63
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Should I bring a gift for my supervisor based in a university in Central Europe?
I agree with @Arno and @Marianne013's answers, but - if you're joining a research team, you could consider some kind of a mass token-gift. For example: Some confection/candy from your country which ...
- 40.8k
30
votes
Accepted
Should I bring a gift for my supervisor based in a university in Central Europe?
PhD students giving gifts to their supervisors is not a part of (central) European academic culture. Thus, there should be no expectation that you bring anything.
Giving a gift with substantial ...
- 48.7k
22
votes
Should I bring a gift for my supervisor based in a university in Central Europe?
The short answer is no, you shouldn't.
The slightly longer answer is that it is not uncommon for students to bring their supervisors token gifts (e.g. tea, sweets etc) from their home countries at the ...
- 1,734
13
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Is it possible that the committee contacts only one reference while applicants need to provide two?
Yes, sometimes committees are lazy and only check one of the two. Sometimes they check both, but not at the same time (e.g., one in the first round of selection and the second only for the final ...
- 11.8k
7
votes
Is it possible that the committee contacts only one reference while applicants need to provide two?
To answer the final question in the body of your post, there is nothing to do. The answer of Significance explains why, along with answering the headline question. Put another way, the committee (or ...
- 399k
6
votes
Should I bring a gift for my supervisor based in a university in Central Europe?
Personal gifts have different meanings in different cultures.
In Central Europe, you are not expected to give gifts in this situation. First, to be acceptable, the value of a gift in Central Europe ...
- 25.3k
6
votes
How to address perceived inadequate supervision of junior colleagues by a senior peer?
Talk to them. It doesn’t matter how unsure you are about approaching them, talk to them before this escalates any further.
Now, I cannot say how justified your criticism is but the way you are ...
- 3,972
4
votes
Navigating a Difficult Recommendation Letter Situation for PhD Applications
Options 2 and 3 are much bigger red flags than option 1. I would absolutely not take on a student who used a referee they didn’t trust and then argued with the reference they received, whether in ...
- 11.8k
4
votes
How to balance what the accepted wisdom demands vs. what the conscience demands in advising young trainees?
Sometimes, I'm conflicted when advising for multiple reasons (for example, when I have a personal interest in the matter, etc. )
What I have done, which has always worked for me is that I don't offer ...
- 651
4
votes
Would it be reasonable to ask my potential PhD advisor my chances for being accepted?
You can ask, certainly, but unless the supervisor has sole authority to admit you, which happens some places, then expect a noncommittal and largely uninformative answer.
Since there is a committee, I'...
- 399k
3
votes
Would it be reasonable to ask my potential PhD advisor my chances for being accepted?
Asking about "chances to be accepted" specifically is not a good idea. On the one hand estimating this is undoubtedly very difficult, on the other hand it wouldn't actually be useful for you ...
- 48.7k
3
votes
Should I bring a gift for my supervisor based in a university in Central Europe?
Do not bring it to your supervisor specifically, but to the research group. I have visited and stayed with several research groups during the past few years and I always brought sweets (pre-packaged, ...
- 651
2
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How to address perceived inadequate supervision of junior colleagues by a senior peer?
If you are a (relatively) junior person yourself, anything you do that would be construed as an attack on the senior person is extremely risky. Even publicly complaining or complaining to higher ...
- 399k
1
vote
5th year PhD student with no publications. How to proceed?
To me, the most important issue in your post is that you don't have a research project and the advisor seems unwilling or unable to get you to a viable one. In a highly theoretical field (mine was ...
- 399k
1
vote
Should I bring a gift for my supervisor based in a university in Central Europe?
look up what you can acutally take with you... don't make a big fuss about it.
just bring something small, like 2 bars of chocolate and a big bag of candy that you liked as a kid or something.
Bring ...
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1
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What are some good things to make explicit between a student and their supervisor when beginning a PhD?
How often will you meet and what is expected on each side at these meetings?
How long should you work on a problem before asking for help?
What are the formal milestones along the way?
Do you agree on ...
- 11.8k
1
vote
Would it be reasonable to ask my potential PhD advisor my chances for being accepted?
Where I work, we don’t charge students admission fees but do require them to line up an advisor before they apply. “What are my chances?” is a question that most students have, even if it is just ...
- 11.8k
1
vote
Would it be reasonable to ask my potential PhD advisor my chances for being accepted?
A counter-view from other answers: At first glance a professor might say "well you should try" - but given the application fees and their affordability, you have a sensible, justified reason ...
- 11.3k
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