Sarah Cantin | The unification theory behind theses

Before being considered the next Jackie O., Michelle O. was a senior at Princeton, and like countless before and since her, she wrote a senior thesis. The university's Web site proudly states that the thesis is "quintessentially Princeton" and claims it to develop "mental discipline" and "the skills of analysis, synthesis and clear writing."

Newsflash: If you haven't mastered those skills after four years at any Ivy League school, you just wasted a couple hundred thousand dollars.

While required of Princeton seniors, writing a thesis is, at the institutional level, an elective academic decision at Penn. When the University reconsidered the curriculum structure a few years ago, the Committee on Undergraduate Education debated the creation of a thesis requirement for all students within the College of Arts and Sciences. But, as assistant Dean and associate director of Academic Affairs Eric Schneider explained, "There was a notable reluctance on the part of faculty members to work with students who really didn't want to be there. I think people felt that the thesis should be an option, and if certain programs want to require it, then they can do so."

Many students with a thesis or senior project see it as a productive culmination to their Penn career, and they echo College senior Jennifer Tintenfass, who says, "I have felt satisfied and much more academically complete than I may have felt without that accomplishment."

Senior theses are mandatory within certain programs, like international relations and urban studies and many of the sciences require (or at least highly encourage) undergraduate research. Schneider, an Urban Studies professor, suggests that writing a thesis "may be more important in an interdisciplinary program, where the methodologies used by students are so different depending on their interests - it helps integrate what they've learned. Whereas one could be a perfectly respectable and well-rounded history major without completing a thesis."

The thesis in history is particularly intensive, with applications due in the fall of the junior year and the final product due during the senior spring. Though accepted to the program, College senior Alex Jacobs reconsidered, realizing, "Three thesis classes might prevent me from taking other courses I'd enjoy." Now, in his final semester, Jacobs says, "I have been able to take a healthy mix of interesting seminars without really 'specializing' - and I have a much better sense of my academic interests now than I did a year ago."

For Jacobs, the decision to forgo the thesis reflected a desire to keep exploring lingering intellectual interests that a three-semester project might have limited. But for some qualified students, the resistance to even apply for a thesis can be grounded in a belief that they won't enjoy their final year with all that extra work.

These days, it seems like seniors fall into one of two categories: those who are still academically engaged, and those who are not. Those who are talk about their most recent research "breakthroughs" -- those who aren't talk about the breakthrough programming of Bravo and ESPN. At Princeton, students say, no such division exists - if anything, as senior Olivia Hamilton argues, the thesis experience "definitely unifies the senior class."

I keep hearing that, because I'm a senior, my primary objective should be to do as little work as possible. Sure, milking college means enjoying its freedoms and social opportunities, but doesn't it also mean getting the most out of your tuition? Believe it or not, you WILL go out again on a Tuesday night after graduating. But odds are, your first job won't be as intellectually stimulating as that great seminar offered this spring. You may even find yourself missing - gasp! - the academic part of college.

Writing a thesis is certainly not for everyone, and it should not be a general requirement. But maintaining an intellectual engagement with the University should be, and there are a variety of ways for students to challenge themselves while they're still part of academia: The Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships offers numerous independent research opportunities. Many departments permit undergrads to take graduate-level classes, and there are plenty of relevant Academically Based Community Service courses available for those interested in pushing Penn's borders. Ultimately it doesn't matter how you achieve that sense of individual academic accomplishment that Tintenfass describes - but wouldn't it be a shame not to?

Sarah Cantin is a College senior from Boston, Mass. Candid Cantin appears on alternating Mondays. Her email address is cantin@dailypennsylvanian.com.

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