[dhitchco]

Sudeep,

here's a thought for your paper. It's actually very difficult to directly compare FIRST to anything else. It's really very different than building a SoapBox Derby cart, very different than solving a business problem in a corporation, and very different from everyday life at school.

Think of it this way. This year's game was built upon four-sided tetrahedrons. Try the following four topics in your paper:

1) Teamwork. How was the FIRST experience like any other project in terms of building teamwork?
2) The actual task of building a robot in 6 weeks. How was the FIRST experience like anything else you have done with such constraints over time, money, and talent?
3) Professionalism. How has the FIRST experience helped you to become more professional and yet still have fun. That part gets lost in the real world much of the time.
4) Community. How has the experience of FIRST expanded your own network of people? Has your circle of life become larger through the FIRST experience?