Get in touch with a local business and see if you can develop an application that would allow them to become more efficient in their work. It could be a scheduling system that emails employees personalized schedules to help them keep track of their work hours. Or create a system that allows for better decision making in companies where written procedures are already very precise, but no electronic version is available. You could also make an electronic phone book for larger companies that have no internal application to search for colleagues.
Software engineers are sometimes required to work with mechanical engineers in the creation of robots. Team up with other students for this type of project, as it can be more complex. Design a software that allows a robot to respond to a user's voice and that can identify changes in tone to determine emotions. Artificial intelligence is a popular subtopic of software engineering; you can build a robot that can predict odds that a person would win at a game of cards.
Create an educational product that allows students to practice subjects that require repetition and problem-solving skills. Software engineers are the individuals behind many tutorial programs, educational games and testing applications. Think of a discipline you excelled in, such as mathematics, and build a tool that allows students to practice exercises of varying degrees of difficulty. Your educational product could be in the form of a CD-ROM, a website or a software, depending on your expertise.
With the advancement of technologies, mobile phones and tablets have increased in popularity, and it is now rare to meet someone who doesn't have a smartphone. Create your own mobile phone application. It could be an exercise log, a budgeting tool for people on the go, a recipe generator or a card game to pass the time while on public transportation. The possibilities are endless. You could even try to sell or give your mobile application to the general public once it has been tested and functions well.