Graduate Student Advising

Effective advising is central to graduate student success, and faculty engaged in this work are responsible for ensuring that their advisees receive the guidance they need to navigate their academic training and graduate in a timely manner. Advisors also play a critical role in helping students to prepare for and enter the profession of their choosing. Advising graduate students is a privilege, and the relationship advisors build with their advisees will often have an outsized effect on a student’s time at Harvard and beyond.

To help faculty further support their advisees, Harvard Griffin GSAS maintains a Canvas website that outlines advising recommendations and provides a range of resources. This site reflects the ongoing efforts of the Harvard Griffin GSAS initiative known as The Advising Project. We encourage you to reach out to theadvisingproject@fas.harvard.edu for more information.  

For faculty who are asked to serve as a member of a PhD student’s Dissertation Advisory Committee, please note that new rules concerning the composition of the DAC were adopted by the FAS and went into effect on July 1, 2024. 

Harvard Griffin GSAS students are enrolled in almost sixty different graduate programs; each student’s experience is unique and each advising relationship will look different. While no single advising approach can be applied universally, several recommendations can be put into practice to strengthen all advising relationships. 

Set Expectations 

During a first meeting with an advisee, faculty should plan to discuss expectations for the working relationship, such as: 

  • How often will you meet, and how long will meetings typically last? 
  • What are your preferred methods of communication? Your advisee’s? 
  • How long should a student wait for a reply to an email before following up? 
  • What is your approach to providing feedback on student work? 

Be sure to revisit these expectations regularly as the student progresses through their degree program, and remember that no matter how positive an advising relationship is, students will recognize that a power differential exists. 

Communicate Available Resources 

Harvard Griffin GSAS students have access to Resources that will help them navigate their graduate careers. Examples include the Fellowships & Writing Center, Mignone Center for Career Success, Disability Access Office, the Harvard Griffin GSAS Office of Culture, Community, and Engagement, and the Academic Resource Center. Advisors should familiarize themselves with these resources so that they can refer students to them as needed. If an advisee has a concern but doesn’t know where to start, advisors can direct them to the Harvard Griffin GSAS Office of Student Services. 

Support Advising Networks 

Advisors should be a student’s primary point of contact, but effective advisors also recognize that students benefit from multiple perspectives. Connect students with other faculty members, colleagues at other institutions, or program staff who can inform their work and professional development.