Vent

bethsmiles

I need to vent and I'm pretty sure BF is sick of me complaining about this.

I'm trying to finish writing the committee proposal for my thesis. This needs to be approved by pretty much everyone in my department before I can move on with my thesis. I looked up the guidelines for and made sure I included everything in it that needed to be included. I sent it to my thesis adviser who then took almost 2 weeks to e-mail me back and say she will meet with me about it. When I got to the meeting she told me she hadn't even read it yet (it's only like 6 pages double-spaced). She reads it, we discuss it, and I know what corrections to make.

Then she starts going off about how she doesn't know what is supposed to be included in this, and she thinks I need X, Y, and Z...um no I don't. I looked up the requirements! I didn't just make up these sections I have clearly laid out! I'm so frustrated because it's so hard to get her to meet with me or look at anything I send her and she basically has put zero effort into figuring out the whole process of writing a thesis. Her entire role is to guide me through this and I'm so incredibly stressed out because I feel like I'll never be able to finish because I chose a thesis adviser who clearly has no intention of making time to actually be a thesis adviser. If she didn't want to do it, I wish she had just told me no when I asked her in the spring. I just want to cry and quit grad school right now.

CASK85

Is there any chance you can change advisers? Or at least get some advice from another professor?

Also, MIA professors, crying, and feeling like quitting are pretty much par for the course when it comes to grad school. Let me know if you want to vent more anytime - I have been there. 

*hugs*

phira

UGH. I am so sorry to hear about this.

I got unlucky in undergrad and picked senior project advisors who absolutely SUCKED. They were never free to meet, and they rejected all my ideas and forced me to pick a topic I didn't like (and that, to do it well, I would have needed IRB approval for). It didn't go well.

Is there any way that we can help? It sounds like this person is almost entirely incompetent, especially since it took her this long to not even read 6 pages. UGH.

bethsmiles

@cschino - At this point its too late to change thesis advisers, unfortunately. But the other two professors on my committee are amazing and really on top of things. So might just send them parts of it to make sure I'm on the right track, especially with my method.

@Phira - I partly chose my method specifically so I wouldn't have to go through IRB! My adviser really wanted me to do a different method that involved going through IRB but I just don't have time for that! I've already been in this program longer than I wanted to be - next semester they aren't even offering a class I haven't already taken!

Thanks for letting me vent I think once I get past this proposal things will start to go better.

CLoGreenEyes

I have no relevant advice regarding this situation, but I extend hugs and sympathy! That sounds incredibly frustrating! Your adviser sounds like she is not the most helpful person, but it sounds like you have just enough support from other professors to get by. I hope the process gets better after your proposal is over with!

Blue & White

My advisor was a feminist. She also hated women. All women. Except maybe herself? It was such an awful environment.

I learned I don't want to be in academia with such an evil woman.

I'm pretty dang happy with my decision.

BUT writing a thesis sucks the whole way - good luck!y advisor basically told me mine sucked every time she looked at it. My committee told me it was the best masters thesis they had ever read. Yea...

phira

@Blue & White: A feminist who hates all women? HMMM maybe she needs to rethink her labels. Sounds like a peach!

bethsmiles

@Blue & White - That sounds really awful!

I don't really know what my adviser's issue is. Some meetings go really well and she is excited about the project then others it seems like she hates it. This time she seemed annoyed that I really briefly mentioned the Affordable Care Act in the justification section of the proposal but it's not about the politics of it, it's about how it makes my topic especially timely but that's when she started to seem annoyed and was more discouraging than helpful.

OnceUponAVine

Since its too late to change advisors I would definitely try to speak with and get feedback from the other two professors on your committee as much as possible. Good luck on your thesis!

OnceUponAVine

Since its too late to change advisors I would definitely try to speak with and get feedback from the other two professors on your committee as much as possible. Good luck on your thesis!