College admissions can feel like a never-ending quest for the most impressive experiences.

You may think that it is necessary to spend thousands of dollars on the Indigo research program just to have a chance against the ever-growing competition.

But what if there was a way you could gain experience that helps your chances even more, while spending less money, all while igniting your passion for science?

In this post, I will teach you why you should not participate in this research program, and what you should do instead.

If you follow these steps, you will end up not spending thousands of dollars, while still gaining valuable research experience.

How Indigo is Marketed This is how Indigo positions the value of their program.

It may seem good at face value, but when you break it down, you will realize that there are much better ways of spending your time (and money).

Contribute to Your Field Research programs are often partnered with "high school research journals".

If you didn't already know, most researchers aren't looking to read high schoolers' papers when they want to learn about discoveries in their field.

They will likely be looking at leading journals, often the same ones that they publish their own papers in.

Basically, this means that your paper is unlikely to make any impact in the world of research.

No gain is a best-case scenario.

Many of these journals also charge a lot of money to publish papers (granted I don't know of the nature of Indigo's partnerships).

If you didn't already know, most researchers aren't looking to read high schoolers' papers when they want to learn about discoveries in their field.

Study with Top Professors Many of the researchers who work for these programs are still getting a PhD themselves.

While this does not make them unqualified, they are often doing this as a side hustle and the work you are doing is not related to their main research interests.

If you are working for a lab and helping a researcher progress in their career, they are going to be much more likely to want to help you.

Make your college applications stand out Indigo boasts about the college results of students who have participated in their program.

However, it is important to question whether their program is the reason why these students are doing well.

Being part of a family that has thousands of dollars to participate in a research program means that it is only accessible to people who already have a lot of money.

Extensive data shows that people that come from families with high levels of wealth are anyways much more likely to get into top schools.

Cultivate your expertise Honestly, you probably will improve your writing skills by participating in this program.

While I haven't participated personally, I would assume that at the end you will produce some deliverable that requires a substantial level of writing.

However, there are much better ways to improve your writing skills.

There are two ways that I would recommend pursing research, which are below.

Rishab has a great video explaining why you should not participate in expensive research programs. https://www. youtube. com/watch?v=2r4vaGtNSOw So, what should I do?

These types of expensive research programs don't really signal anything to colleges since your output does not make a significant impact in the real world.

Mentored research with an active lab is the best way to get involved.

Mentored research with an active lab is the best way to get involved.

How to get research as a high schooler High schoolers often lack effective channels of communication to the academic and professional world.

You are most likely to succeed by writing cold emails to researchers.

I have a very detailed guide on how to do this, which was featured on Rishab's discord server.

Below is a set of guidelines from that post.

Guidelines for cold emails For a detailed template as well as other opportunities, make sure to check out Rishab’s STEM Student Guide.

It is completely free. rishabacademy. com Subject line: Keep it concise and clear, stating your purpose for contacting the recipient.

Greeting: Use a formal salutation like “Dr. /Mr. /Ms.

Last Name”.

Introduction: Briefly introduce yourself, state your year in high school, and mention your academic interests or goals (make sure they relate to how this person can help you!) Body: Explain your reason for reaching out, highlighting specific aspects of the recipient’s work or organization that resonate with you.

Briefly mention your relevant skills or experiences.

Ask: Clearly state your request, whether it’s an informational interview, internship inquiry, or research opportunity.

Keep your request specific and reasonable.

Closing: Thank the recipient for their time and consideration, and provide your contact information for them to reach you back.

Bonus: Make sure to attach your resume to all your emails.

In my experience this has helped response rates a lot. https://rishabacademy. com/2024/03/06/how-to-cold-email-as-a-high-school-student You don't have to go to an Ivy League or some prestigious university to get research.

In all reality, more prestigious the university, the more likely the professors are already getting absolutely flooded with cold emails.

The most important advice with this is to start early, since good research takes time.

Any school, no matter how prestigious it is, will have some research going on.

If you are under pressure to finish it before college applications have been completed, then the quality will suffer.

Your priority should be to produce high quality results for the lab that you end up working with.

This will help you in the long run since your mentor is much more likely to write a positive letter of recommendation and you are more likely to end up co-authoring a publication with your mentor.

Another way of doing research If you don’t find luck in cold emailing or already have completed some level of research, I would recommend that you participate in summer programs.

Shaan, a fellow blogger, has curated 50+ summer research programs for high schoolers.

This is a very good place to start when thinking about which research programs you would like to participate in.

Conclusions Visit Rishab's STEM student guide to explore potential projects, opportunities, and scientific research to work on.

Learn the exact steps to kickstart your journey, completely free.

About Eashan Iyer:I am a founding member of The Qurios Institute and an incoming student at Brown University.

In 2023, I co-authored a research paper in the field of theoretical physics.

I am also an Eagle Scout and a senior at The Academy for Mathematics, Science, and Engineering in Rockaway, NJ.

Learn more about me at my website and LinkedIn.