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Which senior project would look the best to colleges?
At my school, it's required for seniors to do a senior project. It's done throughout the entire year, so I thought it would be great to do some sort of community service, since it's definitely something that can help with college admissions.
1. Do a clothing drive for kids and teens in Cameroon (my family is Cameroonian, so it really means something to me to help there), and also do the "30 hour famine" ( [Link](Mouse over link to see full location) ) to raise money and food supplies for other poor Africans
2. Participate in "Jamie Oliver's food revolution" ( [Link](Mouse over link to see full location) ) to change lunch in my school district. Nobody likes the food at my school, because it's bland, processed, etc. but we do have healthy sides, like vegetables and fruit, so I'm not sure whether I need to do it. the driving factor for me wanting to do this is so that my younger brother in elementary school can eat good food as he grows up, when he eats school lunch. I don't like the idea of him eating what we have now all the time. Also, school lunch at my school is exorbitantly expensive, so I'd love for the food to be better quality, but at a reasonable price, if possible. and no high fructose corn syrup in chocolate milk and our drink machines!
These are the 2 main ideas I have now. I really want something to have a big community impact, whether it's in my town or someplace else. Usually people pick projects that don't have much of an influence, like learning to play guitar or w/e, but I love to help people out, and understand how much work it's going to take, and seek it. (I'll have all year to do it, anyways)
If you have any other good ideas, please add! When I go to college I want to major in Economics.. but I couldn't think of a senior project relating to that. So if you can, I'd love to hear it! Or anything else! And my dream college is University of Chicago, by the way. If that affects anything!
Thanks so much if you can give your input.
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Africa could very well be the future. So your project suggestion about a clothing drive for kids in Cameroon would be a good idea for a couple of reasons:
1. You are doing something selfless. When you discuss this with a future employer, talk about how you worked as part of a team and how you provided leadership during the project as well as what concrete accomplishments came out of your efforts.
2. Companies are increasingly global, so again, doing something in an overseas context looks better than doing something at home. Have a concrete explanation of what you learned during the whole experience, including what you learned about yourself.
You ever think about entering the foreign service? It's tough to get into, but given your background you could be very valuable to your country in that regard. You will have to know how to speak at least one foreign language to even get a look. Check into it and see if it's suitable for you.
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You sound more passionate about the Jamie Oliver initiative at your school. Best to do a project you are passionate about.
Have you watched the whole last season of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution? Stunning how ignorant people are about food. How about a bunch of kids that can't identify vegetables?
Simple math dictates that both your goals are more likely to be achieved in the long run by choosing the school revolution project now. If you get African kids clothed, will that improve their situation enough to be able to send aid to another country?
If you help kids here learn to care about where their food comes from, which leads to thinking about the whole world differently, then you will have helped to inspire a generation from the richest country on the planet to care about others.
What if you could do this, and inspire 10s of thousands, if not millions of kids here to reach out to Cameroon among other places?
Something to think about.
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I love your idea of using "Jamie Oliver's food revolution" as your senior project. While this project does not correlate to your intended major it is a project that is well worth the effort. There is nothing wrong with broadening your horizons, which is one of the many things college is all about.
Childhood obesity has become a major epidemic in this country. There is a report on this subject if not nightly, definitely weekly in the DC area I live in. The statistical information on this subject is to blunt horrifying.
Childhood Obesity Statistics
In 2004, there was a research report written about a study that lasted from 1999 to 2002 entitled "Prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents: United States" conducted by the CDC. According to that report "16 % children (over 9 million) 6-19 year olds' are overweight or obese" this is three times what it was in 1980. In addition, this report brings out the fact that also during this same time period an additional 15% were "at risk of becoming overweight".
Not only has this number tripled, but in the past three decades (according to this same study) obesity has "more than doubled" in both children and adolescents from ages 2-5 and also ages 12-19 while more than tripling in children between the ages of 6-11.
In the past we have taught our children lessons in school that they have gone home and taught their parents. Among the biggest and greatest life saving lesson was and is seat belt usage. Today statistically 84% to 95% of Americans wear their seat belts while riding in their cars. The statistical difference is in the type of roads traveled and type of trip being made. For highway driving 95% of us use their seat belts. This has saved tens of thousands of lives and it was our children who taught their parents to use their seat belts because they learned it in school.
The school lunch programs are a great place to teach and to show children how to eat healthy. Based on personal experience my wife and I have found we are not spending any more at the supermarket as for that which is costing more we have eliminated something else that was and is not good for us. we also found that the healthy choice and Organic foods tasted much better than what we had been accustomed to buying.
While it is now just me and my wife, we have found that for those snacks we eliminate we replace them with healthy snacks we make at home together. This would be a nice family time event had we thought of it when our children were younger and a great learning experience for them as well.
I hope you will choose this as the subject of your project. Children's health and well being is never a bad subject to choose. This is also a subject that needs all the support and attention it can receive.
Good luck and let me know how things are going should you choose this subject.
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