Thesis advisors are the most critical people in a Ph.D. candidate’s life. As such, it is essential to have a good relationship with them to finish your work and defend your thesis as soon as possible. However, this is not always easy to do if there have been past conflicts or misunderstandings between you and your thesis advisor. In this post, we will discuss four strategies for building a good relationship with your thesis advisor, as well as how to repair a damaged one.
– Establishing a Good Relationship:
Find common ground with your thesis advisor. Try to learn about each other and share what you have in common, such as interests outside of academia or hobbies that both of you enjoy. This will help build rapport between the two of you which is necessary for establishing good working relationships.
In addition, be aware of your thesis advisor’s feelings and needs. Be sensitive to the fact that they may feel overworked or underappreciated, which might affect their mood and work ethic.
These are some things you can do for this:
– Offer help if you have time without making them feel guilty about it. For example, offer to organize a conference or write up their research proposal.
– Offer to take on some less important tasks that they may not have time for, such as making copies and running errands.
– If your thesis advisor is experiencing conflict with another faculty member, offer to help mediate between them if you can see both sides of the argument.
– Repairing a Damaged Relationship:
If your relationship with your thesis advisor has been damaged, it is possible to repair the damage and start again on good terms. To do this, be proactive about making an effort by apologizing for any mistakes you may have made in the past and offering help when needed without feeling guilty about doing so.
If you feel that your thesis advisor is avoiding you, find out why and try to make up for it somehow. For example, if they are unhappy with the work that has been done so far, then offer to help them set a plan of action moving forward or do a better job on tasks assigned from now on. Be especially mindful of any conflicts or misunderstandings that may have occurred in the past.