One More Year
Issue date: 1/29/09 Section: Features
I didn't know that when I decided to write a thesis I would cease to be human. When I composed my thesis proposal Spring term and started reading and doing research over the summer, I thought that this was going to be like any other paper for any other class, just a whole lot longer. I was wrong - very very wrong.
What they don't tell you when you decide to write a thesis is that you are essentially giving up your life for two terms, including winter break. What really makes me angry is that I didn't even have to write one in the first place! That's the thing about being an English major, you don't actually have to write a thesis to graduate. I guess they assume that by the time you get to your senior year you've done enough writing to satisfy that requirement. Then again, there are those of us that enjoy the pain, and have ventured to write an Honors English Thesis. Slapping "Honors" on the front of that just makes each chapter hurt less.
Every day, when I lug my laptop into Reamer for that first cup of coffee, I see people that I haven't seen in weeks. It's always the same thing: Where have you been!?, Do you ever leave your room?, You haven't been to the house in AGES!, Have you been sick?. No, I haven't been sick, and yes, I do leave my room - everything's fine, I've just been writing my thesis. Even on Sunday nights, when we've all cooked dinner together and everyone's sitting around watching TV, I inevitably have at least two books in my lap. It's like having a baby, the books are always there and they need constant attention.
You know you're in a bad place when you put on a pair of jeans and people are going out of their way to tell you that you look nice…and then you realize that you haven't worn real pants in a few weeks. Every load of laundry I've done this term has included multiple pairs of sweatpants, sweatshirts, and sweaters. It's sartorial depression, you wear the same thing every day (or a variant of it) and it's always a dark color (my current favorite: navy blue). And even then, we aren't considering the hours and days that I spend in pajamas. I have a serious wardrobe of flannel pants. I wish I were kidding.
What they don't tell you when you decide to write a thesis is that you are essentially giving up your life for two terms, including winter break. What really makes me angry is that I didn't even have to write one in the first place! That's the thing about being an English major, you don't actually have to write a thesis to graduate. I guess they assume that by the time you get to your senior year you've done enough writing to satisfy that requirement. Then again, there are those of us that enjoy the pain, and have ventured to write an Honors English Thesis. Slapping "Honors" on the front of that just makes each chapter hurt less.
Every day, when I lug my laptop into Reamer for that first cup of coffee, I see people that I haven't seen in weeks. It's always the same thing: Where have you been!?, Do you ever leave your room?, You haven't been to the house in AGES!, Have you been sick?. No, I haven't been sick, and yes, I do leave my room - everything's fine, I've just been writing my thesis. Even on Sunday nights, when we've all cooked dinner together and everyone's sitting around watching TV, I inevitably have at least two books in my lap. It's like having a baby, the books are always there and they need constant attention.
You know you're in a bad place when you put on a pair of jeans and people are going out of their way to tell you that you look nice…and then you realize that you haven't worn real pants in a few weeks. Every load of laundry I've done this term has included multiple pairs of sweatpants, sweatshirts, and sweaters. It's sartorial depression, you wear the same thing every day (or a variant of it) and it's always a dark color (my current favorite: navy blue). And even then, we aren't considering the hours and days that I spend in pajamas. I have a serious wardrobe of flannel pants. I wish I were kidding.
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