The Final Map: Navigating the Stress of My Undergraduate Thesis

Before the degree and the title, there was a quiet war fought behind a laptop screen. This is the untold story of my journey through my final college year.

Every day, trapped in the loud and smoky traffic between Makassar and Gowa, I saw thousands of people struggling just to get home. I kept thinking how great it would be if more of us could switch to public transport, but it was hard when the transport system wasn’t working the way it should.

Living in Gowa, I knew exactly how exhausting the commute to Makassar was. I really wanted to take the bus to avoid the traffic whenever I had to go somewhere far, but there was one problem: the bus didn’t pass in front of my house. I was stuck with a dilemma — how did I get to the bus stop without leaving my vehicle in an unsafe place?

As it turned out, I wasn’t the only one. Many of my friends felt the same way.

The turning point came during a discussion with my supervisor. She suggested a term I had never heard before: “Park and Ride”. After some research, I realized that this concept was the exact answer to the restlessness I had felt for years. It was the missing link I had been looking for.

That is where my thesis was born.

Potential Development of Park and Ride to Support Bus-Based Public Transport in the Mamminasata Region

To some people, that title sounds purely technical, stiff, and academic. But to me, every word represents an emotional weight I’ve been carrying for months. Writing this wasn’t just about processing data; it was born from my own curiosity and frustration as a planner who wanted to create a better city for everyone.

But the bitter truth was: I often felt lost within the maps I had created.

To be honest, the hardest part wasn’t the software or the surveys. It was doing all of it while going through a difficult time personally, recovering from some issues. It was hard to focus when I was still trying to rebuild my own inner peace.

The technical side was a struggle of its own. In Indonesia, “Park and Ride” is still a rare concept. There were no clear regulations to follow, and references were hard to find. I felt like walking through a dark forest without a flashlight.

And then, there was the “test of patience.” Every time I was ready to resume my advising sessions, my supervisor was overseas on assignment. My consultations and exams were delayed, over and over again. I blamed myself for not starting the sessions sooner before my supervisor left. In the quiet of 2 AM, looking at a blank laptop screen that was not responding because of ArcGIS, a persistent fear would whisper: “Am I ever going to finish this?”

One of the hardest parts was watching the world move forward. I saw my friends graduating and posting their new titles on their social media. Meanwhile, I was still fighting with my thesis that was becoming more confusing by the day.

In the end, I did it. I reached the finish line.

But my journey took four years and one month. Because of that extra month, I missed the “Cum Laude” distinction by a tiny margin. At first, it stung. It felt like a bitter setback at the end of a long, exhausting war.

But then, I realized something. A city is not built in a day, and neither is a person.

The struggle of the final semester was my own personal “Park and Ride” — a place where I had to stop, park my ego, and gather the strength to take the next bus toward my future. My degree might not have the “Cum Laude” label on it, but it is written with something much deeper: resilience.

October 22, 2024