High school senior project - Need advice

  • #1
RoZ589
23
0
Hello! I'm a junior in high school, and my school requires that every senior complete a "senior project" along with a research paper related to your project. Pretty much, you're supposed to do something that provides you with a learning experience or something that can help you grow as a person. It's supposed to take a lot of time. I'm a prospective engineering student, so I'm interested in doing a science, engineering, or computer science related project. Let me clarify that this is NOT a science fair type thing or any kind of experiment. It's a project.

Some examples of what others have done for their senior project:
-Interned in the field they were interested in
-Refurbished an old car
-Hosted an event (blood-drive, charity run, etc.)
-Traveled for a missions trip
-Started and maintained their own garden
-Learned to play an instrument

As you can see, there is a vast realm of things that people do for their project. I want to do something that is relevant to what I want to do in my future. Does anyone have any ideas? I'm completely blank and now is the time I need to be thinking about what I want to do.
 
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  • #2
Interning in your desired field is good. Try to build a computer from scratch. If that’s way too easy, maybe design a program/app/game that people can actually use. Aside from a game, you could think of something that's practical and clever to create.
 
  • #3
ProfuselyQuarky said:
Interning in your desired field is good. Try to build a computer from scratch. If that’s way too easy, maybe design a program/app/game that people can actually use. Aside from a game, you could think of something that's practical and clever to create.
I was interested in interning somewhere, but I'm not entirely sure how one goes about finding an intern in what I'm looking for. I already have a computer and don't have the money to buy another one, but that's another idea that many people have done. I could learn how to program and have some sort of final project involving what I've learned, that's another idea.
 
  • #4
RoZ589 said:
I could learn how to program and have some sort of final project involving what I've learned, that's another idea.
Yeah, since you’re a junior, you’ll have all summer to work on it. Basic HTML isn’t that hard. Do you have a hobby that you’re into? Maybe a craft or something else? You could try to code a basic blog on you’re own and posts tutorials or whatnot about that hobby--pretty much two projects in one. If you don’t want to code an entire site, create a WordPress account and try to code you’re own template design.
 
  • #5
ProfuselyQuarky said:
Yeah, since you’re a junior, you’ll have all summer to work on it. Basic HTML isn’t that hard. Do you have a hobby that you’re into? Maybe a craft or something else? You could try to code a basic blog on you’re own and posts tutorials or whatnot about that hobby--pretty much two projects in one. If you don’t want to code an entire site, create a WordPress account and try to code you’re own template design.
Those are good ideas, but I'm not sure how interested I am in programming. This is something that is supposed to take up a lot of time and effort on my part and I want to make sure it's something I'll enjoy.
 
  • #6
RoZ589 said:
Those are good ideas, but I'm not sure how interested I am in programming. This is something that is supposed to take up a lot of time and effort on my part and I want to make sure it's something I'll enjoy.
So what exactly do you enjoy? “Engineering and computer science” is pretty vague.
 
  • #7
ProfuselyQuarky said:
So what exactly do you enjoy? “Engineering and computer science” is pretty vague.
I mean.. I have some hobbies and stuff I like but I'd like to do something that will be interesting and is also relevant to what I want to do in the future. I think interning somewhere would be awesome but I'm just not sure if there are opportunities like that around here.
 
  • #8
RoZ589 said:
I mean.. I have some hobbies and stuff I like but I'd like to do something that will be interesting and is also relevant to what I want to do in the future.
Okay, but what I'm saying is that just saying that you like engineering and computer science is kinda vague. Those are huge fields. What type of engineering? Robotics? Aerospace? Chemical? Electrical? If you know that, we can narrow down some ideas.
RoZ589 said:
I think interning somewhere would be awesome but I'm just not sure if there are opportunities like that around here.
Local universities and colleges sometimes have intern/volunteer opportunities as long as you meet the prerequisites. That goes for institutes and organizations. For example, there’s an Ocean Institute near my area that is devoted to marine biology research and education. They offer internships and volunteer opportunities. If you’ve got connections, maybe someone could even hook you up with a small commercial company (though that’s usually what people do in college). Where do you live?
 
  • #9
ProfuselyQuarky said:
Okay, but what I'm saying is that just saying that you like engineering and computer science is kinda vague. Those are huge fields. What type of engineering? Robotics? Aerospace? Chemical? Electrical? If you know that, we can narrow down some ideas.

Local universities and colleges sometimes have intern/volunteer opportunities as long as you meet the prerequisites. That goes for institutes and organizations. For example, there’s an Ocean Institute near my area that is devoted to marine biology research and education. They offer internships and volunteer opportunities. If you’ve got connections, maybe someone could even hook you up with a small commercial company (though that’s usually what people do in college). Where do you live?
What I do like: chemical, electrical, math
What I don't like: Aerospace, mechanical
Somewhat interesting: Robotics, physics, biology, computer science

Suppose I could contact the universities near me and see? I live around 30 miles from Columbus, Ohio.
 
  • #10
RoZ589 said:
Suppose I could contact the universities near me and see? I live around 30 miles from Columbus, Ohio.
Before you contact, check out the schools’ website and see what they offer for high school students. Check if you meet the prereqs (e.g. GPA, courses already you have to already have, age, etc.). This way, if you do end up contacting them, you’ll be prepared if they ask you something and you’ll sound like you know what your doing :smile: Every school is different and this includes how flexible they. Are you in this alone? Can you ask your parents/teachers/faculty at school to help? They probably know about what students want and are willing to help you.
 
  • #11
ProfuselyQuarky said:
Before you contact, check out the schools’ website and see what they offer for high school students. Check if you meet the prereqs (e.g. GPA, courses already you have to already have, age, etc.). This way, if you do end up contacting them, you’ll be prepared if they ask you something and you’ll sound like you know what your doing :smile: Every school is different and this includes how flexible they. Are you in this alone? Can you ask your parents/teachers/faculty at school to help? They probably know about what students want and are willing to help you.
This is a program through my school so there are teachers I can ask for help about this, yes. I'll talk to them about it and research possible schools that I could do this for. Thanks a lot

If anyone else has anything else in mind, post ahead =]
 

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