by August Barham
It is no secret that senior projects are more than stressful.
“Everything that could have gone wrong with my project went wrong,” said senior Garland Jacobs.
Once students are in the depths of their projects, they may feel as if the project is pointless. However, regardless of how it may appear, senior projects do have a purpose, will remain in place for the foreseeable future, and will always be challenging.
Thankfully, there are a few things that you can do to make senior projects just a bit easier, or at least to get through them alive.
Students and teachers have compiled some tips for surviving senior projects.
Choose your project carefully.
A project with a lengthy timeline could cause difficulty.
“Chose a topic that is compatible with your schedule,” said English teacher Christina Dodson. “You only have three months, so don’t choose something that is going to take two years to do. Be realistic.”
Choose a project you will like.
A project that is enjoyable will be easier and more pleasant to complete.
“Chose a topic that you can feasibly do in that time period and something that will not make you hate what you are doing,” said Jacobs.
Always have a Plan B.
Have a backup mentor in mind. Mentors may have varying schedules, and it is important to have someone to turn to if things do not work out with your first mentor.
“I had several students who had a situation where they had other people involved in their project and it fell through,” said Dodson, “so have people that you can pull in.”
Keep up with documentation.
Another important tip to remember while completing senior projects: journals are key. If hours are not recorded into journals immediately, they are often forgotten.
“Keep up with your journals so that at the last minute you are not cramming in everything together. That’s where you make mistakes,” said Dodson.
Senior Ashly Dzaahabiyyah agrees that completing journals as soon as possible is very important during senior projects.
“A lot of people told me to keep up with my journals, but I never really took heed of it, and I thought I could do it last minute. Don’t do that,” said Dzaahabiyyah.
Do not procrastinate.
This might be the most important tip. Many students have been warned against procrastination during senior projects, but with the stress of other work during your senior year, it is hard not to.
“With the schedule of my life it is very difficult to find time to put hours into senior projects,” said Dzaahabiyyah.
Dodson understands the difficulty with finding time for projects and encourages her students to use time management.
“Time management is important, adjusting not just with the project itself but with work, family time, sports, and everything,” said Dodson.
Senior projects will always be difficult, but procrastinating will increase stress levels greatly.
Remember to relax.
Senior projects induce stress, and while there are certain ways to make them a bit less stressful, sometimes all there is to do is take a beat.
“The big [tip] at the end is, just breathe,” Dodson.