The senior project experience was very valuable to me. The process of writing my paper was definitely the thing I learned the most from academically. It forced us all to spread the process of writing a long paper out over a period of time which made it so no one part of the writing process felt particularly daunting. This aspect of the process was something that I am super glad I did going into my first year of college. The project part of the process seemed a little more arbitrary at times to me. There were few parts of the project that I could genuinely see myself doing in college and I found that the only things I got out of the project were things that I forced myself to get out of it. For example, I got better as a public speaker because I chose a project that required me to do so. In this sense, the project was a success. On the other hand, in terms of the senior project being a preparation tool, I do not see myself being required to do some project where I volunteer doing something that relates to a topic. At some points it seemed very random.
With all that said, I did generally have a good time doing my project and I personally learned a lot. In order to teach a public speaking class, I had to force myself to learn more about public speaking personally. As a result I can honestly say that I am more confident at public speaking now than I ever have been. I do not feel the butterflies in my stomach the same way I used to and I now feel excited to go out there and deliver a strong presentation. I also think the project was a good fit for me. Whether it was going to public speaking club meetings, interacting with my mentor, or teaching the kids at Foothill, I was constantly meeting and interacting with new people which is something that I love to do. I have always had an inclination towards public speaking as well and this project forced me to fill in the gaps of my knowledge which was a really cool learning experience. So to summarize, while the project itself and its structure did not teach me a ton, the subject matter and the learning that went along with it was incredibly valuable to me and I will take it with me beyond high school.
With all that said, I did generally have a good time doing my project and I personally learned a lot. In order to teach a public speaking class, I had to force myself to learn more about public speaking personally. As a result I can honestly say that I am more confident at public speaking now than I ever have been. I do not feel the butterflies in my stomach the same way I used to and I now feel excited to go out there and deliver a strong presentation. I also think the project was a good fit for me. Whether it was going to public speaking club meetings, interacting with my mentor, or teaching the kids at Foothill, I was constantly meeting and interacting with new people which is something that I love to do. I have always had an inclination towards public speaking as well and this project forced me to fill in the gaps of my knowledge which was a really cool learning experience. So to summarize, while the project itself and its structure did not teach me a ton, the subject matter and the learning that went along with it was incredibly valuable to me and I will take it with me beyond high school.