On Thursday 26th August, 2021 at 2:00pm, I got off the phone with my friend doing a PhD in another institution who explained to me his horrific experiences with his supervisor.
My friend has been struggling to get his family into Australia since he started his PhD journey. Like everyone else he was supposed to apply for an exemption for his wife and child.
Although he had every document required, he needed a letter from his supervisor to support his application but apparently and in his words: "the man does not want to have anything to do with my personal life and my family".
This is the premise of my letter to you. While I understand that there could be many reasons why you might not want to meddle in the personal lives of your students.
This is different.
It is different because, my friend only needed a letter to help him get reunited with his family again since he left Nigeria in 2019.
In the midst of all these, you have continued to push your students to submit the draft of their manuscripts, you hound them with deadlines.
Arguably, your primary responsibility is to ensure that the student progresses academically but how productive will your student be when their mental health is negatively impacted?
These issues are compounded for international students who secure scholarships to study.
Sometimes we are voiceless and powerless because we get caged in the pain of not standing up to you who supported our application to get a scholarship.
Sometimes we mask the pain with the hope that it will get better. If you look deeper, we are bleeding.
Recently, a friend with whom we submitted an application could not ask his supervisor for a reference.
Not because he did not want to but because he did not trust his supervisor to paint a good picture of him as a result of the toxic relationship.
In 2017, a friend of mine on a PhD scholarship in the UK dropped out because of his supervisor. This is sad. This is painful.
After listening to my friend speak today, I reflected on my own experience with my supervisors whom I remain absolutely grateful for.
My supervisors (Dr. @endinequity and Dr. @jodurham19) are a template for what "GOOD SUPERVISORS" should represent. I know this because:
1. Every supervisory meeting I have begins with "Aaron, how is Ezinne (my bride) and Zoe ( my daughter) doing?
2. The meeting ends with "Please say hi to your family for us.
3. If it is a virtual meeting, they will usually say, "Aaron if Zoe is not sleeping, can we see her and say hi?"
4. My principal supervisor sometimes takes time to ask "When is Ezinne starting her PhD? Hope she still has those plans?"
In many meetings, we spend more than 30 minutes discussing family before coming back to my PhD.
Apologies if you feel upset that I have used my supervisors to make a point but I have only had the courage to do this because they are nothing short of AMAZING.
In fact, they have been so kind to me and my family that my bride calls them "MY PHD MOTHERS".
Please do not be shocked by this and No! It is not a breach of professional boundaries but an expression and appreciation of how deep their humanity goes.
As PhD Supervisors, you should be parents to us. You are literally our academic parents who nurture us towards maturity.
My appeal to you today is to adopt a template that works for you in supervising and caring for your PhD students.
Feel free to learn from my supervisors template part of which is shown in point 1-4. Whatever template you choose, "BE HUMAN".
In closing, your duty to your student is to ensure they excel in their PhDs and since health and success are inextricable, it is important you care more for their health without which they cannot function.
If your focus remains ONLY on the number of papers your student can publish with an outright neglect of their wellbeing as is the case of my friend, YOU HAVE FAILED AS A SUPERVISOR.
I do hope you reflect on my letter and treat PhDs better. In my case, I am fortunate as you can see in the attached picture of my supervisor and I.
Thank you for attending to my letter and feel free to share this with your colleagues.
Do you feel the need to share it with others to benefit or do you think sharing with others will limit your chances of having access to the opportunity?
It could be a job, a scholarship, a contract etc.
I apologise with my confronting questions but come with me as I explain the gains of sharing opportunities with others.
In 2017 while undertaking my master's studies in the UK, the Commonwealth Scholarship organised a workshop tagged "Connect and Communicate".
I understand your passionate desire to secure a scholarship. I am here with a few points for you to consider while you work on your applications.
1. Be prepared for rejections. Many will come.
Most scholars who have been successful with many scholarships get baptised with many rejections. The initial rejections are to test you and see if you will give up. The guarantee is that you will secure a scholarship if you keep applying.
However, if you get discouraged and stop applying, the guarantee is that you will NOT get a scholarship. Keep applying.
2. Do not be discouraged by scholarships that have a caveat that you must return to your home country after graduation.
I am still shocked that it is 15years already since you left me down here. How are you holding up and what is happening up there? It has been a crazy time for us this past year because of a deadly virus.
A lot of people died and the world is still suffering from it. At least you do not get to see all that now. I am sorry I always bring you bad news from down here even though I was hoping not to share any more bad news with you this year.
I am sure you, dad and step mum have all met up and perhaps living in the same house up there. I am sure God can organise that for you guys? Remember when I wrote you last year right?
Being a PhD student and new to the research life, the rigorous process of ethical application for a complex study like mine pushed me to my limits.
Although I had very supportive supervisors, they did not spare me in being critical of my work. In fact, my principal supervisor Dr @endinequity will say "Aaron sometimes it is best to be blunt with you about your work".
The bluntness sharpened me and made me more resilient. I took these comments with a smile because I knew it was for my own good.
I know you have been delayed by incessant ASUU strikes. I know you should have graduated by now but you are still stuck. While you feel down, I come with a few words that you can take note of:
1. You have not lost any time and you have not been delayed. This is the time to strengthen your skills.
Take up volunteering and internship positions while you are home and waiting to graduate. Remember that they will boost your CV and SOPs in the future.
2. Do not rush, we will not run out of international scholarships. They are always there for you. Make a deliberate list of the scholarships you want to apply for when you graduate.
Look at their eligibility criteria. What are they? Do they need IELTS, GRE, TOEFL?