A strong advisor-advisee relationship is important for a successful graduate student experience. The following information is meant to help graduate students to:
Understand the advising process
Set clear expectations and build a constructive relationship with their advisors
Learn how to seek out other mentors
This guide also offers strategies for effectively addressing challenges and accessing additional resources when needed.
Graduate School Advising Requirement
At the University of Rochester, graduate students have a graduate advisor who is a faculty member in the student’s department or program. PhD students working on their dissertation have a dissertation advisor.
NOTE: The process for selecting an advisor differs between programs. Please see your program’s graduate handbook for more information on selecting an advisor.
Definitions
Advisor
An “advisor” can refer to people in different roles in your academic experience. An academic advisor guides you in selecting coursework and making sure you keep up with your academic requirements. A research or dissertation advisor supervises your research efforts, monitors your progress, and provides general guidance and support.
Principal Investigator (PI)
Often your PI is your advisor, but not always. The role of a PI is more specific to research projects funded by grants. Your PI is responsible for the preparation, conduct, and administration of a research grant, cooperative agreement, training or public service project, contract, or other sponsored project.
Mentor
This is a more informal position—no professor is designated as your mentor. A mentor provides extra guidance and support beyond academic supervision, offering advice on research, career development, and navigating the challenges of graduate school. Your advisor is often your mentor, but any professor, postdoc, or senior graduate student can be a mentor. It is a good idea to seek out multiple mentors in addition to your advisor.
Advisor Relationships
Understanding Faculty Roles and Responsibilities
Faculty members often juggle various roles and responsibilities. These may include teaching, advising students at both undergraduate and graduate levels, conducting research, writing grants and publications, reviewing student work, serving on committees, and fulfilling professional obligations.
Junior faculty additionally face pressures related to tenure and maintaining an active research agenda. Senior faculty, as their prominence grows, experience increasing demands on their time. Faculty also have personal commitments outside of work.
When choosing a faculty advisor, inquire about their plans at the University and their availability for regular check-up meetings with you. This way, they can better support you during key milestones in your graduate career.
Choosing an Advisor
Prior to choosing an advisor, PI, or mentor, it's important to think about your needs, know what to look for, and know how to go about making your selections.
What should I look for in an advisor?
Identify what you need from an advisor. Write down what qualities and support you need, considering academic guidance as well as non-academic support. If you need help, you can also ask more senior graduate students questions about what is important to look for in an advisor in your discipline.
When do I select my first advisor?
You might be assigned a faculty advisor before you arrive, or you could start your program with a faculty member you met during the application process. The process for selecting an advisor differs from department to department. For specific guidelines, see your department’s graduate handbook.
How do I find an advisor?
Get to know faculty through courses, seminars, and events. Speak with advanced students about their experiences and ask about potential advisors. If you need help selecting an advisor, contact your department’s director of graduate study.
Meeting with your Advisor
Having effective meetings with your advisor is important for a positive graduate experience. Here are several suggestions for effective meetings. These strategies are meant to help communication, clarify goals, and develop a constructive advisor-student relationship. These suggestions also apply to meetings with your PI. Many can even apply to meetings with a mentor.
First Meeting
Develop clear expectations with your advisor. It's recommended that you and your advisor look over and sign an Advisor Framework Agreement. The Advisor Framework Agreement is a tool for faculty advisors and graduate student advisees to guide a conversation about shared expectations about their collaboration. The framework covers a variety of aspects of research work expectations, including communication, mentorship, timelines for milestones and goals, authorship, and feedback. Both a STEM and humanities version are available to better suit the needs of any advisor-advisee relationship.
Identify what you need from an advisor. Write down what qualities and support you need, considering academic guidance and non-academic support.
Establish your advisor’s expectations of you. Clearly communicate your questions, expectations, and goals with your advisor.
Subsequent Meetings
Think about what specific results you want from your interactions with your advisor. Establish a regular meeting schedule.
Frequency of Meetings: Some students meet with advisors weekly, while others meet only a few times per semester. It’s a good idea to be proactive about setting expectations for how often you should meet.
Modes of Communication: Ask your advisor if they prefer email, virtual meetings, or in-person discussions. Some advisors may prefer scheduled meetings, while others are comfortable with drop-in conversations.
Setting Boundaries: Advisors have different preferences regarding availability outside regular hours. Establishing clear expectations early on can help avoid misunderstandings.
Make sure any material you are talking about is prepared beforehand and emailed to your advisor in advance.
Regular Updates: Update your progress as each semester continues. And or as significant changes occur, including plans for fellowships, grant proposals, and professional development.
Addressing Challenges: If you are overwhelmed at times with research or grading, it’s typically best to be open about your challenges. If your advisor is unaware of your challenges, they may not be able to help.
Challenges and Potential Solutions
A positive graduate experience depends not only on academic progress but also on effective communication and overcoming challenges. Navigating challenges in expectations, availability, and feedback styles can make a significant difference in your overall well-being and success.
Below are some common challenges graduate students face with their advisors, along with potential solutions that can be helpful to maintain a productive and supportive working relationship. Many potential solutions are preemptive so it’s important to try to practice them before encountering challenges.
Mismatch in Communication Needs/Style
Some advisors want their students to be independent, others are involved in their students’ research. Some advisors only want to comment on a paper once a complete draft is available, others are willing to offer comments along the way.
Potential solutions include:
Early communication between the student and advisor about what is helpful for the student and how the professor can best provide feedback.
Professors can go on sabbatical and often have their own deadlines.
Potential solutions include:
Asking about contingency plans before these events occur.
Check if another faculty member (perhaps another member of your dissertation committee) or mentor can provide guidance during their absence.
Misaligned Expectations
The advisor expects the student to prioritize publishing early in their program, but the student feels overwhelmed with coursework or personal commitments. The student expects the advisor will provide extensive career guidance, while the advisor focuses only on academic progress. The advisor expects the student to follow a strict research schedule, while the student requires more flexibility due to family obligations or other life events.
Potential solutions include:
During the first meetings, discuss what each of you expect in terms of workload, communication, feedback timelines, and research goals. Discuss which tasks and goals are the student’s responsibility and which are the advisor’s responsibility.
To find mentors in graduate school, consider the specific guidance you need and actively seek out individuals who can offer that support. Talk to fellow students, faculty, and even those outside your department or the University. Look for opportunities to connect with people who share your interests or who have valuable insights into your career goals.
Identify Your Needs
Academic Mentorship—Seek out additional faculty and staff members who can guide your academic journey, provide feedback, and help you navigate your graduate school experience.
Career Mentorship—Connect with UR alumni and professionals who can help you explore career possibilities, build your network, and prepare for the job market.
Personal Mentorship—Find other individuals who can offer support and guidance on personal challenges and help you navigate graduate school life. This could include postdocs, more senior graduate students, etc.
Seek Out Potential Mentors
Talk to Current Students—Speak with your peers about their mentorship experience, attend social events, and make new connections.
Engage with Faculty—Attend departmental seminars, research presentations, and events to learn about faculty members and their interests. Also consider attending interdepartmental and transdisciplinary events.
Join Professional Organizations—Participate in professional organizations and attend their events to meet potential mentors in your field.
Support and Resources
Strong advisor-advisee and faculty relationships are key to a positive graduate experience, but challenges can still arise. Whether you need support with communication, conflict resolution, accessibility, or career planning, the following resources can help you navigate graduate school successfully.
Advisor Framework Agreement
A formal tool available through the University to outline expectations between students and their advisors (STEM and humanities/social science versions available).
Department Graduate Student Handbook
Each program has unique policies regarding academic progress, advising, and committee formation. Be sure to review your program’s graduate student handbook thoroughly for information specific to your department. It contains department-specific policies on advising, including processes for selecting and changing advisors and specifies some of the roles that an advisor takes on.
Director of Graduate Studies (DGS)
Every program has a faculty member that serves as their DGS. The DGS can be a resource for guidance on selecting an advisor, resolving conflicts, and changing advisors if necessary.
Contacts in the GEPA Office
Our staff are here to help answer your questions and work through concerns, including the dean of graduate education and postdoctoral affairs, the assistant dean, and the assistant director of student services. See the GEPA contact information page and feel free to reach out to us directly.
