The Graduate Student-Advisor Relationship

During your graduate experience, the student-advisor relationship is one of the most significant relationships you will form – some even view this as the most important aspect of your graduate education. This relationship can be one of mentorship, wherein the professor can pass along their expertise, guide students through the intricacies of the university system, lend moral support, and provide helpful career advice. While this is not always the case and there may be road bumps along the way, a strong and successful student-advisor relationship can lead to higher and faster completion rates, as well as significantly influencing the developmental outcome of students’ personal and professional goals. It is therefore essential to carefully select your advisory committee to meet your needs as a graduate student. Here are some things to keep in mind to ensure a strong and lasting relationship with your advisor.

• Maintain clear and frequent communication. It is helpful to have frequent, scheduled communication to build an open and effective relationship with your advisor. Use this line of communication to clarify any questions you may have, seek advice, get feedback, etc. Maintaining this communication can build trust and rapport between you and your advisor.
• Clarify roles, responsibilities, and goals. Clearly outline for your advisor what is most important for you in terms of your advisor’s role, and have them outline their expectations for you as a student. It is helpful to make your advisor aware of your personal, academic, and professional goals to aid in the assistance they can provide you with.
• Develop an agreement of your mutual expectations. Be realistic with your expectations! Take the time to outline together your expectations in terms of what is to be completed and when. It also doesn’t hurt to become aware of each other’s work styles to understand how one another will approach any given project.
• Select and plan a suitable and manageable research topic to pursue. Develop a work plan that includes both short- and long-term goals, including the deadlines to meet these goals. This plan should be a preliminary roadmap of your entire program of study, including courses, proposals, research, writing, and defense. However, be aware that things do not always go as planned, and therefore being open and flexible to change is crucial.
• Be responsible. Make sure you meet deadlines, make time for meetings, and follow-up when necessary. Be proactive in your relationship with your advisor – you will not only get more done, but you will also gain respect from your advisor. 
• Be open. Do not assume your advisor can read your mind. If there is something you need or want, be open and assertive with your advisor to get the results you desire.
• Don’t take it personally. Criticism is a natural and necessary aspect of your academic growth – your advisor is simply trying to help you produce the best product possible and your project will be stronger because of it.

If you are struggling with your student-advisor relationship, you should first contact the Graduate Coordinator of your program, then the ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) of the College or the Assistant V.P. of Grad Studies.

This post was adapted from University of British Columbia’s ‘Building an Effective Graduate Student-Supervisor Relationship’ (http://www.grad.ubc.ca/faculty-staff/information-supervisors/building-effective-graduate-student-supervisor-relationship), University of Western Ontario’s ‘Relations with Supervisors – A Guide for Graduate Students’ (http://www.uwo.ca/ombuds/graduate/relations-supervisor.html), Grad Resources’ ‘Professor/Grad Relationships: Maximizing the Mentoring Potential’ by Nick Repak (http://www.gradresources.org/articles/prof_grad.shtml), Boston College’s ‘IV. Advisor-Student Relationships’ (http://www.bc.edu/schools/cas/psych/graduate/gradhandbook/advisor-student.html), Michigan State University’s ‘Student-Advisor’ (http://www.grad.msu.edu/wellness/intellectual/studentadvisor.aspx), and University of Guelph’s ‘The Student-Advisor Relationship’ by Cecelia Paine, Associate Dean of Graduate Studies

(https://www.uoguelph.ca/graduatestudies/sites/default/files/images/users/handsord/developing_positive_student-advisor_relationship.pdf).