A reader asks: My advisor is useless! What do I do? He wants to meet way too often to check in and see that things are going well, but the meetings aren’t helpful and take more time than they are worth. He doesn’t seem to offer helpful advice and seems bothered when I ask for feedback or advice. I was hoping for a mentor who would guide me through grad school, help me survive and thrive, but all I got was someone who takes too much of my time in meetings that give me little in return. What do I do?
Get perspective:
Advisors advise, yes, but we usually want more from our advisors than they can give. Let's consider their perspective. They teach, conduct research, write grants, serve on committees, advice undergraduates, advise other graduate students, supervise research and teaching assistants, serve on thesis and dissertation committees, serve as reviewers for journals and grants, and probably a lot more. Advising graduate students is an important part of their job, but not the only part, and frankly, not one that is heavily rewarded by universities. Advisors are only human.
The ideal advisor is a mentor:
A good advisor becomes a mentor. He or she supervises your research, provides insightful feedback and direction, helps you assemble a fantastic dissertation committee, gets you funding, gets you involved in their research at a level that earns you publications and conference publications, shows you how to review articles and publish, invites you to dinner, becomes a friend, helps you get a job, and mentors you throughout your career.
The ideal advisor is rare:
The ideal is just that: Something you hope for but rarely, if ever, comes, like a white Christmas in Florida. I have a friend from graduate school who is still in contact with her mentor (after a decade) and they see each other at conferences. Her mentor still offers advice and helps her with career decisions and job searches, if asked. Sure this mentor didn't fit the ideal, but was pretty close. I don’t know many students with close relationships like this - who became friends with their advisors.
Drop a bad advisor:
We can all imagine the other side of the pendulum, the advisor who is so unhelpful that he or she does harm. The harmful advisor doesn't meet with you, doesn’t read papers, loses papers, doesn't offer advice, puts students down, and uses students' labor for menial tasks without teaching them something in exchange. Let's not dwell on how bad things can go, but if you have a poisonous advisor, look for a new advisor.
Seek the baseline advisor:
The baseline advisor provides the bare minimum you need to succeed. Look for more, of course, but determine what you need, at minimum . What do you hope for? Someone who will meet with you regularly, read your polished drafts, offer advice on how to improve your project, and write helpful letters of recommendation on your behalf. These are the basics. If your advisor provides something more, consider yourself fortunate.
Seek an effective student-advisor relationship:
An effective student-advisor relationship entails open communication. Learn about your advisor's style. Figure out your needs and discuss them. Hopefully your needs and your advisor's style will match in at least some places. Meet to discuss the student-advisor relationship and ensure that expectations are clear so that you can have as productive relationship as possible.
What to consider:
How does your advisor work with students and what is the preferred mode of communication? How often are meetings? Does he or she prefer email or phone calls?
What are your needs? Do you want frequent check-ins? Help in defining your research question and project? Feedback on drafts? Lots of deadlines or occasional check-ins?
As time goes on you may find that your needs change. Discuss them with your advisor.
