When I was a student, I attended a PhD student workshop anchored by a now retired journal editor.
They commented that it broke their heart when advisors failed to respond to their students & suggested strategies for managing their advisors.
His words stuck with me - perhaps in an unintended way - where I committed myself to never being the advisor who failed to respond to emails.
Why?
It broke my heart to learn that many advisors take students for granted and don’t keep up with emails.
I do miss emails here & there - more than I would like - esp when I am on extended trips.
But, I never completely fail to respond.
To this day, with my former students, I still respond.
Why?
Because a fundamental building block of academic culture is the relationship between advisors and students.
An advisor is charged with not only ensuring a student learns necessary research skills; but also with socializing them to their field.
When advisors ignore students, they contribute to unhealthy patterns in academic culture.
How we treat our students can reverberate through generations of students - for better or worse.
When we are not responsive, we teach our students it’s ok to treat their students poorly … And a vicious cycle can unfold.
I’ve seen these patterns with communication & I’ve seen these patterns unfold with ethical conduct (which I’ll save to comment on another day).
So if you are a new advisor or had a non-attentive advisor, what should you do?
First, reflect on how you were treated. Did you appreciate it? How did it make you feel? What worked?
Take some time to think about your experience & how to do it better.
Second, establish expectations with students.
I commit to responding to emails within 48 hours. I tell my students to follow up if they don’t hear from me.
Communicate your pattern to your team.
Clear expectations really help.
Third, be open to change.
Over time, you will find some mutual adjustment occurs.
Every relationship with a student is different.
I have one student who is a chatterbox
& sends several messages a day. I have another who is very quiet & must be nudged for updates. I have a third who is less predictable but volunteers information as work is completed.
While different, it somehow works - so It would be a mistake to box them into one communication style.
Fourth, never forget you are a role model.
Whether you like it or not, your students will pay attention to what you say, how you act, & esp. how you communicate with them.
Finally, remember that change is possible.
I often have conversations with young faculty who swear they will never become their advisors.
You can feel their PTSD, esp. after they start a new job.
Each one swears they will do a better job at communicating than their advisor.
(I worry my students do the same!)
We can all do better & build a better academe!
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