Long and Winding Road to Commencement: Seniors on Life Post-Thesis

With thesis deadlines marking the end of months of research and writing, many seniors are now finding a new, brighter outlook on social life at Harvard in the last leg of the race.

"It's nice just having free time and being able to sleep," said Christine Kawakami '98. Kawakami left for spring break in the Bahamas with her roommate the day after turning in her thesis. "That was our release," she said.

Scott Y. Kim '98 has been spending these last few weeks socializing with friends and relaxing.

"I've been playing more basketball," Kim said, adding that like many second-semester seniors, he has been sleeping a lot more.

Added leisure time is one bonus seniors cite post-thesis. However, many are eager to forego extra rest in order to address responsibilities neglected during weeks of late-night typing.

Michael I. Sugarman '98 said his post-thesis euphoria lasted for about two days. "The entire bulk of the backload of work that accumulated when I was working on my thesis has presented itself, and I have to deal with it," he said.

Sugarman, like other seniors, is now seizing the chance to try activities he has always wanted to attempt during his time at Harvard, but never had the time for.

"I want to take up needlepoint and skydiving, and I feel like I can. Now I feel like all these things are an option," Sugarman said.

Kendra S. Lider-Johnson '98 has been planning her leisure activities for weeks.

"I made myself a whole list of things I wanted to do two weeks before my thesis was due, in order to see the light at the end of the tunnel," Lider-Johnson said.

In the wake of thesis deadlines, many seniors are simply enjoying the opportunity to relax without academic or career pressure. For these students, the months of April and May provide a much needed break before embarking on graduate school or professional endeavors.

Sugarman said the first few hours after finishing a thesis are the most joyful for stressed-out seniors.

"I finally handed in the thesis an hour and a half late. I slammed it down on the desk of the receptionist, I turned around and there was a bouquet of flowers waiting from my thesis advisor," he said. "I had this terrific feeling of warmth and generosity for all people. I just started bestowing favors on everybody."

But for some seniors, a March dead-line is not the last word on thesis.

"My thesis is done, but it has to be worked on a lot more," said Lauralee Summer '98.

Summer, a creative writing English concentrator who is also one of two female members of the Harvard wrestling team, wrote a series of memoirs for her thesis.

"What I'm trying to do is get a book proposal together by the end of June," she said.

Although Summer is busy making plans for next year, she said the process is much more low-key than the last few months of writing have been.

"My plans next year are to get a job and take it easy. I had a lot of pressure," Summer said of the thesis-writing process.

Peter H. Takeyama '98 is also spending his springtime on a final senior project. Takeyama, a biology concentrator hopes to have his comparative study of skate species (conducted in Uganda, Africa) published in an organismic biology journal. In the short term, Takeyama is concentrating on fine-tuning his research work and making a few cosmetic adjustments to his on-campus image.

"I know someone who, after turning in his thesis, dyed his hair blonde," said Takeyama, who may or may not dye his own hair a conspicuous shade of red or brown this summer.

Mary L. Naber '98, a joint concentrator in religion and economics, wrote a technical thesis focused on what she terms "debunking the public misconception that investing with ethical criteria will yield a low return" which she hopes to rewrite for publication in a finance or investment journal.

"This thesis developed because I took the perspective going into it that I wanted to do research for a company or organization outside," said Naber, a former Crimson executive. "I was bemused by an article I read in the Independent in which a fellow thesis writer was complaining and embittered because she felt that theses were meaningless."

Next year, Naber will work at one of the companies she conducted research on for her thesis, an organization in the field of social research for institutional investors. She cites her innate interest in her thesis, topic as the reason for her continued post-thesis work in the field.

"It's crucial that individuals take the time to stop running the race and evaluate those things in life that are most important," Naber said. "If one takes the time to evaluate what is important in their life, they can carry that on to their [work] after [their] thesis."

Whether working on publishing a thesis or catching up on sleep, life-after-thesis is a time to look forward to most seniors said.

"It's a very different state of mind having finished a thesis," Sugarman said.

"Definitely my state of mind is more relaxed. I've been going to the movies with friends again."