By Haripriya Mehta, MIT (BS & MEng), Co-founder of MehtA+ & Published Concord Review Author
MehtA+ High School Thriving Guide is designed by MehtA+ to guide high school students as they start thinking about their future. While our guide is not comprehensive, we hope that it is a starting points for students in their journey. Our hope for each student is that they not only survive, but thrive in the next phase of their life!
In part 9 of the MehtA+ High School Thriving Guide, we talk about prestigious history journal for high school students, The Concord Review. For students interested in MehtA+ admissions consulting services, please check out https://mehtaplustutoring.com/admissions-consulting/.
According to the Dean of Admissions for Harvard University, being published in The Concord Review is an honor equivalent to winning a national mathematics contest! So what is The Concord Review?
Founded in 1987 by Mr. Will Fitzhugh, The Concord Review is a prestigious quarterly academic journal that publishes history research papers of high school students. Essays can be on any historical topic — ancient, modern, domestic or foreign. Around 5% of the papers submitted are accepted, and published authors have gone on to Harvard, Yale, Stanford and other top universities. Among the published authors, a handful of authors win the Emerson Prize ($1,000 scholarship) each year. Since 2020, one author is awarded the Fitzhugh Prize ($5,000 scholarship).
There is no word limit for The Concord Review, and the average word range tends to be 5,000–9,000 words, including citations of primary and secondary sources. Topics published are vast — the Spring 2024 issue consists of research papers on Kamikaze Attacks in World War II, The Grimm Brothers and 1964 Tokyo Olympics.
Benefits of writing a paper for the Concord Review
The importance of writing a paper for the Concord Review cannot be understated. As a published author of the Concord Review and an Emerson Prize winner who has coached high school students who have also been published in the Concord Review and won the Emerson Prize, I believe the benefits of writing a history research paper are tremendous.
- Preparing for undergraduate & graduate studies
Regardless of the choice of major, be it a STEM or humanities major, most undergraduate and graduate students must write research papers to graduate. Undergraduate students may have to write a paper for a research or capstone course. Graduate students may have to write a Master’s thesis or PhD thesis.
Since term papers have been all but faded out of most high school classrooms, many high school students have never had the experience of researching on a single topic for an extended period of time and writing several pages on it. As a result, high school students are often not equipped with the skills needed to write a research paper in college.
Researching and writing a 15+ page paper for the Concord Review is a great way to hone the skills needed to be successful for higher studies.
2. Developing research skills
Research is an integral part of many professions. Thus, knowing how to research is paramount for success. Finding proper online and/or print resources, reaching out to subject matter experts for additional guidance, and sifting through the sources to find the most relevant and accurate information are all salient skills that researching for the Concord Review teaches you.
2. Understanding historical context
Truly understanding history can prevent us from making the same mistakes that people have made in the past. It can also make us more empathetic towards people who may be different from us.
Reading a few paragraphs on an historical event from history textbooks is not enough to understand historical intricacies. However, reading several history books on a single person or event while researching for the Concord Review can allow us to go in-depth, understand diverse perspectives and assess biases of those who have written the history books.
After writing for the Concord Review, you may find yourself looking at current news actively and critically, as you try to understand the underlying motivations of the news agency.
3. Gaining confidence
Research is the process of discovering new knowledge and presenting it. Research does not only stop at reading a book or two — as part of the writing for the Concord Review, students posit a new perspective or make new connections about a historical person or event based on evidence. It could involve disproving mainstream historians or explaining the causes and effects of lesser-known historical events, for example.
While coming up with something new as a high school student can be daunting, the research process for The Concord Review can be very rewarding as you gain confidence in seeking out and interpreting resources in a novel manner.
4. Boost on College Application
Researching on a topic for an extended period of time and writing a paper on it is an example of a passion project! And as we all know, colleges love to see passion projects. Colleges view getting published in the Concord Review highly, since it is one of the top honors a high school can get in the field of history.
It can also be a boost for application of students not majoring in history. For example, an aspiring biology major can write a paper on the disproportionate impact a particular pandemic in history has on certain communities. History research is generally more accessible than STEM research because STEM research often involves having access to a lab and a supervisor who is well-versed in their field. In many cases, without the proper connections, high school students are unable to gain access to a lab and a supervisor. MehtA+’s AI/Machine Learning Research Bootcamp for STEM students of course, is an exception.
There is no doubt that there are several benefits to writing for the Concord Review. But how can you get started? Stay tuned for the next part of the MehtA+ High School thriving guide, where we discuss how to come up with a compelling topic, conduct thorough research and craft a well-structured paper for the Concord Review!
