Opinions of Thursday, 21 August 2014

Columnist: Newaccra.com

Why is the final project so difficult?

You may have heard stories about how difficult the final degree / diploma project is. People may have told you about unhelpful supervisors making impossible demands on confused students. You may be unsure of what to expect and worried about your own final project.

Don’t worry, your final project is not that difficult. People spread those stories because they do not TRULY understand what the project is about and how to do it the smart way.

To make life easy for you, Newaccra.com has been speaking with graduates who excelled in their final projects at Bachelor’s and Masters levels and they are here to give you tips. So sit up and lets see how you can excel in your project too.



First of all what is the final project about ?

The final project is a different kind of course. Before this point, you were a student and your teacher was the instructor. For the final project, you become a researcher and your teacher becomes the research supervisor. That difference changes everything but sadly, many students do not know this.

You see, as a student you sit in class, your teacher walks in and tells you what to do. As a researcher, you go out and find something, then you come back and tell your supervisor what you found.



But why must it be so ?

Well, it is so because the final project is meant to achieve something that ordinary courses do not. It is meant to develop your skills in advanced things like how to choose a topic and produce high quality writing, how to analyze a given problem and design a systematic approach to solve it, how to work with others, and how to manage time, money and your supervisor.

As a graduate myself, I can confirm that those skills are very important if you are to succeed in any career. That is why the final project is different and you need a diffferent approach to do well in this course.

OK so exactly what do I have to do ?



Every school has its own criteria for completing final projects. Please check with your head of department for your school specific requiremnts. However, the process usually goes like this;



• Choose a topic

• Write your proposal

• Conduct the study

• Prepare documentation or develop product

• Defend your project

• Submit the final copy.

• Celebrate your achievement!

• Throughout the entire process, you will regularly report to your supervisor.



The first thing you should do is to take it as a challenge and promise yourself that the project will not break you. Then go ahead and work towards a distinction. We wish you the best in your study.

We will go into details on each step of the project. To learn more about the final project, careers, entreprenuership and personal development, visit Newaccra.com