I got a professor who agreed to be my MS. thesis adviser (no funding). We agreed on a thesis topic. This summer, she left for abroad and before leaving we discussed thesis topic again, and I mentioned 3 possibilities. She did not object.
Later I sent her a proposal and she rejected it. This is something we’ve been discussing all along so it’s kind of a surprise. She wanted me to work on another project for one of her PhD student. It’s not in my interest area, nor expertise. I mentioned this and never got any response from her again, be it email, Slack, whatever. I had to have her PhD student get my words through to her somehow.
It’s not the end of the world for me. I can always go on a course only option and get my Masters, but that’ll take one more semester. I guess I’m just really frustrated at her lack of care, total unprofessional-ism, and lack of communication. She’s an assistant professor and is always away on trips, giving talks, etc…At this point I doubt I want to work with her anymore but I’m so angry at the unequal relationship and utter disrespect she’s shown by totally ignoring me, even to small requests like setting up a short meeting when she comes back ( for closure, if anything).
I want to file a complaint on her. Will this affect her chance of getting tenure?
Why would you purposely choose someone who is always away on trips, giving talks, etc. as a thesis advisor?
At my university, we were not allowed to choose a thesis advisor who was not tenured, nor a full professor. We were also required to submit a one-page synopsis of each research project proposal to our advisor. Then, the advisor would steer us to the appropriate professors for supervision of the thesis. We were able to maintain the same advisor throughout the process.
You said you
She’s proved to you that she is/was busy.
Her area of expertise is not the area that you wanted to do your research.
She tried to tell you what she needs done by having you work with HER Ph.D student. Have you even read/checked your research guidelines packet (what you can and cannot do during research and subjects’ use)?
You want to file a complaint before you even begin the thesis process? Who will be willing to be on your committee after you file the complaint?
Do you know how many people complain about their professors? Why do you think you have a right to vindictively affect her career? Because she didn’t communicate with you??
If she travels often and gives talks, it means she’s popular, and, a university is not going to miss out on an up-and-coming lecturer/researcher.
FWIW: My advisor and I got into deep discussions, arguments, point-of-view transitions, etc. I loved her and at times, couldn’t stand her, but she made my research better. Writing a thesis is not on a semester timeline. Unexpected issues come up during the research, ALL OF THE TIME! If you personally have a timeline, you can walk through ceremonies but finish up the thesis at a later date with university permission.
BS
MS=More of the same.
Ph.D.=Piled higher and deeper.
It quite possibly will. It really depends on the department in question and what their rules/standards are. Why do you think this is something that is complaint-worthy? Professors are notoriously difficult to contact sometimes because they are so busy and you aren’t the only thing on their agenda. Their research groups are also their livelihood, so if you want to work on a project that doesn’t fit into her group’s plans, she would honestly be silly to advise you on that topic. Why do you feel you deserve special treatment here?
It sounds like it just isn’t a good fit. Just move on. Try a different advisor. Don’t be vindictive.
It sounds like you are using the term “advisor” differently than the rest of us so far. In all of the schools I’ve attended or which have employed me, as well as most of my acquaintance’s schools, advisor is synonymous with the thesis advisor. It sounds like you are using it as more of an academic advisor separate from the thesis advisor, whereas OP is using it to refer specifically to the thesis advisor. In fact, none of the departments of which I’ve been a part even use separate academic advisors, interestingly enough.
Yeah, I wouldn’t file a complaint for this. Professors are often busy and difficult to reach over the summer, especially if they have to travel for research. It’s very common for assistant professors at top programs to travel a lot - they have to become internationally known in order to get the letters of support they need for tenure.
Are you sure that she rejected your proposal because of the topic or was there something else about the proposal that made her reject it? It does sound like you may have picked an advisor whose interests are not your interests, which generally is not a good idea.
Either way, it will take far less of your time for you to just find another advisor who can allow you to work on the project you want.