Presuming your adviser is in town, consider the reasons why your adviser may not be meeting regularly with you. Perhaps your adviser has a heavy course load that prevents him/her from meeting with you regularly, or perhaps your adviser has administrative or outreach commitments.
The most helpful thing you can do is chat with your adviser about scheduling regular meetings. You should write out a specific schedule and talk it over with your adviser. Remember, as a student it is important to remain flexible. If your adviser cannot meet regularly with you in person, you could try to catch up with him/her via online video conversations, or even at campus events.
There may also be creative ways for you to find time with your advisor. Do you both jog? It’s been known for some Duke faculty to hold informal catchups while exercising! Can you join him/her in line for coffee? Can you join him/her as she walks across Duke’s (very large campus) between regular teaching commitments? Sometimes, 10 minutes of walk-and-talk time is perfect for solving your problem or getting some quick questions answered. For something more formal, does he/she hold undergraduate drop-in hours which are underutilized?
The information above is summarized from Gonzaga University’s Guide to your First Meeting with your Adviser. Check out the second page for a “mentoring contract” that may give you ideas and inspiration for your future meetings.
The most helpful thing you can do is chat with your adviser about scheduling regular meetings. You should write out a specific schedule and talk it over with your adviser. Remember, as a student it is important to remain flexible. If your adviser cannot meet regularly with you in person, you could try to catch up with him/her via online video conversations, or even at campus events.
There may also be creative ways for you to find time with your advisor. Do you both jog? It’s been known for some Duke faculty to hold informal catchups while exercising! Can you join him/her in line for coffee? Can you join him/her as she walks across Duke’s (very large campus) between regular teaching commitments? Sometimes, 10 minutes of walk-and-talk time is perfect for solving your problem or getting some quick questions answered. For something more formal, does he/she hold undergraduate drop-in hours which are underutilized?
The information above is summarized from Gonzaga University’s Guide to your First Meeting with your Adviser. Check out the second page for a “mentoring contract” that may give you ideas and inspiration for your future meetings.