keemnal

Thanks for your reply. Does your program/other programs at your school have a policy regarding time off? This has been another annoyance for me. In my department there are no specific policies about this and everything depends on your advisor's mood and desires on a given day.

Hi all. Just wondering how many of you international PhD students go on vacation to your home countries and how nice your advisor is about these things. Mine's very uncooperative. I've had it hard with him since I first entered my program, when he knew very well that I would be visiting family and my long-distance boyfriend, who all live outside the US. It's been so bad that I'm totally dreading informing him about a two-week trip I'm planning to make over Xmas break to go see my boyfriend. This is direct conflict with his "order" to me back in March (!) that I should not be planning any trips over the winter. I'm hoping that the fact I've had three publications since then (along with a variety of other "good things") should help my case. But that doesn't seem to change my fearing this unavoidable interaction... Thanks for your comments.