Supervisors are supervising several people, teaching, sitting on committees, and writing grants. They cannot read your mind about what you need, and the structure of the exchange is mostly yours to build.
Before each meeting
- Send one page in advance: what you did, what is blocking you, what you need decided.
- State what level of feedback you want.
- A prepared meeting is several times more productive than an open one.
After each meeting
- Send a summary email: what was agreed, what you will do next.
- This becomes a shared record.
- It prevents the worst kind of misunderstanding, six months later.
When you are stuck
- Say so early rather than after three lost months.
- Bring the problem with two options you have considered.
- Choosing between options is far easier for them than starting from nothing.
When feedback does not arrive
- Remind politely after the agreed time.
- Send one chapter rather than a whole thesis.
- Propose a specific date rather than asking when they will get to it.
Across cultures
- Some supervisors expect you to propose; some expect you to ask.
- Ask directly which they prefer — this question is welcomed.
- Do not infer their expectations from silence.
One thing worth remembering
Send a one-page brief before every meeting.
It lets your supervisor switch into your project in two minutes instead of fifteen — and those thirteen minutes are yours, in a meeting that was probably only thirty to begin with.
Câu hỏi thường gặp
Who structures the supervisor relationship?
Mostly you — supervisors are supervising several people, teaching and writing grants, and cannot read your mind about what you need.
What should you send before a meeting?
One page covering what you did, what is blocking you, what you need decided, and what level of feedback you want.
What should you send after?
A summary email of what was agreed and what you will do next — it becomes a shared record.
What should you do when stuck?
Say so early rather than after three lost months, and bring the problem with two options you have considered.
How do you handle cultural differences in supervision?
Ask directly whether they expect you to propose or to ask — this question is welcomed, and you should not infer expectations from silence.
