal project, students need to demonstrate their application of ATL (Approaches to Learning) skills in order to attain their learning goal and successfully complete their project.

First, students need to explain how they utilized specific ATL skills to support the achievement of their learning goal. This entails outlining the ways in which they employed critical thinking, research, communication, self-management, and other relevant skills to enhance their learning experience and make progress towards their objective.

Additionally, students must articulate how they applied ATL skills to effectively develop and create their intended product. This involves describing the use of organization, collaboration, information literacy, and other applicable skills to design, construct, and present their outcome.

By reflecting on their application of ATL skills in both the learning process and the product development, students can show their ability to leverage these skills effectively and highlight their growth as independent learners.

Criterion C: Reflecting

During the personal project, students have to achieve two key objectives.

First, they should be able to articulate and discuss the impact that the project has had on their personal growth and learning. This involves reflecting on the project’s influence on their skills, knowledge, and overall development as a learner.

Secondly, students are required to evaluate the final product they have created by assessing its performance against the predefined success criteria. This evaluation entails critically analyzing the product’s effectiveness, quality, and alignment with the initial goals and objectives set for the project.

Both of these objectives contribute to the holistic assessment and reflection on the personal project, allowing students to gain insights into their own progress and accomplishments.

Student Support for IB MYP Personal Project


	Organizing the personal project and setting clear expectations, Communicating the school’s timeline Assigning supervisors	Provides guidance and structure for the project, Facilitates communication between students and supervisors
	Working one-on-one with students, Providing support and guidance, Ensuring academic integrity, Giving feedback on the first draft	Offers personalized assistance throughout the project, Ensures adherence to academic standards
	Assisting students with research skills, Helping find relevant resources, Providing guidance on citations and bibliography writing	Supports students in developing effective research strategies, Assists with locating and citing appropriate sources
	Engaging with experts within and outside the school, Seeking feedback and conducting interviews for the project	Offers access to specialized knowledge and insights, Provides external perspectives and feedback

About the author

Antony W is a professional writer and coach at Help for Assessment. He spends countless hours every day researching and writing great content filled with expert advice on how to write engaging essays, research papers, and assignments.

Aalesund International School

Learning that lasts a lifetime

Examples of MYP Personal Projects

Updated: Aug 27, 2019

Here are examples of two MYP Personal Projects that are provided directly from the IB online resource centre.

The first project example is of 'Diet and its implications on the body and mind'.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1POGgTP029Id9qthGZXfvYC0cgjsvDAIF/view?usp=sharing

This is the second example is called 'Creating Blueprints':

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VhYKVdoGi5i-0RHj2PCknGT14HBcnzP-/view?usp=sharing

There are two more examples from other Norwegian IB MYP school Personal Projects that you could look at:

Belonging: an exploration of where I come from.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1irpiul54D9UqXJ_VVO0DtgvDAuY2lkCb/view?usp=sharing

Making an Electric Tenor Ukulele.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1epUoTjeEEZjbeQns1uJb9WD2PM1IA0md/view?usp=sharing

MYP Personal Project

Important Dates and Timelines
Learning and Product Goals
Process Journal
Success Criteria
Developing a Plan
ATL Skill Information
Impact of Product
Product Evaluation
Bibliography
Academic Honesty
OIS Samples from 2021-2022
Supervisor Materials
IB Support Materials

OIS Sample 2

Ois sample 3, ois sample 4.

<< Previous: Academic Honesty
Next: Supervisor Materials >>
Last Updated: Apr 18, 2024 10:04 AM
URL: https://osakainternationalschool.libguides.com/personalproject

Click here to see the Personal Project Fair 2023 video!

Personal Project Report

What is the Personal Project Report?

The Project Report provides the evidence of students's learning from which their final level of achievement will be derived. A particular structure must be followed in the Project Report.

When is the Report due and how do I hand it in?

The report must be handed in no later than February 17, 2022. (Think Feb. 10th as your due date.)

Click HERE To find out how to hand in the Report.

What is the goal of the Report?

To inform, as clearly and succinctly as possible

The Project Report demonstrates a student’s commitment to their personal project by discussing the planning, learning, application of skills and reflecting that took place throughout the Personal Project.

Report Organization

Criterion a: planning, criterion b: applying skills, criterion c: reflecting.

Appendices (if applicable)

Bibliography

Report Format Options

Students have choice of format for their Project Report: Document and Recording

Font Size: 11 or 12

Font Type: Calibri or Arial

Page Margin: 1" or 2.54 cm

aims to inform and explain the process of the personal project

concise and succinct

usually consists of sections with subheadings and is well structured

must ensure the report meets the assessment criteria by addressing all three criteria and each of their strands

minimum 4 pages in length

accepted file types: .doc, .docx, .pdf (non-editable), .rtf

includes formats such as a video or sound recording (ie. podcast)

must ensure that the electronic report meets the assessment criteria and each of their strands

effectively demonstrates student engagement with the personal project

accepted file types: .mp3, .mp4, .m4a, .mov (codec H264), .m4v

*The report is not to replace the product/outcome of the personal project. For example, if the outcome of the personal project is in written form, such as an essay, short story, or script for a play, this is considered separate from the project report.

The Report Body

The body of report should be completed in separate sections according to the project criteria., each criterion and its strands must be addressed..

In the personal project, students should be able to:

i. state a learning goal for the project and explain how a personal interest led to that goal

ii. state an intended product and develop appropriate success criteria for the product

iii. present a clear, detailed plan for achieving the product and its associated success criteria.

Criterion A Definitions

Learning goal: What students want to learn as a result of doing the personal project.

Product: What students will create for their personal project.

Presents: Offer for display, observation, examination or consideration.

State: Give a specific name, value or other brief answer without explanation or calculation.

Outline: Give a brief account or summary.

Describe: Give a detailed account or picture of a situation, event, pattern or process.

Explain: Give a detailed account including reasons or causes.

i. explain how the ATL skill(s) was/were applied to help achieve their learning goal

ii. explain how the ATL skill(s) was/were applied to help achieve their product.

Criterion B Definitions

ATL skill(s): One or more of: communication, collaboration, organization, affective, reflection, information literacy, media literacy, critical thinking, creative thinking, transfer.

i. explain the impact of the project on themselves or their learning

ii. evaluate the product based on the success criteria.

Criterion C Defintions

Evaluate: Make an appraisal by weighing up the strengths and limitations.

A minimum of three reputable sources must be included in the bibliography.

APA or MLA style may be used, but must be consistent throughout

Consider using scribbr.com , easybib.com , citethisforme.com or citationmachine.net

Use our Library Learning Commons website for additional help with bibliographies using the Citation Guides or speak with Mrs. Berrisford

Evidence of the Product or Outcome

Evidence of the final product or outcome must be included.

Evidence may have:

a maximum of 5 still images (ie. for a product that was created or built)

a maximum of 30 seconds of audio/video (ie. for a product that was oral or visual in nature)

a maximum of 1 page of text (ie. for a product that was in written form)

Report Examples can be found HERE .

100+ MYP Project Ideas [Updated]

Starting the Middle Years Program (MYP) is thrilling for students, filled with challenges and chances to grow. The key part of MYP is the Major Year Project (MyP), where students pursue a self-directed project reflecting their passions and connecting with academic and career goals. This blog will guide you through choosing the perfect MyP project ideas, offering a variety of inspiring ideas to fuel your creativity.

Factors to Consider when Choosing MyP Project

Table of Contents

Choosing a Middle Years Program (MYP) project is a significant decision that requires careful consideration to ensure a meaningful and enriching experience. Here are several factors to consider when selecting an MYP project:

Personal Interest and Passion: Choose a project that aligns with your personal interests and passions. When you are genuinely interested in the topic, you are more likely to stay motivated and engaged throughout the project.
Relevance to Global Contexts: Consider how your project relates to global contexts. The MYP emphasizes connecting learning to real-world issues, so choosing a project with global relevance adds depth and significance to your work.
Interdisciplinary Opportunities: Explore projects that allow for interdisciplinary connections. MYP projects encourage the integration of knowledge from various subjects, providing a holistic learning experience.
Feasibility and Manageability: Assess the feasibility and manageability of the project. Consider the time and resources required and ensure that the project is realistic within the given constraints.
Alignment with IB Learner Profile: Reflect on how your chosen project aligns with the IB learner profile attributes. The MYP seeks to cultivate curious, informed, critical thinkers, communicators, principled, accepting, risk-takers, balanced, and introspective learners.
Connection to Academic Subjects: Look for projects that connect to your academic subjects. This integration ensures that your project is not only relevant to your personal interests but also contributes to your academic growth.
Community and Social Impact: Consider the potential impact of your project on the community or society. MYP projects often encourage students to think beyond individual achievement and contribute positively to the world around them.
Availability of Resources: Assess the availability of resources needed for your project. Ensure that you have access to the necessary materials, information, and support to successfully complete your chosen endeavor.
Challenge Level: Strike a balance between choosing a project that is challenging enough to stimulate growth and one that is achievable within the given timeframe. A project that is too easy may not provide the desired learning outcomes, while one that is too difficult can lead to frustration.
Feedback and Guidance: Consider the availability of feedback and guidance from teachers, mentors, or experts in the field. Having a support system can enhance the quality of your project and help you navigate challenges effectively.
Ethical Considerations: Think about the ethical implications of your project. Ensure that your research and activities adhere to ethical standards, respecting the rights and well-being of individuals and communities involved.
Reflective Opportunities: Look for projects that provide opportunities for reflection. Reflection is a key component of the MYP, allowing you to assess your learning, challenges, and growth throughout the project.

You may choose your MYP project wisely and ensure a rewarding and interesting educational experience by carefully weighing these elements.

What are the Categories of MyP Projects?

The Middle Years Programme (MYP) projects are designed to be diverse and flexible, allowing students to explore their interests and demonstrate their understanding of various subjects. While the specific categories may vary by school, the International Baccalaureate (IB) provides general guidelines that categorize MYP projects into four main types:

Investigative Projects

Description:

Investigative projects involve in-depth exploration and analysis of a particular topic or issue. Students often conduct research, gather data, and draw conclusions based on their findings.

Investigating the impact of climate change on a local ecosystem.
Analyzing historical events and their implications on present-day societies.
Researching the cultural influences on a specific form of art or literature.

Interdisciplinary Projects

Description:

Interdisciplinary projects require students to integrate knowledge and skills from multiple subject areas. These projects encourage a holistic approach to learning and often address real-world issues.

Creating a multimedia project that combines language and literature, visual arts, and technology.
Designing a project that explores the intersection of science, mathematics, and technology to solve a community problem.
Investigating historical events through the lens of individuals and societies, considering political, economic, and cultural aspects.

Service Learning Projects

Service learning projects focus on addressing community needs or global challenges through hands-on activities. These projects emphasize the importance of contributing positively to society.

Organizing a community clean-up initiative to promote environmental sustainability.
Volunteering at a local organization to address social issues, such as poverty or education disparities.
Creating awareness campaigns to promote health and well-being within the community.

Reflective Projects

Reflective projects involve students in self-assessment and thoughtful consideration of their learning experiences. These projects encourage students to analyze their personal development, challenges faced, and the impact of their projects.

Creating a portfolio that showcases and reflects on various pieces of artwork or performances.
Compiling a reflective essay or multimedia presentation that summarizes the key learnings from a particular project.
Documenting the process of acquiring a new skill or language and reflecting on the journey.

It’s important to note that these categories are not mutually exclusive, and projects often incorporate elements from multiple types. The goal is to provide students with a well-rounded and interdisciplinary learning experience that goes beyond traditional subject boundaries.

100+ MyP Project Ideas

Investigate the impact of urbanization on local biodiversity.
Create a multimedia storytelling project on cultural diversity.
Design a sustainable community garden and document the process.
Analyze the historical and cultural influences on a specific art form.
Explore the mathematics behind sustainable energy solutions.
Investigate the effects of social media on mental health.
Design a technology solution for a local environmental issue.
Research the history and impact of a significant scientific discovery.
Analyze the portrayal of gender roles in literature and media.
Create a visual arts showcase inspired by diverse cultural expressions.
Investigate the impact of music on different cultures throughout history.
Develop a statistical analysis project using real-world data.
Explore the connections between mathematics and music theory.
Investigate the role of traditional medicine in various cultures.
Design a community-based project addressing homelessness.
Analyze the cultural significance of traditional rituals and ceremonies.
Investigate the effects of climate change on a specific region.
Create a documentary on the history of a local community.
Design and build a model of a sustainable urban development.
Explore the ethical considerations of artificial intelligence.
Investigate the impact of globalization on local economies.
Create a photography project documenting social inequalities.
Design and implement a recycling program in the school community.
Investigate the historical development of a specific genre of literature.
Explore the relationship between mathematics and architecture.
Create a podcast series on historical revolutions and their impact.
Investigate the effects of dietary choices on health and well-being.
Analyze the representation of cultural diversity in children’s literature.
Design a technology-based solution for enhancing education.
Explore the impact of social media activism on societal change.
Investigate the cultural significance of traditional clothing.
Create an interactive exhibit on the history of human rights.
Design and implement a community-based health and wellness program.
Analyze the impact of globalization on cultural traditions.
Investigate the historical evolution of a specific scientific theory.
Explore the connections between mathematics and sports statistics.
Create an art installation exploring environmental conservation.
Investigate the effects of media portrayal on body image.
Design a sustainable transportation plan for a local community.
Analyze the role of individuals in shaping historical events.
Investigate the impact of technology on language evolution.
Create a graphic novel addressing social justice issues.
Design a community project promoting literacy and education.
Analyze the representation of cultural identity in contemporary films.
Investigate the historical development of a specific form of technology.
Explore the connections between mathematics and cryptography.
Create a campaign promoting mental health awareness.
Investigate the cultural significance of traditional music and dance.
Design a project addressing water conservation in the community.
Analyze the historical context of a specific literary movement.
Explore the mathematical principles behind sustainable architecture.
Create a short film exploring the impact of war on communities.
Investigate the effects of social media on political polarization.
Design a technology solution for promoting inclusivity in education.
Analyze the cultural influences on modern culinary traditions.
Investigate the historical development of a specific branch of science.
Explore the connections between mathematics and computer programming.
Create an awareness campaign on the importance of biodiversity.
Design a project addressing social isolation in the elderly.
Analyze the representation of cultural diversity in contemporary art.
Investigate the impact of climate change on a specific ecosystem.
Explore the mathematical principles behind sustainable agriculture.
Create a podcast series on historical figures who shaped the world.
Investigate the effects of social media on interpersonal relationships.
Design a technology-based solution for promoting environmental awareness.
Analyze the cultural significance of traditional storytelling.
Investigate the historical development of a specific cultural practice.
Explore the connections between mathematics and data science.
Create an art installation addressing human rights violations.
Investigate the impact of technology on language preservation.
Design a project addressing food insecurity in the community.
Analyze the representation of cultural identity in contemporary literature.
Explore the mathematical principles behind renewable energy.
Create a documentary on the history of a specific social movement.
Investigate the effects of social media on body image perception.
Design a technology solution for promoting mental health support.
Analyze the cultural influences on modern fashion trends.
Investigate the historical development of a specific art movement.
Explore the connections between mathematics and environmental science.
Create a multimedia project on the impact of globalization on communities.
Investigate the impact of technology on language acquisition.
Design a project addressing social inequality in the community.
Analyze the representation of cultural diversity in historical events.
Investigate the historical evolution of a specific technological innovation.
Explore the mathematical principles behind sustainable transportation.
Create a podcast series on the history of social justice movements.
Investigate the effects of social media on mental health stigma.
Design a technology-based solution for promoting community engagement.
Analyze the cultural significance of traditional art and craftsmanship.
Investigate the historical development of a specific social institution.
Explore the connections between mathematics and medical research .
Create an art installation addressing the impact of climate change.
Investigate the impact of technology on language communication.
Design a project addressing social issues in the community.
Analyze the representation of cultural identity in contemporary music.
Investigate the historical development of a specific cultural phenomenon.
Explore the connections between mathematics and urban planning.
Create a documentary on the history of a specific cultural practice.
Investigate the effects of social media on community building.
Design a technology solution for promoting cultural understanding.
Analyze the cultural influences on modern architectural designs.
Investigate the impact of technology on language translation.

Tips for Successful MyP Project Execution

Navigating through a MyP project can be challenging, but following these tips can contribute to a successful outcome:

Planning and organization: Develop a detailed project plan, outlining tasks, timelines, and milestones.
Seeking guidance: Regularly consult with mentors and professors to receive valuable insights and feedback.
Progress updates: Provide regular updates on project progress, allowing for adjustments and improvements.
Reflecting on the learning experience: Encourage self-reflection to identify personal and academic growth throughout the project.

Embarking on a MyP project is a unique opportunity for students to apply their knowledge, showcase their skills, and make a meaningful impact. By carefully considering personal interests, academic goals, and project feasibility, students can choose a MyP project that not only fulfills curriculum requirements but also serves as a stepping stone towards future success.

The provided MyP project ideas offer a starting point for exploration, inspiring students to unleash their creativity and contribute to positive change in their communities and beyond. As the journey unfolds, students will not only acquire valuable skills but also develop a deeper understanding of themselves and the world around them.

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Top 50 MYP Project Ideas

The Middle Years Program (MYP) is an exciting and challenging educational framework designed to engage middle school students in a holistic learning experience. One of the most significant components of the MYP is the personal project, where students have the chance to explore their passions, develop unique skills, and make a difference in their communities. If you’re a middle school student looking for some inspiration for your MYP project, you’re in the right place. In this blog, we’ve compiled a list of the top 50 MYP project ideas to get your creative juices flowing.

What is Middle Year Program (MYP)?

The Middle Years Program (MYP) is an educational framework designed for students aged 11 to 16. It offers a holistic approach to learning, emphasizing academic rigor, personal development, and community engagement. MYP encourages critical thinking, interdisciplinary studies, and a global perspective. Students complete projects that foster creativity and problem-solving, helping them become well-rounded, knowledgeable, and responsible individuals as they transition from middle school to higher education.

Top 50 MYP Project Ideas

1. Create an Eco-Friendly Cookbook: Develop a cookbook filled with delicious recipes that use sustainable, locally-sourced ingredients.

2. Design a Sustainable Garden: Plan and create a garden that incorporates eco-friendly principles like composting, rainwater harvesting, and native plantings.

3. Write a Children’s Book: Craft a story or educational book that addresses an important issue, such as bullying or the environment.

4. Create a Recycling Program: Implement a recycling initiative in your school or local community to reduce waste.

5. Organize a Charity Event: Host an event to raise funds or awareness for a cause you care about, like animal welfare or homelessness.

6. Start a Blog: Share your knowledge and interests with the world by starting a blog on a topic you’re passionate about.

7. Build a Birdhouse: Construct birdhouses and set them up in your neighborhood to promote wildlife conservation.

8. Teach a Skill: Offer free workshops to teach others a skill you’re good at, whether it’s coding, painting, or playing a musical instrument.

9. Create an Art Installation: Develop a thought-provoking art installation that raises awareness about a social or environmental issue.

10. Document Local History: Research and document the history of your community or a significant local event.

11. Plan a Community Cleanup: Organize a cleanup day in your neighborhood to help keep the environment clean and beautiful.

12. Organize a Cultural Fair: Celebrate the diverse cultures in your community by arranging a cultural fair with food, music, and dance.

13. Start a Podcast: Share stories, interviews, or discussions on a topic you’re passionate about via a podcast.

14. Design an Educational Board Game: Create a board game that teaches players about a specific historical period, scientific concept, or social issue.

15. Conduct a Science Experiment: Formulate and execute a scientific experiment to address a real-world problem.

16. Create a Wellness Program: Develop a program to encourage mental and physical health in your school or community.

17. Start a Community Garden: Establish a communal garden where neighbors can grow their own produce.

18. Write a Short Film: Craft a short film that highlights an important message or tells a captivating story.

19. Organize a Mentorship Program: Pair experienced individuals with newcomers in your field to facilitate knowledge sharing.

20. Build a Solar Oven: Construct a solar-powered oven to demonstrate the benefits of renewable energy.

21. Create a Recycling Art Exhibit: Collect and repurpose recyclable materials into art pieces for an exhibit.

22. Host a Language Exchange: Organize events where people can practice speaking different languages and learn about new cultures.

23. Develop a Virtual Tour of Your Town: Create an interactive online tour of your town’s landmarks and history.

24. Design a Mobile App: Develop a mobile app that serves a specific purpose, such as improving local transportation or aiding in recycling.

25. Conduct a Historical Reenactment: Bring history to life by organizing a reenactment of a significant historical event.

26. Organize a Photography Exhibition: Showcase your photography skills by hosting an exhibition that tells a unique story.

27. Create a Cookbook for Special Diets: Develop a cookbook tailored to individuals with dietary restrictions or allergies.

28. Establish a Composting System: Set up a composting system in your school or community to reduce food waste.

29. Start a Sustainable Fashion Line: Design and create sustainable clothing and accessories using eco-friendly materials.

30. Create a Community Cookbook: Collect and compile recipes from your community to create a cookbook that celebrates diversity.

31. Raise Awareness About Mental Health: Organize events and campaigns to make awareness about mental health and reduce stigma.

32. Design a Community Park: Create a plan and model for a community park that’s accessible to all.

33. Document Endangered Species: Research and document the lives of endangered species in your area.

34. Write a Research Paper: Conduct in-depth research on a topic of your choice and present your findings in a research paper.

35. Start a Coding Club: Introduce others to the world of coding by starting a coding club at your school.

36. Organize a Sports Tournament: Host a sports tournament to promote physical activity and teamwork.

37. Create an Educational YouTube Channel: Share educational content on YouTube to help others learn about your favorite subject.

38. Develop an Anti-Bullying Campaign: Raise awareness about bullying and create resources to help prevent it.

39. Organize a Historical Walking Tour: Lead guided walking tours of your town, highlighting historical landmarks.

40. Create an Alternative Energy Plan: Design a sustainable energy plan for your school or community.

41. Host a Science Fair: Organize a science fair where students can showcase their experiments and projects.

42. Start a Pet Adoption Program: Raise awareness about pet adoption and help animals find their forever homes.

43. Build a Tiny House Model: Construct a model of a sustainable and eco-friendly tiny house .

44. Create a Local Food Guide: Compile a guide to local restaurants and markets that emphasize sustainable and locally-sourced food.

45. Organize a Cultural Exchange: Arrange an exchange program with students from different cultures to promote global understanding.

46. Develop a Community Calendar: Create a community calendar with important dates, events, and local businesses.

47. Start a Community Library: Set up a small community library with books donated by local residents.

48. Write a Guide for New Students: Create a guide to help new students adjust to your school.

49. Organize a Nature Hike: Lead a nature hike to encourage people to explore and appreciate the outdoors.

50. Develop a Recycling Workshop: Teach others about the importance of recycling and how to do it effectively.

Finalk Words

These 50 MYP project ideas cover a wide range of interests and can serve as a starting point for your own project. Remember, the most successful MYP projects often combine your passion, skills, and a desire to make a positive impact on your community. So, take your time, choose a project that speaks to you, and enjoy the journey of discovery and learning that the MYP personal project offers. Good luck with your project, and remember that the process is just as important as the final outcome.

Personal Process Project

Supporting student inquiry, pp report: a strong example.

PP Exampl e

Above is a strong example of a successful Personal Project report. Please look at the structure and the quality of reflection. You can also see quality journal entries in appendix. FYI: The content of this report was submitted to Turnitin. Remember to not use integral lines from someone else’s work without proper referencing.

What are your chances of acceptance?

Calculate for all schools, your chance of acceptance.

Your chancing factors

Extracurriculars.

10 Personal Statement Essay Examples That Worked

What’s covered:, what is a personal statement.

Essay 1: Summer Program
Essay 2: Being Bangladeshi-American
Essay 3: Why Medicine
Essay 4: Love of Writing
Essay 5: Starting a Fire
Essay 6: Dedicating a Track
Essay 7: Body Image and Eating Disorders
Essay 8: Becoming a Coach
Essay 9: Eritrea
Essay 10: Journaling
Is Your Personal Statement Strong Enough?

Your personal statement is any essay that you must write for your main application, such as the Common App Essay , University of California Essays , or Coalition Application Essay . This type of essay focuses on your unique experiences, ideas, or beliefs that may not be discussed throughout the rest of your application. This essay should be an opportunity for the admissions officers to get to know you better and give them a glimpse into who you really are.

In this post, we will share 10 different personal statements that were all written by real students. We will also provide commentary on what each essay did well and where there is room for improvement, so you can make your personal statement as strong as possible!

Please note: Looking at examples of real essays students have submitted to colleges can be very beneficial to get inspiration for your essays. You should never copy or plagiarize from these examples when writing your own essays. Colleges can tell when an essay isn’t genuine and will not view students favorably if they plagiarized.

Personal Statement Examples

Essay example #1: exchange program.

The twisting roads, ornate mosaics, and fragrant scent of freshly ground spices had been so foreign at first. Now in my fifth week of the SNYI-L summer exchange program in Morocco, I felt more comfortable in the city. With a bag full of pastries from the market, I navigated to a bus stop, paid the fare, and began the trip back to my host family’s house. It was hard to believe that only a few years earlier my mom was worried about letting me travel around my home city on my own, let alone a place that I had only lived in for a few weeks. While I had been on a journey towards self-sufficiency and independence for a few years now, it was Morocco that pushed me to become the confident, self-reflective person that I am today.

As a child, my parents pressured me to achieve perfect grades, master my swim strokes, and discover interesting hobbies like playing the oboe and learning to pick locks. I felt compelled to live my life according to their wishes. Of course, this pressure was not a wholly negative factor in my life –– you might even call it support. However, the constant presence of my parents’ hopes for me overcame my own sense of desire and led me to become quite dependent on them. I pushed myself to get straight A’s, complied with years of oboe lessons, and dutifully attended hours of swim practice after school. Despite all these achievements, I felt like I had no sense of self beyond my drive for success. I had always been expected to succeed on the path they had defined. However, this path was interrupted seven years after my parents’ divorce when my dad moved across the country to Oregon.

I missed my dad’s close presence, but I loved my new sense of freedom. My parents’ separation allowed me the space to explore my own strengths and interests as each of them became individually busier. As early as middle school, I was riding the light rail train by myself, reading maps to get myself home, and applying to special academic programs without urging from my parents. Even as I took more initiatives on my own, my parents both continued to see me as somewhat immature. All of that changed three years ago, when I applied and was accepted to the SNYI-L summer exchange program in Morocco. I would be studying Arabic and learning my way around the city of Marrakesh. Although I think my parents were a little surprised when I told them my news, the addition of a fully-funded scholarship convinced them to let me go.

I lived with a host family in Marrakesh and learned that they, too, had high expectations for me. I didn’t know a word of Arabic, and although my host parents and one brother spoke good English, they knew I was there to learn. If I messed up, they patiently corrected me but refused to let me fall into the easy pattern of speaking English just as I did at home. Just as I had when I was younger, I felt pressured and stressed about meeting their expectations. However, one day, as I strolled through the bustling market square after successfully bargaining with one of the street vendors, I realized my mistake. My host family wasn’t being unfair by making me fumble through Arabic. I had applied for this trip, and I had committed to the intensive language study. My host family’s rules about speaking Arabic at home had not been to fulfill their expectations for me, but to help me fulfill my expectations for myself. Similarly, the pressure my parents had put on me as a child had come out of love and their hopes for me, not out of a desire to crush my individuality.

As my bus drove through the still-bustling market square and past the medieval Ben-Youssef madrasa, I realized that becoming independent was a process, not an event. I thought that my parents’ separation when I was ten had been the one experience that would transform me into a self-motivated and autonomous person. It did, but that didn’t mean that I didn’t still have room to grow. Now, although I am even more self-sufficient than I was three years ago, I try to approach every experience with the expectation that it will change me. It’s still difficult, but I understand that just because growth can be uncomfortable doesn’t mean it’s not important.

What the Essay Did Well

This is a nice essay because it delves into particular character trait of the student and how it has been shaped and matured over time. Although it doesn’t focus the essay around a specific anecdote, the essay is still successful because it is centered around this student’s independence. This is a nice approach for a personal statement: highlight a particular trait of yours and explore how it has grown with you.

The ideas in this essay are universal to growing up—living up to parents’ expectations, yearning for freedom, and coming to terms with reality—but it feels unique to the student because of the inclusion of details specific to them. Including their oboe lessons, the experience of riding the light rail by themselves, and the negotiations with a street vendor helps show the reader what these common tropes of growing up looked like for them personally.

Another strength of the essay is the level of self-reflection included throughout the piece. Since there is no central anecdote tying everything together, an essay about a character trait is only successful when you deeply reflect on how you felt, where you made mistakes, and how that trait impacts your life. The author includes reflection in sentences like “ I felt like I had no sense of self beyond my drive for success, ” and “ I understand that just because growth can be uncomfortable doesn’t mean it’s not important. ” These sentences help us see how the student was impacted and what their point of view is.

What Could Be Improved

The largest change this essay would benefit from is to show not tell. The platitude you have heard a million times no doubt, but for good reason. This essay heavily relies on telling the reader what occurred, making us less engaged as the entire reading experience feels more passive. If the student had shown us what happens though, it keeps the reader tied to the action and makes them feel like they are there with the student, making it much more enjoyable to read.

For example, they tell us about the pressure to succeed their parents placed on them: “ I pushed myself to get straight A’s, complied with years of oboe lessons, and dutifully attended hours of swim practice after school.” They could have shown us what that pressure looked like with a sentence like this: “ My stomach turned somersaults as my rattling knee thumped against the desk before every test, scared to get anything less than a 95. For five years the painful squawk of the oboe only reminded me of my parents’ claps and whistles at my concerts. I mastered the butterfly, backstroke, and freestyle, fighting against the anchor of their expectations threatening to pull me down.”

If the student had gone through their essay and applied this exercise of bringing more detail and colorful language to sentences that tell the reader what happened, the essay would be really great.

Table of Contents

Essay Example #2: Being Bangladeshi-American

Life before was good: verdant forests, sumptuous curries, and a devoted family.

Then, my family abandoned our comfortable life in Bangladesh for a chance at the American dream in Los Angeles. Within our first year, my father was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. He lost his battle three weeks before my sixth birthday. Facing a new country without the steady presence of my father, we were vulnerable — prisoners of hardship in the land of the free. We resettled in the Bronx, in my uncle’s renovated basement. It was meant to be our refuge, but I felt more displaced than ever. Gone were the high-rise condos of West L.A.; instead, government projects towered over the neighborhood. Pedestrians no longer smiled and greeted me; the atmosphere was hostile, even toxic. Schoolkids were quick to pick on those they saw as weak or foreign, hurling harsh words I’d never heard before.

Meanwhile, my family began integrating into the local Bangladeshi community. I struggled to understand those who shared my heritage. Bangladeshi mothers stayed home while fathers drove cabs and sold fruit by the roadside — painful societal positions. Riding on crosstown buses or walking home from school, I began to internalize these disparities. During my fleeting encounters with affluent Upper East Siders, I saw kids my age with nannies, parents who wore suits to work, and luxurious apartments with spectacular views. Most took cabs to their destinations: cabs that Bangladeshis drove. I watched the mundane moments of their lives with longing, aching to plant myself in their shoes. Shame prickled down my spine. I distanced myself from my heritage, rejecting the traditional panjabis worn on Eid and refusing the torkari we ate for dinner every day.

As I grappled with my relationship with the Bangladeshi community, I turned my attention to helping my Bronx community by pursuing an internship with Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda. I handled desk work and took calls, spending the bulk of my time actively listening to the hardships constituents faced — everything from a veteran stripped of his benefits to a grandmother unable to support her bedridden grandchild.

I’d never exposed myself to stories like these, and now I was the first to hear them. As an intern, I could only assist in what felt like the small ways — pointing out local job offerings, printing information on free ESL classes, reaching out to non-profits. But to a community facing an onslaught of intense struggles, I realized that something as small as these actions could have vast impacts. Seeing the immediate consequences of my actions inspired me. Throughout that summer, I internalized my community’s daily challenges in a new light. I began to stop seeing the prevalent underemployment and cramped living quarters less as sources of shame. Instead, I saw them as realities that had to be acknowledged, but could ultimately be remedied. I also realized the benefits of the Bangladeshi culture I had been so ashamed of. My Bangla language skills were an asset to the office, and my understanding of Bangladeshi etiquette allowed for smooth communication between office staff and its constituents. As I helped my neighbors navigate city services, I saw my heritage with pride — a perspective I never expected to have.

I can now appreciate the value of my unique culture and background, and of living with less. This perspective offers room for progress, community integration, and a future worth fighting for. My time with Assemblyman Sepulveda’s office taught me that I can be a change agent in enabling this progression. Far from being ashamed of my community, I want to someday return to local politics in the Bronx to continue helping others access the American Dream. I hope to help my community appreciate the opportunity to make progress together. By embracing reality, I learned to live it. Along the way, I discovered one thing: life is good, but we can make it better.

This student’s passion for social justice and civic duty shines through in this essay because of how honest it is. Sharing their personal experience with immigrating, moving around, being an outsider, and finding a community allows us to see the hardships this student has faced and builds empathy towards their situation. However, what really makes it strong is that they go beyond describing the difficulties they faced and explain the mental impact it had on them as a child: Shame prickled down my spine. I distanced myself from my heritage, rejecting the traditional panjabis worn on Eid and refusing the torkari we ate for dinner every day.

The rejection of their culture presented at the beginning of the essay creates a nice juxtaposition with the student’s view in the latter half of the essay and helps demonstrate how they have matured. They use their experience interning as a way to delve into a change in their thought process about their culture and show how their passion for social justice began. Using this experience as a mechanism to explore their thoughts and feelings is an excellent example of how items that are included elsewhere on your application should be incorporated into your essay.

This essay prioritizes emotions and personal views over specific anecdotes. Although there are details and certain moments incorporated throughout to emphasize the author’s points, the main focus remains on the student and how they grapple with their culture and identity.

One area for improvement is the conclusion. Although the forward-looking approach is a nice way to end an essay focused on social justice, it would be nice to include more details and imagery in the conclusion. How does the student want to help their community? What government position do they see themselves holding one day?

A more impactful ending might look like the student walking into their office at the New York City Housing Authority in 15 years and looking at the plans to build a new development in the Bronx just blocks away from where the grew up that would provide quality housing to people in their Bangladeshi community. They would smile while thinking about how far they have come from that young kid who used to be ashamed of their culture.

Essay Example #3: Why Medicine

I took my first trip to China to visit my cousin Anna in July of 2014. Distance had kept us apart, but when we were together, we fell into all of our old inside jokes and caught up on each other’s lives. Her sparkling personality and optimistic attitude always brought a smile to my face. This time, however, my heart broke when I saw the effects of her brain cancer; she had suffered from a stroke that paralyzed her left side. She was still herself in many ways, but I could see that the damage to her brain made things difficult for her. I stayed by her every day, providing the support she needed, whether assisting her with eating and drinking, reading to her, or just watching “Friends.” During my flight back home, sorrow and helplessness overwhelmed me. Would I ever see Anna again? Could I have done more to make Anna comfortable? I wished I could stay in China longer to care for her. As I deplaned, I wondered if I could transform my grief to help other children and teenagers in the US who suffered as Anna did.

The day after I got home, as jet lag dragged me awake a few minutes after midnight, I remembered hearing about the Family Reach Foundation (FRF) and its work with children going through treatments at the local hospital and their families. I began volunteering in the FRF’s Children’s Activity Room, where I play with children battling cancer. Volunteering has both made me appreciate my own health and also cherish the new relationships I build with the children and families. We play sports, make figures out of playdoh, and dress up. When they take on the roles of firefighters or fairies, we all get caught up in the game; for that time, they forget the sanitized, stark, impersonal walls of the pediatric oncology ward. Building close relationships with them and seeing them giggle and laugh is so rewarding — I love watching them grow and get better throughout their course of treatment.

Hearing from the parents about their children’s condition and seeing the children recover inspired me to consider medical research. To get started, I enrolled in a summer collegelevel course in Abnormal Psychology. There I worked with Catelyn, a rising college senior, on a data analysis project regarding Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). Together, we examined the neurological etiology of DID by studying four fMRI and PET cases. I fell in love with gathering data and analyzing the results and was amazed by our final product: several stunning brain images showcasing the areas of hyper and hypoactivity in brains affected by DID. Desire quickly followed my amazement — I want to continue this project and study more brains. Their complexity, delicacy, and importance to every aspect of life fascinate me. Successfully completing this research project gave me a sense of hope; I know I am capable of participating in a large scale research project and potentially making a difference in someone else’s life through my research.

Anna’s diagnosis inspired me to begin volunteering at FRF; from there, I discovered my desire to help people further by contributing to medical research. As my research interest blossomed, I realized that it’s no coincidence that I want to study brains—after all, Anna suffered from brain cancer. Reflecting on these experiences this past year and a half, I see that everything I’ve done is connected. Sadly, a few months after I returned from China, Anna passed away. I am still sad, but as I run a toy truck across the floor and watch one of the little patients’ eyes light up, I imagine that she would be proud of my commitment to pursue medicine and study the brain.

This essay has a very strong emotional core that tugs at the heart strings and makes the reader feel invested. Writing about sickness can be difficult and doesn’t always belong in a personal statement, but in this case it works well because the focus is on how this student cared for her cousin and dealt with the grief and emotions surrounding her condition. Writing about the compassion she showed and the doubts and concerns that filled her mind keeps the focus on the author and her personality.

This continues when she again discusses the activities she did with the kids at FRF and the personal reflection this experience allowed her to have. For example, she writes: Volunteering has both made me appreciate my own health and also cherish the new relationships I build with the children and families. We play sports, make figures out of playdoh, and dress up.

Concluding the essay with the sad story of her cousin’s passing brings the essay full circle and returns to the emotional heart of the piece to once again build a connection with the reader. However, it finishes on a hopeful note and demonstrates how this student has been able to turn a tragic experience into a source of lifelong inspiration.

One thing this essay should be cognizant of is that personal statements should not read as summaries of your extracurricular resume. Although this essay doesn’t fully fall into that trap, it does describe two key extracurriculars the student participated in. However, the inclusion of such a strong emotional core running throughout the essay helps keep the focus on the student and her thoughts and feelings during these activities.

To avoid making this mistake, make sure you have a common thread running through your essay and the extracurriculars provide support to the story you are trying to tell, rather than crafting a story around your activities. And, as this essay does, make sure there is lots of personal reflection and feelings weaved throughout to focus attention to you rather than your extracurriculars.

Essay Example #4: Love of Writing

“I want to be a writer.” This had been my answer to every youthful discussion with the adults in my life about what I would do when I grew up. As early as elementary school, I remember reading my writing pieces aloud to an audience at “Author of the Month” ceremonies. Bearing this goal in mind, and hoping to gain some valuable experience, I signed up for a journalism class during my freshman year. Despite my love for writing, I initially found myself uninterested in the subject and I struggled to enjoy the class. When I thought of writing, I imagined lyrical prose, profound poetry, and thrilling plot lines. Journalism required a laconic style and orderly structure, and I found my teacher’s assignments formulaic and dull. That class shook my confidence as a writer. I was uncertain if I should continue in it for the rest of my high school career.

Despite my misgivings, I decided that I couldn’t make a final decision on whether to quit journalism until I had some experience working for a paper outside of the classroom. The following year, I applied to be a staff reporter on our school newspaper. I hoped this would help me become more self-driven and creative, rather than merely writing articles that my teacher assigned. To my surprise, my time on staff was worlds away from what I experienced in the journalism class. Although I was unaccustomed to working in a fast-paced environment and initially found it burdensome to research and complete high-quality stories in a relatively short amount of time, I also found it exciting. I enjoyed learning more about topics and events on campus that I did not know much about; some of my stories that I covered in my first semester concerned a chess tournament, a food drive, and a Spanish immersion party. I relished in the freedom I had to explore and learn, and to write more independently than I could in a classroom.

Although I enjoyed many aspects of working for the paper immediately, reporting also pushed me outside of my comfort zone. I am a shy person, and speaking with people I did not know intimidated me. During my first interview, I met with the basketball coach to prepare for a story about the team’s winning streak. As I approached his office, I felt everything from my toes to my tongue freeze into a solid block, and I could hardly get out my opening questions. Fortunately, the coach was very kind and helped me through the conversation. Encouraged, I prepared for my next interview with more confidence. After a few weeks of practice, I even started to look forward to interviewing people on campus. That first journalism class may have bored me, but even if journalism in practice was challenging, it was anything but tedious.

Over the course of that year, I grew to love writing for our school newspaper. Reporting made me aware of my surroundings, and made me want to know more about current events on campus and in the town where I grew up. By interacting with people all over campus, I came to understand the breadth of individuals and communities that make up my high school. I felt far more connected to diverse parts of my school through my work as a journalist, and I realized that journalism gave me a window into seeing beyond my own experiences. The style of news writing may be different from what I used to think “writing” meant, but I learned that I can still derive exciting plots from events that may have gone unnoticed if not for my stories. I no longer struggle to approach others, and truly enjoy getting to know people and recognizing their accomplishments through my writing. Becoming a writer may be a difficult path, but it is as rewarding as I hoped when I was young.

This essay is clearly structured in a manner that makes it flow very nicely and contributes to its success. It starts with a quote to draw in the reader and show this student’s life-long passion for writing. Then it addresses the challenges of facing new, unfamiliar territory and how this student overcame it. Finally, it concludes by reflecting on this eye-opening experience and a nod to their younger self from the introduction. Having a well-thought out and sequential structure with clear transitions makes it extremely easy for the reader to follow along and take away the main idea.

Another positive aspect of the essay is the use of strong and expressive language. Sentences like “ When I thought of writing, I imagined lyrical prose, profound poetry, and thrilling plot lines ” stand out because of the intentional use of words like “lyrical”, “profound”, and “thrilling” to convey the student’s love of writing. The author also uses an active voice to capture the readers’ attention and keep us engaged. They rely on their language and diction to reveal details to the reader, for instance saying “ I felt everything from my toes to my tongue freeze into a solid block ” to describe feeling nervous.

This essay is already very strong, so there isn’t much that needs to be changed. One thing that could take the essay from great to outstanding would be to throw in more quotes, internal dialogue, and sensory descriptors.

It would be nice to see the nerves they felt interviewing the coach by including dialogue like “ Um…I want to interview you about…uh…”. They could have shown their original distaste for journalism by narrating the thoughts running through their head. The fast-paced environment of their newspaper could have come to life with descriptions about the clacking of keyboards and the whirl of people running around laying out articles.

Essay Example #5: Starting a Fire

Was I no longer the beloved daughter of nature, whisperer of trees? Knee-high rubber boots, camouflage, bug spray—I wore the garb and perfume of a proud wild woman, yet there I was, hunched over the pathetic pile of stubborn sticks, utterly stumped, on the verge of tears. As a child, I had considered myself a kind of rustic princess, a cradler of spiders and centipedes, who was serenaded by mourning doves and chickadees, who could glide through tick-infested meadows and emerge Lyme-free. I knew the cracks of the earth like the scars on my own rough palms. Yet here I was, ten years later, incapable of performing the most fundamental outdoor task: I could not, for the life of me, start a fire.

Furiously I rubbed the twigs together—rubbed and rubbed until shreds of skin flaked from my fingers. No smoke. The twigs were too young, too sticky-green; I tossed them away with a shower of curses, and began tearing through the underbrush in search of a more flammable collection. My efforts were fruitless. Livid, I bit a rejected twig, determined to prove that the forest had spurned me, offering only young, wet bones that would never burn. But the wood cracked like carrots between my teeth—old, brittle, and bitter. Roaring and nursing my aching palms, I retreated to the tent, where I sulked and awaited the jeers of my family.

Rattling their empty worm cans and reeking of fat fish, my brother and cousins swaggered into the campsite. Immediately, they noticed the minor stick massacre by the fire pit and called to me, their deep voices already sharp with contempt.

“Where’s the fire, Princess Clara?” they taunted. “Having some trouble?” They prodded me with the ends of the chewed branches and, with a few effortless scrapes of wood on rock, sparked a red and roaring flame. My face burned long after I left the fire pit. The camp stank of salmon and shame.

In the tent, I pondered my failure. Was I so dainty? Was I that incapable? I thought of my hands, how calloused and capable they had been, how tender and smooth they had become. It had been years since I’d kneaded mud between my fingers; instead of scaling a white pine, I’d practiced scales on my piano, my hands softening into those of a musician—fleshy and sensitive. And I’d gotten glasses, having grown horrifically nearsighted; long nights of dim lighting and thick books had done this. I couldn’t remember the last time I had lain down on a hill, barefaced, and seen the stars without having to squint. Crawling along the edge of the tent, a spider confirmed my transformation—he disgusted me, and I felt an overwhelming urge to squash him.

Yet, I realized I hadn’t really changed—I had only shifted perspective. I still eagerly explored new worlds, but through poems and prose rather than pastures and puddles. I’d grown to prefer the boom of a bass over that of a bullfrog, learned to coax a different kind of fire from wood, having developed a burn for writing rhymes and scrawling hypotheses.

That night, I stayed up late with my journal and wrote about the spider I had decided not to kill. I had tolerated him just barely, only shrieking when he jumped—it helped to watch him decorate the corners of the tent with his delicate webs, knowing that he couldn’t start fires, either. When the night grew cold and the embers died, my words still smoked—my hands burned from all that scrawling—and even when I fell asleep, the ideas kept sparking—I was on fire, always on fire.

This student is an excellent writer, which allows a simple story to be outstandingly compelling. The author articulates her points beautifully and creatively through her immense use of details and figurative language. Lines like “a rustic princess, a cradler of spiders and centipedes, who was serenaded by mourning doves and chickadees,” and “rubbed and rubbed until shreds of skin flaked from my fingers,” create vivid images that draw the reader in.

The flowery and descriptive prose also contributes to the nice juxtaposition between the old Clara and the new Clara. The latter half of the essay contrasts elements of nature with music and writing to demonstrate how natural these interests are for her now. This sentence perfectly encapsulates the contrast she is trying to build: “It had been years since I’d kneaded mud between my fingers; instead of scaling a white pine, I’d practiced scales on my piano, my hands softening into those of a musician—fleshy and sensitive.”

In addition to being well-written, this essay is thematically cohesive. It begins with the simple introduction “Fire!” and ends with the following image: “When the night grew cold and the embers died, my words still smoked—my hands burned from all that scrawling—and even when I fell asleep, the ideas kept sparking—I was on fire, always on fire.” This full-circle approach leaves readers satisfied and impressed.

There is very little this essay should change, however one thing to be cautious about is having an essay that is overly-descriptive. We know from the essay that this student likes to read and write, and depending on other elements of her application, it might make total sense to have such a flowery and ornate writing style. However, your personal statement needs to reflect your voice as well as your personality. If you would never use language like this in conversation or your writing, don’t put it in your personal statement. Make sure there is a balance between eloquence and your personal voice.

Essay Example #6: Dedicating a Track

“Getting beat is one thing – it’s part of competing – but I want no part in losing.” Coach Rob Stark’s motto never fails to remind me of his encouragement on early-morning bus rides to track meets around the state. I’ve always appreciated the phrase, but an experience last June helped me understand its more profound, universal meaning.

Stark, as we affectionately call him, has coached track at my high school for 25 years. His care, dedication, and emphasis on developing good character has left an enduring impact on me and hundreds of other students. Not only did he help me discover my talent and love for running, but he also taught me the importance of commitment and discipline and to approach every endeavor with the passion and intensity that I bring to running. When I learned a neighboring high school had dedicated their track to a longtime coach, I felt that Stark deserved similar honors.

Our school district’s board of education indicated they would only dedicate our track to Stark if I could demonstrate that he was extraordinary. I took charge and mobilized my teammates to distribute petitions, reach out to alumni, and compile statistics on the many team and individual champions Stark had coached over the years. We received astounding support, collecting almost 3,000 signatures and pages of endorsements from across the community. With help from my teammates, I presented this evidence to the board.

They didn’t bite.

Most members argued that dedicating the track was a low priority. Knowing that we had to act quickly to convince them of its importance, I called a team meeting where we drafted a rebuttal for the next board meeting. To my surprise, they chose me to deliver it. I was far from the best public speaker in the group, and I felt nervous about going before the unsympathetic board again. However, at that second meeting, I discovered that I enjoy articulating and arguing for something that I’m passionate about.

Public speaking resembles a cross country race. Walking to the starting line, you have to trust your training and quell your last minute doubts. When the gun fires, you can’t think too hard about anything; your performance has to be instinctual, natural, even relaxed. At the next board meeting, the podium was my starting line. As I walked up to it, familiar butterflies fluttered in my stomach. Instead of the track stretching out in front of me, I faced the vast audience of teachers, board members, and my teammates. I felt my adrenaline build, and reassured myself: I’ve put in the work, my argument is powerful and sound. As the board president told me to introduce myself, I heard, “runners set” in the back of my mind. She finished speaking, and Bang! The brief silence was the gunshot for me to begin.

The next few minutes blurred together, but when the dust settled, I knew from the board members’ expressions and the audience’s thunderous approval that I had run quite a race. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough; the board voted down our proposal. I was disappointed, but proud of myself, my team, and our collaboration off the track. We stood up for a cause we believed in, and I overcame my worries about being a leader. Although I discovered that changing the status quo through an elected body can be a painstakingly difficult process and requires perseverance, I learned that I enjoy the challenges this effort offers. Last month, one of the school board members joked that I had become a “regular” – I now often show up to meetings to advocate for a variety of causes, including better environmental practices in cafeterias and safer equipment for athletes.

Just as Stark taught me, I worked passionately to achieve my goal. I may have been beaten when I appealed to the board, but I certainly didn’t lose, and that would have made Stark proud.

This essay effectively conveys this student’s compassion for others, initiative, and determination—all great qualities to exemplify in a personal statement!

Although they rely on telling us a lot of what happened up until the board meeting, the use of running a race (their passion) as a metaphor for public speaking provides a lot of insight into the fear that this student overcame to work towards something bigger than themself. Comparing a podium to the starting line, the audience to the track, and silence to the gunshot is a nice way of demonstrating this student’s passion for cross country running without making that the focus of the story.

The essay does a nice job of coming full circle at the end by explaining what the quote from the beginning meant to them after this experience. Without explicitly saying “ I now know that what Stark actually meant is…” they rely on the strength of their argument above to make it obvious to the reader what it means to get beat but not lose.

One of the biggest areas of improvement in the intro, however, is how the essay tells us Stark’s impact rather than showing us: His care, dedication, and emphasis on developing good character has left an enduring impact on me and hundreds of other students. Not only did he help me discover my talent and love for running, but he also taught me the importance of commitment and discipline and to approach every endeavor with the passion and intensity that I bring to running.

The writer could’ve helped us feel a stronger emotional connection to Stark if they had included examples of Stark’s qualities, rather than explicitly stating them. For example, they could’ve written something like: Stark was the kind of person who would give you gas money if you told him your parents couldn’t afford to pick you up from practice. And he actually did that—several times. At track meets, alumni regularly would come talk to him and tell him how he’d changed their lives. Before Stark, I was ambivalent about running and was on the JV team, but his encouragement motivated me to run longer and harder and eventually make varsity. Because of him, I approach every endeavor with the passion and intensity that I bring to running.

Essay Example #7: Body Image and Eating Disorders

I press the “discover” button on my Instagram app, hoping to find enticing pictures to satisfy my boredom. Scrolling through, I see funny videos and mouth-watering pictures of food. However, one image stops me immediately. A fit teenage girl with a “perfect body” relaxes in a bikini on a beach. Beneath it, I see a slew of flattering comments. I shake with disapproval over the image’s unrealistic quality. However, part of me still wants to have a body like hers so that others will make similar comments to me.

I would like to resolve a silent issue that harms many teenagers and adults: negative self image and low self-esteem in a world where social media shapes how people view each other. When people see the façades others wear to create an “ideal” image, they can develop poor thought patterns rooted in negative self-talk. The constant comparisons to “perfect” others make people feel small. In this new digital age, it is hard to distinguish authentic from artificial representations.

When I was 11, I developed anorexia nervosa. Though I was already thin, I wanted to be skinny like the models that I saw on the magazine covers on the grocery store stands. Little did I know that those models probably also suffered from disorders, and that photoshop erased their flaws. I preferred being underweight to being healthy. No matter how little I ate or how thin I was, I always thought that I was too fat. I became obsessed with the number on the scale and would try to eat the least that I could without my parents urging me to take more. Fortunately, I stopped engaging in anorexic behaviors before middle school. However, my underlying mental habits did not change. The images that had provoked my disorder in the first place were still a constant presence in my life.

By age 15, I was in recovery from anorexia, but suffered from depression. While I used to only compare myself to models, the growth of social media meant I also compared myself to my friends and acquaintances. I felt left out when I saw my friends’ excitement about lake trips they had taken without me. As I scrolled past endless photos of my flawless, thin classmates with hundreds of likes and affirming comments, I felt my jealousy spiral. I wanted to be admired and loved by other people too. However, I felt that I could never be enough. I began to hate the way that I looked, and felt nothing in my life was good enough. I wanted to be called “perfect” and “body goals,” so I tried to only post at certain times of day to maximize my “likes.” When that didn’t work, I started to feel too anxious to post anything at all.

Body image insecurities and social media comparisons affect thousands of people – men, women, children, and adults – every day. I am lucky – after a few months of my destructive social media habits, I came across a video that pointed out the illusory nature of social media; many Instagram posts only show off good things while people hide their flaws. I began going to therapy, and recovered from my depression. To address the problem of self-image and social media, we can all focus on what matters on the inside and not what is on the surface. As an effort to become healthy internally, I started a club at my school to promote clean eating and radiating beauty from within. It has helped me grow in my confidence, and today I’m not afraid to show others my struggles by sharing my experience with eating disorders. Someday, I hope to make this club a national organization to help teenagers and adults across the country. I support the idea of body positivity and embracing difference, not “perfection.” After all, how can we be ourselves if we all look the same?

This essay covers the difficult topics of eating disorders and mental health. If you’re thinking about covering similar topics in your essay, we recommend reading our post Should You Talk About Mental Health in College Essays?

The short answer is that, yes, you can talk about mental health, but it can be risky. If you do go that route, it’s important to focus on what you learned from the experience.

The strength of this essay is the student’s vulnerability, in excerpts such as this: I wanted to be admired and loved by other people too. However, I felt that I could never be enough. I began to hate the way that I looked, and felt nothing in my life was good enough. I wanted to be called “perfect” and “body goals,” so I tried to only post at certain times of day to maximize my “likes.”

The student goes on to share how they recovered from their depression through an eye-opening video and therapy sessions, and they’re now helping others find their self-worth as well. It’s great that this essay looks towards the future and shares the writer’s goals of making their club a national organization; we can see their ambition and compassion.

The main weakness of this essay is that it doesn’t focus enough on their recovery process, which is arguably the most important part. They could’ve told us more about the video they watched or the process of starting their club and the interactions they’ve had with other members. Especially when sharing such a vulnerable topic, there should be vulnerability in the recovery process too. That way, the reader can fully appreciate all that this student has overcome.

Essay Example #8: Becoming a Coach

”Advanced females ages 13 to 14 please proceed to staging with your coaches at this time.” Skittering around the room, eyes wide and pleading, I frantically explained my situation to nearby coaches. The seconds ticked away in my head; every polite refusal increased my desperation.

Despair weighed me down. I sank to my knees as a stream of competitors, coaches, and officials flowed around me. My dojang had no coach, and the tournament rules prohibited me from competing without one.

Although I wanted to remain strong, doubts began to cloud my mind. I could not help wondering: what was the point of perfecting my skills if I would never even compete? The other members of my team, who had found coaches minutes earlier, attempted to comfort me, but I barely heard their words. They couldn’t understand my despair at being left on the outside, and I never wanted them to understand.

Since my first lesson 12 years ago, the members of my dojang have become family. I have watched them grow up, finding my own happiness in theirs. Together, we have honed our kicks, blocks, and strikes. We have pushed one another to aim higher and become better martial artists. Although my dojang had searched for a reliable coach for years, we had not found one. When we attended competitions in the past, my teammates and I had always gotten lucky and found a sympathetic coach. Now, I knew this practice was unsustainable. It would devastate me to see the other members of my dojang in my situation, unable to compete and losing hope as a result. My dojang needed a coach, and I decided it was up to me to find one.

I first approached the adults in the dojang – both instructors and members’ parents. However, these attempts only reacquainted me with polite refusals. Everyone I asked told me they couldn’t devote multiple weekends per year to competitions. I soon realized that I would have become the coach myself.

At first, the inner workings of tournaments were a mystery to me. To prepare myself for success as a coach, I spent the next year as an official and took coaching classes on the side. I learned everything from motivational strategies to technical, behind-the-scenes components of Taekwondo competitions. Though I emerged with new knowledge and confidence in my capabilities, others did not share this faith.

Parents threw me disbelieving looks when they learned that their children’s coach was only a child herself. My self-confidence was my armor, deflecting their surly glances. Every armor is penetrable, however, and as the relentless barrage of doubts pounded my resilience, it began to wear down. I grew unsure of my own abilities.

Despite the attack, I refused to give up. When I saw the shining eyes of the youngest students preparing for their first competition, I knew I couldn’t let them down. To quit would be to set them up to be barred from competing like I was. The knowledge that I could solve my dojang’s longtime problem motivated me to overcome my apprehension.

Now that my dojang flourishes at competitions, the attacks on me have weakened, but not ended. I may never win the approval of every parent; at times, I am still tormented by doubts, but I find solace in the fact that members of my dojang now only worry about competing to the best of their abilities.

Now, as I arrive at a tournament with my students, I close my eyes and remember the past. I visualize the frantic search for a coach and the chaos amongst my teammates as we competed with one another to find coaches before the staging calls for our respective divisions. I open my eyes to the exact opposite scene. Lacking a coach hurt my ability to compete, but I am proud to know that no member of my dojang will have to face that problem again.

This essay begins with an in-the-moment narrative that really illustrates the chaos of looking for a coach last-minute. We feel the writer’s emotions, particularly her dejectedness, at not being able to compete. Starting an essay in media res is a great way to capture the attention of your readers and build anticipation for what comes next.

Through this essay, we can see how gutsy and determined the student is in deciding to become a coach themselves. She shows us these characteristics through their actions, rather than explicitly telling us: To prepare myself for success as a coach, I spent the next year as an official and took coaching classes on the side. Also, by discussing the opposition she faced and how it affected her, the student is open and vulnerable about the reality of the situation.

The essay comes full circle as the author recalls the frantic situations in seeking out a coach, but this is no longer a concern for them and their team. Overall, this essay is extremely effective in painting this student as mature, bold, and compassionate.

The biggest thing this essay needs to work on is showing not telling. Throughout the essay, the student tells us that she “emerged with new knowledge and confidence,” she “grew unsure of her own abilities,” and she “refused to give up”. What we really want to know is what this looks like.

Instead of saying she “emerged with new knowledge and confidence” she should have shared how she taught a new move to a fellow team-member without hesitation. Rather than telling us she “grew unsure of her own abilities” she should have shown what that looked like by including her internal dialogue and rhetorical questions that ran through her mind. She could have demonstrated what “refusing to give up” looks like by explaining how she kept learning coaching techniques on her own, turned to a mentor for advice, or devised a plan to win over the trust of parents.

Essay Example #9: Eritrea

No one knows where Eritrea is.

On the first day of school, for the past nine years, I would pensively stand in front of a class, a teacher, a stranger waiting for the inevitable question: Where are you from?

I smile politely, my dimples accentuating my ambiguous features. “Eritrea,” I answer promptly and proudly. But I am always prepared. Before their expression can deepen into confusion, ready to ask “where is that,” I elaborate, perhaps with a fleeting hint of exasperation, “East Africa, near Ethiopia.”

Sometimes, I single out the key-shaped hermit nation on a map, stunning teachers who have “never had a student from there!” Grinning, I resist the urge to remark, “You didn’t even know it existed until two minutes ago!”

Eritrea is to the East of Ethiopia, its arid coastline clutches the lucrative Red Sea. Battle scars litter the ancient streets – the colonial Italian architecture lathered with bullet holes, the mosques mangled with mortar shells. Originally part of the world’s first Christian kingdom, Eritrea passed through the hands of colonial Italy, Britain, and Ethiopia for over a century, until a bloody thirty year war of Independence liberated us.

But these are facts that anyone can know with a quick Google search. These are facts that I have memorised and compounded, first from my Grandmother and now from pristine books borrowed from the library.

No historical narrative, however, can adequately capture what Eritrea is. No one knows the aroma of bushels of potatoes, tomatoes, and garlic – still covered in dirt – that leads you to the open-air market. No one knows the poignant scent of spices, arranged in orange piles reminiscent of compacted dunes. No one knows how to haggle stubborn herders for sheep and roosters for Christmas celebrations as deliberately as my mother. No one can replicate the perfect balance of spices in dorho and tsebhi as well as my grandmother, her gnarly hands stirring the pot with ancient precision (chastising my clumsy knife work with the potatoes). It’s impossible to learn when the injera is ready – the exact moment you have to lift the lid of the mogogo. Do it too early (or too late) and the flatbread becomes mangled and gross. It is a sixth sense passed through matriarchal lineages.

There are no sources that catalogue the scent of incense that wafts through the sunlit porch on St. Michael’s; no films that can capture the luminescence of hundreds of flaming bonfires that fluoresce the sidewalks on Kudus Yohannes, as excited children chant Ge’ez proverbs whose origin has been lost to time. You cannot learn the familiarity of walking beneath the towering Gothic figure of the Enda Mariam Cathedral, the crowds undulating to the ringing of the archaic bells. I have memorized the sound of the rains hounding the metal roof during kiremti , the heat of the sun pounding against the Toyota’s window as we sped down towards Ghinda , the opulent brilliance of the stars twinkling in a sky untainted by light pollution, the scent of warm rolls of bani wafting through the streets at precisely 6 o’clock each day…

I fill my flimsy sketchbook with pictures from my memory. My hand remembers the shapes of the hibiscus drifting in the wind, the outline of my grandmother (affectionately nicknamed a’abaye ) leaning over the garden, the bizarre architecture of the Fiat Tagliero . I dice the vegetables with movements handed down from generations. My nose remembers the scent of frying garlic, the sourness of the warm tayta , the sharpness of the mit’mt’a …

This knowledge is intrinsic. “I am Eritrean,” I repeat. “I am proud.” Within me is an encyclopedia of history, culture, and idealism.

Eritrea is the coffee made from scratch, the spices drying in the sun, the priests and nuns. Eritrea is wise, filled with ambition, and unseen potential. Eritrea isn’t a place, it’s an identity.

This is an exceptional essay that provides a window into this student’s culture that really makes their love for their country and heritage leap off the page. The sheer level of details and sensory descriptors this student is able to fit in this space makes the essay stand out. From the smells, to the traditions, sounds, and sights, the author encapsulates all the glory of Eritrea for the reader.

The vivid images this student is able to create for the reader, whether it is having the tedious conversation with every teacher or cooking in their grandmother’s kitchen, transports us into the story and makes us feel like we are there in the moment with the student. This is a prime example of an essay that shows , not tells.

Besides the amazing imagery, the use of shorter paragraphs also contributes to how engaging this essay is. Employing this tactic helps break up the text to make it more readable and it isolates ideas so they stick out more than if they were enveloped in a large paragraph.

Overall, this is a really strong essay that brings to life this student’s heritage through its use of vivid imagery. This essay exemplifies what it means to show not tell in your writing, and it is a great example of how you can write an intimate personal statement without making yourself the primary focus of your essay.

There is very little this essay should improve upon, but one thing the student might consider would be to inject more personal reflection into their response. Although we can clearly take away their deep love and passion for their homeland and culture, the essay would be a bit more personal if they included the emotions and feelings they associate with the various aspects of Eritrea. For example, the way their heart swells with pride when their grandmother praises their ability to cook a flatbread or the feeling of serenity when they hear the bells ring out from the cathedral. Including personal details as well as sensory ones would create a wonderful balance of imagery and reflection.

Essay Example #10: Journaling

Flipping past dozens of colorful entries in my journal, I arrive at the final blank sheet. I press my pen lightly to the page, barely scratching its surface to create a series of loops stringing together into sentences. Emotions spill out, and with their release, I feel lightness in my chest. The stream of thoughts slows as I reach the bottom of the page, and I gently close the cover of the worn book: another journal finished.

I add the journal to the stack of eleven books on my nightstand. Struck by the bittersweet sensation of closing a chapter of my life, I grab the notebook at the bottom of the pile to reminisce.

“I want to make a flying mushen to fly in space and your in it” – October 2008

Pulling back the cover of my first Tinkerbell-themed diary, the prompt “My Hopes and Dreams” captures my attention. Though “machine” is misspelled in my scribbled response, I see the beginnings of my past obsession with outer space. At the age of five, I tore through novels about the solar system, experimented with rockets built from plastic straws, and rented Space Shuttle films from Blockbuster to satisfy my curiosities. While I chased down answers to questions as limitless as the universe, I fell in love with learning. Eight journals later, the same relentless curiosity brought me to an airplane descending on San Francisco Bay.

“I wish I had infinite sunsets” – July 2019

I reach for the charcoal notepad near the top of the pile and open to the first page: my flight to the Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes. While I was excited to explore bioengineering, anxiety twisted in my stomach as I imagined my destination, unsure of whether I could overcome my shyness and connect with others.

With each new conversation, the sweat on my palms became less noticeable, and I met students from 23 different countries. Many of the moments where I challenged myself socially revolved around the third story deck of the Jerry house. A strange medley of English, Arabic, and Mandarin filled the summer air as my friends and I gathered there every evening, and dialogues at sunset soon became moments of bliss. In our conversations about cultural differences, the possibility of an afterlife, and the plausibility of far-fetched conspiracy theories, I learned to voice my opinion. As I was introduced to different viewpoints, these moments challenged my understanding of the world around me. In my final entries from California, I find excitement to learn from others and increased confidence, a tool that would later allow me to impact my community.

“The beauty in a tower of cans” – June 2020

Returning my gaze to the stack of journals, I stretch to take the floral-patterned book sitting on top. I flip through, eventually finding the beginnings of the organization I created during the outbreak of COVID-19. Since then, Door-to-Door Deliveries has woven its way through my entries and into reality, allowing me to aid high-risk populations through free grocery delivery.

With the confidence I gained the summer before, I took action when seeing others in need rather than letting my shyness hold me back. I reached out to local churches and senior centers to spread word of our services and interacted with customers through our website and social media pages. To further expand our impact, we held two food drives, and I mustered the courage to ask for donations door-to-door. In a tower of canned donations, I saw the value of reaching out to help others and realized my own potential to impact the world around me.

I delicately close the journal in my hands, smiling softly as the memories reappear, one after another. Reaching under my bed, I pull out a fresh notebook and open to its first sheet. I lightly press my pen to the page, “And so begins the next chapter…”

The structuring of this essay makes it easy and enjoyable to read. The student effectively organizes their various life experiences around their tower of journals, which centers the reader and makes the different stories easy to follow. Additionally, the student engages quotes from their journals—and unique formatting of the quotes—to signal that they are moving in time and show us which memory we should follow them to.

Thematically, the student uses the idea of shyness to connect the different memories they draw out of their journals. As the student describes their experiences overcoming shyness at the Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes and Door-to-Door Deliveries, this essay can be read as an Overcoming Obstacles essay.

At the end of this essay, readers are fully convinced that this student is dedicated (they have committed to journaling every day), thoughtful (journaling is a thoughtful process and, in the essay, the student reflects thoughtfully on the past), and motivated (they flew across the country for a summer program and started a business). These are definitely qualities admissions officers are looking for in applicants!

Although this essay is already exceptionally strong as it’s written, the first journal entry feels out of place compared to the other two entries that discuss the author’s shyness and determination. It works well for the essay to have an entry from when the student was younger to add some humor (with misspelled words) and nostalgia, but if the student had either connected the quote they chose to the idea of overcoming a fear present in the other two anecdotes or if they had picked a different quote all together related to their shyness, it would have made the entire essay feel more cohesive.

Where to Get Your Personal Statement Edited

Do you want feedback on your personal statement? After rereading your essays countless times, it can be difficult to evaluate your writing objectively. That’s why we created our free Peer Essay Review tool , where you can get a free review of your essay from another student. You can also improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays.

If you want a college admissions expert to review your essay, advisors on CollegeVine have helped students refine their writing and submit successful applications to top schools. Find the right advisor for you to improve your chances of getting into your dream school!

Next Step: Supplemental Essays

Essay Guides for Each School

How to Write a Stellar Extracurricular Activity College Essay

4 Tips for Writing a Diversity College Essay

How to Write the “Why This College” Essay

30 Passion Project Ideas College Admissions Love

It’s important to showcase your interests through your extracurricular activities, and developing a passion project is a great way to explore your interests while enhancing your college application.

With so many options for passion projects, it might tough to even find a starting point. In this blog, we’ll explore different passion project ideas, their benefits, and how to get started!

What is a passion project?

A passion project is a personal project that someone undertakes out of a strong interest or curiosity in a particular topic, idea, or skill. It’s usually a self-directed project that is not tied to any specific academic or professional requirement.

Passion projects can take many forms, including creative endeavors, community initiatives, research projects, or personal challenges.

Pursuing a passion project can also be a deeply fulfilling and rewarding experience that fosters personal growth and self-awareness. It can boost confidence, build resilience, and encourage you to take ownership of your own learning and personal development.

They provide a space for creativity, innovation, and personal growth, and can help individuals stand out in the competitive college application space .

What are the benefits of pursuing a passion project for college applicants?

For college applicants, pursuing a passion project can have several benefits, including:

Demonstrating commitment : Pursuing a passion project shows commitment and dedication to a particular interest or cause. This can be attractive to college admissions committees, as it demonstrates an ability to pursue goals outside of traditional academic settings and can show a willingness to take initiative.
Showcasing skills : Whether it's learning a new programming language, developing a volunteer program, or honing a creative craft, passion projects can be a great way to showcase skills and talents that may not be reflected in academic transcripts or test scores. For example, if you have a passion for filmmaking and have created a short film, this project can showcase skills in storytelling, cinematography, and editing.
Standing out in the application process : Passion projects can help you stand out in the application process. College admissions committees often see a lot of applications from students with similar academic profiles, so a passion project can help you differentiate yourself from other candidates.
Building a portfolio : Pursuing a passion project can help you build a portfolio of work that demonstrates your skills and accomplishments that may not be reflected in academic credentials. This can be useful in showcasing experience and expertise to potential colleges or future employers.
Showing personal growth : Pursuing a passion project can demonstrate personal growth and development. It shows that you are willing to take risks and pursue interests outside of your comfort zone, which can be an attractive quality to colleges.
Exploring interests : Passion projects allow you to explore and delve deeper into areas of personal interest that may not be covered in traditional academic settings. This can lead to a deeper understanding of a particular subject and can even spark new interests or career paths.
Enhancing creativity : Passion projects provide a space for creativity and innovation. You can approach your projects in unconventional ways, experiment with new ideas, and take risks without the pressure of academic expectations.

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30 Passion Project Ideas for High Schoolers

Arts and crafts.

Channel your artistic flair into a passion project that not only showcases your talent, but also reveals your unique perspective.

Your passion project is not just an artistic endeavor; it's a canvas for expressing your individuality, something college admissions officers truly value.

Create a series of unique paintings inspired by your favorite books or movies.
Design and handcraft personalized greeting cards for different occasions.
Explore the art of origami and challenge yourself with intricate paper creations.

Tech and Innovation

In the digital age, tech-savvy students stand out, making a passion project in tech and innovation a valuable addition to your college application . Colleges appreciate students who not only embrace technology but also leverage it for meaningful projects.

Develop a mobile app to solve a problem you've always wanted to tackle.
Build a website showcasing your photography portfolio or a blog about a niche interest.
Dive into the world of robotics and create a mini-bot with unique functionalities.

Writing and Literature

For aspiring wordsmiths, a passion project in writing and literature can be a powerful asset in the college admissions process. Start a blog that dives deep into your favorite literary genres, demonstrating your analytical and communication skills.

Start a blog exploring your favorite literary genres or book reviews.
Write a collection of short stories or poetry that reflects your personal experiences.
Begin work on your novel—every journey starts with a single word!

Nature and Outdoor Adventures

Colleges appreciate students with diverse interests and a commitment to well-rounded personal development. Your nature-centric passion project offers colleges a glimpse into your multifaceted character and your potential contributions to campus life.

Document a photojournal of your local hikes and trails.
Start a community garden to promote sustainable living.
Create a guidebook for birdwatching in your region.

Health and Wellness

In an era where holistic well-being is highly valued, a passion project centered around health and wellness can make your college application stand out.

Experimenting with healthy recipes showcases creativity and a commitment to a balanced lifestyle, qualities that resonate well with college admissions officers looking for students with diverse interests and a focus on well-being.

Develop a personalized workout routine and share it with an online community.
Dive into the world of meditation and create a mindfulness podcast.
Experiment with creating healthy and delicious recipes, documenting your culinary journey.

DIY Home Projects

Colleges seek students who are not only academically inclined but also possess practical skills and a sense of creativity. Transforming spaces through DIY home projects demonstrates innovation and resourcefulness.

Build custom furniture pieces tailored to your home's aesthetic.
Start a home renovation project, whether it's a small room or a cozy backyard space.
Experiment with upcycling old items into functional and stylish pieces.

Music and Sound

Colleges appreciate students with a passion for the arts, and a project in music and sound can be a unique way to showcase your creativity. Your music-centric passion project can be a melody that resonates with college admissions officers seeking students with diverse talents and a commitment to artistic expression.

Learn a new musical instrument and document your progress.
Compose and produce your original music track or album.
Create a podcast discussing your favorite music genres and artists.

History and Culture

Colleges value students who demonstrate a curiosity about the world around them. A passion project in history and culture is a powerful way to convey this intellectual curiosity. Your history and culture passion project can be the key to unlocking doors to colleges that appreciate well-rounded individuals with a global perspective.

Develop a documentary series about local history or cultural traditions.
Start a blog analyzing historical events and their relevance today.
Create an interactive map showcasing historical landmarks in your community.

Public Speaking and Debating

Colleges appreciate students with strong communication skills, and a passion project in public speaking and debating can be a valuable asset, and building essential communication skills reflects your commitment to personal and intellectual development.

Start a YouTube channel where you discuss and debate current affairs or thought-provoking topics.
Organize and participate in a local or online debate competition.
Create a public speaking series focused on building essential communication skills.

Philanthropy and Community Service

Colleges value students who demonstrate a commitment to making a positive impact on their communities, and a passion project in philanthropy and community service is a great way to show that. Volunteering at local organizations and documenting your experiences not only reflects your commitment but also your ability to articulate the impact of your service.

Start a community service project addressing a specific local need.
Establish a fundraising campaign for a cause you're passionate about.
Volunteer at local organizations and document your experiences to raise awareness.

Brainstorming Ideas for Passion Projects

Brainstorming passion project ideas requires a combination of self-reflection, community awareness, and creativity. By considering personal interests, community needs, and current trends, you can create projects that align with your passions and make a positive impact.

Here are some tips for high schoolers to brainstorm passion project ideas:

Reflect on personal interests: Start by thinking about what you are passionate about. Consider your hobbies, extracurricular activities, and things that you enjoy doing in your free time. Think about how you can turn these interests into a project that can benefit others.
Identify gaps in the community : Look for gaps or needs in your community that you can address through a passion project. This could be something as simple as starting a community garden or as complex as creating a program to address mental health issues in your school. By identifying needs in your community , you can create a project that not only satisfies your interests but also benefits others.
Research current trends : Keep up to date with current trends and events that are happening in your area or globally. Look for opportunities to create a project that addresses a current issue or trend. For example, if you are passionate about environmental sustainability, you could create a project that addresses the issue of plastic waste in your community.
Consider skills and talents : Consider your skills and talents when brainstorming passion project ideas. Think about how you can use your existing skills to create a project that aligns with your passions. For example, if you are skilled in graphic design, you could create a social media campaign to raise awareness about a particular issue.
Collaborate with others : Collaborate with others to generate passion project ideas. Brainstorm with friends, family members, or peers who share similar interests. You can also reach out to community organizations or local businesses to identify opportunities for collaboration.
Think about your college goals : Consider how your passion project can align with your college goals. Think about how your project can demonstrate your leadership skills, creativity, and commitment to a particular cause. This can help you stand out in the college application process.

Building The Perfect Application

Passion projects and extracurriculars are just one piece of the puzzle. It could be difficult to navigate the ins and outs of the college admission process, but you don’t have to go through it alone.

Working with an expert strategist is a surefire way to perfect your application. Students working with our strategists are 7x more likely to gain admission into their dream university.

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Project 2025 is an effort by the Heritage Foundation, not Donald Trump | Fact check

The claim: Project 2025 is a plan from Trump

A July 5 Facebook post ( direct link , archive link ) includes nine slides describing supposed policy propositions from former President Donald Trump. The slides include an image of Trump along with the title "Project 2025."

“Trump has made his authoritarian intentions quite clear with his Project 2025 plan,” reads the post's caption.

It received more than 500 shares in four days.

More from the Fact-Check Team: How we pick and research claims | Email newsletter | Facebook page

Our rating: False

Project 2025 is a political playbook created by the Heritage Foundation and dozens of other conservative groups, not Trump, who said he disagrees with elements of the effort. There are, however, numerous people involved in Project 2025 who worked in Trump's first administration.

President decides which policy recommendations to implement

The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank , collaborated with more than 100 conservative groups for Project 2025, also known as the Presidential Transition Project. The result is a more than 900-page playbook with policy recommendations for the next Republican president that reflect the think tank's goal of "(rescuing) the country from the grip of the radical Left."

Trump, however, has sought to publicly distance himself from the effort, as reported by The Washington Post .

“I know nothing about Project 2025,” Trump wrote in a July 5 Truth Social post . “I have no idea who is behind it. I disagree with some of the things they’re saying and some of the things they’re saying are absolutely ridiculous and abysmal. Anything they do, I wish them luck, but I have nothing to do with them.”

Trump didn’t specify which Project 2025 proposals he disagrees with in the statement.

Fact check : No, AP did not report Trump may face 'molestation' charges

Project 2025 said it “does not speak for any candidate or campaign” in a July 5 post on X , formerly Twitter. Its playbook is comprised of suggestions the coalition believes will benefit the "next conservative president."

“But it is ultimately up to that president, who we believe will be President Trump, to decide which recommendations to implement,” the post said.

That said, Project 2025 does involve numerous Trump allies.

Director Paul Dans , for example, was the chief of staff at the Office of Personnel Management during the Trump administration. Trump advisor Stephen Miller and the Trump campaign's National Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also appeared in a video supporting the project’s “Presidential Administration Academy."

There is also overlap between Trump's platform and Project 2025's proposals.

The project has called for an end to illegal immigration while Trump has vowed to "carry out the largest domestic deportation operation in American history" and "terminate every open borders policy of the Biden administration ," if re-elected.

Project 2025 also supports shutting down the Department of Education , which Trump pledged to do in a 2023 campaign video .

The Heritage Foundation said in a January 2018 news release that Trump had adopted nearly two-thirds of its policy recommendations within his first year in office.

USA TODAY has debunked an array of claims about Trump, including false assertions that he selected Michael Flynn as his vice president , that a video shows “Trump Force One” buzzing a Washington-area airport after the June presidential debate and that Trump was found guilty in his hush-money trial by a jury stacked with Biden supporters .

The Facebook user who shared the post told USA TODAY it's a "logical inference" that Trump supports the project because of the number of his allies who are involved, even if he has not publicly endorsed the effort.

Our fact-check sources:

Project 2025, accessed July 8, About Project 2025
Donald Trump, July 5, Truth Social post
Project 2025, July 5, X post

Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or e-newspaper here .

USA TODAY is a verified signatory of the International Fact-Checking Network, which requires a demonstrated commitment to nonpartisanship, fairness and transparency. Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Meta .

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What is Project 2025? The ‘dystopian’ manifesto for Trump’s second term

Project 2025’s blueprint for donald trump’s return to the white house opens the door to fascism, lawmakers warn, article bookmarked.

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A 900-page plan drawn up by former Donald Trump aides and endorsed by a powerful right-wing think tank is giving the former president a roadmap for his second administration .

Project 2025 — a blueprint for Trump’s presidency spearheaded by the Heritage Foundation and more than a dozen former Trump administration officials — is essentially a wishlist for his administration with plans to expand his executive authority, replace civil servants with ideologically aligned appointees, crush abortion rights and impose an anti-immigrant agenda, among other policies.

But the former president is trying to distance himself from the plan , claiming that he knows “nothing” about it or “who is behind it,” despite its authors coming from Trump’s White House and the GOP’s close ties to the group that launched it.

Project 2025’s core policy book Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise outlines major changes across the federal government, from the White House to lesser-known agencies, with chapters written by former Trump officials.

As The Independent previously reported , the plan would gut checks and balances to give Trump unprecedented, concentrated executive authority over federal agencies. An incoming Trump administration would roll out a blitzkrieg of firings across federal agencies to open the door for an army of loyalists to weaponize the government against his rivals.

The plan recommends abolishing the US Department of Education, slashing funds for federal law enforcement agencies, and subverting agencies that regulate the airwaves and campaign financing to choke out dissent.

Donald Trump holds a campaign rally in Las Vegas on June 9. Now, Democrats have created a task force to go against a think-tank’s conservative road map if he returns to the White House.

That consolidation of power would also insulate him against legal threats and usher in a wave of attacks against immigrants, reproductive healthcare and civil rights protections for LGBT+ people.

The plan also would revoke the federal government’s approval of widely used abortion drugs , expand the nation’s nuclear footprint and restart nuclear weapons testing , and activate active-duty military to make arrests at the US-Mexico border, among other proposals.

A group of House Democrats and civil rights groups have launched a task force to combat the Project 2025 agenda, while President Joe Biden’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee are going full court press against the plan in advertising and in campaign messaging.

House Democrats led by California Rep. Jared Huffman created a Stop Project 2025 Task Force to coordinate with members of Congress, pro-democracy and civil rights groups and impacted communities “to coordinate on examining, highlighting, preempting, and counteracting this right-wing plot to undermine democracy.”

“Project 2025 is more than an idea, it’s a dystopian plot that’s already in motion to dismantle our democratic institutions, abolish checks and balances, chip away at church-state separation, and impose a far-right agenda that infringes on basic liberties and violates public will,” Huffman said in a statement on June 11.

“This is an unprecedented embrace of extremism, fascism, and religious nationalism, orchestrated by the radical right and its dark money backers,” he said. “We need a coordinated strategy to save America and stop this coup before it’s too late.”

Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts.

Project 2025 was drafted by dozens of former Trump administration officials and other loyalists, nearly half of which are the recipients of dark money contributions from groups tied to conservative donor Leonard Leo, who helped usher in Trump’s radical restructuring of the federal judiciary.

The plan’s overhaul of the federal government also poses threats to marriage equality and public school funding and could “trample the wall of church-state separation and upend our democracy,” according to Rachel Laser, president of Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

The nearly 1,000-page plan opens with a “promise” to eliminate abortion access, and “abortion” is mentioned nearly 200 times.

“And their attacks don’t stop with abortion,” according to Karen Stone, vice president of public policy and government relations with Planned Parenthood Action Fund. “They’re also planning to restrict funding for birth control and other preventive care and attacking gender-affirming care and sex education.”

The task force also will serve as a public messaging campaign as interest on Project 2025 surges on social media.

Members will hold public forums in the months leading up to Election Day. But the task force could also function as a key bulwark in Congress against Trump’s agenda, if elected.

Democratic US Rep Jared Huffman is leading a task force against Project 2025’s plans for Donald Trump’s presidency.

“Project 2025 will not be ‘stopped’ by an unserious, mistake-riddled press release or a task force of House Democrats lacking a basic understanding of federal governance,” Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts said in a statement. “The task force launched by House Democrats only underscores the Left’s fear of losing its grip on their authoritarian bureaucracy ... We will not give up and we will win.”

Trump campaign advisers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita said last year that the “any personnel lists, policy agendas, or government plans published anywhere are merely suggestions.”

Efforts from outside groups like the Heritage Foundation are “appreciated” but do not speak for the campaign, they said.

In a statement denying connections to the campaign, the Heritage Foundation said the plan is merely a guideline “for the next conservative president.”

“But it is ultimately up to that president, who we believe will be President Trump, to decide which recommendations to implement,” the group said.

This story was initially published in June 2024 and has been updated with developments

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Project 2025 Tax Overhaul Blueprint: What You Need to Know

Some people wonder what Project 2025 is and what it proposes for the IRS, income tax brackets, tax cuts, and capital gains tax rates.

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If you’ve been on social media or tuned into the news lately, you may have heard about Project 2025, a controversial policy blueprint developed by the Heritage Foundation . A 900-page mandate from the conservative think tank is getting attention for its eyebrow-raising proposals.

The legal organization, Democracy Forward has described Project 2025 as "among the most profound threats to the American people." On its website, the Heritage Foundation says of its plan, "It's past time to lay the groundwork for a White House more friendly to the right."

The significant changes presented in the four pillars of Project 2025, designed for a future Republican administration, would fundamentally alter the federal government. That includes everything from public education and the Federal Reserve to the IRS and the United States tax system.

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Taxes and tax policy were already set to be a major issue following the 2024 presidential election. Several key provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA, also commonly referred to as the “Trump tax cuts”) are scheduled to expire next year . However, with the election on the horizon, it is important to be informed about various proposals that could impact your finances — including those in Project 2025.

What does Project 2025 say about taxes?

Regarding taxes, Project 2025 provides for several significant changes, some of which are summarized below.

Income tax rates

Changing to two income tax rates: 15% and 30%

Currently, there are seven different income tax rates: 10%, 12%, 22%, 24%, 32%, 35%, and 37%. These marginal rates are tied to inflation-adjusted federal income tax brackets .

Chapter 25 of the project's “Mandate for Leadership,” states, “The Treasury should work with Congress to simplify the tax code by enacting a simple two-rate individual tax system of 15 percent and 30 percent that eliminates most deductions, credits and exclusions.”

The Project 2025 playbook suggests that the 30% tax rate should begin “at or near the Social Security wage base ,” currently $168,600.

Critics contend that such a drastic tax rate simplification might not account for varied individual financial situations.
There are also concerns that two tax rates and eliminating deductions and credits would be less fair, increasing the tax burden on middle-income earners.

Some question whether a two-rate system would lead to a loss of federal revenue.

Capital gains tax rate

Imposing a 15% tax on capital gains and dividends

Advocates suggest this would incentivize investment and entrepreneurship. However, those opposed argue a 15% capital gains tax rate is too low. This is tied to existing concerns that lower capital gains rates disproportionately benefit the wealthy and that cutting capital gains tax rates can lead to a loss of government revenue.

Additionally, some argue that maintaining a separate capital gains tax rate alongside ordinary income rates works against simplifying the tax code.

'Trump tax cuts'

Extending and expanding the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act

Supporters argue that this would stimulate economic growth. However, critics point to studies suggesting that these cuts have contributed to the national debt. (The Congressional Budget Office estimates that extending the 2017 tax cuts alone would increase the deficit by $4.6 trillion by 2028.)

Another concern is data indicating that nearly half of the tax benefits in the TCJA have benefited the top 5% of U.S. taxpayers. Aside from potentially adding to wealth inequality, it would be difficult to maintain the 2017 tax cuts without significant reductions in federal spending.

Corporate tax rate

Lowering the corporate tax rate from 21% to 18%

Supporters have argued that this reduction might stimulate economic growth by encouraging business investment and job creation. They also contend that a lower corporate tax rate would make the U.S. more competitive, potentially attracting foreign investment.

Meanwhile, opponents worry that reducing the corporate tax rate could significantly reduce government revenue. There’s also the longstanding debate over studies showing limited economic benefits associated with corporate tax cuts. Additionally, some say that lowering corporate taxes shifts the tax burden to individuals and encourages tax avoidance.

Project 2025 plans

In different “reform stages,” Project 2025 proposals include eliminating individual and corporate income taxes in favor of a consumption tax. Proponents argue this would simplify the tax system and encourage saving and investment. However, critics warn that such a shift could burden people with lower and middle incomes who spend more on essential goods and services.

Project 2025 also proposes significant changes to the IRS, including budget cuts and increased presidential appointments within the agency.

Additionally, the project advocates a three-fifths vote threshold for future tax increases. In an “intermediate tax reform” stage, the project would repeal the clean energy tax breaks and “all tax increases passed as part of the Inflation Reduction Act .”

While supporters argue changing the IRS would reduce government overreach, opponents worry it could hamper the agency's ability to enforce tax laws and collect revenue effectively. ( The IRS has recently increased its compliance efforts relative to high earners and large corporations. )

Beyond taxes, Project 2025 proposes other sweeping changes, including but not limited to:

Eliminating various federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Education
Restricting abortion access
Increasing presidential authority
Cutting federal funding for renewable energy research
Implementing stricter immigration policies

Project 2025 taxes: Bottom line

Project 2025 is seen as a conservative (some say "radical") roadmap for overhauling federal government structure and policy if a Republican administration regains the White House in 2024.

Supporters argue that proposed tax "reforms" would simplify the tax code and boost economic growth and competitiveness. ( *Revenue estimates don't appear in the Project 2025 playbook. ) However, opponents warn of negative consequences like increased income inequality, ballooning national debt, reduced government capacity to provide essential services and unchecked authority.

In any case, and especially in the current highly charged political environment, it’s important to remain informed about potential tax changes that could affect your finances.

President Biden's Capital Gains Tax Rate Proposal
Types of Income the IRS Doesn’t Tax
Supreme Court Overturns Chevron: What it Means for the IRS
The Taxes That Come out of Your Paycheck

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As the senior tax editor at Kiplinger.com, Kelley R. Taylor simplifies federal and state tax information, news, and developments to help empower readers. Kelley has over two decades of experience advising on and covering education, law, finance, and tax as a corporate attorney and business journalist.

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What Is Project 2025, and Why Is Trump Disavowing It?

The Biden campaign has attacked Donald J. Trump’s ties to the conservative policy plan that would amass power in the executive branch, though it is not his official platform.

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Kevin Roberts, wearing a dark suit and blue tie and speaking into a microphone at a lectern. The lectern says, “National Religious Broadcasters, nrb.org.”

By Simon J. Levien

Donald J. Trump has gone to great lengths to distance himself from Project 2025, a set of conservative policy proposals for a future Republican administration that has outraged Democrats. He has claimed he knows nothing about it or the people involved in creating it.

Mr. Trump himself was not behind the project. But some of his allies were.

The document, its origins and the interplay between it and the Trump campaign have made for one of the most hotly debated questions of the 2024 race.

Here is what to know about Project 2025, and who is behind it.

What is Project 2025?

Project 2025 was spearheaded by the Heritage Foundation and like-minded conservative groups before Mr. Trump officially entered the 2024 race. The Heritage Foundation is a think tank that has shaped the personnel and policies of Republican administrations since the Reagan presidency.

The project was intended as a buffet of options for the Trump administration or any other Republican presidency. It’s the latest installment in the Heritage Foundation’s Mandate for Leadership series, which has compiled conservative policy proposals every few years since 1981. But no previous study has been as sweeping in its recommendations — or as widely discussed.

Kevin Roberts, the head of the Heritage Foundation, which began putting together the latest document in 2022, said he thought the American government would embrace a more conservative era, one that he hoped Republicans would usher in.

“We are in the process of the second American Revolution,” Mr. Roberts said on Real America’s Voice, a right-wing cable channel, in early July, adding pointedly that the revolt “will remain bloodless if the left allows it to be.”

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Why Project 2025 is a hateful plan all Americans should fear

"project 2025 is worse than out of touch. it’s everything that america should aspire not to be," ray marcano.

Ray Marcano, a longtime journalist, is the former national president of the Society of Professional Journalists, a two-time Pulitzer juror, and a Fulbright fello w. He is a frequent Columbus Dispatch contributor.

Project 2025 serves as blueprint for a conservative remaking of the federal government through “policy, personnel and training.”

But Project 2025 , with thoughts from more than 400 conservative policy experts and scholars, does something else. It fosters intolerance and hatred of those who don’t agree with its views and seeks to ostracize its philosophical enemies in the name of setting a lost America on the right track.

At first glance, that doesn’t appear to be the case.

The Project’s report, “Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise” contains four “pillars” that seem reasonable on its face:

Restore the family as the centerpiece of American life and protect our children
Dismantle the administrative state and return self-governance to the American people.
Defend our nation’s sovereignty, borders, and bounty against global threats
Secure our God-given individual right to enjoy “the blessings of liberty.”

Sounds reasonable. Those are all mainstream positions that most Americans can support.

What Project 2025 would actually do to America

But the devil is always in the details.

You have to read beyond the headlines (something few people do) to see how Project 2025 wants to achieve those goals. When you do, the tone and tenor turn to from plausible to preposterous.

Fact check: Claim of 'period passports' under Project 2025 is from satire

In restoring the family, the authors write the next President remove “the terms sexual orientation and gender identity (“SOGI”), diversity, equity, and inclusion, gender, gender equality, gender equity, gender awareness, gender-sensitive, abortion, reproductive health, reproductive rights out of every federal rule, agency regulation, contract, grant, regulation, and piece of legislation that exists.”

The report likens pornography to transgender ideology, which it says is in the realm of “child predators and misogynistic exploiters of women.” Librarians who produce and distribute “pornography” should be forced to register as sex offenders.

Project 2025 an unchecked attack on America

Most people prefer a smaller government, and the report rightfully points out the Congtress has given too much power to bureaucrats.

But then it begins attacking the agencies that don’t fit the conservative agenda.

It accused the EPA of strangling “domestic energy production,” but doesn’t provide any examples. It says the Department of Homeland Security allows migrant criminals to enter the country unchecked. The Department of Education injects “racist, anti-American, ahistorical propaganda into America’s classrooms,” and the Department of Justice “forces school districts to undermine girls’ sports and parents’ rights to satisfy transgender extremists.”

Biden? Harris? I don't care. Stopping Trump and Project 2025 is all that matters.

Americans, by in large, want safe borders and a tougher yet compassionate immigration policy. But in this section, Project 2025 criticizes the left for supporting the United Nations, the European Union, open borders and China policies. It’s more railing instead of offering questions to contemplate or real solutions.

Project 2025 thinks induvial rights are under attack and the country is engaged in a battle to save it from “elite-directed socialism.”

Throughout the report, the “left” is a common foil.

The report asserts the “Left does not believe that all men are created equal—they think they are special.” The “left” is an “anti-American” cabal that loves “environmental extremists.”

As quickly as the report came out, prominent Republicans distanced themselves from it.

Donald Trump called parts of the report “ ridiculous and abysmal ." Two senators and potential Trump vice presidential nominees , J.D. Vance of Ohio and Marco Rubio of Florida, also downplayed the report.

That makes sense. Project 2025 is a fantastic document for the ultra-right, but it’s not policy positions that resonate with most Americans. For example, roughly one on three Americans born since 1981 identify as LGBT, according to Gallup . That’s a lot of young voters to disenfranchise.

Trump should be wary. Vance, Donalds and Carson have credibility issues.

Barring any unexpected developments, Trump appears on a trajectory to reclaim the White House.

But the GOP is still in a fight to regain the Senate (likely) and keep the House (tougher). Republicans don’t want to answer questions about a report that’s out of touch with most Americans.

Project 2025 is worse than out of touch. It’s everything that America should aspire not to be.

Watch CBS News

What is Project 2025? What to know about the conservative blueprint for a second Trump administration

By Melissa Quinn , Jacob Rosen

Updated on: July 11, 2024 / 9:40 AM EDT / CBS News

Washington — Voters in recent weeks have begun to hear the name "Project 2025" invoked more and more by President Biden and Democrats, as they seek to sound the alarm about what could be in store if former President Donald Trump wins a second term in the White House.

Overseen by the conservative Heritage Foundation, the multi-pronged initiative includes a detailed blueprint for the next Republican president to usher in a sweeping overhaul of the executive branch.

Trump and his campaign have worked to distance themselves from Project 2025, with the former president going so far as to call some of the proposals "abysmal." But Democrats have continued to tie the transition project to Trump, especially as they find themselves mired in their own controversy over whether Mr. Biden should withdraw from the 2024 presidential contest following his startling debate performance last month.

Here is what to know about Project 2025:

What is Project 2025?

Project 2025 is a proposed presidential transition project that is composed of four pillars: a policy guide for the next presidential administration; a LinkedIn-style database of personnel who could serve in the next administration; training for that pool of candidates dubbed the "Presidential Administration Academy;" and a playbook of actions to be taken within the first 180 days in office.

It is led by two former Trump administration officials: Paul Dans, who was chief of staff at the Office of Personnel Management and serves as director of the project, and Spencer Chretien, former special assistant to Trump and now the project's associate director.

Project 2025 is spearheaded by the Heritage Foundation, but includes an advisory board consisting of more than 100 conservative groups.

Much of the focus on — and criticism of — Project 2025 involves its first pillar, the nearly 900-page policy book that lays out an overhaul of the federal government. Called "Mandate for Leadership 2025: The Conservative Promise," the book builds on a "Mandate for Leadership" first published in January 1981, which sought to serve as a roadmap for Ronald Reagan's incoming administration.

The recommendations outlined in the sprawling plan reach every corner of the executive branch, from the Executive Office of the President to the Department of Homeland Security to the little-known Export-Import Bank.

President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with advisers in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D,C., on June 25, 2019.

The Heritage Foundation also created a "Mandate for Leadership" in 2015 ahead of Trump's first term. Two years into his presidency, it touted that Trump had instituted 64% of its policy recommendations, ranging from leaving the Paris Climate Accords, increasing military spending, and increasing off-shore drilling and developing federal lands. In July 2020, the Heritage Foundation gave its updated version of the book to then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows.

The authors of many chapters are familiar names from the Trump administration, such as Russ Vought, who led the Office of Management and Budget; former acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller; and Roger Severino, who was director of the Office of Civil Rights at the Department of Health and Human Services.

Vought is the policy director for the 2024 Republican National Committee's platform committee, which released its proposed platform on Monday.

John McEntee, former director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office under Trump, is a senior advisor to the Heritage Foundation, and said that the group will "integrate a lot of our work" with the Trump campaign when the official transition efforts are announced in the next few months.

Candidates interested in applying for the Heritage Foundation's "Presidential Personnel Database" are vetted on a number of political stances, such as whether they agree or disagree with statements like "life has a right to legal protection from conception to natural death," and "the President should be able to advance his/her agenda through the bureaucracy without hindrance from unelected federal officials."

The contributions from ex-Trump administration officials have led its critics to tie Project 2025 to his reelection campaign, though the former president has attempted to distance himself from the initiative.

What are the Project 2025 plans?

Some of the policies in the Project 2025 agenda have been discussed by Republicans for years or pushed by Trump himself: less federal intervention in education and more support for school choice; work requirements for able-bodied, childless adults on food stamps; and a secure border with increased enforcement of immigration laws, mass deportations and construction of a border wall.

But others have come under scrutiny in part because of the current political landscape.

Abortion and social issues

In recommendations for the Department of Health and Human Services, the agenda calls for the Food and Drug Administration to reverse its 24-year-old approval of the widely used abortion pill mifepristone. Other proposed actions targeting medication abortion include reinstating more stringent rules for mifepristone's use, which would permit it to be taken up to seven weeks into a pregnancy, instead of the current 10 weeks, and requiring it to be dispensed in-person instead of through the mail.

The Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative legal group that is on the Project 2025 advisory board, was involved in a legal challenge to mifepristone's 2000 approval and more recent actions from the FDA that made it easier to obtain. But the Supreme Court rejected the case brought by a group of anti-abortion rights doctors and medical associations on procedural grounds.

The policy book also recommends the Justice Department enforce the Comstock Act against providers and distributors of abortion pills. That 1873 law prohibits drugs, medicines or instruments used in abortions from being sent through the mail.

Now that the Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade , the volume states that the Justice Department "in the next conservative administration should therefore announce its intent to enforce federal law against providers and distributors of such pills."

The guide recommends the next secretary of Health and Human Services get rid of the Reproductive Healthcare Access Task Force established by the Biden administration before Roe's reversal and create a "pro-life task force to ensure that all of the department's divisions seek to use their authority to promote the life and health of women and their unborn children."

In a section titled "The Family Agenda," the proposal recommends the Health and Human Services chief "proudly state that men and women are biological realities," and that "married men and women are the ideal, natural family structure because all children have a right to be raised by the men and women who conceived them."

Further, a program within the Health and Human Services Department should "maintain a biblically based, social science-reinforced definition of marriage and family."

During his first four years in office, Trump banned transgender people from serving in the military. Mr. Biden reversed that policy , but the Project 2025 policy book calls for the ban to be reinstated.

Targeting federal agencies, employees and policies

The agenda takes aim at longstanding federal agencies, like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA. The agency is a component of the Commerce Department and the policy guide calls for it to be downsized.

NOAA's six offices, including the National Weather Service and National Marine Fisheries Service, "form a colossal operation that has become one of the main drivers of the climate change alarm industry and, as such, is harmful to future U.S. prosperity," the guide states.

The Department of Homeland Security, established in 2002, should be dismantled and its agencies either combined with others, or moved under the purview of other departments altogether, the policy book states. For example, immigration-related entities from the Departments of Homeland Security, Justice and Health and Human Services should form a standalone, Cabinet-level border and immigration agency staffed by more than 100,000 employees, according to the agenda.

If the policy recommendations are implemented, another federal agency that could come under the knife by the next administration, with action from Congress, is the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

The agenda seeks to bring a push by conservatives to target diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, initiatives in higher education to the executive branch by wiping away a slew of DEI-related positions, policies and programs and calling for the elimination of funding for partners that promote DEI practices.

It states that U.S. Agency for International Development staff and grantees that "engage in ideological agitation on behalf of the DEI agenda" should be terminated. At the Treasury Department, the guide says the next administration should "treat the participation in any critical race theory or DEI initiative without objecting on constitutional or moral grounds, as per se grounds for termination of employment."

The Project 2025 policy book also takes aim at more innocuous functions of government. It calls for the next presidential administration to eliminate or reform the dietary guidelines that have been published by the Department of Agriculture for more than 40 years, which the authors claim have been "infiltrated" by issues like climate change and sustainability.

Immigration

Trump made immigration a cornerstone of his last two presidential runs and has continued to hammer the issue during his 2024 campaign. Project 2025's agenda not only recommends finishing the wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, but urges the next administration to "take a creative and aggressive approach" to responding to drug cartels at the border. This approach includes using active-duty military personnel and the National Guard to help with arrest operations along the southern border.

A memo from Immigration and Customs Enforcement that prohibits enforcement actions from taking place at "sensitive" places like schools, playgrounds and churches should be rolled back, the policy guide states.

When the Homeland Security secretary determines there is an "actual or anticipated mass migration of aliens" that presents "urgent circumstances" warranting a federal response, the agenda says the secretary can make rules and regulations, including through their expulsion, for as long as necessary. These rules, the guide states, aren't subject to the Administration Procedure Act, which governs the agency rule-making process.

What do Trump and his advisers say about Project 2025?

In a post to his social media platform on July 5, Trump wrote , "I know nothing about Project 2025. I have no idea who is behind it. I disagree with some of the things they're saying and some of the things they're saying are absolutely ridiculous and abysmal. Anything they do, I wish them luck, but I have nothing to do with them."

Trump's pushback to the initiative came after Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts said in a podcast interview that the nation is "in the process of the second American Revolution, which will remain bloodless if the left allows it to be."

The former president continued to disavow the initiative this week, writing in another social media post that he knows nothing about Project 2025.

"I have not seen it, have no idea who is in charge of it, and, unlike our very well received Republican Platform, had nothing to do with it," Trump wrote. "The Radical Left Democrats are having a field day, however, trying to hook me into whatever policies are stated or said. It is pure disinformation on their part. By now, after all of these years, everyone knows where I stand on EVERYTHING!"

While the former president said he doesn't know who is in charge of the initiative, the project's director, Dans, and associate director, Chretien, were high-ranking officials in his administration. Additionally, Ben Carson, former secretary of Housing and Urban Development under Trump; John Ratcliffe, former director of National Intelligence in the Trump administration; and Peter Navarro, who served as a top trade adviser to Trump in the White House, are listed as either authors or contributors to the policy agenda.

Still, even before Roberts' comments during "The War Room" podcast — typically hosted by conservative commentator Steve Bannon, who reported to federal prison to begin serving a four-month sentence last week — Trump's top campaign advisers have stressed that Project 2025 has no official ties to his reelection bid.

Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita, senior advisers to the Trump campaign, said in a November statement that 2024 policy announcements will be made by Trump or his campaign team.

"Any personnel lists, policy agendas, or government plans published anywhere are merely suggestions," they said.

While the efforts by outside organizations are "appreciated," Wiles and LaCivita said, "none of these groups or individuals speak for President Trump or his campaign."

In response to Trump's post last week, Project 2025 reiterated that it was separate from the Trump campaign.

"As we've been saying for more than two years now, Project 2025 does not speak for any candidate or campaign. We are a coalition of more than 110 conservative groups advocating policy & personnel recommendations for the next conservative president. But it is ultimately up to that president, who we believe will be President Trump, to decide which recommendations to implement," a statement on the project's X account said.

The initiative has also pushed back on Democrats' claims about its policy proposals and accused them of lying about what the agenda contains.

What do Democrats say?

Despite their attempts to keep some distance from Project 2025, Democrats continue to connect Trump with the transition effort. The Biden-Harris campaign frequently posts about the project on X, tying it to a second Trump term.

Mr. Biden himself accused his Republican opponent of lying about his connections to the Project 2025 agenda, saying in a statement that the agenda was written for Trump and "should scare every single American." He claimed on his campaign social media account Wednesday that Project 2025 "will destroy America."

Congressional Democrats have also begun pivoting to Project 2025 when asked in interviews about Mr. Biden's fitness for a second term following his lackluster showing at the June 27 debate, the first in which he went head-to-head with Trump.

"Trump is all about Project 2025," Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman told CNN on Monday. "I mean, that's what we really should be voting on right now. It's like, do we want the kind of president that is all about Project '25?"

Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, one of Mr. Biden's closest allies on Capitol Hill, told reporters Monday that the agenda for the next Republican president was the sole topic he would talk about.

"Project 2025, that's my only concern," he said. "I don't want you or my granddaughter to live under that government."

In a statement reiterating her support for Mr. Biden, Rep. Frederica Wilson of Florida called Project 2025 "MAGA Republicans' draconian 920-page plan to end U.S. democracy, give handouts to the wealthy and strip Americans of their freedoms."

What are Republicans saying about Project 2025?

Two GOP senators under consideration to serve as Trump's running mate sought to put space between the White House hopeful and Project 2025, casting it as merely the product of a think tank that puts forth ideas.

"It's the work of a think tank, of a center-right think tank, and that's what think tanks do," Florida Sen. Marco Rubio told CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday.

He said Trump's message to voters focuses on "restoring common sense, working-class values, and making our decisions on the basis of that."

Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance raised a similar sentiment in an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press," saying organizations will have good ideas and bad ideas.

"It's a 900-page document," he said Sunday. "I guarantee there are things that Trump likes and dislikes about that 900-page document. But he is the person who will determine the agenda of the next administration."

Jaala Brown contributed to this report.

Melissa Quinn is a politics reporter for CBSNews.com. She has written for outlets including the Washington Examiner, Daily Signal and Alexandria Times. Melissa covers U.S. politics, with a focus on the Supreme Court and federal courts.

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LibGuides: MYP Personal Project: OIS Samples from 2021-2022
This level 7 sample is a 1 minute video with an accompanying 14 page evidence report. The student asks the view to refer to the report to see more detailed information. Page. /. 21. PP Level 7 Video and Evidence Report OIS 3. This level 5 sample is a 9 minute video with an accompanying 6 page evidence report. The student asks the view to refer ...
Personal project
The personal project formally assesses students' approaches to learning (ATL) skills for self-management, research, communication, critical and creative thinking, and collaboration. The project is made up of a process, a product and a reflective report. report —an account of the project and its impact, to a structure that follows the ...
A step-by-step guide to the MYP Personal Project
Objective C: Taking action (Supporting document for Taking Action: Process Journal Exemplar - Taking Action) Step 1: Create a product/outcome in response to the goal, context and criteria. Here is the part of your personal project where you place your investigation and planning into action.. In your process journal you need to ensure you document the creation of your product/outcome.
How to Write Your PERSONAL PROJECT Report in a Weekend (2022)
PART 2: Requirements of 2022 PP REPORT. Other requirements laid out in the Personal Project Guide: To ensure that the written part of the report is clearly legible, each page must have a minimum 11-point font size and 2 cm margins. Evidence presented in images must be clearly visible at the size submitted.
PDF Guide to Completing the 10 Grade Personal Project
anizing a fundraiser, and 7) starting a new club. The range of topics are inspired by stu. eachers and staff. Personal Project Details: The Personal Project is an in. ividual project completed in the 10th grade year. It consists of three main components: a product, a process journal,
Personal Project Guide
Reccomended length: 700-900 words. IB Descriptors: Students define a clear goal and global context for the project, based on. personal interests. Students identify prior learning and subject-specific. knowledge relevant to the project. Students demonstrate research skills.
PDF The MYP Personal Project
Introduce the personal project to students, parents, and teachers so that the entire learning community understands the objectives, requirements, timelines and assessment criteria. In the personal projects students will: Explore an interest that is personally meaningful. Undertake a self-directed inquiry. Transfer and apply skills in pursuit of ...
PDF Projects guide
project is not necessarily a research essay; however, personal projects always involve research, including the use and collection of information and sources. The community project and personal project emphasize experiential learning, which is developed further in community and service in both the CP and DP.
IB MYP Personal Project: The Complete Guide for 2023
IB MYP Personal Project: The Complete Guide for 2023. by Antony W. July 19, 2023. The MYP Personal Project is a practical, final-year, individual assignment that gives IB students the opportunity to choose a subject of interest and delve into it by acquiring new skills and knowledge while producing tangible results.
How to prosper with MYP personal projects: common assessment queries
Standardization and assessment. In the fourth post in this series How to prosper with MYP personal projects, we've pulled together the most common questions from the Middle Years Programme (MYP) community about the assessment of MYP personal projects. Let's dive straight in.
PDF IB-MYP Personal Project Handbook for Students 2021-2022
There are two possible formats for the MYP personal project report: written and/or oral. Students can combine these formats in a multimedia report. Students may submit their report in written or recorded format, or a combination of the two. The table below shows the maximum length of students' submissions. 1.
Examples of MYP Personal Projects
Here are examples of two MYP Personal Projects that are provided directly from the IB online resource centre. The first project example is of 'Diet and its implications on the body and mind'. This is the second example is called 'Creating Blueprints': There are two more examples from other Norwegian IB MYP school Personal Projects that you ...
LibGuides: MYP Personal Project: OIS Samples from 2021-2022
MYP Personal Project; OIS Samples from 2021-2022; Search this Guide Search. MYP Personal Project. Intro; Important Dates and Timelines; Criterion A - Planning. Learning and Product Goals ; Process Journal ; Success Criteria ; Developing a Plan ; Criterion B- Applying Skills. ATL Skill Information ;
Maggie IB MYP Personal Project
The Project Report demonstrates a student's commitment to their personal project by discussing the planning, learning, application of skills and reflecting that took place throughout the Personal Project. ... if the outcome of the personal project is in written form, such as an essay, short story, or script for a play, this is considered ...
Personal project: Outcomes of the International Baccalaureate Middle
Typically, participants described the personal project as a "passion project" that enables students to complete a long-term independent project. Participants also felt the personal project could help to develop approaches to learning skills, bridge gaps between the MYP and DP and potentially prepare students for the extended essay.
PDF PERSONAL PROJECT GUIDE 2021/2022
The product of a personal project can be: an original work of art (painting, sculpture, short story, novel, a film or play) a video or computer game. a website an awareness-raising campaign. learning to play a new piece of music. Improving athletic performance. an essay ( literary ,scientific, etc.)
100+ MYP Project Ideas [Updated]
These projects encourage students to analyze their personal development, challenges faced, and the impact of their projects. Examples: Creating a portfolio that showcases and reflects on various pieces of artwork or performances. Compiling a reflective essay or multimedia presentation that summarizes the key learnings from a particular project.
50 Inspiring MYP Project Ideas for Middle Schoolers
Top 50 MYP Project Ideas. 1. Create an Eco-Friendly Cookbook: Develop a cookbook filled with delicious recipes that use sustainable, locally-sourced ingredients. 2. Design a Sustainable Garden: Plan and create a garden that incorporates eco-friendly principles like composting, rainwater harvesting, and native plantings. 3.
Writing a Personal Essay
This course is part of the Memoir and Personal Essay: Write About Yourself Specialization. When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization. Learn new concepts from industry experts. Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool. Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects.
PP Report: A Strong Example
PP Exampl e. Above is a strong example of a successful Personal Project report. Please look at the structure and the quality of reflection. You can also see quality journal entries in appendix. FYI: The content of this report was submitted to Turnitin. Remember to not use integral lines from someone else's work without proper referencing.
10 Personal Statement Essay Examples That Worked
Personal Statement Examples. Essay 1: Summer Program. Essay 2: Being Bangladeshi-American. Essay 3: Why Medicine. Essay 4: Love of Writing. Essay 5: Starting a Fire. Essay 6: Dedicating a Track. Essay 7: Body Image and Eating Disorders. Essay 8: Becoming a Coach.
How to Write a Personal Statement
Insert a quote from a well-known person. Challenge the reader with a common misconception. Use an anecdote, which is a short story that can be true or imaginary. Credibility is crucial when writing a personal statement as part of your college application process. If you choose a statistic, quote, or misconception for your hook, make sure it ...
30 Passion Project Ideas College Admissions Love
Your nature-centric passion project offers colleges a glimpse into your multifaceted character and your potential contributions to campus life. Ideas: Document a photojournal of your local hikes and trails. Start a community garden to promote sustainable living. Create a guidebook for birdwatching in your region.
How to Write a Personal Statement
The best personal statements typically follow a narrative. A narrative essay tells a story, which makes it more distinct. Like all stories, yours should follow a theme and have a beginning, middle, and end. This type of format helps keep your thoughts organized and improves the flow of your essay.
Project 2025 is from Heritage Foundation, not Trump
The claim: Project 2025 is a plan from Trump. A July 5 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) includes nine slides describing supposed policy propositions from former President Donald Trump.The ...
What is Project 2025? The 'dystopian' manifesto for Trump's second term
House Democrats led by California Rep. Jared Huffman created a Stop Project 2025 Task Force to coordinate with members of Congress, pro-democracy and civil rights groups and impacted communities ...
Project 2025 Tax Overhaul Blueprint: What You Need to Know
Chapter 25 of the project's "Mandate for Leadership," states, "The Treasury should work with Congress to simplify the tax code by enacting a simple two-rate individual tax system of 15 ...
What Is Project 2025, and Who Is Behind It?
Project 2025 is led by the Heritage Foundation. It does not directly come from Mr. Trump. But that's only part of the story. Portions of the plan were driven by people who were top advisers to ...
Why Project 2025 is a hateful plan all Americans should fear
Project 2025 is a fantastic document for the ultra-right, but it's not policy positions that resonate with most Americans. For example, roughly one on three Americans born since 1981 identify as ...
What is Project 2025? What to know about the conservative blueprint for
Project 2025 is a proposed presidential transition project that is composed of four pillars: a policy guide for the next presidential administration; a LinkedIn-style database of personnel who ...

MYP Personal Project

PP Level 7 Video and Evidence Report OIS 1

PP Level 7 Video and Evidence Report OIS 2

PP Level 7 Video and Evidence Report OIS 4

A step-by-step guide to the MYP Personal Project

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How to Write Your PERSONAL PROJECT Report in a Weekend (2022)

Personal Project Guide (MYP 2021 2022 Edition Updated):

PART 2: Requirements of 2022 PP REPORT

Criterion A: Planning (5 PAGES)

Criterion B: Applying skills (5 Pages)

Criterion C: Reflecting (5 pages)

IB MYP COMMAND TERMS

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IB MYP Personal Project: The Complete Guide for 2023

What Are the Aims of IB MYP Personal Project?

What Are the Objectives of IB MYP Personal Project?

1. Planning

2. Application of Approach to Learning Skills

3. Reflection

What’s the Assessment Criteria for IB MYP Personal Project?

Criterion A: Planning

Criterion B: Applying Skills

Criterion C: Reflecting

Student Support for IB MYP Personal Project

Examples of MYP Personal Projects

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MYP Personal Project

OIS Sample 2

Personal Project Report

What is the Personal Project Report?

When is the Report due and how do I hand it in?

What is the goal of the Report?

Report Organization

Bibliography

Report Format Options

The Report Body

Criterion A Definitions

Criterion B Definitions

Criterion C Defintions

Evidence of the Product or Outcome

100+ MYP Project Ideas [Updated]

Factors to Consider when Choosing MyP Project

What are the Categories of MyP Projects?

Investigative Projects

Interdisciplinary Projects

Service Learning Projects

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Personal Process Project

What are your chances of acceptance?

Your chancing factors

10 Personal Statement Essay Examples That Worked

Personal Statement Examples

What the Essay Did Well

What Could Be Improved

Essay Example #2: Being Bangladeshi-American

Essay Example #3: Why Medicine

Essay Example #4: Love of Writing

Essay Example #5: Starting a Fire

Essay Example #6: Dedicating a Track

Essay Example #7: Body Image and Eating Disorders

Essay Example #8: Becoming a Coach

Essay Example #9: Eritrea

Essay Example #10: Journaling

Where to Get Your Personal Statement Edited

Next Step: Supplemental Essays

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