Padilla, who chose not to write a thesis, says he spent his extra time taking language courses, travelling around the Northeast on weekends and learning ballroom dance.
"I wanted to say I wrote a thesis, but there was nothing I thought would carry me through a whole year," he says. "Plus, I wanted to do other things my senior year."
Padilla feels he is satisfying his academic thirst as well. Instead of the thesis, he is taking a government seminar on democratization in Latin America, a subject that greatly interests him.
"My desire to research and write a paper will be satisfied with the 20-page seminar paper," Padilla said.
He listed the benefits of this strategy as "not having the tension because this is pass/fail and not getting tired of the subject. My roommates are all sick of their topics."
Padilla said he does not regret his decision. "The real reason to do a thesis is to do something that you enjoy, not for someone or something else. It will be a painful and miserable experience otherwise," he says.