Research project mentorship
Build a real project of your own, outside the syllabus, and the university application around it. One-to-one and online, for students aged 14 to 18 in physics, engineering, mathematics, software and data.
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At a glance
What
One-to-one mentorship for students aged 14 to 18, with one mentor from start to finish: a real project of your own, outside the syllabus, and the university application around it. It ends in something that can be checked, not a certificate.
Outcome
Something you can show: a code repository, a simulation, a design report, a live website or a written investigation, and a write-up in your own words.
How
Online sessions on a written plan, with your work reviewed between them. The work is always yours: we never write it for you.
Fees
Programmes from GBP 850, for programmes starting by 31 March 2027. Your exact plan and fee are agreed on the free introductory call.
What project mentorship is
Help to plan, build and finish a real project of your own, outside the school syllabus. The project belongs to you: the idea, the work and the result are yours. Your mentor helps you choose a project that is ambitious but finishable, teaches the methods it needs, reviews your work between sessions, and makes sure it ends with something concrete that you can show and discuss.
The one rule. We never write any part of your project for you: not the code, not the report, not your statement. Admissions tutors and interviewers can tell, and a project you cannot explain is worth less than none. Everything you show is yours.
Why it strengthens an application
UK universities
Selective universities look for evidence that you have gone beyond the classroom in your subject. Since 2026 entry the UCAS personal statement answers three questions, one of which asks what you have done to prepare outside education and why it is useful. A project answers that directly, and at Oxford and Cambridge interviewers may ask about anything you mention, so you must be able to explain it in depth.
US universities
The Common App activities list and the supplementary essays reward sustained depth and initiative more than a long list of short activities. A project developed over months, with a clear outcome, shows exactly that.
Both
A finished project is evidence, not a claim. A repository, a report or a working website can be described precisely, and because you built it, you can explain every decision in it.
A finished project is strong super-curricular evidence. If your school offers the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), the same topic can be proposed to the school as an EPQ, which the school supervises and assesses; any help from outside the school is declared in the EPQ log.
Five kinds of project
Examples, not a fixed menu: the right project starts from what you are already curious about.
Physics
A simulation of motion with air resistance, or of planets and moons under gravity, checked against cases with known answers.
Outcome a code repository on GitHub and a short simulation report.
Engineering
Design a small wind turbine blade, bridge truss or drone frame in free CAD software, then test it with simple simulation and, where possible, a physical model.
Outcome a design report with test data; a science fair entry.
Mathematics
Explore a question such as random walks or chaos in a simple equation through computer experiments, then try to explain the patterns found.
Outcome a mathematical write-up; an essay competition entry where eligible.
Software
Build a web application that solves a real problem for a real group of users, for example a planner or a data dashboard.
Outcome a live website or app and its code repository.
Data and modelling
Collect or download an open data set (weather, energy use, transport) and build a model that explains or predicts it.
Outcome a notebook and report with clear figures and limits stated honestly.
Every project ends with a short write-up in your own words: the question, what you built, what worked, what did not, and what you would do next. That write-up is the raw material for your personal statement, your activities list and your interview preparation.
A first project's model
Who mentors you
The engineer who runs Mintnib and teaches on it: an aeronautical and mechanical engineer who builds models, simulations and experiments for a living, and has taught and mentored students for more than ten years. The research is in turbine aerothermal performance for future propulsion and power, at the Oxford Thermofluids Institute.
- DPhil candidate, Engineering Science, University of Oxford
- MRes, University of Cambridge
- MEng and BEng, First Class Honours, Mechanical Engineering
- Qualified engineer (Italian State Exam, 2020)
- A DBS certificate, shown to any client on request
More on the About page.
How it works
Intake
You send the work you have done so far, the subjects and topics that interest you most, your current courses, and the countries and universities you are considering. All of it is read before the first meeting.
Project shortlist
Two or three project ideas matched to your interests and level, each with its outcome, the skills it needs and a realistic timeline. You choose, or we shape your own idea.
Written plan
We agree milestones, what happens in sessions, what you do independently between them, and the finished outcome.
Live sessions
Online sessions teach the methods your project needs (programming, modelling, simulation, experimental design, technical writing), solve problems together and review progress.
Your work between sessions
You build the project yourself. Your code, results or drafts are reviewed between sessions, and written feedback reaches you before the next one: up to about 30 minutes a week is included.
Finished outcome, and admissions guidance
The project ends with something you can show. Alongside it: which courses and universities fit your interests, how to present the project in a UCAS statement or in US applications, and which admissions tests your choices require, with a plan to prepare for them.
A sample ten-session roadmap
An example for the physics project, a simulation of motion with air resistance. Your own plan is written around your project and your pace.
Session 1
In the session Agree the question and the outcome; set up the tools and the code repository.
Before the next one Read two short pieces on the physics; write a first version of the question.
Session 2
In the session The physics of drag; turning equations of motion into steps a computer can take.
Before the next one Write the first simple simulation without drag.
Session 3
In the session Check the simulation against a case with an exact answer.
Before the next one Fix what the check reveals; add drag.
Session 4
In the session How accurate is it? Step size, errors and how to measure them.
Before the next one Run the accuracy tests and plot them.
Session 5
In the session Midpoint review: what the results show so far, and what to explore next.
Before the next one Choose two questions to investigate.
Session 6 and 7
In the session The investigation: change one thing at a time and record what happens.
Before the next one Run the experiments; keep a log.
Session 8
In the session Figures that make the result clear; stating limits honestly.
Before the next one Draft the report.
Session 9
In the session Review of the report draft, line by line.
Before the next one Revise the report; tidy the repository.
Session 10
In the session Final review; how to describe the project in a statement, an essay and at interview.
Before the next one Publish the repository and the report.
Admissions guidance
The project is the evidence. Guidance makes sure it reaches the right courses, in the right form, with the right tests prepared.
Applying in the UK
- Applications go through UCAS, with up to five course choices and one personal statement shared by all of them.
- In almost all cases you can apply to Oxford or to Cambridge in the same year, not both. Their deadline, and that of most medicine courses, is 15 October, earlier than the main UCAS deadline.
- Many competitive science, engineering, mathematics and computer science courses set an admissions test, such as the ESAT, the TMUA or the MAT. Which test applies depends on the course and the university, and we check the current requirements for each of your choices.
Applying in the US
- Most selective universities use the Common App, with a personal essay, a list of activities and supplementary essays for each university.
- Testing policies differ between universities and change from year to year, so the SAT or ACT and AP exams are planned against each university's current policy.
- A substantial project gives material for the activities list, the essays and any interview, and shows the depth that selective universities look for.
Interviews
Oxford and Cambridge, and some other universities for some courses, interview shortlisted applicants. Interviews are academic: you work through unfamiliar problems aloud and discuss what you have written.
Applying to both
Many students apply in both systems. They place different demands on the same material: the UK statement is about the subject, while US essays are about you as a person as well. We help you plan one body of work that serves both.
Formats and fees
Flexible, and set by your project and your school calendar: from more than once a week during an intensive phase to weekly, fortnightly or once a term; a short, focused project over a few weeks, or an extended one over several months that grows in stages; 60-minute sessions, online, with written feedback between them, up to about 30 minutes a week, included, and larger reviews at the single-session rate. Times are agreed in your own time zone. The introductory call is free.
Programmes from GBP 850, for programmes starting by 31 March 2027. Your exact plan and fee are agreed on the free introductory call.
Programmes start from January 2027. You can stop after any session, and unused paid sessions are refunded.
Safeguarding
For students under 18, a parent or guardian is copied on every email and every booking. Sessions take place online and are not recorded unless the family asks in writing, and project files are shared through accounts the family controls. A DBS certificate is shown to any client on request.
Questions families often ask
Do you need to know how to code already?
No. The project is chosen to stretch you from your current level, and the methods it needs are taught in the sessions.
Whose work is the project?
Yours. We teach, question and review, but the ideas, the code and the writing are your own, which is what makes the project credible in an application and at interview.
What if the project changes direction?
That is normal in real research. The plan is reviewed at the midpoint and adjusted, while still aiming at a finished outcome.
How much time does it take between sessions?
It depends on the format. We agree it in the plan around your school workload, and it can be lighter during exam periods.
Can the project also be an EPQ?
The EPQ is run and assessed by your school, so your school must register and supervise it. The project can be the same piece of work, provided your school agrees and its rules on outside help are followed.
Can it lead to a competition or science fair?
Often, yes. Where you are eligible, we can shape the project and its write-up to meet a competition's rules and deadlines.
Next steps
Ask for a call
Tell us what you are interested in through the enquiry form; the first call is free and carries no obligation.
Intake
Send your work so far, your interests, your courses and the universities you are considering.
Start
You receive the shortlist and a draft plan, and we agree a start date.