Interviewed Dustin Stout on Thursday afternoon.
(1) What ideas do you have for your senior project and why?
(1) What ideas do you have for your senior project and why?
Dustin: I want to do it on Autism, or the disease, Acalaysia. My brother has Autism, and my mom suffers from that disease.
Me: That sounds like a solid idea. I think it's close enough to you that you won't get burned out researching it, and you can offer a lot of personal insight.
(2) What do you plan to do to complete the 10 hours of service learning
(working with an expert) which is due prior to senior year starting?
Dustin: If I do it on Autism, my mom knows experts that she has talked to that I can volunteer with, same with her disease.
Me: Again, really solid. Having a connection like that will really help throughout the year. If you can keep the lines of communication open for the entirety of your senior project, I'm sure sources like that will reflect extremely well.
(3) What do you hope to see or expect to see when watching the class of 2012 present their two hour presentations?
Me: I'm sure you'll get that. The senior topic subjects this year are incredibly diverse. There are actually quite a lot of seniors interested in the medical field, and I think you may get some ideas for your project.
(4) What questions do they have about senior project? What additional
recommendations would you give the 2013 student about senior project?
Be specific and note what you told them.
Dustin: The only question I have is: is the senior project actually as hard as it's cracked up to be?
Me: That's a hard question to answer. It really depends on who you talk to, but I think the overall consensus is that it's not a difficult process. It IS, however, a long one. If the motivation is lacking, it'll be miserable for you. It's incredibly hard to keep going if you've burned out. Stay focused, get your work done, and keep talking to the teachers. It isn't fun. It really isn't. But that's not why you're doing it, right? Good things can come from doing the project, but you may also find that by the end of the year, you hate your topic. I think, fortunately for you, you'll have enough personal investment that you can keep going. Good luck man, really.
