I started reading the Lord of the Rings trilogy a few weeks ago. The books are thick but offer some distraction from writing my thesis. Tolkien’s world appears to be the perfect form of escapism.
Without revealing too much, the story is about the innocent hobbit Frodo, who is burdened with an impossible mission: destroying a dark magic ring (my precious). Quite the task, considering an average hobbit is between 60 and 120 centimetres tall! He takes on the long and arduous journey while being incessantly chased by evil orcs and undead knights,
Unfortunately, I began seeing quite a few similarities with my own thesis life while reading. I may well come up with a new fantasy series: The Lord of the Thesis. In this series, the hobbit is an unsuspecting student who has no clue what they are getting into. Luckily, the supervisor, modelled after the wise wizard Gandalf, is there to help. Their many years of experience help the student-hobbit find their way. Unfortunately, though, the assistance is offered in the form of unintelligible riddles and recommendations. And halfway through the thesis, the supervisor magically vanishes into thin air. But there are still the fellow hobbits facing the same journey, and, together, you discover a hidden study room where you read articles and log results.
Fellow hobbits are on the same journey
But beware! As is the case with the ring, your thesis is imbued with dark magic. Like Sméagol, you regress. You vanish into the recesses of the lab, become addicted to caffeine and lose all your friends. Anything for my precious! Stress causes you to lose your hair, and you become hunch-backed and sensitive to daylight.
Luckily, I have not yet become Sméagol. But, unlike normal courses, a thesis never stops. Fortunately, I can finally submit my precious in a few weeks.
Resource-student editor Maurice Schoo (24) is a second-year master’s student of Development & Rural Innovation. He likes to cook, and he paints when he has the time.
