Beyond Supervisors

What to do when your supervisor doesn’t seem to be as supportive? who do you turn to?

Your friends and colleagues are a good option and the recent trend is blogging! Why are blogs and forums so popular these days? Because they fill the void in a student-supervisor relationship. Here’s how online media can be your knight in a shining armor!

1. Workable advice

Online communities, forums and blogs are available 24×7 to solve all your practical questions. What should an RM look like? What statistical tool should you choose? How to start writing? and anything that is related to your PhD can be discussed on these platforms. While your supervisor may have other things to attend to and not be available all the time, you can reach out to these platforms for all sorts of help.

2. Emotional Support

Most students will not find it comfortable to discuss emotional issues with their supervisor and thus suffer silently. Mental health crises is common in PhD students. In times when you lack motivation or feel depressed, online platforms serve as the perfect agony aunt! Your issues and comments are anonymous and nobody will judge you. Rather, you are likely to get sound advice from people who’ve been there done that or who are facing similar challenges. You may freely discuss awkward questions, and issues beyond academics.

3. An accompaniment, not a replacement

While online platforms are enlightening, they cannot replace supervisors completely. Supervisors, ideally, are supposed to guide and mentor you. They are not exactly super-humans who would know everything and do everything right, but they are experienced, and most importantly, they’re human. Online communities may compliment the role of supervisors in a student’s life but not eliminate the need for!