First, relax! You have earned a well-deserved break.
If you are between 14 and 16 years old, this is actually one of the best stages to start developing the habits that eventually lead to strong projects, compelling essays, and competitive university applications.
Students often assume university preparation begins in Year 12 or Year 13. In reality, some of the most important foundations are built much earlier.
If you are not doing much during the one-week break, consider using this time to do something surprisingly valuable: journal your observations and curiosities about the world around you.
At universities like Wharton, admissions officers are not simply looking at what students have done. Through their application essays, they are trying to understand how students think, what motivates their academic interests, how they engage with real-world issues, and what they care about. Penn's admissions guidance explicitly highlights understanding students' motivations, interests, and perspectives.
The good news?
Curiosity can be trained.
Stop Looking for "Passion"
Many students believe they need to find their passion before they can come up with a meaningful project or essay topic. In reality, passion often develops after curiosity.
Recently, I was coaching an exceptionally strong Year 10 IB student. Like many bright students, she was stuck trying to come up with an interesting IB project topic.
She knew she enjoyed baking. Naturally, her first thought was: "Maybe I should do a project on baking and create a recipe book, just like everyone else."
But she wasn't excited by that idea. She wanted something more interesting and unique, but she didn't know where to start.
During our discussion, I encouraged her to think beyond baking itself and pay attention to things she had observed around her.
“Have you noticed how much cake is left uneaten at children's birthday parties?
Why do people buy large celebration cakes when so much ends up in the bin?
Have you noticed the growing number of high-protein products in 7-Eleven and supermarkets? We now see protein yoghurt, protein cookies and even protein tea.
Why is protein suddenly being marketed so aggressively?
Are people genuinely becoming more health-conscious, or is this simply a marketing trend?”
Within 30 minutes, we had moved from "I like baking" to exploring topics involving food waste, consumer behaviour, health trends, marketing, nutrition, and behavioural economics.
Suddenly, she had multiple meaningful directions she could investigate.
The Journal Exercise
Try this simple exercise.
Whenever you notice something interesting:
Write down your observation.
Write down why it surprised you.
Ask "Why?" five times.
Keep digging.
I know someone whose curiosity regularly leads him to read over 100 books a year.
If you struggle to enjoy reading, don't force yourself to read more. Train your curiosity first.
The reading often follows naturally. For some students, the answers may come through books. For others, through podcasts, YouTube, or conversations.
Conclusion
Strong projects, meaningful extracurricular activities, compelling essays, and authentic university applications often begin with a simple observation and a curious mind.
So during this October half-term break, don't worry about finding your passion.
Start by noticing what makes you curious.
