Student graduation (Illustration: Google)

SEMARANG — It has been more than a year that the Covid-19 pandemic has had a major impact on people’s lives in various aspects. Social interaction, which is increasingly limited due to demands to adhere to health protocols, has become a new habit that is normalized by most people.

However, what about the struggles of those who have to complete the education level in an uncertain time like now? This experience must be felt by final year students of the Diponegoro University Communication Science study program who are preparing a thesis or final project during the Covid-19 pandemic.

During the pandemic, final year students are forced to compile their thesis online from their respective homes. Thriyani Rahmania, a Communication Science student class of 2017, told of the obstacles she faced while working on her thesis online. According to her, the obstacles she faced could come from two factors, both internal and external.

“The up and down mood often makes me have to understand very well how to restore a good mood. Luckily I have a supporting system that is very supportive and continues to be around that circle,” said Thriyani.

“No less important, the role of the supervisor, in this case, the consultation session, only relies on online chat, so that misinterpretations often arise between the two parties.”

Even so, Thriyani revealed that there was a contribution from the Communication Science Department that she felt during the thesis, namely a very qualified e-book reading source from the supervisor and the Communication Science Department. Besides, she felt that it was helped by the quick response from the department admin and department heads in terms of administering the filter requirements and the thesis trial.

In contrast to the experience of Ikhsanny Novira, a Communication Science student of class 2017, she said that during the consultation with the supervisor there were no significant problems. In terms of following the guidance with the supervisor, Ikhsanny and the group made online calls through the Microsoft Teams platform. According to him, the obstacle in the thesis is the difficulty in finding reading sources.

“If you search on the internet, most of them are locked, right, books are very limited. Even if there are all in English, there are almost no books in Indonesian for my research. At I-Pusnas there are sometimes, but queues so, we still get difficulties, “said Ikhsanny.

Ikhsanny added that she made it easier by re-opening the FISIP library. In the library, he can reread sources and explore more. This is because the search for reading sources from the internet is not optimal and is very limited. In fact, in data collection, she plans to conduct online interviews via telephone because the type of data used is qualitative.

“For those of you who have not yet completed a thesis, be diligent in digging up information about the research that you want to take in your thesis. Read diligently about the topic so that later it will be easier in the thesis preparation process, “Ikhsanny ordered.

“Honestly, even though I was alone first, I had already found out what I wanted to research, it turned out that my understanding was not deep enough,” she added.

Just like Ikhsanny, Thriyani shared the tips and tricks she used to work on her thesis. He formulated these tips and tricks into four points, namely understanding and sharpening the topic by increasing reading references, getting closer to a positive and supportive environment, understanding that revision is part of the process, and continuing to be patient, trying, and praying.

“Slow progress is progress. Trust me the effort will not betray the results. Believe and keep fighting until the last drop of blood! “she lid.

Writer : Febronia Jessica Inez Indriani

Reporter : Rahma Kurniasari & Amelia Nuraini Purnomo

Editor : Dian Rahma Fika Alnina