3 Shots

Inspiration

At Vanderbilt, I observed a recurring issue: students RSVP to events but often don’t show up. This leads to wasted food, wasted money, and missed opportunities for others who could have attended.

More importantly, it reflects a deeper problem—a lack of accountability and discipline in keeping commitments. This inspired me to create a system that not only reduces waste but also helps students build the habit of showing up and following through.

What It Does

3 Shots is a system that transforms RSVP into a measurable commitment.

Students RSVP to events
The system verifies attendance using three randomized GPS check-ins
If a student fails to attend after RSVPing, their accountability score decreases
If they attend and participate, their score increases

The system introduces a measurable metric:

$$ \text{Accountability Score} = \text{Attendance} + \text{Participation} - \text{No-show Penalty} $$

This score reflects a student’s reliability and consistency, encouraging discipline and responsibility.

How We Built It

We built the project by combining event tracking with behavioral design:

Developed an RSVP system
Integrated GPS-based attendance verification
Designed a scoring model to track accountability
Focused on simplicity and usability for students

The goal was to create a system where structure drives behavior, not just motivation.

Challenges We Ran Into

Time limitations and tight deadlines
Lack of sleep during development
Debugging technical issues (especially GPS tracking logic)
Difficulty in finding strong design and visuals
Balancing fairness with strict accountability rules

Accomplishments That We're Proud Of

Creating a solution that addresses a real campus problem
Designing a system that promotes discipline and accountability
Turning behavior into something measurable and meaningful
Building a foundation that can scale across campus organizations

What We Learned

Discipline can be designed through systems, not just motivation
People respond to clear structure and visible accountability
A system must balance fairness and effectiveness
Technology should solve real human problems, not just technical ones

What's Next for 3 Shots

The core problem is not just attendance—it’s that students often overcommit but underdeliver. This affects trust, resource allocation, and personal growth.