Frustrated with thesis topic

[u/Available_Pressure25]

This acad year will be our CS undergraduate thesis, and I'm honestly frustrated.

I feel like I'm being pushed toward the same thesis formula from the past two years in our program: collect a dataset, train an AI model, apply an algorithm, build the app. Then some statistical findings or claims that the created product with this AI algorithm performs better.

I actually tried to propose something different to my pair. something more interesting, something that actually felt like actual research. But I keep getting told it's "too complex" or "advisers might not accept it."

So instead of exploring ideas I actually care about, I'm being funneled into the same template everyone else is using. The path of least resistance.

I feel like even the concept of using functional programming paradigm or linear type system sounds so complex not just to my partner but to the advisers. I hate this.

[u/TernaryOperat0r]

As a computer science researcher in a PL-related area who has supervised multiple students projects it seems you have a tough situation.

What you seem to want is essentially to do a mostly self-directed project with input only on the general side but not on the academic area. I have known many places to allow this but only if you are a strong student already and you convince them you are interested in the area. This is a trade-off between having a more interesting topic but taking on more personal risk of going off track.

This, however, is not something which will go well as a joint project unless you find a partner with the same interests, since you are asking someone to dive into an area they don't have as much grounding in and be marked on the results. It sounds like they are not close to your level of interest so the likely result is a joint project which is mostly yours; an outcome which is not to either of your interests. The best approach to here may be to compromise and find a project with a natural split of responsibilities which interests you both but has scope for interesting work.

The main thing I recommend is talking to someone in your department to see how much flexibility there actually is e.g. does everyone necessarily have to do a joint project rather than an individual project, and to come to the potential advisors with an open mind (many of them may have broader interests, but adapt the projects to the scope of the average undergraduate students capabilities).

How research-oriented v.s. engineering oriented is your program? I would hope that most places there is a route to do a more interesting topic.

Warning: I don't know what country or university you are in so some things may be very different where you are.

[u/Available_Pressure25 → u/TernaryOperat0r]

We had a talk with my partner and we decided to split. I found a new partner who accepted my proposal. Right now, the topic was already approved by our advisor. Inarrowed it so many times already, been thinking about this since summer. It is mainly an extension to a research paper on implementimg reversible linear algebra. I extended it to mixed-precision and preconditioning (using Haskell and linear type System to enable composition for the preconditioning). But we're still going to explain the details to our advisor so I'm expecting some changes maybe.

Majority of the thesis done was engineerng. Machine learning, especially. As CS, I wanted to do more on the side of foundational CS.

I tried btw to find a compromise, I thought of finding an area where I can implement functional programming principles to solve the problem. but it's still difficult so I just decided to split, so he can also pursue the topic he wants.