By Zoe Lenz

At TPA, seniors spend most of the year writing a 4500-6500-word essay centered around truth, beauty, and goodness. The climax of this endeavor is their defense.

They meet with their advisors and fellow students in book groups to discuss the themes in the books selected by faculty members. After writing the 15-20-page thesis, seniors face a panel of three readers. The process is called a defense because a student’s arguments are challenged, but for the most part they are open discussions between the student and the panel of advisors.

“I honestly loved making my senior thesis. It was really cool to be able to explore ideas that I cared about,” said senior Clara Moffitt. “It didn’t feel like a chore, it just felt like I was talking through fun ideas that I cared about.”

Though deadlines are challenging, the process is rewarding. Senior Thesis is a different experience than standard five-paragraph essays, and learning the new structure is a process.

“This year’s seniors have had to work through the whole senior thesis process in the midst of an unusually challenging set of circumstances with the pandemic, online learning, and everything that has come along with it,” Dr. Riesbeck said.

Senior Hayden Sampson’s advice is to “take your time. Don’t stress. You’ll have enough time. Just do your best and it will all turn out okay in the end.”