EXPERIENCE: How to choose supervisor for final year project (FYP)?

Hi guys.
It's time for another entry of Experience series. As I mentioned previously, I am going to be a final year degree student soon and one of the criteria to be a graduate in the course that I am studying is to do final year project (FYP). Therefore, I have to start finding my FYP's supervisor.

I started to approach my lecturers one semester earlier. I am not sure how other students approach their lecturers but my friends and me just ask our lecturers about their proposed FYP titles via email and also direct meeting.

Some people might approach all the lecturers and see what they can offer. However, I do not do it in that way. I straightaway shortlisted the candidates for my FYP's supervisor. This is because I want to save my time. It is not easy to find time to meet all the lecturers and ask in details about their FYP titles. So, why do you want to waste time asking all the lecturers one by one?

The most important thing in finding supervisor for FYP is to find a lecturer that has chemistry with you and you are comfortable to work with him/her. Put aside about the titles that they have proposed first and just focus on their personality. Remember that FYP can influence your status of graduation so you really need a good team in order to successfully complete your FYP. Communication between you and your supervisor is really crucial.

Besides, you may talk to your seniors and ask for their opinions about the potential supervisors. Usually, seniors are the best person to approach if you want to know something that your lecturers would not tell you. They are always honestly tell you about FYP and FYP supervisors based on their experiences. Hence, build a good relationship with your seniors.

After you know the titles proposed by your potential FYP supervisors, start to do some research on that titles and find the one that you feel interested. At this moment, you might feel confuse and not sure which title is suitable with you. Sometimes you don't even understand the title. I am experiencing the same thing. So, what I did?

Since only one of my potential supervisors has prepared the titles, I went for second meeting with him to know more details about his titles. I got better idea after the meeting but the problem is the title that I am interested with is not really advisable to be chosen. I was asked to find other title but still about the same disease. For your information, my FYP title is related to a disease. Although I am still not sure about my FYP title at that time, I straightaway confirmed with him that I want him to become my FYP supervisor because I feel that I can work with him.

In conclusion, I can say that the main thing to be considered when choosing supervisor for FYP is to find a lecturer that you can work well with. Do not worry if the title that he/she proposed do not suit you because you can also propose your own FYP title. Discuss about the title that you are interested in and your supervisor could give their opinion about it. Now, I already have my FYP title after third time my supervisor proposed all the FYP titles to me (approximately after almost one month thinking). It is okay to take some time to choose your FYP supervisor because you need to choose the best for your future.

Good luck for your FYP if you are also going to do FYP. May everything being eased for us. See you in the next entry.

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