How do I tell my PhD director that I want to change directors?
Posted by admin | Filed under Higher Education (University +)
I am taking my PhD qualifying exams next week, and my committee head has been ever-so-less than helpful through this entire process. He takes weeks to get back to me when I have a basic question, and by that time I’ve found out the answer myself or gone to the Director of Graduate Studies. Even emailing my reading list for approval to the rest of my committee (with NO changes or suggestions from him) took almost four weeks, and I ended up having to ask him if I could do it myself, and I then did. Perhaps most frightening, he wasn’t even aware that there are guidelines for the qualifying exam. In short, he’s both unavailable and unhelpful.
I certainly can’t have a committee head that is uninvolved with my dissertation, or it’ll take twice as long. As such, I’d like to change my committee head to another professor in the department.
The problem is that he’s the head of my department, someone on whose bad side I do not want to be. How do I tell him that I want someone else?
December 9th, 2008 at 11:29 pm
I wouldn’t change this week – wait until the quals are over, because you don’t want to **** him off right before he decides whether or not you passed. In a few weeks, find a good excuse to change advisors – such as working in someone else’s area of research, even if it means having to switch topics entirely. I had to change schools and research areas to get away from my advisor – hopefully your situation will be easier to fix (besides, switch schools and you have to re-take the quals).
December 10th, 2008 at 4:50 pm
My advice is to wait until the exam is done. After that, you can tell him that you want to change advisors. If possible, choose someone who is doing work more closely related to yours tell him that is the reason.
Thank him for all the work he has done if you feel comfortable about it, ask him to remain on your committee.