How do you deal with a mean advisor?

[advisor-issue]

I am in a MA program now. I anticipate to graduate this June. But I am having a hard time with my advisor. We have fundamental differences on my project. He is absolutely taking over my project. I have written 80 pages and I am quite happy about it. He wants me to make very fundamental changes. Come on! I need to submit the finalized version this May. I debated with him. He was so mean to me that he said "Go find another advisor!"

I kept silent! I have not talked to him ever since.

Do you think I should change my advisor at this point?

Has anyone done this before?

If I change my advisor and find a new one, will they let me graduate on time?

Will the dean stand by my advisor? What are the politics?

I am going to talk to the dean Monday. I need the MA to enter the PhD program I have already been accepted!!

Any advice?

Please.

Thank you!

[litperson6541]

I am in a MA program now. I anticipate to graduate this June. But I am having a hard time with my advisor. We have fundamental differences on my project. He is absolutely taking over my project. I have written 80 pages and I am quite happy about it. He wants me to make very fundamental changes. Come on! I need to submit the finalized version this May. I debated with him. He was so mean to me that he said "Go find another advisor!"

I kept silent! I have not talked to him ever since.

Do you think I should change my advisor at this point?

Has anyone done this before?

If I change my advisor and find a new one, will they let me graduate on time?

Will the dean stand by my advisor? What are the politics?

I am going to talk to the dean Monday. I need the MA to enter the PhD program I have already been accepted!!

Any advice?

Please.

Thank you!

In my opinion, since you advisor is meant to be a guide for your work, you should be able to choose one, at any time, based on how your work needs to be guided. I am interested in whether you chose this person or if he was assigned to you. Regardless, though, I think you should perhaps talk to the dean and see what he/she says. I would ask if other ma students in the past have changed advisors, especially this late into the process.

Another thing I might say, though, is that it might be helpful to take a step back and look at why your advisor is suggesting such fundamental changes. Are these changes based on any bias on his part? I think it might behoove you to take another look at what changes he suggests and why he suggests them, even though I am sure you have already done so. Maybe take another look. This sounds like a tricky situation all around, though. Good luck.

[advisor-issue]

In my opinion, since you advisor is meant to be a guide for your work, you should be able to choose one, at any time, based on how your work needs to be guided. I am interested in whether you chose this person or if he was assigned to you. Regardless, though, I think you should perhaps talk to the dean and see what he/she says. I would ask if other ma students in the past have changed advisors, especially this late into the process.

Another thing I might say, though, is that it might be helpful to take a step back and look at why your advisor is suggesting such fundamental changes. Are these changes based on any bias on his part? I think it might behoove you to take another look at what changes he suggests and why he suggests them, even though I am sure you have already done so. Maybe take another look. This sounds like a tricky situation all around, though. Good luck.

Thank you so much for your response.

Yes I will talk to the dean. See,you always take risk when you choose an advisor.

My advisor was extremely nice to me at the very beginning.

As we got to know each other deeper,he became very rude. He can tolerate no disagreement whatsoever.

He is actually an adjunct professor from Germany. So he feels insecure about himself,I later found.

I am an international student; he is always trying to pick up every single language error--well,some did not make any sense to me at all.

So I argued with him,which i thought is what thesis advising is all about. He yelled at me,calling me his trouble-maker and a stubborn person. I was actually so offended,but I kept silent.

Yesterday I told him that I am going on a campus visit and I will be away for four days. He said "nobody will believe a campus visit takes four days!"

I was so hurt,because the basic trust between us is gone!

I did think about his suggestions to my thesis. They did not make sense to me at all. The thing is that he is so busy--teaching three courses this term and advising three students--that he did not even read my entire thesis before he started to lecture me.

I believe my thesis is pretty solid. The other two readers were very happy about my project.

But being a stranger to this culture,I feel so uncertain. How would the dean handle this?

And I really need the MA in order to move on to my PhD career.

I emailed my third reader,explaining my situation. He is willing to be my advisor. So when I go to the dean,I can tell him that I have a professor who is willing to work with me.

Plus,my current advisor himself suggested me to find a new advisor. What else can I do?

Thank you again for your reply. It made me feel better

Edited April 2, 2011 by advisor-issue

[litperson6541]

Thank you so much for your response.

Yes I will talk to the dead. See,you always take risk when you choose an advisor.

My advisor was extremely nice to me at the very beginning.

As we got to know each other deeper,he became very rude. He can tolerate no disagreement whatsoever.

He is actually an adjunct professor from Germany. So he feels insecure about himself,I later found.

I am an international student; he is always trying to pick up every single language error--well,some did not make any sense to me at all.

So I argued with him,which i thought is what thesis advising is all about. He yelled at me,calling me his trouble-maker and a stubborn person. I was actually so offended,but I kept silent.

Yesterday I told him that I am going on a campus visit and I will be away for four days. He said "nobody will believe a campus visit takes four days!"

I was so hurt,because the basic trust between us is gone!

I did think about his suggestions to my thesis. They did not make sense to me at all. The thing is that he is so busy--teaching three courses this term and advising three students--that he did not even read my entire thesis before he started to lecture me.

I believe my thesis is pretty solid. The other two readers were very happy about my project.

But being a stranger to this culture,I feel so uncertain. How would the dean handle this?

And I really need the MA in order to move on to my PhD career.

I emailed my third reader,explaining my situation. He is willing to be my advisor. So when I go to the dean,I can tell him that I have a professor who is willing to work with me.

Plus,my current advisor himself suggested me to find a new advisor. What else can I do?

Thank you again for your reply. It made me feel better

Hey there again - your advisor, to me, is acting in an unprofessional manner. If you two other readers were encouraging about your paper, I think I might give less credence to what your advisor says - and since you have someone else willing to take over your advising, and your current one wants you to go with someone else, I say just go for it. Present your situation to the dean without sounding accusatory.

[Amalia222]

I say go through the proper channels and make sure you do everything the "right" way. That is, taking to the director of the program about your desire to change advisors. If that is approved, find a new advisor and make sure they are on your side about your work. If you have the same problem with another adviser, it may be your work that is the problem, not the adviser (I'm just sayin'!). In my MA program, I wasn't given an advisor, only the graduate committee who would approve/decline my thesis, and they did not have the kind of imput that you are describing. I think the important thing is that your committee (or whoever is going to approve the final version) likes the direction you are taking with it. At the end of the day, it's about graduating on time, and ruffling as few feathers as possible along the way.

[dgobox]

Sounds like an unfortunate situation. I would only suggest you be wary of saying things like:

"He is actually an adjunct professor from Germany. So he feels insecure about himself,I later found."

The somewhat implicit if-then (conditional) statement there is kinda unwarranted. I mean...you're an international student yourself and you probably don't think a similar description necessarily applies to your self. Right? Just my opinion. Good luck resolving this!

You do say "I later found"....so maybe my suggestion is unwarranted. In any case I think it should be brought up. I do wonder how it could be that you found such a thing out.

Edited April 5, 2011 by dgobox

[abookbumble]

I agree with the general consensus. One thing: make sure you're very articulate in presenting your case, and that you're careful not to raise any tempers that don't need raising. It's a very difficult situation, and I definitely don't think you should be made to feel helpless. Still, you want to tread very cautiously-- office politics are as dangerous in academia as they are everywhere else. Best of luck-- I really hope things work out for you.