Good advice for the first supervision meeting

When you meet your supervisor for the first time, it is important to talk about what each of you expects.

For your first supervision meeting, you can, for example, ask:

To the supervisor

• How does the supervisor usually structure a supervision process?
• How much text does the supervisor read - and when?
• How are supervision hours typically distributed, and what positive experiences does the supervisor have with this distribution?

To yourself

• What type of supervision do you need most?
  • (e.g., academic content, writing process, methodology, data collection, structure of the thesis)
• How do you work best, and what has worked well for you before?
• What type of feedback do you need during your writing process?
  • (text feedback, thumbs-up/confirmation, discussion of theory, ideas/sparring for your next steps)

In addition to aligning expectations, it is also important that you and your supervisor use the first meeting to agree on the practical framework for the supervision process.

You may want to consider the following:

• When, where, and how will the supervision take place?
  • (email, phone, face-to-face, online, or a combination)
• What deadlines and milestones will you set for the process?
• How will you communicate between meetings?
• Are there times during the process when you or your supervisor are unavailable?
• What will you do if agreements in the supervision process are not adhered to?

Once you and your supervisor have clarified expectations and established the practical framework, you can begin planning the supervision process in more detail.

There are many ways to structure supervision, but for example, you might discuss:

• What types of texts you should send
  • (finished texts, drafts, synopses, problem statements, outlines, introductions, conclusions, etc.)
• How many pages the supervisor should receive before a meeting so you can get feedback on your writing
• How you will evaluate and adjust the supervision during the process
• Whether the supervisor should receive your wishes or expectations before each supervision meeting
  • (e.g., by sending an agenda or a short note outlining focus points for the meeting)

Tip: End each supervision meeting by agreeing on the time and topic for the next one.

In addition to the agreements you make with your supervisor, it is also a good idea to develop strong habits for yourself during your thesis process. This strengthens your relationship with your supervisor and gives you the best conditions for a successful supervision experience.

Consider the following:

• Prepare a short description of the texts you send to your supervisor
  • (where they belong in the thesis, how finished they are, what kind of feedback you want, etc.)
• Write a brief summary of your supervision meeting to make sure you understood your supervisor correctly and that you agree on the next steps
• Inform your supervisor if there are any special circumstances they should be aware of
• Remember that supervision is a professional relationship, not a private one

Remember to read your study regulations so you are up to date on the requirements and formalities for your specific thesis