‘You have to take the rough with the smooth.’ In short, that’s how PhD students explain to me what they think about how they are supervised. Some are happy with how they are supported by their supervisor and (daily) tutor(s), others get really upset, insecure, frustrated and even unhappy. What…
When I was a child, I sometimes fell while playing, and ripped a hole in my jeans. As soon as I got home, I took off those ripped jeans and threw them in the laundry basket. I hoped my mother wouldn’t find out, or find out so much later…
Writing can become easier if you use a different approach. Once you know what your readers – in this case, your supervisors – pay attention to, you know where to focus on in your text. Logical and effective don’t you think? How do supervisors perceive your text? Your supervisor…
You probably recognise this. A meeting with your supervisor is coming up, you prepared every detail, you know what you want but when the meeting is over, you leave the room disgruntled. Or you feel insignificant the moment you step through his/her door? You have the feeling like you are…
Whenever I see Donald Trump on TV I wonder if he ever doubts himself. Then I noticed a newspaper article about his nocturnal tweets to rectify his controversial statements about former Miss Universe Alicia Machado. Is the Donald insecure? I know that PhD students are, especially meetings with their supervisor…
Are meetings with your supervisor difficult? Can’t you get the feedback you need? I wrote about that before, but recently I found some great questions in the book ‘How to get a PhD. A handbook for students and their supervisors’ by Philips and Pugh that can really improve your meetings…
