What would you like to try?
Pick a goal for a short checklist and a place to start.
Learn research outreach
- Read an official faculty page and learn about one project
- Check whether the institution accepts high school students
- Personalize the cold-email template and follow up respectfully
- OpenList provides guidance, not lab placement or guaranteed replies
Find a summer program
- Check grade, age, dates, and location
- Separate tuition from housing, meals, and travel
- Confirm aid coverage and its separate deadline
- Apply through the official program website
Apply for an internship
- Choose a field and workable format
- Confirm the role accepts high school students
- Check pay, hours, transport, and school conflicts
- Prepare the required materials and apply directly
Join online mentorship
- Find an existing program with a public student application
- Confirm sessions are online and your age is eligible
- Check supervision, schedule, and costs
- Apply directly; OpenList does not arrange mentor matches
Enter a competition
- Check individual versus team entry
- Confirm whether a teacher, school, or regional qualifier is required
- Ask your school for help early when required
- Check deadlines, entry fees, equipment, and travel
Learn a skill for free
- Choose a skill and check prerequisites
- Confirm free access is not a temporary trial
- Check whether the certificate, exam, or software costs extra
- Keep examples of the work you complete
Submit your writing
- Choose a student journal, submission call, or writing program
- Check age, genre, originality, and submission rules
- Read fees and publication-rights terms
- Follow the official submission instructions
Develop a business idea
- Choose a program or challenge that accepts high school students
- Check team requirements, fees, and ownership terms
- Prepare a short description of your idea
- Treat prizes and funding as possible outcomes, not guarantees
Volunteer locally or remotely
- Use location or online filters to find a workable role
- Confirm minimum age, consent, and orientation
- Check transport, supervision, and recurring commitments
- Ask how service hours are documented
Explore a career through a course
- Choose two fields you want to understand
- Try a short introductory course or project
- Keep notes about the work you enjoy
- Use that experience to choose a program or internship