The PhD Supervision Secret That Universities Don't Want You to Know

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Every PhD student has been on this rollercoaster. Sitting outside their supervisor’s office, palms sweaty, knees weak, arms heavy, but at least no vomit on your sweater from mom’s spaghetti. You’re hoping this conversation doesn’t turn into another list of everything you’re doing wrong. But more often than not, you walk away feeling defeated, confused about next steps, and wondering if your supervisor actually wants you to succeed. And no offence to any supervisors here, we struggle as much as you do in these situations. Meanwhile, you watch other students in your program cruise through milestones with other supervisors who seem genuinely invested in their success. What’s the secret sauce here? Is it just chemistry, or a fantasy maybe, caught in a landslide, no escape from reality?

The truth is, most PhD students never learn how to manage UP. They think academic success is just about grinding through research, writing great papers, and hoping their supervisor just notices all their hard work. But the students who thrive? They’ve cracked the code on turning their supervisor from a roadblock into their biggest champion. Pom-poms, megaphone, and all that jazz.

So, today, I’m going to show you the ACRES framework, five strategic shifts that transform advisor meetings from dreaded obligations into career-accelerating conversations. It will make your life better as a PhD student—and, hey, if you’re a supervisor yourself, giving this to your students might just get you some relief from struggling to advise better.

Most PhD students struggle with supervisors because they treat meetings like progress check-ins instead of strategic collaborations. The solution is the ACRES framework: Five shifts that turn supervision from stressful to career-accelerating: Anticipate, Communicate, Research, Execute, Support.

The problem most PhD students get wrong

There’s a common misconception that derails most doctoral students. They think it’s all about checklists and that supervisors want to see them completing tasks. Check off research objectives. Submit drafts on time. Show up to meetings with updates. You’re golden. But, hey, there’s more to it if you believe me.

Turns out what supervisors actually want is evidence that you’re becoming an independent scholar who makes their life easier, not harder.

They want early warning systems that allow them to support you when necessary. And they hate surprises in this journey as much as you do. They want to look good to their department, too. Nobody wants to field awkward questions about why their student is struggling. We are humans and feel embarrassed about this stuff, too, you know.

The ACRES framework gives you a systematic approach to delivering exactly what your supervisors need, when they need it. When you anticipate their pressures and priorities, you become the student they actually want to work with. And you’ll see how they advocate for you even more.

A: Anticipate their needs before they ask

Your supervisors are ecosystems in themselves. It’s good advice to stop thinking only about your own dissertation and contribute to your supervisor’s broader research agenda.

Look for ways to support their academic goals as well as your own. Ask what they’re working on and identify contribution opportunities. If they’re writing a grant proposal, offer to help with literature reviews. If they’re preparing for a conference, volunteer to review slides.

Before every meeting with your supervisor, spend 20 minutes playing devil’s advocate with your own work. What are the obvious weaknesses? Which findings seem too convenient? What would a skeptical reviewer ask?

Come ready to address concerns proactively: “I know the obvious question about this result is [X], so I ran additional analyses to check [Y]. Here’s what I found…”

It’s a good way for you to show intellectual maturity and lets you use the meeting time for deeper strategic discussions instead of just identifying obvious problems.

C: Communicate with structured reports

Don’t send random email updates. Most of these get buried in their inbox anyways. Instead, send them just one weekly or monthly report (whatever they prefer) that positions you as organized, proactive, and easy to supervise.

One great way for a report that contains regular updates is:

1. Your progress since last week and your current focus. Three key milestones tied directly to your thesis objectives. Progress updates on your top 3 research priorities. Any meaningful wins or breakthroughs.
2. Your blockers and challenges. 1–2 specific obstacles you’re facing. Your proposed solutions for each challenge. Resources or support you need to move forward.
3. Your needed support. You want to have specific asks with clear context and deadlines. Questions that show you’ve done preliminary thinking. And decisions you are facing where you need their expertise
4. Your goals for next week. Report on what’s coming up that they should know about. Potential issues you’re monitoring. Opportunities where your supervisor could provide strategic input.

This format does three things: it shows you’re managing your project strategically, it gives them easy wins when they provide guidance, and it prevents those painful meetings where you’re both scrambling to remember what you discussed last time.

Keep detailed research logs that track not just what you did, but why you made specific decisions. When questions arise months later about your methodology or approach, you can quickly provide context instead of trying to reconstruct your thinking.

R: Research proactively beyond your immediate project

Supervisors are more often than not drowning in research deadlines, grant applications, and administrative responsibilities. When you surface relevant findings, connect dots between emerging literature and your project, or flag important developments in your field, you position yourself as an intellectual partner to them instead of just another student needing deep instructions.

Set up Google Scholar alerts for key terms in your research area or use research discovery apps like Researcher.Life. Dedicate 30 minutes weekly to scanning new publications. When you find something relevant, send a brief note to your supervisor (but this also works with academic mentors in your field, who you’ve already talked to): “Saw this new study on X that seems relevant to our discussion about Y. Key finding is Z, which might impact our approach to [specific aspect of your project].”

This positions you as an intellectually curious partner and it shows your supervisor that you’ve got your pulse on academic debates and emerging studies. This makes you the kind of student who gets invited to co-author papers even with other researchers outside of your research group and receives strong recommendation letters.

E: Execute consistently on every commitment

Nothing destroys supervisor relationships faster than missed deadlines and broken promises. You want to build unshakeable reliability. You job as a great student is to build predictable systems your supervisor can rely on. This goes beyond consistency. It facilitates your work structures, too. Most students miss this opportunity of system building.

If you say you’ll send a draft by Friday, send it by Thursday. If you commit to analyzing a dataset, include a brief methodology note with your results. If you schedule a follow-up conversation, come with an agenda and action items from your last discussion. Make it easy for them to know where you’re at every time they interact with you.

After every meeting, send this within 24 hours: “Thanks for today’s discussion. My understanding is that we agreed on [X], I’ll take action on [Y] by [date], and we’ll revisit [Z] in our next meeting. Let me know if I missed anything important.”

Your supervisor should never have to wonder about the status of your work or chase you for updates or outcomes. When they think of you, the word that should come to mind is “reliable.” The student who delivers what they promise, when they promise it, at the quality level they expect. Of course, this street goes both ways and you should seek out a supervisor with similar systems, of expected reliability (of deliverability or non-deliverability of their tasks). Document everything to prevent miscommunication.

S: Support their reputation and success

Your supervisor’s reputation directly impacts your career prospects. When they look good, you benefit. When they succeed, you succeed. This is true in most cases. But I know there are abusive situations in supervisory relationships (where it is clear students do no benefit at all) and if you find yourself in one of these, these rules do not apply. In such cases, you should do everything in your power to get out of that research group and the impact circle of that supervisor.

But in most cases, your supervisor’s success isn’t just measured by your individual progress. They’re evaluated on their overall lab productivity, their reputation in the field, and their ability to train the next generation of researchers.

In such positive environments, you want to look for ways to contribute to the collective success of your research group. Volunteer to mentor incoming students. Help organize lab meetings or journal clubs. Grow the culture together with your supervisor. Assist with grant applications or conference presentations. In presentations, acknowledge their guidance: “As Dr. [Name] suggested, we approached this problem by…” In papers, credit their theoretical insights. In conferences, mention how their research group’s approach influenced your methodology. Demonstrate that you understand that academia is collaborative and that you’re invested in the success of the broader research community.

When colleagues see that their students are engaged, supportive, and contributing to their success, your supervisor becomes known as someone who trains exceptional researchers. This reputation benefits every student in their lab. When your supervisor introduces you to colleagues, they should be able to say: “This is [your name], one of my PhD students who really understands how research groups function and contributes meaningfully to our lab culture.” (And, hey, if you’re a supervisor reading this, make a point of saying this praise about your students in public, please.)

Solve problems, don’t just flag them

But here’s the advanced move you can do: Lead with solutions first, never just problems. This is a communication rule that separates mature PhD students from those who remain in perpetual student mode.

Instead of: “I’m having trouble with my statistical analysis” try: “I’ve identified an issue with my regression model. I’ve researched three potential approaches: [Option A], [option B], and [option C]. Based on similar studies in our field, I’m leaning toward [option A] because [specific reasons]. Could we discuss the tradeoffs and get your input on the best path forward?”

You don’t just want to flag problems to your supervisor, but show that you’re in the driver’s seat and that you’re taking real ownership of finding possible solutions to your problems. Your supervisor becomes a strategic advisor helping you choose between viable options, rather than a problem-solver who has to rescue you from basic research challenges. It’s a more mature relationship.

Use the terminology and frameworks your supervisor values most

Every supervisor has preferred ways of thinking about and discussing research. Pay attention to the concepts they return to, the terminology they use, and the frameworks they find most compelling.

If they frequently reference certain theoretical models, become fluent in those models and use them to frame your work. If they value specific methodological approaches, learn to articulate your research decisions using their preferred language.

And, no, I’m not saying you should change your research to just match their preferences, but you should communicate your work in ways that resonate with their intellectual framework. When you speak their language, your ideas become more accessible and compelling to them. It’s a simple trick to easily get buy-in (and funding) when you want to try some new hot sh*t.

So, yeah, the most successful student are just the smartest or hardest working. The ones, who really kick butt in grad studies have gained a deep understanding of managing their supervisor relationship, which I think anyways is a crucial professional skill that will serve you long beyond your PhD.

Master the ACRES framework, and you’ll change your supervisor meetings from dreaded obligations into strategic fun conversations that accelerate your career and theirs. Your supervisor will become your immediate supporter, your advocate, or even your champion. And, trust me, that makes all the difference in completing a successful PhD.

Now go send that monthly progress report.

Typical vs. ACRES PhD Student Comparison

FAQ

P.S.: Curious to explore how we can tackle your research struggles together? I've got three suggestions that could be a great fit: A seven-day email course that teaches you the basics of research methods. Or the recordings of our ​AI research tools webinar​ and ​PhD student fast track webinar​.

Have you successfully applied ACRES? Leave a comment below.

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