EmmaBaker*feltlikeafailurewhenshequitherPhDafter18monthsandstartedagainfromscratch.
Butthepreviouslyhigh-achievingstudent,whohasafirst-classbachelor’sdegreeinscience,
saysshefeltshehadnochoicewhentherelationshipwithhersupervisorbecametoxic.
“Myexperimentsweren’tworking,whichisfairlycommon,”
shesays.But,ratherthansortitoutwithabitofguidance,shewasleftto“bumblethrough”whilehersupervisornevershoweduptothelab.
Afterreachingbreakingpoint,shepleadedwithhimforhelp,anditdidn’tgowell.
“HetoldmemyexperimentsfailbecauseI’mbad,”shesays.Alreadyoverwhelmed,
thecommentknockedherconfidence.Afterunsuccessfulattemptstofixitwiththehelpofanadvisor,
Bakerleftthe“toxiclabenvironment”andrestartedherPhDwithanewsupervisor.“
Therewasthishauntingfeelingof‘you’reabadscientist’overmyheadthewholetime,”shesays.Sheleftsciencesoonaftergraduating.
Supervisioncanmakeorbreakyourpostgraduateexperience.
Thelatestpostgraduateexperiencesurvey,carriedoutbytheHigherEducationAcademy,
foundthatsupportfromacademicstaffmadethebiggestdifferencetohowstudentsfeltabouttheirstudies.
Manysupervisorrelationshipsbreakdown,
likeBaker’s,beitduetoconflictingworkingstyles,micromanaging,
orevenbullying.Sowhatdoesatoxicrelationshiplooklike?Andwhatcanyoudoaboutit?
Alackofsupportasapostgraduatecanhaveabigimpactonyourlife.
LucyStewartgotstuckwithasupervisorwhowasdisinterestedinherwork.
Hedidn’tcheckinwithherformonthsatatime,shesays,leavingherisolatedandstressed.“
Idevelopedananxietydisorder,”shesays.“Ifeltalotworseaboutmyself.”
Incontrast,HannahRichardsfeltbulliedandmicromanagedbyheroverbearingsupervisor
.“Wehaveverydifferentworkingstylesandexpectations,”shesays.“Sheplansmeticulouslyearlyon,
butIprefertopullthingstogetheratthelastminute.Andsheisn’tflexible,”
Richardssays.“Sheforcedmeintothislittlebox.Idevelopeddepressionanddidn’tfinishmythesisintime.”
Mostoftheproblemscomedowntopoorcommunication,saysIanFairweather,
aresearcherdevelopmentmanagerattheUniversityofManchester.“Sostartaconversationearlytosetoutexpectations.”
Butevenrelationshipsthatstartwellcanbecometense.“Therewillbeupsanddowns,soknowwhat’snormal,”saysDarceyGillie,
fromthecareersserviceattheUniversityofSheffield.Don’tchoose“thenuclearoption”straightaway;theymaynotbeawareoftheproblem.
Ithelpstoturntootherstudentsforsupport,saysAdamDunn,anassociateprofessorattheAustralianInstituteofHealthInnovation.
“HalfwaythroughmyPhDmydadwasinjail,mygirlfriendleftmeandstarteddatingtheguyinthelabnextdoor.Ifeltisolated,stoppedeating,
andlostalotofweight,”hesays.“Iassumemysupervisorhadnoidea.”Becauseofhisexperience,hetriestobebetterwithhisstudents.
“Studentstendtobelievethateveryoneelsegetsonfinewiththeirsupervisorandit’sonlythemwhodoesn’t,”
saysFairweather.“Butmostpeoplehaveadisagreementatsomepoint.”
Ifallelsefails,youmaybeabletoswitchsupervisors.Universitieshavedifferentapproachestohowandwhenyoucandothis.
“Explaintoyourpostgraduatecoordinatorwhyyouthinkit’snotworking,”Fairweatheradds.“They’llknowhowtogoaboutit.”
Ifyouhaveaco-supervisor,theymaybeabletoswaproleswithyourmainsupervisor.
Talktosomeoneimpartialandconfidential,likeacareersadviser,tothinkthroughanyimplicationsforfunding,
schedulingandtherelationshipsinvolved,saysGillie.
Goodsupervisionisapartnershipandamentorship.“Likeamarriage”,sheadds,itneeds“honestcommunication,
trust,understanding,sharedgoals,andtheabilitytocompromise”.
Ifyou’vedoneallyoucantofixabadsupervisoryrelationship,knowyou’renotaloneanddon’tblameyourself,
saysBaker.SheeventuallycompletedherPhDwiththehelpofhernewsupervisor.
*Somenameshavebeenchanged.