Hi all

I am having some real concerns about my PhD at the moment, I have been studying for two years now (Part-time) and submitted a proposal for registration 14 months ago (which was finally sent to the postgraduate research student administrator three weeks ago by our head of research. Anyway I have in this time had maybe two meetings with my supervisor, with no goals set for me. A colleague of mine has recently started his PhD and meets with his supervisor every month and comes back with various goals and targets to achieve before the next meeting. At the moment I am feeling really disgruntled and de-motivated due to added difficulties of being diagnosed dyslexic into the bargain. I am at the moment considering either quitting or contacting my colleague's supervisor to see if he would accept me as a research student and ditching my current university and supervisor team.

I just need a bit of advice really - what would you recommend I do?

Hello

Just to give you an idea- I'm finishing off my PhD (I'm a full time PhD student) and I'm rather shocked by your lack of supervison!

To give you an idea of my situation, I meet with my supervisors every 1-2 months and they frequently expect me to send them regular emails of updates etc. If I don't send any feedback or emails etc they start asking why!! My supervisors also pop in now and again (ie during the week to see how I'm getting on- during my first year this used to be every 1-2 days!!!). During my supervison, I have set targets and deadlines that I have to meet before each supervison. I try to keep on the ball with this as much as I can! At the end of my supervison, I have the rather boring task of typing up my supervison notes and sending them to my supervisors (immediately after the meeting) so that they can see as to whether I've understood the content of discussion. Its a pain- but I have a record of what we discussed and can refer back to. They also expect me to send them work prior to the supervison meeting etc etc. I'm also having to keep drafting work plans and thesis plans with agreed set deadlines for bits of work- so I'm constantly trying to work towards something.

I'm also expected to attend group meetings (my PhD is linked with a bigger project) and contribute to such meetings.

I'm also expected to spend most of my time within the office. I was frequently criticised and told off by one of my supervisors for spending too much time away from the office (I used to work in the library and my study bedroom). Given this criticism, I now make sure I spend most if not all of my working time in the office.

The above level of supervison has been like this since the start of my PhD- sounds pretty scary but I'm getting things done!

Personally, I don't think I would be motivated at all if I didn't have my current supervisors. My supervisors expect results and they expect a lot from me, so I'm constantly trying to meet their expectations (which in some cases is very difficult as their very critical at times!). Each project/PhD is different however. It might just be because of the politics and resources surrounding this PhD (CASE PhD) that their like this.

If it was me, I would consider looking for other supervisors, or ask whether you could see them more often etc etc. I suspect in order to have a successful outcome, you will need to have strong supervisors who are well experienced PhD examiners and supervisors (as are mine). My supervisors regualrly mark PhD candidates work and reguarly sit as external and internal examiners. i know they've failed PhDs before and they are very experienced about what constitutes as a passable PhD. All good stuff I think in terms of my PhD- I know they won't let me submit anything until it meets their standards. I guess thats a good thing- but can be soul destroying at times!

Maybe talk to your PhD contact person or your student union for advice.

Good luck with it :)

ok first of all chill out!!!

I know the natural inclination when your having a hard time is to jump ship, but this isn't necessarily going to solve your problem. First of all, have you discussed your concerns with your supervisor? You might be surprised that they could be very receptive if you openly discuss your concerns. Every supervisor has a different supervisory style. You appear to have the more common type of sup who likes to let there students get on with it and has very little formal contact, in which case you need to take the initiative and let them know the score otherwise they will happily let you soldier on alone. It may also be a case that they dont care in which case transferring to another supervisor may be preferable.

although your colleague's supervisor is more of an exception rather than the rule. Also consider that just because a student is given a task list by their supervisor each month doesn't really make their life that much easier. Yes it will provide more direction but you are still the one responsible for delivering on those objectives.

If you don't feel confident talking to your supervisor then there will be someone you can talk to in your department about problems with your PhD and/or supervisor. This is usually your second supervisor so go have a chat with them and see what they say.

I dont think it is a good idea running to another supervisor before you have spoken to at least your supervisor and second supervisor because all the prospective supervisor is likely to do is smile and nod when you meet them and then contact your supervisor to dish the dirt on you. In otherwords you really need support from your department before you start knocking on other supervisor's doors and asking if they will have you and even then i twont be easy to get someone to agree to take you on.

This sounds like a toughie, but to add to pineapple and rjb, there are some questions you need to ask before you take a leap (in either direction)...

Does your supervisor have any other PhD students - if so do they receive similar supervision? I very rarely see my supervisor (3x in just over a year) and many of my colleagues are in a similar boar, but when I do, or when he comments on my work it is *quality* supervision. My previous supervisor I saw all the time (like pineapple in the beginning it was 1-2 a week), but her input was completely ineffectual... Maybe your supervisor does not realise you are unhappy. Have you asked for more regular contact? Perhaps he feels that as you are a part-time student you have other commitments that may impact on your ability to physically be in Uni.

Next up, is the other supervisor really going to be that much better? When I changed sup it was because I knew that the other supervisor had the qualities to push me to finish even though he was not an expert. Part of a PhD is independent learning, yes you still need support and guidance, but it sounds as though your colleague is being almost 'told' what to research, which can be equally damaging as no help at all. Is your supervisor an experienced member of staff? If not, then maybe you do need someone else who - especially given you seem to be having a rough time - can remotivate you.

One last thing, you may just be having the infamous second year dip... which we all go through to one extent or another. YOu need to be absolutely sure that things cannot work with the current sup before you go

Thanks for the advice, I will take all that on board, it has been really useful. 

However, I forgot to mention one rather important point which maybe at the root of this?? I work in the same department and so working very closely with my supervisor who is also a colleague and with whom I team teach modules.  So I am in part wondering, if this situation is less than ideal, my supervisor did raise these concerns at the start and suggested alternative universities, but my then boss told me no.  However my new boss who also has a PhD has advised I consider this.

Do you think this maybe the problem is mixing these two completely separate roles (colleagues and then supervisor/student at other times)

Sorry I really should have mentioned this, but I needed to avoid it initially to see if this is the actual problem.

Once again, thanks for the advice it has so far been really helpful, as I realise that it might me the above rather than anything else, which is important.

That really does change matters. I think your boss has put your colleague/ supervisor in an extremely awkward position that's really unfair to both of you. I think you should definitely go for a different university if you can afford it financially and time-wise. I'm guessing from your situation (unless you're in law or education) that you're at a teaching focussed institution, so in career terms, it might be better for you anyway to get a PhD from a research-focused university.

I was in a similar situation. When I started the PhD I was a research assistant for my supervisory team but I was subsequently made a lecturer a few years in. I had very little PhD contact time with my supervisors (about 5 meetings in 10 years - seriously!) and because I worked for them I felt unable to raise my concerns particularly since they were the ones governing whether or not my contract would be renewed. When I became a lecturer it was worse because I was no longer working for my supervisors and they showed very little interest. After speaking with other staff members who are registered at our own university, I think we all pretty much feel ignored by the university and otherwise poorly treated in comparison to the full time PhD students. The attitude seems to be that "you're getting your fees paid so what more do you want." In hindsight, I think being supervised by staff outside of your own university is a good idea because you are able to separate your work from your studies which is very important. But having said that, much of it depends on the quality of the supervisor. It's a tough one but good luck with whatever you decide (up)

Thanks to all those who replied to this thread, it is great to know there are supportive people on here, who are happy to give advice.  After two sleepless nights and a lot of consideration I have decided to start again with a new topic (more related to my teaching and professional areas) and to undertake my studies in an external university, having set up some preliminary meetings with a couple of potential supervisors for next week.

Once again, thank you for the guidance, I was really down over the weekend and your support has been invaluable, I can't believe some people on this website (in another thread I read earlier) try and knife people in the back with some comment or other, when they are trying to give them advice. So thanks for not being discouraged and for replying to my thread it has really helped.

Just to give you an update, i have decided to withdraw from my current university and have commenced the process of enrolment at a more research driven university with a new supervisor who has 10+ completions and is regarded as an expert in my field of research.  From the initial meeting last week I have already received more guidance than I have in the last two years, although I have also made the radical decision of a fresh start with a new topic more related to my area of professional experience.

Thanks for the support and guidance
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