What does a real project show colleges?
A project your teen started and kept going shows things grades cannot. Nobody assigned it, so it shows initiative. Keeping it going through the boring parts shows follow-through, and fixing the problems real users bring shows problem-solving. If others joined, your teen had to persuade them and keep them. And someone outside the family is better off because it exists.
In 2016, a report from Harvard's Graduate School of Education, backed by a broad group of admissions offices, asked colleges to value the quality of a student's activities over their number (Turning the Tide). One real project fits that better than a long list of clubs.
In a free strategy session of 20 to 30 minutes, we talk through your teen's project, and you leave knowing whether it would read as real to a college. It commits you to nothing.
Can admissions officers tell when a project is just for show?
Many can. A project made to fill a line tends to look like one, such as a website with no users or a nonprofit with only a logo. The same report asked colleges to discourage over-coached applications.
A 2025 Education Next article describes student nonprofits turning into a status signal, and some stopping once the founder leaves for college. The project has to be your teen's own, chosen because they care about it, and it has to do something.
What counts as a "real" project?
You can check these yourself.
- Someone outside the family uses it, buys it or joins it.
- It exists somewhere you can point to, like a website, a store or an event that happened.
- It has run for months.
- Your teen can say what went wrong and what they changed.
Does it matter if the business is small or does not work out?
Not much. A small tutoring service with a handful of paying families is real. A project that stalled can still be a strong story if your teen can explain what they tried and what they would do differently. Colleges are reading for the person, so the story matters more than the revenue, and one hard moment described clearly says more than numbers or business jargon.
Will colleges think it took time away from schoolwork?
Not if their grades hold up, so size the project to fit around school. At NaviFounders, sessions are built around school, and how often we meet is agreed with your family. Part of my job is making sure students stay on top of their schoolwork while they build. I did all of my own projects while I was in high school.
How does a project show up on the application?
- The activities list. A short description of the project, your teen's role and what it achieved. The Common App has space for ten activities, and one strong project can do more than several thin ones.
- The essay. Many students write about what building something taught them.
- A portfolio page or a video, where a school invites one.
- Recommendations. A teacher who saw the project happen can mention it.
This is the last stage of the NaviFounders program. In the final sessions I help your child work out what the project taught them and how to say it. The words are theirs, and I do not write the essay for them.
Does my teen need a business to get into a selective college?
No. Plenty of students are admitted without starting anything, and a project should not be started only for the application. If your teen is wondering whether to start one at all, read does my teen need a passion project?
What should parents not do?
- Do not build it for them, and do not write the essay.
- Do not pick the project. A project your teen did not choose is the one that stops first.
What does NaviFounders promise?
A launched project with your child's name on it, and a written account of what they did. Along the way your child works out what they are good at and learns to say what the project taught them. Nobody can promise admission anywhere, and we do not.
If you are weighing whether a paid program is worth it, read is a paid program for my teen worth the money? How the program runs is on the for parents page and the questions page.