The clock is ticking with four weeks to go and 70-plus pages yet to be written for seniors experiencing the annual high-pressure thesis crunch.

The due dates for senior theses range from next week for history and literature to after spring break for computer science.

As visions of chapters and drafts dance through seniors' nightmares, their social lives and other classwork often suffers. Only the luckiest of authors still like their topic. In addition, theses take their toll on advisers, who each week carry home ever-growing piles of laser-printed pages.

Smagula

With his thesis due in three weeks, Jeffrey A. Smagula '96, a Leverett House resident concentrating in government, remains relatively calm in the face of his recent sleep deprivation.

"I didn't get much sleep last night because I had another chapter due today," Smagula says.

Under the guidance of his thesis adviser, he chose to issue chapter deadlines for himself so he could keep on schedule.

Smagula, who has been writing steadily since the first week of January, says these self-imposed deadlines have been "very helpful" along the way.

Although he may occasionally lose sleep, no matter the workload, Smagula reports that he has tried valiantly not to miss meals.

"Vivian, the checker at Leverett House, told me that I should never miss any meals even if I have a thesis to write," Smagula says.

"[Writing my thesis] hasn't really affected my social relations," Smagula says, adding that he often goes out with friends on weekends.

Smagula is studying enhanced penalties for hate crimes, and he says he is pleased with his subject matter because he feels that it is both important and interesting.

"I have to pretty much write a conclusion, rewrite, and edit. That's all I have left," he says, adding that he has about 90 pages already written.

With heightening excitement in his voice, Smagula speaks of life beyond his thesis.

"I'll really enjoy spring break this year," he says.

Buchholz

Mather House resident Ryan M. Buchholz '96 can easily sympathize with Smagula's plight.

A special concentrator in Latin American studies, Buchholz reports that although he is still technically crunching data for his thesis, he currently has amassed "some 20-odd pages" of writing.

Buchholz' thesis, which is due April 3, will focus on Mexico City residents who have diabetes.

"I'm being advised by a guy in the Department of Social Medicine at the Medical School because the discipline I'm writing from is anthropology," he says.

In an anxious tone, Buchholz concedes that he is "behind pace," but still managing to get enough sleep and maintain his weekend social activities.

When asked whether he thinks his stress level will increase in the coming weeks as his thesis deadline looms closer, Buchholz replies, "I don't know, but I think that's likely."

"[My classes] haven't been terribly time-consuming," says the senior, who is taking Philosophy 192: "Thinking about Thinking," a core class and a religion course while he writes his thesis. "So far, it hasn't been hard to write my thesis and take these classes because I haven't had any hard papers, projects or exams."

Still, Buchholz says he feels stress at times.

"Sometimes, it seems distracting to have to read a novel when that's more pressing immediately, but when I know my thesis has a lot of longterm work remaining," he says.

Hemsey

David F. Hemsey '96, an Eliot House social studies concentrator, is counting down to that final moment four weeks from now--on March 21--when he will hand in his thesis. In the meantime, stress has become a subtle factor in his life.

"I'm not a stressful type person," Hemsey says. "But for a non-stressful-type person, it's occupying my days.... Like, the thesis is my day."

Hemsey, who says he tends to be a night worker, is suffering from an acute form of sleep deprivation.

"I usually stay up till four or five every morning, but then I don't have very many classes," says Hemsey, whose courses meet only two or three days per week.

Hemsey's thesis, which is on professionalization and genetic testing, is well underway, according to its author.

"I'm doing pretty well. I have over 60 or 70 pages written," says Hemsey, who will be trying to finish a full draft this coming week, including writing at least 40 pages this weekend.

Hemsey says the most difficult part of thesis writing is the motivation factor.

"I tend to be a person who works best under pressure," Hemsey says.

But he reports that writing a thesis dissipates all the pressure over time, causing procrastination to set in.

"You get to a point where just can't put off anything anymore," he says.

Hemsey readily admits that thesis-writing has been hampering his social life.

"I don't go out much anymore, which is not usual for me," Hemsey says. "It all depends on what's due and what I need to get done. Right now, going out wouldn't be so fun, because I'd be feeling so guilty."

Although he appears pleased with his thesis experience so far, some regret does creep into Hemsey's voice.

"Most of my friends aren't doing one, and I kind of wish I wasn't right now," he says. "I'm already into medical school. I don't really need this, except I have to graduate.