Suppose you are a student otherwise highly qualified to be admitted to a top college (top scores, top grades, top EC) but you notice that “research” and “publications” are valued by these schools. So research in e.g., science and publication with a professor/expert is prized. But suppose also that your primary interest is Classics. Are there Classics research/publication options for high school students? What about a review of a book that got published in a non-specialist journal (even an opinion journal that has reviews)? Does the research/publication boost to admission apply for Classics? And if so, what are the outlets for that kind of academic activity? If not, what are the activities that you should emphasize to stand out as an applicant with Classics interests?
With respect to “research” and “publications,” any achievements in this area would not need to pertain specifically to classics in order to enhance your application, in my opinion.
As complementary advice, your success in finding a top classics program will depend greatly on the schools you decide to research deeply. For ideas, College Transitions offers a “Best Colleges for Classics” list (separated here by type for ease of viewing):
Amherst College
Carleton College
College of the Holy Cross
Davidson College
Hamilton College
Kenyon College
Macalester College
Oberlin College
Barnard College
Bryn Mawr College
Brandeis University
Brown University
Cornell University
Columbia University
Georgetown University
Harvard University
Johns Hopkins University
Princeton University
Stanford University
Tufts University
University of Chicago
University of Pennsylvania
Yale University
College of William and Mary
Ohio State University
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of Wisconsin – Madison
Yes, there are outlets for humanities research. Research of any kind is valued as a useful skill, not just for college but for all kinds of jobs.
Many high schools offer humanities research programs, so check and see if your school does, as the best approach is to do it that way. Or does your high school offer any kind of option to do independent study projects?
You need a mentor. Is there a teacher in your high school who might agree to mentor you? You can google a list of humanities research publications and try contacting some of them for advice. Get in touch with professors at local colleges who might agree to give you some guidance. Doing this from scratch, on your own, is going to take determination. Expect to either not hear from a lot of people or plenty of “sorry, can’t help,” but I do think if you have a clear idea of what you want to study, that will help you. Good luck.