I know that, supposedly, all I need to know I learned in kindergarten. Well, apparently I didn’t remember it all, because college proved to be a solid learning ground for me as well.
Not that you all need a lesson on how much you can mature and broaden your horizons in college. Between juggling your finals, securing summer jobs and internships and selecting classes for next year, I doubt you’re even reading this.
But if you are, perhaps you want pearls of wisdom from a graduating senior. I have none. But what I have are some experiences that challenged my beliefs and made me think harder than I’d ever thought before. The pressure was astounding. The results were, too.
What’s foremost in my mind is my Honors College thesis because I just completed it. It was only about 50 pages and took only about 12 weeks of real work, but it is one of the first major milestones of my career. I had an idea. I committed it to paper. And what resulted was the most difficult project of my life.
No doubt you’ve heard of “Info Hell,” the journalism school’s idea of an information-gathering prep class for pre-majors. That project involves gathering almost 40 sources and dissecting them. This was far worse. And far better.
“Info hell” helped me hone my skills. But nothing could have prepared me for the organization and the writing skills needed for a thesis. A three-year college veteran, I can pop out four-page papers in two hours (and get a decent grade), but this I struggled with for hours, days, even weeks. I thought that I hated it. I was wrong.
The Honors College gives people preparing for the thesis this list of quotes from “survivors” that say things like “This was the best thing I ever did!” and “Your thesis will be your favorite thing about college.” I laughed at the time, and I cried when I thought I’d never get mine right. But low and behold, the end came, and it was empowering.
I passed!
Not only did I pass but I came through the entire experience with a tangible project that I can look back on years from now. The actual physical thesis is almost as important to me as the diploma I will get this weekend.
Not all of you will have to do theses or exit projects, but those of you who do will discover what I’m talking about. College becomes about more than the diploma that gets you your first job. It becomes about producing something, becoming an author.
There was hard work involved for me. But that’s what was rewarding about it.
For those of you about to embark on “Info Hell” or other such potentially heinous projects, just remember one thing: There are worse things. And better. Enjoy the tough stuff that you get to do. When you get done, your diploma will mean more to you.
Laura Lucas is an editorial editor for the Emerald. She can be reached via e-mail at [email protected]