My Supervisor, My God: The Final Year Relationship No One Talks About

 Photo credit: Good Therapy 

By Sanni Juliet Oluwadarapupo 

We often “aww” or almost shed tears when we see graduates share their induction invites or convocation cards to people and the tears that flow like a river when we see their pictures being shared and reshared on Whatsapp statuses. The thought of “oh I just want to graduate” comes to mind and you start the countdown while you are just in your 200 level without starting the countdown to who your supervisor would be. An entire journey to another journey of being a student. You never know how your entire four to five years journey in school could change from a human who you will soon be known as the decider to your fate, your supervisor. 

The journey of the relationship between supervisors and supervisee is a unique yet complex one. You could either form a lifelong bond or immediately cut it off the moment it all starts and be lifelong enemies the moment you are done. It wasn’t a serious issue to me until a 500 level student mentioned to me that she should have started prayers early as regards who her supervisor would be.

The final year project is a project that is often assigned to or chosen by students at the end of their program designed to test the knowledge of what they have learnt so far and how they can apply such into practical and obtainable situations. It is one of the major academic tasks that mark one’s student's journey. It is a process that is filled with unending interviews, filling questionnaires, literature reviews, experiments and what students will call endless sleepless nights. In the midst of all of this, the supervisor-student relationship is birthed. 

The supervisor-student relationship is a unique experience. It is a bittersweet moment especially when the idea of who will later be your supervisor is unknown. Having interacted with some finalists as regards how they feel or interact with their supervisors, the majority of them are finding it hard to navigate, battling and facing the reality of how Jesus Christ in the Bible said, Father if you may, Let this cup pass over me. For some, the relationship has led to what we will call a lifelong relationship, many who never saw it coming.

Most times, a lot of students are not well prepared for what lies ahead. Most have been made to believe that when it comes to having a supervisor, they believe it like one being placed in fire which affects the relationship further. Tosin, a final year student from the department of Arts and Social Science in a conversation with the press told the press how her relationship with her supervisor is. “Well if you ask me, my relationship with my supervisor is that of a fatherly kind. We all knew the kind of person he was ever since he started teaching us in our 200 or 300 level. So when I figured out that he was my supervisor, I was so happy and glad. He corrects and mentors me when needed.” In Tosin's case, her expectations were met as a result of the supervisor she was matched with. A supervisor she already knew even before he became her supervisor. From the classroom alone, she has been able to navigate the lecturer’s way of teaching and how the lecturer relates with students. This made her project journey smoother, clearer and more defining. 

Similar to Tosin’s case, most students have already begun their relationship with their supervisors in fear and tension. Others hope not to be paired with such an individual as regards the history attached to such a person. Iyanu, a 300 level student from the department of technology shares her thoughts . “I have heard a lot about a particular lecturer which I pray to God not to be matched with. Each time I hear about it, there is this anxiety and fear that just overwhelm me and I don’t want that when I start my project journey”

While Iyanu may not be a final year student yet, Olayinka is. Olayinka is a final student from the faculty of science whose project journey has been nothing but struggle when described. “I have heard a lot about my supervisor which made me prepare ahead cause I have a foundational knowledge of who she is. But upon getting prepared ahead, I am still stuck. I submitted a certain chapter to her but it takes forever to get a response to that. Now when the response comes it might be so late such that I might be busy preparing to write one professional exam or the other and having to juggle it with the project is a lot of work. The correction may be such that it might require you having to make corrections to an entire chapter or even rewriting it. At this point. I just want to be done” 

The supervisor-student relationship is a journey many students enter unprepared yet it is the least discussed part of university life. Some experiences may be that of Tosin, fortunate to be with a supervisor who mentors, guides and shows you a sense of support in your final year journey which may also extend beyond the four walls of the university while for others, they struggle through delays, misunderstanding and emotional stress that could have been avoided if it is better improved. If universities want to enhance and reform the supervision process, they should prepare students early through orientation, train supervisors in communication, leadership and mentorship skills while also creating a comfortable feedback platform for resources and chapters to be reviewed without fear of delay and backlash. 

Students on the other hand are not left out of this. Students should understand the working style and work ethics of their supervisors. They should engage early, communicate when necessary and seek guidance from older colleagues as well. They should also pay attention to instructions and do them when instructed to. 

Whether the journey is smooth or stormy, every student deserves to complete their project journey with dignity, clarity and support. It is time for people to understand that final year supervision is not just an academic obligation, it is a human relationship that can either build a student up or break them. Beyond the convocation gowns, beyond the induction invites and WhatsApp reposts is a person whose fate was placed in the hands of someone they never choose, yet had to depend on. It is time we started talking about this with the seriousness it deserves.