What should I ask my future PhD supervisor?

Questions to ask a potential supervisor before starting your PhD

• What would you expect from me as a student, and what could I expect from you as a supervisor?
• How many students do you supervise, and how often do you see them?
• Is there funding available for conferences, publications and other research expenses?

What questions should a PhD student ask?

• What do grad students do in their free time? [
• Do most students have a good work/life balance?
• What kind of social events do people in the program tend to do?
• Do grad students in this program hang out with each other?
• Does the program do anything in the beginning to help grad students to bond with each other?

Do PhD students have a lot of questions to ask?

Though most people believe that it is the supervisor’s position to ask the questions, my personal experience has taught me that you (the PhD student) have a lot to ask as well.

What does it take to do a PhD project?

A PhD project is the result of successful teamwork between at least two individuals, you and the supervisor, and both sides of this team need to clearly understand their duties and what is expected of them. I prepared this list of questions during my PhD position hunt.

How often should I meet with my PhD advisor?

Many PhD programs have an informal expectation of a weekly one-on-one advisor meeting to structure the student-advisor relationship (this varies by discipline, notably the humanities where the norm leans rarer). Aside from learning about their attendance expectations, questions like this begin to examine what your day to day might look like.

What makes a good PhD advisor?

Whatever the method, a good advisor should be pushing a student to develop their own research vision. After you begin your PhD, explicitly communicating your preferred style with your advisor is important to getting the support you need, and modifying it as needed.