bad phd supervisors

PhD students are often made to feel like they are a huge burden on their supervisors, and they are frequently ignored and unsupported. Tom sent his supervisor a chapter of his PhD thesis to read six weeks ago. He can’t start on the next chapter until he receives feedback on what he has already done.

A bad PhD supervisor talks about a PhD journey as something that is not, and should not, be enjoyable. Instead, struggling emotionally and financially is presented as a normal and accepted part of a PhD process.

I have seen so many students do poorly, not because they are bad students, but because they haven't had decent supervision. Finding an advisor/supervisor who you can work with, who is interested in your work and can push you constructively can make or break a phd - and it is years of your life.

Problem 1: A lack of contact. The first common problem is simply a lack of contact. This is especially common if you’re doing a PhD remotely and you’re entirely dependent on email for communication. Sometimes this isn’t entirely the supervisor’s fault.

With bad bosses within an organization, there's oftentimes more ability to leave or move around. You're not tied to a project or a company, your career is more flexible (in many cases encouraged). With academia, at least in STEM, much of your future is tied to the mentor.

#1 Signs of a bad PhD supervisor. The majority of supervisor-supervisee relationships are healthy, productive and mutually beneficial. Chances are you’ll find in your PhD supervisor someone who is an expert in their field and a dedicated mentor to you.

Changing PhD advisor is a lot more common than people might think. I gathered over 30 stories of individuals who had to go through this experience and in Part I of this series I hope to shed some light on the complex landscape of circumstances that can lead to a change in PhD supervision.

supervisor. Supervision is a difficult task, and there is often conflict between supervisors and their PhD students. Even if you find a supervisor with whom you have excellent rapport, there can still be problems. Here are some of the types of difficult supervisor which you might encounter, and tips on how to manage them.

I am wondering how many people have had horrendous PhD supervision that cost them time, money and their sanity. I am two months away from submission. My supervisor who has been mostly nice and friendly to me, has become critical, abusive and aggressive.

What are the Do's and Don'ts that I should be taking into consideration while entering into a purely professional environment for smooth sailing of 4yrs of PhD? What if my superior at the new workplace is equally toxic?