“Your
advisor or Major Professor helps you plan your course of study and monitors
your progress in the program. Your advisor helps you choose courses, develop
the topic of your master’s thesis (if you are writing a thesis—see the Graduate
Student Handbook for more details) or prepare the reading list for your comprehensive
examination (if you are taking a comprehensive examination—see the Graduate
Student Handbook for more details). Your advisor should be knowledgeable about
your area of interest and be someone with whom you can work productively and
professionally. Talk to your advisor at least twice a semester about your progress.
Your advisor also conducts your Academic Review.”
Although it may not seem very elevated, one of the essential parts
of advising is the signing of forms. Being a graduate student involves securing
many signatures, and the most important forms require the signature of an
advisor, including the form that indicates that you have completed the
requirements for your degree. More importantly, advisors write letters of
recommendation for graduate students, which are essential when applying for
jobs, fellowships, and scholarships. Without strong letters of recommendation,
it is very difficult, if not impossible, to obtain funding as a graduate
student or an academic job.
FAQ: “Do I really need an
advisor?”
Answer: Yes. Advisors
are not optional.
It is not possible to earn a graduate degree without an
officially designated advisor. The earlier a student acquires an advisor, the
better.
Given the
essential nature of an advisor for a graduate student’s success, you might
expect that universities would assign advisors automatically to students. But
such is not the case. Part of the explanation may lie in tradition. For better
or for worse, universities are archaic institutions that still rely on social
practices that have become largely extinct in other workplaces. In a business
context, clerks (“customer service providers”) provide services or products to
customers in return for a fee. Customers who pay the fee are entitled to expect
that the promised service or product is delivered in the manner advertised by
the business.
The
relationship between an advisor and an advisee, in contrast, is more similar to
an apprenticeship—a once common institution that is now nearly extinct in our
society, except in universities and some very specialized trades. Students who
pay tuition to a university have a right to expect what the university
promises, including access to courses and university facilities and the
possibility of fulfilling requirements that can lead to an academic degree.
Students also have the right to enroll in any course, provided that they have
the necessary prerequisites and space is available in the class.
In
contrast, the advisor/advisee relationship is one that is established through
mutual consent. Graduate students must take the initiative to invite professors
to be their advisors, and professors may or may not be able to oblige. No given professor can be required to work as
an advisor with any given student, and no student can be required to work as an
advisee with any given professor. A student may decide not to work with a given advisor or to cease working with a given
advisor. But students do not thereby have the right to be the advisees of
whichever professor they please.
Whether
an advisor and an advisee decide to work together depends on a number of
different factors, the most important of which is mutual respect. As
the Graduate Student Handbook puts it, “Your advisor should be knowledgeable
about your area of interest and be someone with whom you can work productively
and professionally.”
FAQ: “How do I
choose an advisor?”
Answer: If
you are a PhD student, you were assigned an advisor when you enrolled. If you
are an MA student in the Public History specialization, your advisor is the
coordinator of the Public History Program.
If
you are not a PhD student or an MA student in the Public History specialization,
you need to take it upon yourself to find an advisor.
The
Graduate Student Handbook provides the following guidelines:
- “Select an advisor who publishes in the field of
history you are most interested in and with whom you have a good
collaborative relation.”
- “Select someone who is enthusiastic about your
work and readily offers help.”
- "Approach someone you respect as a
scholar/teacher.”
Remember that
it is your responsibility as a student to take the initiative to find an
advisor. The Department can urge you to find an advisor, and the Director of
Graduate Studies can offer suggestions, but the Department cannot require a
given professor to work with a given student, or vice versa.
The best
source of information about professors will always be other graduate students.
Web sites and CVs will give you the basic information you need to know about a professor’s
areas of interest and achievements. But if you want to know about the
personality of the professor, you should consult your fellow graduate students.
If you are new to the program and don’t know whom to ask, you can ask the DGS
for suggestions of names of students you might contact.
The most obvious candidates for advisors are the professors from whom you have already taken or are currently taking a course. If you find that you work well with a given professor, keep the professor in mind as a potential advisor. The best time to approach a professor in such circumstances is usually immediately after you have received your final grade in the course. The longer you wait, the more the professor’s recollection of you is likely to fade.
But do
not limit yourself to professors from whom you have taken courses. Explore the
departmental web site and consult other graduate students. Graduate
students should not feel awkward in any way about approaching professors about
the possibility of serving as advisors. All professors have had advisors
themselves, and they are thoroughly familiar with the process.
FAQ: “How do I approach a professor about the possibility of serving as an advisor?”
Answer: There is
no single best way to approach a professor about the possibility of serving as
your advisor.
The answer varies depending on the personality of the professor
and the student.
I
recommend that you begin by writing an email or putting a letter in the mailbox
of the professor. In that initial communication, you should introduce yourself
briefly, describe your research interests, explain why you think that you would
benefit from the advising of the professor in question, and conclude by
requesting a meeting.
If you would like, the DGS can make an introduction, but the responsibility is yours to initiate the process.
Offer to
share your curriculum vitae and graduate transcript in advance, as well as an
example of your work—ideally, a research paper based on primary sources. If the
professor does not wish to see this material advance, bring it with you to your
appointment and offer it at that time.
If you
are considering writing an MA thesis, you should be able to state the proposed
topic of your thesis concisely (for example, “marketwomen in nineteenth-century
Jamaica” or “the relationship between Progressive Republicans and Socialists in
Wisconsin in the early twentieth century”) in your meeting with the potential
advisor. Be prepared to explain why the
topic interests you and why you feel qualified to produce new historical
knowledge about the topic. Be ready to
discuss possible primary sources and to explain how your work would engage with
existing, relevant scholarship. Finally, be prepared to explain why you think
your work on the topic could benefit from advising by the professor in
question.
If you
are considering a comprehensive exam, be prepared to suggest possible topics
for reading lists. The Graduate Student Handbook provides the requirements for
comprehensive exams.
Be
prepared to be flexible. The topic of a thesis or comprehensive exam list is
often the result of a compromise between the student’s interests and the professor’s
expertise. When you have that conversation, be clear about what you want to do,
but also be prepared to listen to the professor’s advice. A professor can give you advice on matters
such as how to frame a topic in ways that take advantage of available sources
or intersect with current trends in scholarship.
Remember
that “know-it-alls” rarely produce original research, and they are also very
annoying to others. This is true of professors, and it is also true of graduate
students.
Questions
that a potential advisor may ask include the following:
- What primary sources exist for this topic?
- How would your work on this topic contribute to
the field (colonial North America, modern Latin America, colonial Africa,
etc.)?
- What are the relevant secondary sources?
- When do you intend to defend the thesis or take
the comprehensive exam?
- Do you have the necessary knowledge and skills
to undertake research on this topic?
- How did you become interested in this topic, and
what interests you about the topic now?
Questions
that a potential advisee might ask of a potential advisor include the
following:
- Do you feel comfortable advising a thesis or
comprehensive exam on this topic?
- Do you have an approaching sabbatical or other
form of leave that might prevent you from serving from my advisor during
my time as a graduate student?
- What are the names of your recent or current
advisees?
- What are your expectations for advisees?
Once a
professor agrees to be your advisor, you should both complete and seen the
“Advisor Designation and Academic Review Form.” (See below.)
FAQ: “What If I have
never taken a course with the professor?”
Answer: If you
have not had an opportunity to take a course from a given professor, you can
still ask the professor to be your advisor. Ask if you can make an appointment
with the professor so that you can introduce yourself and discuss your
interests. Offer to share your curriculum vitae (CV or résumé) or graduate
transcript in advance, as well as an example of your work—ideally, a research
paper based on primary sources.
Whether
the professor will accept you as an advisee depends on the professor and her or his evaluation of the promise of your topic. Some professors will not work with any student who
has not taken a course previously from them. If the professor says as much,
consider asking the professor whether they could consider doing an independent
study before making a decision.
FAQ: “How is the choice of an
advisor relevant for my prospects as a candidate for a scholarship, future
graduate study, or a job?”
Answer: When
potential employers or admissions committees for graduate schools evaluate
candidates with a BA, they generally
focus on the quality of the applicants’ grades, extracurricular activities,
letters of recommendation, and the quality of the college or university where
the applicants their degrees. Those criteria also matter to committees who are
evaluating job or fellowship applicants with MA or a PhD. But in the relatively
rarefied world of academe, the identity of the advisor can also carry a great
deal of weight. Ultimately, what matters most to committees is the quality of
an applicant’s work and teaching. But for better or for worse, a positive letter
of recommendation from a prestigious and powerful advisor will often make a
greater impression than an equally positive letter from a lesser known author.
FAQ: “When should I
seek out an advisor?”
Answer: Even
before you apply to graduate school, you should think carefully about potential
advisors. The quality of advising is probably the most important criterion that
a potential student should consider before enrolling in a graduate program.
Once you
begin your graduate education, it is imperative that you find an advisor as
soon as possible.
In the
History Department, you should secure an advisor no later than the first
semester after you have earned 9 credits toward completion of your degree, the
deadline by which MA students are to complete their “academic reviews.” Most
graduate students complete the review no later than the end of their third
semester in the program.
FAQ: “What paperwork
is required?”
Answer: Advisors
and advisees are required to complete and sign an “Advisor Designation and Academic Review Form” and
return it to the Director of Graduate Studies.
The form may be downloaded from the departmental web site:
FAQ: “Can I change
advisors?”
Answer: Yes. The
Graduate Student Handbook provides the following advice:
“As your
interests become more focused and you progress through your program, you may
find that you want to change advisors, which is not uncommon. If you want to
change advisors, ask the faculty member you want to work with if he or she is
willing to be your advisor Explain the reason for your request. If the faculty
member agrees, tell the Director of Graduate Studies. You also need to let your
old advisor know about the change.”
FAQ: "I feel like I have tried all the above, and I am losing hope."
Answer: Do not lose hope. The DGS will help you to find an answer. But do start by making a good faith effort on your own initiative. A big part of success in academe lies in being able to clarify your thoughts, confront your years, and stick up for your itself. You can do it!
FAQ: "I feel like I have tried all the above, and I am losing hope."
Answer: Do not lose hope. The DGS will help you to find an answer. But do start by making a good faith effort on your own initiative. A big part of success in academe lies in being able to clarify your thoughts, confront your years, and stick up for your itself. You can do it!
Some Final Dos and
Don’ts
Do be independent. It can be exhausting to advise a student who needs approval or validation at every single step of the process. A professor can offer you advice on important questions but, ultimately, you are responsible for making the crucial decisions for yourself.
Do be determined. It is discouraging to advise a graduate student who is easily discouraged. Everyone can have a lousy day in the archives. The best historians pick themselves up and keep on trying or find a more productive research strategy.
Do be polite—and expect the same treatment in return. It should be superfluous to say this but, in this day and age, it never hurts to emphasize. If you are trying to convince a professor to be your advisor, it can only help to treat that person with the same degree of respect that you would demand for yourself.
Do not ask professors to work with you
on topics that fall outside their areas of expertise. The departmental web site
gives brief descriptions of each professor’s research and teaching interests as
well as a list of recent publications. Professors vary somewhat in the range of
topics that they are willing to advise. For better or worse, some have a very
expansive idea of their capacities, while others have a narrower vision. When
in doubt, you can always ask professors if they would be willing to advise a
thesis or comprehensive exam on a particular topic. You are more likely to
receive a positive response, however, if you first demonstrate some familiarity
with the information about the professor that is readily available to you on
the departmental web site.
Do not
wait “until the
last minute” to find an advisor. When professors are considering whether to
take on a given student as an advisee, among the things they least want to hear
is, “I picked you because the Department says I need an advisor now, and I
couldn’t think of anyone else.”
Do not
be wishy-washy. Until the
1960s, many graduate advisors determined the research topics of their advisees.
Graduate students themselves often had little or no say in the matter.
Fortunately, that time has passed, and the vast majority of graduate students
have much more say in determining the nature of their research.
While
this new state of affairs gives greater independence to graduate students, it
also gives them greater responsibility. Students have a right to expect advice,
but they cannot expect to have research topics plopped in their laps.
When
potential advisees come to me and tell me that they cannot make up their minds
about a research topic for a thesis, my response is to tell the students to go
home and return when they have developed a topic. Students who cannot devise research topics on their own or who are not
sufficiently interested in any single topic are probably better off taking a comprehensive exam, which addresses a broader array of topics.
