advice for a present grad student

[Jochi1543]

sorry..i had to do a wash...aahahhahah...

 

but if i can prevent one, just one, student from not goint into grad school..i will be very happy..ahahha

 

Haha, yeah, I'm damn glad I didn't go...if I did, I wouldn't be going to med this fall, either, so I definitely made the right choice by not committing myself to something for 2 years.

[PermanentWaves]

I am sorry to see people having had unhappy experiences in grad school. Grad school has been wonderful to me so far, but I would encourage anyone interested in it to become aware of the various policies associated with their program of interest, and to interview with their proposed supervisor and labmates BEFORE committing to anything.

 

That being said, if a student is dealing with a supervisor that is verbally abusive and unsupportive, there are many possible avenues that can be taken. I will refer you to the "Guiding Principles for Graduate Student Supervision", as outlined by the Canadian Association for Graduate Studies (CAGS).

 

Here is the link:

http://www.cags.ca/Portals/34/pdf/Guiding%20Principles%20for%20Graduate%20Student%20Supervision%20in%20Canada%20-%20rvsn7.pdf

 

Read through the pdf. Most (if not all) Canadian universities are bound by CAGS guidelines. If you cannot resolve the issue personally with your supervisor, contact your program administrator or university ombudsmen. I know of one student in our program who was in the 3rd year of an MSc and not close to finishing due to an aloof and unsupportive PI. She spoke to our Graduate Coordinators, and was able to move on to a new PI who did similar work, allowing her to finish her thesis within that 3rd year. Many students have problems with their PI, but it rarely gets to this stage. Confront your supervisor with your problems and be firm. Losing a grad student will look bad on him/her, and he/she may change their stance after speaking to you. If this does not happen, proceed with the course of action outlined earlier (i.e. speak to someone else within the program/university).