The new flexibility in the requirement will also help students prepare for future career paths, Cain says.

“I’m not going to grad school—I’m trying to be a costumer for television and movies,” she says. “In that sense, a paper won’t particularly impress anyone, but something that shows what I can do is not only impressive, but also goes in my portfolio and might get me a job.”

Cain also says her thesis is an accurate reflection of her experience within the program—more accurate than a written thesis might have been.

Her project is a tapestry piece spanning over 10 feet in both length and width, that depicts a series of fairy-tale and folklore scenes which incorporate weaving. The tapestry includes a variety of different techniques: crocheting, embroidery, silk weaving, and hand-spun yarn.

“My grandmother was a little skeptical. She said, ‘So what, you’re going to put it on a bed?’ I told her to think a little bigger: maybe on three beds next to each other,” she says.

Cain acknowledges concerns that theses of this nature may be difficult to assess.

“They asked me, ‘How will we know if you did a good job?’ And I told them, ‘You’ll just know,’” Cain says.

—Staff writer Barbara B. DePena can be reached at barbara.b.depena@college.harvard.edu.