Why should I meet my advisor even if I have nothing to report?

Question

On Ravi Vakil's page for potential students, he states

I like to meet my students every week (except for exceptional weeks, of which there are many). You may prefer not to meet in a given week if you have nothing much to report, but those weeks are particularly important to meet.

What are some reasons it may be "particularly important" to meet my advisor on weeks where I have nothing to report?

It seems there are at least two distinct scenarios to consider:

1. I have been stuck on a research problem and have not been able to make much progress during the week.
2. I have been busy for non-academic reasons and haven't had much time to do work. (Or maybe I have done academic work, but it's not directly related to something my advisor can help me with.)

I think I understand why it might be important to meet in the first scenario. But what about the second scenario? Does Vakil's advice still apply?

Answer 1

In my experience with my PhD, the first scenario is much more common than the second, and is probably what Vakil has in mind. It is very tempting to want to cancel a supervision meeting rather than admit to my supervisors that I'm not making progress, but those meetings are important because they give me accountability and often help me get past whatever thing is blocking progress. If it's just that things are going slowly but I'm still trucking along, I'll give a quick status update so my supervisors know how I'm getting on and can help me course correct if needed.

If I haven't had many working days between two supervision meetings I'll generally still go to the meeting to have a quick catch up on progress, but those meetings tend to wrap up more quickly as long as I know what I'm doing next.

Answer 2

For MSc and final year project students, rather than PhD students - sometimes students get stuck with something or don't make progress for not academic reasons and if that goes on for a week or two, sometimes they become anxious about meeting with me and admitting they haven't got anything done (they don't need to be anxious - my productivity can be variable as well, we are all human). They then get into a downward spiral of not making progress because they need some help or just to talk things through, so then don't come and see me, so I can't give them help... I have found it is a good idea to have regular weekly meetings just to keep in touch, so the "i haven't got anything done" barrier to communication never gets too high. I have found this works in practice and isn't too much of a hassle and helps the student to know that I am not some kind of ogre after all.

Answer 3

I have been busy for non-academic reasons and haven't had much time to do work. (Or maybe I have done academic work, but it's not directly related to something my advisor can help me with.)

Not working for non-work reasons would often be called a vacation/holiday. Yes, both PhD students and mathematicians are allowed these, although there are different cultural patterns in fields and institutions as to how many and how long they should be. For planned vactions, it's polite to discuss when you'll be away with people you're working with (and academics frequently need reminders), but this would fit into the "exceptional week" bracket.

If you've been ill (but are recovered) then meeting your advisor can be an excellent chance to refocus back on work, as well as offering the advisor a chance to help with non-academic pastoral care. Similarly if you've been doing "stuff" then having a structured meeting on the calendar can help with procrastination.

Finally, if you've been working on something irrelevant to the advisor, then it's definitely still worth discussing this. There is no universal definition of what a PhD is, but it is generally agreed to be something which benefits from support. Either your advisor can help find some else to support your new direction (either temporarily, or permanently) or they can pull you out of the briar patch.

Answer 4

Meet to "refresh" the human connection between the two of you...

Meet for you to get reassurances from your advisor ... that you're doing fine. Presumably they will have seen many students before, but, presumably, this is your first PhD. :) That kind of thing.

Meet to find out that certain confusing things have already been studied, and are not a problem... OR, are the gist of the problem. :)

Answer 5

And also, depending on where you are in the PhD, there might also be room to just run ideas between the two of you - also from advisor to student to get your input on something or discuss an idea for a grant etc.

Answer 6

Other answers seem to omit this:

• Having a set meeting every week with your advisor gives you some external motivation (pressure) to focus on your thesis project.

Even if, with your advisor's blessing, you are busy with other things, it's good to maintain regular communication with your advisor. They can often give you advice about various things, including what to prioritize. (And as an advisor, I like to know what my students are up to, and frequent communication helps build a closer working relationship).

That said, there are certain phases of your studies where it may be less important to meet your advisor every week.

Answer 7

Another thing that has not been mentioned is an advisors duty of care to their supervisees, and their responsiblity to the university to ensure a student continues to engage with their course.

A weekly meeting allows an advisor to check up an a student, see how they are - are they well, are they stressed/depressed/unhealthy. What is their state of mind? Depending on the university this might be either an official or an unofficial duty of an advsior.

We are also required to confirm with the university on a regular basis that we have evidence of a student engaging with their studies. This is usually done by recording a regular meeting with the student. This is not just for the universities benefit, but is also used for overseas students to certify to the government that a student is engaging with their studies, and not just using their degree as a way to get a visa.