I can think of several occasions in which I thought of a great idea after the fact. For example, almost every Halloween I conjure up a fantastic costume a few days, or sometimes months, after the event.

Three years ago Halloween took place right around the time Kim and Kanye’s daughter, North West, was making headlines. In December, because for some reason I was thinking about Halloween, I figured it would have been clever to dress as her: wear baby clothes adorned with a compass pointing NW. It’s a silly idea, but at the time I regretted not coming up with it sooner.

Today I’m faced with the same problem. Friday, April 8, marked the last day of school for a large sum of seniors. For the next four weeks, students who chose to participate in Senior Project will be absent for the final few weeks of the school year.

The scenario sounds amazing: no school for four whole weeks! I thought so too, and still think so; yet here I am.

Believe it or not, seniors who are involved have been so since September. The preparation and anticipation takes place throughout the year and you have the option to drop out any time. I took that opportunity after meeting number two.

My reasons for backing out are as followed. For one, as someone who’s is involved in multiple extra curriculars, being absent would mean my involvement in clubs would be limited. I should also preface this by saying that my initial Project idea was to find an internship downtown at a local publication, which would mean I would have to commute, taking up too much time in my morning and evening.

Which leads me to reason number two for my falling out: time. The past two summers I’ve had internships downtown and know first-hand how time consuming they are. I also know how much more manageable those internships were due to the fact that they were only two to three times a week. If Senior Project was drawn out over an eight week period, I would be on board.

However, despite my initial hesitation, I’m now realizing that I would have enjoyed it. With that being said, the only reason I hold my regrets is because I have formulated an amazing Senior Project idea after the fact. Remember that anecdote from the beginning? A similar scenario has happened again.

As someone who loves doing projects, I thought (seven months too late) it would be neat to create a collection of pottery. All through middle school I took pottery at the Highland Park Art Center. I used the wheel to create bowls, mugs, and vases and have longed for the sensation of a slab of mushy clay between my fingers ever since.

I could still take classes, but being the oldest amongst a group of nine-year-olds sounds less than appealing. Plus they’re ridiculously expensive.

Looking back, I’m realizing how much I would have enjoyed doing something like this for Senior Project. Plus, it would bypass all my original setbacks. The commute would be seamless, the “work” would feel like play, and I’d walk away with a beautiful collection of pottery.

I think the reason I didn’t come up with this sooner was because my mind was so career centered. I immediately associated senior project with finding an internship at Chicago Magazine or RealSimple. It never occurred to me that it could be something more than that.

In the few meetings that I went to, and actually paid attention to, a lot of the examples given were of students who found a Project that walked a potential path they might want to take in the future. Of course there are ample stories of people doing more random assignments like becoming a bee keeper or learning ballroom dance, but unfortunately my mind wasn’t geared in that direction.

I think that Senior Project boasts endless possibilities for seniors, ones that I wish I would have thought of sooner. I don’t regret my decision for staying, but I do think Senior Project should be marketed as “a semester to explore whatever your interested in, the more random, the better.”