Maybe I shouldn't have started this blog now.

I have had this thesis student for the past four terms. In fact, he approached me to be his thesis adviser six terms ago, but he decided to have solid state physics as his topic. After a term, he dropped that and asked me again.

All he's supposed to do is translate astronomy software from Pascal to Visual Basic, at the same time having his software search for eclipses, planetary transitions and occultations, as well as tracking the path of the Moon across the sky.

From the get go he's been asking me all these questions about the equations. Although a working knowledge of the principles used is needed, all of his questions are answered by checking how they are used by the original program. But he's not using the original program; he's starting from scratch, learning the programming language as he goes along.

Two terms ago he defended, or tried to. He was not able to finish everything the panelists asked him to at his proposal presentation. I told him I'd like to defer, but being the only one in his batch who hasn't graduated, the pressure was on him to finish as soon as possible. I agreed to let him defend, as long as he can explain satisfactorily to his panel why some aspects they asked for were not done. He couldn't.

Last term he tried to consult with me by phone. I wouldn't let him, telling him to meet me in school. When he did, I had to ask the guard to let him in because he was not enrolled in the thesis subject. He said he didn't want to enrol unless he was sure he could defend. But there's a deadline when the school can accept late enrollees and it was long past. So he had to pass a letter for leave of absence (it was his only subject left). He consulted me less than six times last term.

Yesterday one of his panelists asked me how he was doing. I said I haven't seen him this term. I asked her if I should text him to meet with me. She said she remembers when she didn't meet with her adviser back in college, it was intentional. Somehow I don't think that's the case here.

Part of me thinks he's already given up, that his parents have found him a job that doesn't need a college diploma. Another part of me is already expecting he'll show up one of these days and I'll have to reprimand him for not showing enough effort.