First meeting with the Dissertation Supervisor

The first meeting with the Dissertation Supervisor can be a nerve-wracking experience. It is important to consider what questions they might ask and how you will answer them to make yourself more comfortable during this appointment. It’s possible that your first meeting with a Ph.D. supervisor will be memorable. Read the guidelines we’ve provided in this post.

Preparation Before the First Ph.D. supervisory meeting

The first Ph.D. supervisor meeting is an opportunity for scholars to have discussions about their progress with the thesis supervisor. Such types of meetings are important as it enables both the Dissertation supervisor and researcher or scholars to build a strong relationship with each other.

You need to take high initiative in planning and organizing meetings with your dissertation supervisor. The preparation which you need to make before the supervisory meeting is:

Agree on the date of the meeting

You need to first decide the date and time for the first formal meeting through mutual consent with your thesis Supervisor. At the end of the first meeting with the supervisor, you should decide the date and time for the next meeting.

If in case, you want to cancel the meeting then you will need to inform me about same to your Ph.D. supervisor. You should then also propose and agree with the revised date and time.

Set the agenda for meeting with the supervisor

You need to set the proper framework for your first Ph.D. meeting with your dissertation supervisor.  Before attending the first meeting with the Thesis supervisor you should prepare a list of issues that you intend to discuss during the First meeting with the Dissertation supervisor.

You should prepare a list of a problem considering the amount of time you have for the meeting. Before preparing the agenda for the meeting. Preparation of the agenda tactics will help you in keeping your discussion relevant.

You can send a copy of the agenda to the supervisor before the first meeting. By sending the meeting agenda in advance to the thesis supervisor you can provide them with an idea about what you intend to discuss during the meeting.

Prepare a list of questions to discuss with your Dissertation Supervisor

The main objective of the supervision session or first formal meeting is to discuss the dissertation and its progress. You should bring with you evidence of work.

The inclusion of evidence of work will help you in getting valuable feedback and guidance related to work. It is very much important for you to understand that the first formal supervisory meeting is an opportunity when you can obtain specific and highly valuable feedback about your work.

Before attending the first meeting with your Ph.D. supervisor you should prepare a list of questions that you want to discuss with them.

How to have a first productive meeting with Ph.D. supervisor

You need to take high initiative for making your first formal meeting highly productive. Below is good advice for the first meeting with your supervisor.

1. Maintain a professional approach with your supervisor

Many researchers or scholars try to develop a friendly relationship with their thesis supervisor. Both scholars and supervisors put all their efforts into developing the potential to work with each other. You should adopt a professional approach during supervisory meetings.

You should visit the meeting place on time. When attending the first Ph.D. meeting with your supervisor, you must be honest in the context of sharing information about progress.

You should carefully listen to the suggestions or feedback provided by the Ph.D. supervisor. Active listening is considered important which will help you in making the first meeting productive.

2. Take the initiative and discuss your objective

You should start the first meeting with a Ph.D. supervisor by referring to the agenda and listing the items you want to discuss.  During the first meeting with the Thesis advisor, you should take the initiative for gathering information about the expectations of your Dissertation supervisor.

Some of the questions which you can ask during the first formal meeting with the Dissertation supervisor can be related to the working pattern, supervising styles, educational background, experience in the particular field, etc.  Asking questions is also very much important to make the first meeting more productive and interesting.

3. Before meeting with your thesis supervisor, make a plan

Before organizing the first formal meeting with the thesis supervisor, you need to develop an effective plan. You can utilize the plan as the foundation for your first meeting with the Dissertation supervisor. It is the plan which will help you in determining when, how, and what type of supervision you can expect from the thesis supervisor.

4. Expectations and suggestions should be balanced between the both

It is very much important for both Dissertation supervisors and scholars to balance their expectations. During the first meeting, both should ask each other about their expectations. Developing an understanding of expectations is very much essential to avoid conflicting situations in the future

Things to talk about with your supervisor at the first meeting

During the first meeting with a Ph.D. supervisor, you can discuss how to write a research paper or dissertation.

• You can discuss your aims and suggestions with your supervisor during your first formal meeting. You can also discuss your professional life.
• Graduate students can talk about the difficulties they’re having performing research for their dissertations.
• During your initial professional meeting with a Ph.D. supervisor, you can also discuss your research strategy.
• It is critical that you clearly define the goal that you hope to attain by writing a thesis or dissertation. You can inquire about your supervisor’s papers or latest research during the first meeting.

By gathering the information about the supervisor’s researchers and writing you will be able to whether you have chosen the right supervisor or not. It will help you in ensuring that your dissertation supervisor knows the field in which you are performing research.

Sample Questions to ask a Dissertation supervisor at your first meeting:

1. What do you think about my research topic?
2. Is there anything specific you believe I should look at while developing a research question?
3. When it comes to meeting with advisees, how frequently do you prefer to do so?
4. What is the maximum number of drafts you are willing to read? How long do you think it takes you to read drafts?
5. What are your preferred means of keeping in touch regularly?
6. Do you have any recommendations for books or journal papers that I should study before our next meeting?

Conclusion

It has been concluded from the above that the first meeting with the Dissertation supervisor can help gain valuable feedback and work-related suggestions. Another fact that has been found is that by making a plan you can have a productive meeting with the thesis supervisor.