Research Higher Degrees: Bad Experiences
Doing a PhD or Masters is a difficult and in many cases painful experience.
Most Supervisors at the University of Tasmania are dedicated and helpful people who want to provide as much support as they can to you the student.
Some are less concerned...
Most Supervisors at the University of Tasmania are dedicated and helpful people who want to provide as much support as they can to you the student.
Some are less concerned...
There was problem with my PhD enrolment (which as it turned out wasn't by fault but a error made by the department). The postgraduate advisor who contacted me about it was so incredibly rude to me. I just couldn't see the need for it.
Reply to this
You're right about a few bad apples, I had the bad luck to be assigned one as my supervisor.
My PhD supervisor Dr S, wrote to me on the cover of my nearly completed thesis saying "I enjoyed reading your thesis".
When it was examined it was failed!
8 years of my life down the drain...
Reply to this
That's so true - there are good PhD supervisors but some incompetent or just lazy. Unfortunately a student's chance of succeeding (or overall stress and suffering) is really dependent on their supervisor. I have heard far too many bad stories from Tas Uni PhD students. One girl I worked with was badly bullied by her supervisor. The head of department knew he was a bully (especially towards women) but wouldn't let her arrange a new supervisor -she had to try and 'resolve' her problem by basically putting up with his unhelpful and derogatory comments. Another academic was notorious for suggesting topics to students which basically couldn't work - so projects either failed or ran overtime. In one School - I've heard of, not one but two, different supervisors who were 'too busy' to read their student's theses!!
Reply to this
True, those are horrible events but I can outdo them I'm afraid.
The University and the Student Union did nothing to help me in my protest against my Supervisor who left on holiday without telling me when he was supposed to read my thesis before submission.
I couldn't even get an extension because I needed his signature and he was off in the South Tasmanian wilderness.
The thesis got a good pass from the American marker and a "not detailed enough, it's a Masters thesis" from the Australian marker.
Because I protested, I ended up with no degree, not a Masters, not a PhD...
Reply to this
Following up on my previous post.
After I got a good pass from the American marker and a "it's a Masters" from the Australian marker, I was to told to revise my thesis and re-submit it to an adjudicator.
I revised the thesis and prior to re-submitting gave an almost complete draft to my Supervisor. He read it and returned it to me and wrote on the front page:
"Dear J. I enjoyed reading your thesis"
I was really happy with this as you can imagine.
Perhaps you can also imagine my disbelief when the Adjudicator FAILED my thesis outright!
No PhD, no Masters.
And no-one gave a damn either.
ps I still have that note from my supervisor on the first page of my thesis
Reply to this
My Phd was a nightmare. My supervisor was hopeless and I wasn't allowed to change. Department heads are more worried about not offending staff than making sure students get a fair go. I still get upset about it.
Reply to this
My issue with UTAS higher degrees was the review process. Every year I would go through an annual review in which my supervisor would say whether my performance was satisfactory and I would say if I had any problems. Then we signed a form. The problem was that he had to say I was OK for my scholarship to continue. He wasn’t going to do that if I said I had problems with him. So every year, I had the same problems which never got fixed. You can tell that the University doesn't care about students or standards when they set up systems like that.
Reply to this
When I made a formal complaint about my supervisor I did all three levels of complaint.
At the first level I complained my supervisor didn't read the final draft of my thesis and provide me with feedback concerning "the suitability and length of the thesis for submission".
Obviously, it was all dismissed.
The third level involves complaints about how your complaints were dealt with (hang in there, it's complicated!) that is, "personal bias in the execution of the complaints process".
I said the Pro-Vice Chancellor Research "did not discuss my complaints with me at all".
That is, he did not talk with me, write to me, or in anyway communicate with me about my complaint. And in marked contrast he spent several hours with my supervisor and gave my supervisor a week "to produce" documents supporting his case. This is fairly clearly a biased approach to a formal complaint.
The three member panel including the then President of the TUU said "So what?"
Remind me again why UTAS sucks?
Reply to this
Sorry, I incorrectly stated in my previous post that the then "President of the TUU" was on that panel. It was the then "President of the Post-Grad Association".
Apologies for this but it was a rather stressful event and I've done my best to forget much of it (although obviously I've still got the documents).
Reply to this
I have been searching furiously for somewhere to vent my anger about UTAS and just found this site. I haven't been able to find anything really relevant to my situation as yet but just wanted to have my say. I did consider making a formal complaint but after reading some of the stuff on here have decided it would be a waste of time just like the 3 years I have already put in at uni. Basically I am a nursing student and have had nothing but hell the whole time! Have slogged my guts out to try and get to my dream career and along the way have had to put up with ridicule, false accusations and absolutely no support or compassion from the majority of the teaching staff. Latest issue I was 2 hours late posting an assignment on MYLO because my son had been extremely ill all week only to be rudely told that a sick child is not a good enough excuse! I am deeply offended by this and am sick to death of being treated like crap by UTAS staff. I now no longer know if I even want to be a nurse I just feel so discouraged. It would take all day to list the problems I have had with the staff over the years but what I do know is that UTAS does not give a crap about their students! I would like to hear from any other nursing students who have had to deal with these types of issues. Most of all I cannot believe that most of these tutors used to be nurses! I certainly wouldn't want them looking after me!
[Moderator: I've used some initials rather than your name, but if you want your name on the comment just post a follow up one to that effect]
Reply to this
Don't just vent up, act! Postgrads may want to participate in this survey...
Survey of Mentors
(This survey takes only less than 1 minute.)
This is a very rough survey among Masters and PhD graduates to get a general evaluation of their mentors and to help prospective postgrad students in choosing a mentor.
To all valid participants, instead of your name, please enter the initials of your mentor, gender of mentor & field of study. You may enter more than 1 mentor (if applicable) but do not enter the same mentor twice. In choosing a rating objectively, think of the mentor's knowledge of the subject matter, allotted time to student, promptness of feedback, helpfulness in the student's progress, etc. You can also add comments. Thank you for your objective and honest participation.
Please click on the link corresponding to the country where you did your post graduate studies.
Survey of Mentors - Australia http://www.doodle.com/y3rpzin62kcnmdet
Survey of Mentors – Belgium http://www.doodle.com/unfq98n5e3prw6in
Survey of Mentors – Finland http://www.doodle.com/x76f8av8frhha7gb
Survey of Mentors – France http://www.doodle.com/xm6z53mp24revc3e
Survey of Mentors – Germany http://www.doodle.com/m7u8iq7z5bv9nray
Survey of Mentors – Japan http://www.doodle.com/37mskzi2u2mn8q7e
Survey of Mentors – Netherlands http://www.doodle.com/9wxvaymxuuf95ve2
Survey of Mentors - South Korea http://www.doodle.com/62msykiwift22ysd
Survey of Mentors - UK http://www.doodle.com/pi4nmv8rusaaqywt
Survey of Mentors – USA http://www.doodle.com/4q4e3fpr6rq6mti8
Reply to this