During my junior year, I completed an elective course dedicated to implementing a project that we deemed necessary for the school. In years past, the school administrators took the projects created by the class under advisement, making lasting improvements to our campus. For our project, we decided to revise the current parking policies and structures at the school. Many students couldn't find parking on campus, while other parked without authorization. In addition, there was an imbalance in the size of the parking lots versus those who were allowed to use them. I was chosen to lead the project for the class.
ÃÂÃ ÃÂÃ ÃÂÃ ÃÂÃ ÃÂÃ ÃÂÃ ÃÂÃ ÃÂÃ As the quarter winded down, we were immersed in our cost analysis and the long-term benefits to the university. As project leader, I coordinated the group's efforts and guided them through a final stressful weekend. When we presented our results, the school administrators were intrigued by our suggestion to use the abandoned football stadium for overflow parking.
The land was free, readily available and easy to access. For the cost of a few signs, the campus parking capacity could potentially increase by 150%. Our principal used our analysis to convince the school board to fund the project. Just three weeks later, the old abandoned football stadium was a bustling, heavily-used parking lot. I was proud to be associated with such a practical and beneficial project.
ÃÂÃ ÃÂÃ ÃÂÃ ÃÂÃ ÃÂÃ ÃÂÃ ÃÂÃ ÃÂÃ The project taught me how to carefully establish goals and to outline the means to acheive them. I also learned how to plan my work to reach a short-term deadline. Although we conducted a feasibility study in our initial planning, we were overly optimistic for the timing required for several key steps. We completed the project in the allotted time by pooling our resources and working as a cohesive unit. This was my first...