As PhD students, we have to work with our supervisors for four or five years even longer. Our success in degree partly depends on the ability and support of our supervisors. We may make less effort if we have good supervisors. Here, I am talking about how to get along with your supervisor based on lessons learnt from my experiences.
Know more about your supervisor. Before you enter into the school, you should try to learn more about your future supervisor, about his/her reputation, personality, and teaching and research abilities. Here is an example. A female exchange student from Shanghai stayed in my school for half of a year. One day she requested my opinion about being a PhD student of an Indian professor. The Indian professor had delivered her such a warm welcome. At the moment I was shocked. The Indian old guy had a bad reputation. He was impatient, easy to be angry, and could not get along well with his students, although he had outstanding performance in his research area. Even more badly, he had a history of flirting with female students. One of his female students escaped because of his more and more ambitious intention. Although there were no substantial evidences about his behavior, he was not safe as your supervisor. I told the girl. The girl has a pretty face and good shape. As foreign students, we may not have many choices when we come to a new country. So it is necessary to know more your boss whom you will work with and even you have to depend on to some degree for your survival, before you arrive in this new place.
Depend on yourself to do your research. You may have a knowledgeable and resourceful supervisor. He may have a substantial research proposal and work plan. Still, you need to ask yourself. Are you interested in the research topic? Are you confident with your research topic? You will have an easier way to go if you answer these questions Yes. Professors always have ambitious ideas. But you are conducting the research, not him/her. The research relates to your degree, your future, not his/her. You have to be clear with the research questions, methodologies of collecting the data, and the outcome that you are expecting. My experience is an example. My research topic was from me since my supervisor had no idea. During the course of my research, I received lots of misunderstanding and wrong directions. There were some reasons about it. One was that my English was not good enough to clearly deliver I was thinking and I was doing. The other was that my supervisors were not strong is this area. Anyway, I insisted on according to my feeling and finally I arrived. They totally agreed with my research questions and outcome when I figured them out. Ok. Here is another example. One of my friends received a topic suggested by her supervisor, although she did not like it much. She was a bit scared with her supervisor. But one day she found that she had no way to go. The research involved an area that she was not familiar with. Ironically, her supervisor also had no idea. There are lots of ways to go to a research, definitely, not only one way. But you need to make a way that you are interested in and you are confident with.
Ask questions and take suggestions from professors. We, Chinese students, are used to be good students who take guidance from the boss and act exactly following the advice. Professors are always busy; and they often treat supervising as a job. They may not relate the research to the student’s survival and future. Also, professors are not knowledgeable as you imagine. They are proficient with only their areas. They often have their customized way to go to the research and advice the students following the same way. Not be scared with their English and knowledge. Ask any questions that you want to answer when you have opportunities to meet them. Not worry about your English. They can understand because they are professors. Just ask and push yourself and your supervisor think. Answers are often emerging from your discussion. Not just ask your supervisor. Ask all professors whom you are working with. They may not familiar with your areas. But they must know what a research should be. They must give your ideas and suggestions from different perspectives. You take them and deliberately combine them into your research. It would be better if these professors would like to read your papers or thesis. They can help you to come up with a very neat and nice writing. Not forget that professors are the best resources, better than library references.
Respect your supervisor and protect yourself. As Chinese students, we know how to respect professors. This is our tradition. Be polite to your supervisor. Try to learn his culture, and treat him/her as your boss and your partner. Show you respect to him/her and your pleasure to work with him/her. It would be helpful to send him/her greetings on his/her festivals. You may become good friends or partners in a long time. But not all professors are nice. Some professors may look down on Chinese students. They may bully you that your English is not good, your research abilities are not strong, or you have no strong social connection in this new place. Not be scared with them. Be familiar with university policies and collect any evidences that they are across lines. No boss is clean in the earth. When they step upon your culture and benefits, tell them what your culture is and what your base line is. But not be over-irritated. A balanced relationship with your supervisor partly depends on yourself. Try to build a comfortable relationship with your supervisor at the first semester or year when you are working with him/her. Once an unbalanced relationship has been built, it is difficult to change. Anyway, when you found that you did have no way to work with him/her, quickly try to find another way. No hesitations.
We all are excellent students if we can get the opportunities to go to a new country to study and learn. In a new country, we have to handle lots of problems. Some are from the study. Some are from our life. But we must can. We must can if we apply our wisdom and energy. Best wishes with all of us.
Know more about your supervisor. Before you enter into the school, you should try to learn more about your future supervisor, about his/her reputation, personality, and teaching and research abilities. Here is an example. A female exchange student from Shanghai stayed in my school for half of a year. One day she requested my opinion about being a PhD student of an Indian professor. The Indian professor had delivered her such a warm welcome. At the moment I was shocked. The Indian old guy had a bad reputation. He was impatient, easy to be angry, and could not get along well with his students, although he had outstanding performance in his research area. Even more badly, he had a history of flirting with female students. One of his female students escaped because of his more and more ambitious intention. Although there were no substantial evidences about his behavior, he was not safe as your supervisor. I told the girl. The girl has a pretty face and good shape. As foreign students, we may not have many choices when we come to a new country. So it is necessary to know more your boss whom you will work with and even you have to depend on to some degree for your survival, before you arrive in this new place.
Depend on yourself to do your research. You may have a knowledgeable and resourceful supervisor. He may have a substantial research proposal and work plan. Still, you need to ask yourself. Are you interested in the research topic? Are you confident with your research topic? You will have an easier way to go if you answer these questions Yes. Professors always have ambitious ideas. But you are conducting the research, not him/her. The research relates to your degree, your future, not his/her. You have to be clear with the research questions, methodologies of collecting the data, and the outcome that you are expecting. My experience is an example. My research topic was from me since my supervisor had no idea. During the course of my research, I received lots of misunderstanding and wrong directions. There were some reasons about it. One was that my English was not good enough to clearly deliver I was thinking and I was doing. The other was that my supervisors were not strong is this area. Anyway, I insisted on according to my feeling and finally I arrived. They totally agreed with my research questions and outcome when I figured them out. Ok. Here is another example. One of my friends received a topic suggested by her supervisor, although she did not like it much. She was a bit scared with her supervisor. But one day she found that she had no way to go. The research involved an area that she was not familiar with. Ironically, her supervisor also had no idea. There are lots of ways to go to a research, definitely, not only one way. But you need to make a way that you are interested in and you are confident with.
Ask questions and take suggestions from professors. We, Chinese students, are used to be good students who take guidance from the boss and act exactly following the advice. Professors are always busy; and they often treat supervising as a job. They may not relate the research to the student’s survival and future. Also, professors are not knowledgeable as you imagine. They are proficient with only their areas. They often have their customized way to go to the research and advice the students following the same way. Not be scared with their English and knowledge. Ask any questions that you want to answer when you have opportunities to meet them. Not worry about your English. They can understand because they are professors. Just ask and push yourself and your supervisor think. Answers are often emerging from your discussion. Not just ask your supervisor. Ask all professors whom you are working with. They may not familiar with your areas. But they must know what a research should be. They must give your ideas and suggestions from different perspectives. You take them and deliberately combine them into your research. It would be better if these professors would like to read your papers or thesis. They can help you to come up with a very neat and nice writing. Not forget that professors are the best resources, better than library references.
Respect your supervisor and protect yourself. As Chinese students, we know how to respect professors. This is our tradition. Be polite to your supervisor. Try to learn his culture, and treat him/her as your boss and your partner. Show you respect to him/her and your pleasure to work with him/her. It would be helpful to send him/her greetings on his/her festivals. You may become good friends or partners in a long time. But not all professors are nice. Some professors may look down on Chinese students. They may bully you that your English is not good, your research abilities are not strong, or you have no strong social connection in this new place. Not be scared with them. Be familiar with university policies and collect any evidences that they are across lines. No boss is clean in the earth. When they step upon your culture and benefits, tell them what your culture is and what your base line is. But not be over-irritated. A balanced relationship with your supervisor partly depends on yourself. Try to build a comfortable relationship with your supervisor at the first semester or year when you are working with him/her. Once an unbalanced relationship has been built, it is difficult to change. Anyway, when you found that you did have no way to work with him/her, quickly try to find another way. No hesitations.
We all are excellent students if we can get the opportunities to go to a new country to study and learn. In a new country, we have to handle lots of problems. Some are from the study. Some are from our life. But we must can. We must can if we apply our wisdom and energy. Best wishes with all of us.
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