Needless to say, this limits the amount of time they are able to spend on club activities and part-time work. In comparison, humanities and social science students enjoy a less stressful student life. However, they too have to attend seminars, write senior theses, and work hard in their major subject courses in order to get good grades and prepare for job hunting. Seminars usually consist of a professor and a small number of students, which is conducive to debate and discussion. Beginning in the junior year, the seminar lasts for two years, during which the students study a theme that is chosen either by themselves or the professor.
Many colleges require that a senior thesis be produced in seminar classes.
For science students, the research office or lab office fulfills a function similar to that of the seminar for humanities and social science students. Juniors choose an office based on their research interest and conduct experiments and write their senior theses there. Japanese colleges do not have paid student assistantships, but frequently graduate students look after the undergraduate students in their office without being paid. It is not uncommon for students to remain in the same lab office and study with the same professor when they go on for their graduate studies. The lab office also has an important function in preparing students for the world of work as the place where they learn to function as a member of a social unit with strong ties to every other member of the unit.