The idea to write a thesis had been nagging Haley Morris '08 for several years. Morris knew since freshman spring not only that she wanted to write a thesis, but what topic she would like to cover (in case you were wondering, she is writing a geography thesis entitled, "A Tale of Two Islands: Mobility, Identity and Place on Nantucket, MA").
On the opposite side of the spectrum, students like Tom Atwood '08 decided to apply just before the deadline. "Mine was sort of a knee-jerk reaction to the deadline. I decided a week beforehand, and I didn't really think about it ... I just kind of wrote the application," Atwood said of his English thesis, "Depthlessness in Postmodern Art and Literature."
Other students felt similar uncertainty, but knew that they desired the experience of writing a thesis. Maggie Severns-O'Neill '08, who is writing an English thesis on the poetry of Frank O'Hara, explained, "I decided that I wanted to do mine in the fall, just mostly because I think that most of the positive learning experiences I've had were times when I could just take something and run as far and as fast as I want with it. So I figured that a thesis would be a good thing for me, because there is no one really telling me what to do and I can just kind of go in what direction I wanted."
Alex Cushman '08, who is writing the history thesis "Lyndon Johnson and The Medicare Bill," enumerated his thesis-writing motivations. "One, I wanted to produce something on a subject I was interested in and I accomplished that," he said. "And two, I wanted to work relatively closely alongside a professor, and I got to do that as well."
For many students, ideas for their theses stemmed from previous class work. Maxwell Bryer '08, whose history thesis is on "Israel's Relationship with Zionist Extremism," said his thesis came from a paper he wrote for a class and the professor became his thesis advisor.
Angela Libby '08, who is writing a religion thesis on evangelical feminists, also came about her idea from a class. "I did a paper on Josephine Butler for a class and was struck by the fact that she was so radically feminist and was still an evangelical -- I don't think those are two terms that tend to go together very much in the 20th century. I then worked further and found that there were other women like her, in that time period, and so I'm looking at them as a group together and arguing that they should be seen as a parallel to the secular women's movement of the time," Libby explained.
Michael Larson '08, who is writing a novel for his creative writing thesis also based his thesis on a class assignment. "I had taken a class in the fall, and I started this story," Larson said. "I wanted to write something about the west, because I'm from the west, and so I started writing about these characters, and I basically continued that into my senior thesis and made it into a novel."
Hiba Siddiqui '08 derived his inspiration for his history thesis, "Nur Jahan: the Evolution of a Legacy," from his pre-college days. "Basically, the Empress Nur Jahan was a Mogul empress that I discovered at a young age," Siddiqui said. "I was reading a lot of historical fiction in middle school, and I kind of became obsessed with her. So when I learned of the thesis program, I basically was interested in exploring her as a subject for a long time, so I thought this was a good opportunity to do that."
Atwood agreed that, like Siddiqui, writing a thesis has allowed him to pursue something that truly interests him. "I would say the fact that you can just pursue anything that you find interesting is awesome," Atwood said. "The fact that it's kind of meant that I haven't been able to go out a lot this senior spring is definitely the biggest drawback."
Atwood wasn't the only one who noted that writing a thesis cramped his senior spring style. Haley Bolin '08 found that she needed to cut back on many of her extracurriculars for the sake of her thesis. "I cut a lot of things out," Bolin explained. "I stopped being involved with a lot of things that I had been involved in: I didn't play with the chamber orchestra this term, and I wasn't taking cello lessons. And I stepped down from leadership from some of the things I was involved in because I wanted to make sure that I finished and finished well." Still, not everyone had to make as many drastic cuts to their lives as Bolin, who is not writing one, but two theses.
"I decided this summer that I was already in the process of doing a geography thesis, and I had already gotten funding to work on my geography thesis from Rocky, and I had been working on it my spring and summer off terms," Bolin said. "And then I decided this summer that I wanted to do a philosophy thesis since my geography thesis was already in progress, so I just decided to do that." Though this sounds impossible, Bolin has made other changes to her schedule, too. "I haven't actually been taking classes either the winter or the spring, so I've had the time to [write two theses]," she said.
While this may seem like hell to some, several thesis writers have insinuated that they are actually enjoying the process. Siddiqui even threw around the word "fun." "Actually, it's been a lot of fun ... And plus, senior spring, I feel like if you balance everything right you can still have somewhat of a life. Plus, I try to work on Berry First, so I can at least still socialize a bit."
Siddiqui wasn't the only student to mention working on First Floor Berry, though the 1902 Room seems to have a staunch following as well. Severns-O'Neill, Atwood and Morris all consider themselves denizens of the 1902. Still, Atwood points out, he "take day trips." His favorite vacation spots? "I work sometimes in Carpenter, in that weird dungeon room in Sanborn, First Floor Berry and Lower Level if it's getting really bad," Atwood divulged.
Cushman, however, stays near his thesis locker on Third Floor Berry. And Stuart Reid '08, who is writing a government thesis on the importance of leaders in international affairs, also stays close to his locker. "I'm a Berry Fourth Floor man myself ... It can get lonely up there," said Reid. Cushman explained that students can also apply for thesis offices, but says they're not all they are cracked up to be. "They're kind of like dungeons," he said, "so I decided not to [apply]."
Though the day when they are due may seem faraway, these students know that it'll come all too soon. "I believe it's due May 21st or the 23rd. I should probably find out for sure," Siddiqui said. Still, Siddiqui is on track as far as writing the remainder of her thesis. "I have one more chapter to write from scratch, which is due this Thursday, and then beyond that it's just revising and editing."
And once their theses are finished, some of these seniors have big plans for their finished copies. "I think I'll definitely have it in my house," Siddiqui said, "I have to say that with the thesis presentations, those invites that went out and that notice in the history department elevator, you have this real sense of pride for having accomplished something. I think it's one of the things that I'm most proud of, that I've done at Dartmouth, because it makes me feel like I know something inside and out before I leave."
Reid has even bigger plans for his thesis. "I think after it becomes a best seller and everything, and funds my house ... I'll kind of keep churning out 20th and 25th editions of it, and translating it into foreign languages," Reid joked.
Cushman has no such aspirations for thesis fame: "Someone actually was telling me what you should do is put a $20 bill in your thesis and come back for your 20th reunion and see if the bill is still there, and if it is no one has read it."
Still, these Dartmouth seniors feel that writing their theses is worth it. Severns-O'Neill even said that the writing of a thesis for her was in some ways oddly compulsory: "People think of writing a thesis as producing something new, but the fact is I don't feel that way at all. I feel like the thesis is this whole other person I picked up along the way and have no control over at all. Like, there is absolutely no chance that my mind just birthed all of these ideas; they just showed up on my laptop and now I argue with them day in and day out."
Reid, Severns-O'Neill and Atwood are members of The Dartmouth staff.
Amy is a deputy editor of The Mirror. Katherine is a staff writer for The Mirror.
