Present for Supervisor - When Submitting or After Viva?

S

Hi All,

I will be submitting before Xmas (in the last stages of write up now!) and I would like to give my supervisor a gift. He has done a lot of checking and been incredibly helpful over the last few months especially, despite being a very busy professor. It will of course be Xmas soon so I thought I would get him a gift that would be a thank you for all the support throughout the PhD and be a good Xmas present too.

My question is, do you think I should wait until after the viva to get a gift? The viva will probably be in January/February.

Hardly the most important question on the board I'm sure but still, any input would be grand.

Cheers,

Screamingaddabs

B

I'd wait until after the viva and you're sure you've passed, with corrections or whatever.

M

After the viva. I aim at sending my super some flowers if the results of my resubmission are positive. She likes white roses, I will send her some.

M

Quote From marasp:
After the viva. I aim at sending my super some flowers if the results of my resubmission are positive. She likes white roses, I will send her some.


LOL. I knew I should not post on here when drunk. I mean, I will send some flowers to her home.

A

I'll be giving my supervisors their presents when I submit the final copy (just doing minor corrections at the moment) as a hardbound copy of my thesis will be included with that.

H

Erm... on a less positive note, is there any protocol for *not* giving gifts? My main supervisor has been missing in action for about a year and the junior lecturer on whom supervisory duties have been dumped has done his best but has been quite clumsy about handling the working relationship, through inexperience. Though I do not wish to leave on a bad note, and I acknowledge the contribution that they *have* made, I don't right now feel in a place where I can sincerely and formally say 'thank you' as I have been quite wounded by various things. Giving any kind of gift seems somehow fake. Any advice?

T

Someone in my lab didn't get on with our supervisors and did just that - they didn't bother giving them anything. I don't think it matters either way, if they had given them something, they would have know it was disingenuous anyway

J

I agree with TreeofLife that it probably doesn't matter too much but on the other hand maybe it's best just to keep everyone sweet. Nowt wrong maybe with a thank you card and a box of chocolates or bottle of wine or something just in the interests maybe of passing yourself with everyone.
Edit: Oh and to the OP I'd say defo after viva. I understand it'd be nice with it being Christmas and all but as someone who got majors I'm glad I held off. It would have seemed a bit premature now given this outcome. They're going to be seeing me for awhile yet! I'll be giving them something when corrections have been accepted and I get it printed and bound (although I'm not sure either of us will want a copy at this point ;-))

G

Jstanley-same approach as mine or else it looks like a bribe! Better to wait until the outcome of the viva.

36470