sjb1984

I guess I am not sure how to approach that sort of conversation. It seemed organic to prepare specific talking points, but that fell so flat: I have done everything I can think of to spark a conversation short of saying "I need to talk specifically about my research or this PhD is not going to end well." And I have no idea how to say "Please read my papers" without sounding like a jerk. You know?

I wanted to thank you both for your thoughtful and very helpful responses and also respond a bit. One of the issues is my advisor has no other grad students in the department at present and, to the best of my knowledge, has had less than 5 in their nearly 20 years on the faculty. Now, I see that might have been a red flag. So my concern is I have no way of knowing if this is typical behavior and how it will (or will not) impact my future. Part of my confusion, I think, stems from the fact that I did ask my advisor during the admission process what their mentoring style was. They responded they tended to be hyper-involved, to the point of annoying advisees. I responded I would prefer such an advisor and would welcome any and all comments/suggestions/etc. Now, I think we were talking past each other. I think my advisor is hyper-involved, but with the pragmatic parts of getting students through the programs (which I do appreciate), and hands off with the research, or as I expressed, perhaps just not that interested. It's confusing because I have a gut feeling that something is off, but since it's not a *bad* advising relationship, I am not ignored or belittled...and I have a pretty solid timeline for getting through the program, it's tempting to just set aside that feeling and forge ahead. But the path of least resistance is, at least in my experience, never the best one to take... In any case, I am writing a research paper on the other topic I've identified with the advisor who would replace my present one, and I also, again, explicitly asked my advisor for some feedback on the paper I wrote. I am basically exploring the possibility of moving on, while still maintaining and furthering my present research. Thanks Again!

Hi All, I am a first year PhD student at a top ranked program in the humanities.* I am having concerns about my relationship with my advisor. Simply put, they do not seem the least bit interested in my research. Our topics overlap significantly, although my very specific research focus is different. We have met three times and each time I am fairly certain said advisor was just ticking off a box. I took their course in the fall and they did not read the 30pg research paper that I wrote, which contained the first draft of the argument I hope my dissertation will make within the theoretical framework I hope to use (I came in with an MA so I am further along than some first year students). The only feedback I got was "It's good work." When I tried to talk about the argument, the sources, methodology, etc, it was like pulling teeth, and I got nothing out of it. I am a fairly independent student. I do not accept my advisor to hold my hand, line edit my work, find my sources, or "fix" weak spots in my argument...what I did expect, however, is that my advisor would read the things I write (or if busy would let me know and read it at some later point), be interested in the questions I am asking, and would push me to develop my argument, pointing out where it's weak/underdeveloped, and generally talk with me about my research. I struggle with a lot of things in grad school, but the strength I know I have is writing. I know the work I turn in is "good," but it's not that good, and I want it to be better. That's why I came to this program and this advisor. All this being said, I do think this advisor is efficient, and I will move through the program quickly. I wonder, though, is moving through quickly a good thing if the trade-off is an advisor who just signs off on whatever I put in front of them? So, my questions. What is your relationship with your advisor like? Do they read your work? Talk with you about your research? For those further along in their programs, would you consider such an advisor a detriment to long-term career prospects? I am concerned the recommendation from an eminent scholar won't mean too much if its lukewarm, or if the dissertation is "good." Has anyone here switched advisors? For me, it would mean radically rethinking my dissertation, likely changing fields, and beginning a new project as this advisor is the only person who could chair my committee on my present topic. Honestly, the feeling that my work isn't that interesting to my advisor has me wondering if perhaps its just not that interesting...I am finding myself getting excited about a different project with an equally excited faculty member, but I am unsure if I should just stick with what I already have. Also, for what it's worth I got the impression during the admissions process that this advisor was not super interested in my research, but pretty much everyone in my MA program, every mentor I have had along the way, told me I would be crazy to turn down an offer from a top ranked program in such an abysmal job market. Thanks for all your thoughts in advance! *I have another account on here that I regularly post in, but this is a sensitive topic and I want to be as close to anonymous as possible.