Blog Series: ALDA Advisors Share Wisdom of Experience – Part Five
by Lori Schroeder | September 30, 2010
For the past four months in 2010, the Ask Doctoral Advising blog published the wisdom of experience of doctoral advisors who serve learners in the comprehensive exam and dissertation stages of Capella University’s doctoral programs. We close our series “ALDA Advisors Share Wisdom of Experience” this month with ALDA supervisor and manager perspectives. They addressed, “What is your signature piece of advice for anyone in a PhD program? What would you share with learners that is absolutely essential for them to know, understand, and do?”
The following is their wisdom of experience:
Tamara Kuchar, manager:
“Your relationship with your mentor will be one of the most important relationships you will have throughout your doctoral journey. Your mentor is not always going to tell you what you want to hear, in fact, many times s/he will tell you that you are not on the right track, or that you need to make some major edits to your proposal; but remember that the mentor is the expert, and always has your best interests in mind. Take the constructive feedback for what it is, and use it to your advantage. If you cultivate this relationship appropriately, you will develop a strong working relationship; if not, this can become a serious obstacle in successfully completing your dissertation. “
Sue Browender, supervisor:
“I have advised learners that developing a strong sense of “stick-to-it-iveness “ and open-mindedness is essential in completing any doctoral program. You will be challenged along the way in this very challenging journey– personally, professionally, academically and in other ways which you may not expect. Be open to those challenges, but always remember to seek out resources and people who can help you along the way. Reflect on, especially during those periodically difficult times, why you are in this program and what your goals are. This, too, may change!”
Christine Keith, supervisor:
“Try not to get in your own way. If you feel passionately about your dissertation, that’s great! Just don’t let that passion get in the way of engaging in constructive dialog with your mentor and/or committee. Being open to hearing different viewpoints and able to incorporate challenging feedback into your work is part of the process of completing a dissertation.”