How to make the most of your supervisor

Today's blog post is written by Daniel Colegate

There are many benefits to having a supervisor and during the course of your postgraduate degree you will find yourself becoming increasingly independent and able to think critically and analytically without their input. However, particularly during the initial stages of your degree your supervisor has a key role to play in guiding your development as a postgraduate.

The golden rule to remember so that you have realistic expectations is that your supervisor is not there to tell you what to do. They are there to guide your own work and help to shape ideas, not serve them up to you on a plate with no work on your part. This self-reliance is a key attribute of successful postgraduates and one of the key employability skills that distinguish postgraduates from first degree graduates. However, don’t think you cannot ask for help because you can. Just make sure that you think your questions through first and try to solve them, or at least suggest plausible solutions that you can then talk through.

It is the job of your supervisor to monitor and become involved with your work as a critical observer who suggests ways of developing analyses, methodology and conclusions. They also have a responsibility to make sure you are meeting goals and deadlines in a timely manner and not stagnating in the project because you have hit a difficult problem. In fact these roadblocks are where a supervisor should use their wider experience to suggest new avenues the most.

Supervisors can also assume a supporting, almost pastoral role in your work and guide you into your academic life. Terms such as “mentor� and sometimes even “friend� could be applied and a good or bad relationship with your supervisor can define the entire PhD experience.
Towards the end of your degree you will find yourself engaging with your supervisor on an increasingly even basis as your expertise and knowledge grow which can be a very rewarding experience both academically and emotionally. If you have a good relationship with your supervisor you will probably stay in touch for some time and they will play a key role in future job applications as well.

It is not up to them to provide you with research topic, methodology, re-writing skills, annotated bibliographies, secretarial assistance in the form of proof-reading, etc. This is your responsibility and it is what you are awarded your PhD for learning to do.

The take home message from this blog post is that your relationship with your supervisor can make the difference between a good and bad experience and you must be clear to define your own expectations early on and put in the time to develop yourself, under their guidance, to make the most of that relationship.

Tags: Supervisors