Why I Proofread

As the TAC senior thesis deadline approaches, I have received numerous requests from my friends to proofread their theses. People here at home think I'm crazy. As one fellow put it, "Wait... didn't you graduate already?"

I did graduate. And I still wrinkle my forehead over hundreds of pages of thesis draft with a red pen in my hand.

Why? A few reasons:

1. I love my friends. If they ask me for help, I like to give it. It doesn't really matter if it's reasonable or unreasonable. If I can do it, I will do it. That's what friends are for. (N.B. - I haven't found any of these requests unreasonable. Yet. ;))

2. I'm a perfectionist. When I proofread, I nitpick, unless specifically instructed not to do so.

3. Even when I'm not nitpicking, I oftentimes catch things that the author did not catch, simply because I haven't been looking at it and thinking about it for six months. No one wants to turn in a final thesis with a missing finite verb (which I, unfortunately, did. Sigh.) I am not more qualified in this department than any other person would be, I just happen to have more time than most people. :)

4. It's like a work-out for my brain. My brain needs exercise just as much as the rest of me. I'm happy to accept any and all opportunities for brain jumping-jacks. Every thesis presents me with a new challenge. Each author has a different subject, a different style, and different weaknesses. It's like a puzzle to untangle the (big or little) messes that one comes upon while reading them.

I, of course, have my limits. I can't do more than one thesis in a day. Sometimes (depending on the roughness of the draft), I can't even finish one thesis in a day. When proofreading my own last year, I would often get frustrated after about five or six pages and have to put it down for a while. (I had BIG messes. Heh.)

I guess it all comes down to this: I really enjoy proofreading. I enjoy helping my friends and I enjoy reading academic papers. What is not to love? :)