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Five things your adviser wants you to know
An adviser can be your entry into the professional world, but he or she can't do it alone. Find
out what you can contribute to the advising process.
"Students need to be appropriately assertive
about what they need or want."
Sarah Knox
Marquette University |
A good relationship with your adviser can help launch your career. But do you know how to make the
most of it? As an undergraduate, your interactions with faculty may have been primarily limited
to the classroom. With an adviser, you're stepping outside the lecture hall to develop a professional
and possibly mentoring relationship. This shift requires a different skill set. Here are a few
tips for making the most out of your advising experience.
 Take the initiative. Don't wait for your adviser to suggest meetings—set them
up yourself, says Sarah Knox, PhD, an associate professor and director of training for the counseling
psychology program at Marquette University in Milwaukee. "Students need to be appropriately
assertive about what they need or want," Knox notes. At this point in your career, it's time to take
the lead—you are ultimately responsible for making sure your research and other work gets
done, she adds. You can set the tone by coming to meetings prepared with goals and research ideas
to review with your adviser or by proposing a dissertation schedule, say experts.
Understand the purpose of the relationship. Some adviser-advisee relationships may
be closer than others, but remember that this is ultimately a professional relationship, says
Charles Gelso, PhD, a psychology professor at the University of Maryland who has been advising
students for more than 30 years. An adviser is your introduction to the profession, someone who
will help you define your research topics and provide guidance as you negotiate the demands of a
graduate program. He or she is not your therapist and doesn't want to spend extensive time discussing
personal concerns, adds Lewis Schlosser, PhD, an assistant psychology professor at Seton Hall
University in South Orange, New Jersey, who studies adviser-advisee relationships. But if something
is posing a major barrier to your work, you should let your adviser know, says Gelso.
Give back. Advisers appreciate students who bring new perspectives, says Gelso. "Realize
that it's a two-way street," he adds, and try to adjust to your adviser's work habits. For instance,
if an adviser is scattered, you may have to remind him or her of where you are in your project, explains
Gelso. "Talk freely about academic areas—even the advising relationship," says Schlosser.
Use your psychological—and personal—skills to establish a good relationship, adds
Knox.
Be professional. "Don't be late for meetings or miss them," says Gelso. Take deadlines
seriously and turn in papers you're proud of, he adds. "Some students expect too much of the work
to be done by the adviser," Gelso explains. "I tell students that I don't want to see a rough draft—polish
it and then bring it to me." Students can also learn the standards of professional behavior by taking
note of their adviser's approach.
Know your options. If you follow these tips and your advising needs still aren't being
met, first try talking about it with your adviser, says Schlosser. See if together you can resolve
any personal or professional issues, he adds. If that doesn't work, consider making a switch. Alternately,
you can seek professional guidance from other faculty or even fellow students, says Schlosser.
Any faculty member who shares your research interests can serve as valuable contacts or mentors,
even if you have a great relationship with your adviser, he adds.
By Laurie Meyers
gradPSYCH Staff
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