WTF: PhD Abusive Advisors: Avoiding Them and Dealing With Them When They Can't Be Avoided

In her over five years of working with graduate students, Dr. Jaime Hough has coached too many students through the process of getting their degree in spite of an advisor that was actively blocking them. Some of these advisors were simply negligent while others were actively harmful. However, the only support that existed for graduate students stuck with an advisor that wasn't supportive was a whisper network of which offices and faculty on campus were safe to reach out to.On top of that, because the relationship between a graduate student and their advisor is one built on constructive critique as part of professional development, many graduate students struggle to tell when that critique has crossed the line from normal to abusive.Knowing that the best way to manage an abusive advisor is to not have one, Dr. Hough adapted 15 of the most common signs of abuse in a romantic relationship to realistic academic scenarios a graduate student might encounter.For graduate students who are still putting together a committee, this book offers practical advice to spot advisors who may become abusive and avoiding them.For graduate students who believe that their advisor may be abusive, this book offers examples on how to tell the difference between professional critique and abusive rhetoric.Finally, for graduate students who feel stuck with an abusive advisor, this book offers practical advice to keep your sanity and your career in tact. Read more