onliner
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« on: July 08, 2009, 04:26:55 PM » |
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How do you deal with unresponsive dissertation chair? A friend has been working on his PhD online for close to 6 years. Almost three years of course work and the rest working on his proposal (70 pages and counting). She had to fire her initial chair because of unresponsiveness for one and a half years. Her second chair defers to other committee members without trying to offer his own advise. Recently, she was asked to defend the proposal where it was practically torn apart although none of the raised were ever asked during the review process. Also her last proposal review with comments prior to her scheduled defense was never made available to her and has still not been made available. She was told to come back and re-defend with about 8 corrections. This chair does not respond. My friend was never advised how to defend. The chair simply left her hanging. How do you deal with such chair? A previous complaint to the dissertation director resulted in no change of behavior according to my friend. She is frustrated. Any advise? Any thoughts? My friend is becoming a wreck after putting so much effort.
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london1
Singin' Songs of the 70s in my Car, I'm Still a
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 4,431
Sitting cross-legged on the floor. 25 or 6 to 4.
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« Reply #1 on: July 08, 2009, 04:35:25 PM » |
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You will likely find more help on the graduate student board: http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php?board=42.0 |
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"Years ago my mother used to say...in this world, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant. Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant...."
- Elwood P. Dowd
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larryc
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« Reply #2 on: July 08, 2009, 04:38:09 PM » |
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Perhaps she should ask one of the people who tore apart her proposal to become chair? At least that person reads and responds.
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What an unnecessary train wreck. |
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fiona
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« Reply #3 on: July 08, 2009, 04:52:10 PM » |
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I think your "friend" is getting the passive-aggressive we-don't-want-you-in-our-club message.
My suggestion to you: please proofread more carefully. You've switched your friend's gender from he to she, and you need to spell "advice" correctly. If your friend has similar writing difficulties, that could be part of the committee's unresponsiveness.
The Fiona
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The Fiona or perhaps La Fiona
Professor of Thread Killing, Fiork University
The Right Reverend Fiona, PhD, Bishop of the Fora
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minidonut
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« Reply #4 on: July 08, 2009, 09:19:38 PM » |
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Wouldn't it be more effective if your friend - who, after all, is the only one who really knows what happened/is happening - posted the query him/herself?
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pocksuppet
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« Reply #5 on: July 08, 2009, 09:25:18 PM » |
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My suggestion to you: please proofread more carefully. You've switched your friend's gender from he to she, and you need to spell "advice" correctly. If your friend has similar writing difficulties, that could be part of the committee's unresponsiveness.
This is why this was posted to the "Two-Body Problem" forum. The friend has two bodies; one is male and the other female. |
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Of course I'm cranky. Somebody's hand is up my ass!
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onliner
New member
Posts: 3
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« Reply #6 on: July 10, 2009, 12:48:33 PM » |
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Thank you all for those that responded. My friend is angry with me because I was the one that strongly recommended this school against her initial choice. I wrote my last post after a serious bout of "it’s your fault" type of blame and I needed help on how this could be addressed. During the heat of the moment, I wrote the post and failed on my part to edit it and or spell check before the send key was pressed. There was no need for sarcasm on the part of those who tried to make my error an issue with my question. We all make errors and none of us here can truly say they have not made an editorial error at one point in their life. In any case I appreciate the response. Hopefully, my relationship can still be rehabilitated with my friend. I was only trying to find fresh ideas to pass on to her other than my own which obviously has been discredited at least now.
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fiona
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« Reply #7 on: July 15, 2009, 02:19:44 PM » |
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Definitely time for a "Goodby, cruel fora." Your problems are all my fault.
The Fiona
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The Fiona or perhaps La Fiona
Professor of Thread Killing, Fiork University
The Right Reverend Fiona, PhD, Bishop of the Fora
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tinyzombie
She hides the stars under her hair, and is a
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 1,242
elevate from this point on - chuck d
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« Reply #8 on: July 15, 2009, 02:23:49 PM » |
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Thank you all for those that responded. My friend is angry with me because I was the one that strongly recommended this school against her initial choice. I wrote my last post after a serious bout of "it’s your fault" type of blame and I needed help on how this could be addressed. During the heat of the moment, I wrote the post and failed on my part to edit it and or spell check before the send key was pressed. There was no need for sarcasm on the part of those who tried to make my error an issue with my question. We all make errors and none of us here can truly say they have not made an editorial error at one point in their life. In any case I appreciate the response. Hopefully, my relationship can still be rehabilitated with my friend. I was only trying to find fresh ideas to pass on to her other than my own which obviously has been discredited at least now.
<playing the world's tiniest violin to accompany the GCF> |
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Do not use those analysis skills which you have been developing to probe deeply into things which have no inner meaning. -glowdart
Your moniker is totally warping my mental rendition of one of my favorite Elton John songs. -csguy
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inthelab
Where beloved molecules abide
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 3,647
Who knew?
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« Reply #9 on: July 15, 2009, 02:24:36 PM » |
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How do you fire your diss chair? I never heard of that.
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When you wish upon a falling star, your dreams can come true. Unless it's really a meteorite hurtling to the Earth, which will destroy all life. Then you're pretty much hosed no matter what you wish for. Unless it's death by meteor.
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dellaroux
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« Reply #10 on: July 15, 2009, 02:52:57 PM » |
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You get another one, and then you tell the first one that you have found someone to work with whose research interests are closer to yours, or something equally innocuous.
But you only do it when you know they're not reading what you give them, don't understand it, don't agree at all with your political/theological/philosophical stance, etc.
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Pax in terra choreagibus
Ballo non bello parare
How am I?: There are four levels: Alive, Alert, Awake and Functioning. Right now, I'm standing upright and moving forward.
We are gifted superfluously--the cosmos is more generous than we can ask or imagine.
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madhatter
We proudly present the fora's Least
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Posts: 1,710
Just killing time
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« Reply #11 on: July 15, 2009, 02:59:23 PM » |
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I did it. My first chair/adviser was the poster child for introversion. He only came into work between 9 PM and 4 AM, so as not to be bothered by students and other humans. (Since I needed to work in his lab and still attend classes during the day, this messed up my sleep schedule something fierce.) He hated human interaction so he demanded that his 'advising' of me be done through memos exchanged through the departmental mailroom.
I sent him a memo with a bunch of questions to get me started on writing my thesis. I had never written a thesis before and had some anxiety about doing it right. One question was about the literature review -- how exhaustive should it be? His response was, and I quote, "Confine your reading to relevant literature. Do not read irrelevant literature."
I figured I could get the same or better quality of advisement elsewhere with less condescension, so I fired him.
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"It's not enough to bash in heads; you've got to bash in minds." --Captain Hammer
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sciencephd
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« Reply #12 on: July 15, 2009, 03:03:20 PM » |
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How do you deal with unresponsive dissertation chair? A friend has been working on his PhD online for close to 6 years.
So it is an online program ? Is it from a B&M school with a good reputation ? |
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I just hate it that I constantly have to like everyone and everything. -- moonstone
O, what a hateful feminist concoction!
Jews, communists, "lesbians", feminists and marihuana addicts --Pyshnov
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onliner
New member
Posts: 3
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« Reply #13 on: July 16, 2009, 03:54:52 PM » |
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So it is an online program ? Is it from a B&M school with a good reputation ?
[/quote]
It used to be part of a B & M School before it was sold as a stand alone institution. It is regionally accredited.
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sciencephd
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« Reply #14 on: July 16, 2009, 05:25:50 PM » |
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She needs to contact the director of graduate studies, and explain what is going on, and ask for some resolution.
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I just hate it that I constantly have to like everyone and everything. -- moonstone
O, what a hateful feminist concoction!
Jews, communists, "lesbians", feminists and marihuana addicts --Pyshnov
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