If you are a determined high school student, looking to pursue AI in university, opting to engage in extracurriculars is beneficial for your college applications. Not only does it signal to admission officers that you are actively exploring your interest outside of school, it also highlights your passion and interest for your subject!

However, it can be confusing to determine what extracurricular is right for you and will be the most beneficial for your application. In this blog, we outline 10 AI Extracurriculars for high school students that you can choose to do! 

1. Start or join an AI Club

A great starting point for joining a club is actually starting your own! A few great sources of inspiration are the South Forsyth High School AI Club, and the Scholastic Artificial Intelligence League (a nonprofit network of high school AI clubs).

Starting your own club is an excellent way to demonstrate your interest and passion for AI, and this club will be a reflection of what you want. Moreover, you can expand your network and skillsets beyond your theoretical classes in school. 

Do note that starting a club is time-intensive and you will have to continually organize events, and meetings for your club to have an actual impact. If you’re looking for a shorter commitment of a couple of weeks or months, then starting a club may not be the right extracurricular. 

2. Join an AI Camp

There are some super accessible computer science camps and programs, including Veritas AI, Stanford’s AI4ALL (which is a combination of lectures, hands-on research projects, and mentoring activities), and MIT’S BWSI (a 4-week rigorous program that teaches students STEM skills through project-based, workshop-style courses).

You can check out our post on the top 20 artificial intelligence camps for high school students for some great options! 

These camps are great choices for students who want to learn foundational topics and the fundamentals of programming. Joining a program like this not only helps you expand your knowledge and skill set, but also gives you a chance to interact with expert instructors and mentors. 

The instructors for AI programs are usually industry experts or researchers who have practical knowledge and experience in the field. Under their guidance and mentorship, you can ask loads of questions, work on projects with them, and receive feedback on the way! 

3. Participate in an AI Hackathon

Hackathons are a great way to get experience with the practical aspects of AI and coding. These intensive coding marathons are also an opportunity to collaborate, innovate, and learn integral skills such as effective communication and time-management. 

If you’re interested in AI hackathons, some great ones are Future Hacks 5 which is a virtual coding competition for ages 4-18 (that is completely free of cost!), or PennApps which is hosted and run by students from the University of Pennsylvania. If you’re interested in finding more about hackathons, you can look at our blog that lists out the 10 Best Hackathons for High School Students.

4. Participate in AI Competitions 

While participating in an AI competition is similar to a hackathon, a competition typically involves solving pre-defined problems through algorithmic solutions. A big advantage of these competitions is that you get to learn from other coders through observation of the different techniques and solutions implemented by fellow participants. However, do note that they tend to be highly competitive and are not friendly to beginners (as advanced students will have the upper hand). 

Some excellent AI competitions to apply for are World Artificial Intelligence Competition for Youth, Intel’s AI Impact Creators or VEX’s AI Competition! If you’re interested in knowing more about each competition, or other options available, you can look at our blog on the Top 10 Artificial Intelligence Competitions for High School Students.

As a bonus, AI competitions are also valuable additions to your resume or portfolio! It highlights your ability to apply theoretical knowledge and practical solutions and showcases your commitment and passion for the field.

5. Found an AI-based Startup

If you are interested in implementing a practical solution to a real-world problem, then you should look at founding your own AI-based start-up. The biggest advantages for opting for this is that you will produce a long-term project that goes beyond high school. Moreover, you will definitely signal that you have the ability to apply your theoretical knowledge to solve real-world practical challenges, a skill that will set you apart from other applications. 

Although you can found a start-up on your own, you might find it difficult with limited resources and little to no technical knowledge. If this is the case, you can opt for virtual lab programs such as Young Founders Lab or camps such as BETA Camp which provide mentorship and guidance throughout this entire process. 

Do note that founding your own start-up will be extremely time intensive, and might not be the best option if you are balancing multiple projects. It also might take time and effort to build a successful start-up so you will definitely have to be patient! 

6. Do an AI Research Project

AI research projects can be an excellent extracurricular if you are looking to standout and showcase your unique interests and skills. A huge advantage of choosing a research project as your extracurricular is the mentorship you receive from experts and researchers. It is the perfect opportunity for you to expand your knowledge by learning about new topics in AI, engaging in different research methodologies, asking questions, sharing ideas, and receiving feedback. 

The easiest way to start a research project is by opting for pre-existing research programs such as Lumiere Education and Veritas AI, which gives you the opportunity to work 1-on-1 with a PhD AI researcher to delve into your chosen topic. If you’re looking for such programs, you should take a look at our blog on the 10 Most Competitive AI Research Programs for High School Students!

However, before you opt for a research project, keep in mind that it is more theoretical and not a good fit for those looking to do a more real-world project. But, it will definitely showcase your above average academic capabilities!

7. Get an AI Internship

Computer science internships give students a chance to work on real projects, solve problems, and contribute to larger areas of work. This helps them improve their technical skills, programming skills, and teaches them industry skills whether it’s software development, data analyses, or cybersecurity. 

A good starting point can be to check out Ladder Internships - an internship program for high school students across multiple fields and industries. You can pick from a range of options to find an internship that is interesting to you and adds value. 

However, internships can be rigorous and will require you to have a good understanding of computer science and programming. It may not be easy to get an internship in computer science while you are still in high school, but it’s worth a shot!

8. Contribute to Open Source Projects

Contributing to open-source projects is an excellent way to build your computer science skills in a practical and impactful way. Open source software is available to people for free, where they can edit and distribute projects, allowing for collaboration to improve existing projects. This is a great opportunity for growth for anyone looking to enhance their coding skills! 

But, one difficulty is that open source projects often require a high level of coding ability - this wouldn't stop most people trying to learn computer science. 

If you are interested in AI, you could look at developing a Natural Language Processing project. You can look at some inspiration over here! You could also opt for projects such as Zulip, which is an open-source group chat project. Alternatively, you could look at Neovim, which is commonly known as a beginner-friendly project. 

As a high school student, you can also use open-source contributions to add to your professional portfolio. By actively participating and working on different projects, you can showcase your coding skills, ability to problem solve and work with a team. 

9. Join an AI or Robotics Team

 

Joining a robotics team is a great opportunity to gain hands-on experience in programming and designing robots. Working together is also a great way to enhance your teamwork, communicative skills, all the while honing your problem-solving skills as well!

Through joining a robotics team or club, you can use your network to improve your skills, or teach others, and you can even compete. Most prestigious robotics competitions such as FIRST Robotics or VEX Robotics Competition are team-based ones so having a ready-made team is definitely beneficial. If you’re looking to build a team and participate in competitions, you can look at our blog on 10 Robotics Competitions for High School Students. 

If you’re looking for inspiration to start your own team, you can look at Robo-Knights from Bishop Montgomery High School!

10. Enroll in an AI Summer School Program

If you’re looking to build a career in the computer science field, the best starting point is enrolling in AI summer school programs. Participating in a summer school program offers you an immersive learning experience, guidance from experts in the field, networking opportunities, and college preparation.

There are some incredible summer school programs out there for you to pick from! These include programs at Harvard, MIT, Carnegie Mellon University, and more. Some AI courses we like in particular are Havard's Introduction to Artificial Intelligence with Python and Columbia’s Blockchain, Cryptocurrencies, AI, and Beyond!

If you’re looking to enroll in a summer school program, you can take a look at our blog on 10 Tech Summer Programs at Harvard. 

As a participant in a summer program, you will get the chance to dive deep into computer science topics and explore advanced concepts like artificial intelligence and machine learning that they would not otherwise be able to do! It creates a solid foundation in AI and introduces students to all the new innovations and cutting-edge technologies in the field. 

If you’re looking to build unique projects in the field of AI/ML, consider applying to Veritas AI! 

Veritas AI was founded by Harvard graduate students, and through the programs, you get a chance to learn the fundamentals of AI and computer science while collaborating on real-world projects. You can also work 1-1 with mentors from universities like Harvard, Stanford, MIT, and more to create unique, personalized projects. In the past year, we had over 1000 students learn data science and AI with us. You can apply here!

Image Source - Ladder Internships