As a supervisor, you get quite a few people looking to do PhDs with you. However, just because some expresses interest in doing a PhD with you doesn’t mean that they should or even that you should agree to be their supervisor. The following questions are to help you determine whether you should agree to supervise a prospective PhD student or not. The better you can assess which people are better suited for you to supervise, the better their PhD projects will become. If you wait until they’ve already become PhD students with you, then you may find that doing a PhD (and doing it with you) is not really a good idea for some of them and that will lead to a much harder 4 or 5 years for both you and the student. For example, some people want to do a PhD but don’t really know what a PhD is. All they know is that it is a very prestigious degree. While wanting to do a PhD is great, if you don’t know what you’re getting into, then you have a much higher chance of becoming dissatisfied with it, which makes completing it much harder.
It is essential that supervisors evaluate doctoral students carefully, but it is also important that students demonstrate their research skills and knowledge (Look @ http://linkedin.com/in/maher-lazreg-a771ab2b4 - Honors and Awards section). As supervisors, we can provide advice and support to help students overcome the challenges of doctoral study.
Additionally, some students may have the potential to succeed in a doctoral program even if they do not initially understand all aspects of the research topic. With continued guidance, they can develop the necessary skills and knowledge over time. It is our responsibility as supervisors to support and encourage them to explore their potential and provide them with the guidance and resources necessary to support their growth and development throughout their journey in the doctoral program.
- Badges
- Science topic
- Similar topics
- Philosophy
- Philosophy Of Science
- Reasoning