"The
great experience begins with one small step"
Finding a PhD Supervisor!
Your PhD supervisor will play an important part in your PhD journey. He/She is responsible
for providing you with the mentoring, feedback, and encouragement you need to
succeed.
(Anonymous, 2021)
Rentetan
nak mencari supervisor ni punya la penuh liku. Lebih-lebih lagi dalam keadaan pandemic
sekarang ni di mana kebanyakkan staff university masih bekerja dari rumah. Ada
di antara mereka yang berpindah university, on maternity leave, quota dah
penuh, not interested with my research proposal and so on. Cerita pencarian supervisor
ni bermula since September 2020. Punya la lama kan. Itu yang macam-macam cerita
tu. Sabar je la. Belum masa nak berputus asa and off we go!
Walaubagaimanapun,
sebelum nak mencari supervisor tu, Uolls kena decide samada nak memohon projek
yang diiklankan oleh pihak universiti atau mengemukakan cadangan penyelidikan uolls
sendiri.
So, if
happen you're applying for an advertised project, the process of finding the right supervisor is relatively straightforward. They are often the academics who
proposed the project and the person to whom you'll be submitting your
application. If, on the other hand, you decide to submit your own proposal (as
I did), you should be prepared to do some research and put in a lot of effort
to find an academic or university department that matches your interests and
goals.
To make a long story short, those emails that I sent to the potential supervisor all
had no response. Fortunately, a supervisor from Birmingham University contacted
me one fine day, expressing his interest in my research proposal.
Alhamdulillah. Hati dah mula berbunga-bunga. Hehe.
The
Interview Day!
My prospective supervisor wishes to speak with me further about my proposed research. So, we decided to meet via Zoom on May 2, 2021. I was extremely nervous and anxious, but alhamdulillah, everything went smoothly. The interview session is unlike any other job interview I've ever had. It’s more relaxed and casual. So, my “kalutness” a bit under control. Hahaha!
Banyak juga soalan yang ditanya oleh supervisor. Dan yang paling kelakar, I boleh pulak terlepas cakap “Wow that’s such a lot of questions Dr!” How silly I’m. Ini antara soalan-soalan yang ditanya semasa sesi soal jawab bersama my potential supervisor;
- Kenapa I memilih untuk study di Birmingham?
- Kenapa I nak buat PhD?
- Apa my plan selepas PhD?
- Jika I diterima buat PhD di Birmingham, bagaimana dengan funding? Am I applying any sponsorship?
- I ok ke tidak jika some parts of my research plan berubah mengikut kehendak University.
- Jika I diterima buat PhD di Birmingham, boleh ke jika I kena mengajar?
- Jika I diterima buat PhD di Birmingham, is it possible for me to write an article?
- Kenapa I consider doing that research?
Even, soalan-soalan nya tidak la sesusah mana pun, tetapi disebabkan my “Manglish” issue, berpeluh jugak la nak menjawab. Lidah melayu ni tidak boleh buat apa. My interview tidak la lame mana, dalam setengah jam je. Lepas jawab all the questions, my supervisor let me ask him anything. Sempat la I tanya beberapa soalan dan antaranya;
- Boleh ke tidak jika I nak buat any professional certificate during my PhD?
- Will there be any training I could join during my PhD journey?
- Did he currently supervise any other PhD students?
Selalunya
bab-bab nak menghadap interview ni, memang selalu sangat kite akan rasa kalut dan
nervous. Kadang tu bukan tidak tahu nak jawab apa. Cuma disebabkan rasa kalut
sangat, sampai hilang segala perkataan. So, untuk mengurangkan rasa kalut tu, cuba
persiapkan diri dengan cuba menjawab soalan-soalan interview. Biasa kan diri
tapi jangan hafal pulak the script ya!
Dah habis bab mencari University dan supervisor. Selepas ni, nak kena kejar sponsorship pulak. O Allah! Please ease my journey.
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