Occurring in a secluded room within the Beth Tfiloh synagogue, the annual senior thesis grading began last Thursday. The honorable English Department worked tirelessly to assess the papers composed by senior students. Although the grade would not impact our college acceptances, scoring badly would still feel upsetting. The thesis represents the development and accumulation of our English skills throughout our four years at Beth Tfiloh. Doing poorly would leave a sour taste in our mouths before we graduate and permanently leave BT. 

   Seniors had a variety of approaches to this daunting seven-page paper. Some, like myself, resolved that an equal distribution of our work throughout winter break and the few days after would yield the best results. Others, having previously succeeded when employing this strategy, decided to pursue the “day before” approach. The final group pridefully claims they did the paper the night before, yet their 40+ sources indicate otherwise. This approach is used most often because it is a win-win. It dignifies a bad grade but also proves to your classmates that your intelligence is so grand it can withstand procrastination. Basic logic might indicate that a greater success rate on the papers is mutually exclusive with rationing out the workload, but this is not always the case. Some kids have procrastinated in high school so frequently that they excel in last minute papers. However, for the majority of students, taking your time is certainly the safer option.  

   Waiting is the worst part. Students continuously badger their teachers about the status of their papers. In fact, every English class before we got our grades involved a few minutes of failed interrogation. Trained like soldiers, the English teachers refuse to answer any questions. Occasionally we were able to squeeze out basic facts like how many papers they graded and the mean score of those papers, however, even that information was scarce.  

   After what felt like an eternity (but was only really a week), a senior texted in our group chat that the papers were returned. Everybody sprinted to their mailboxes, eager to see their grade. The kids who did well jumped with glee, informing everybody of their grade. Those who were less lucky crumbled their papers in the trash can, erasing all evidence.  

   Regardless of your grade, you must remember completing the paper is a big accomplishment that cannot be overlooked. This is college level work. Maybe it sounds cliche, but as long as you try your best, that is all that matters. But perhaps more importantly, as we learned from Mr. Bosley, unprepared, is unemployed.