Frustrating advisor
I have three people on my thesis committee, and the paper is done--if you're curious, the chair approved of it in it's fifth draft, not that it matters. Chair says it's fine, let's defend it. Other committee member says fine, let's defend it.
Final committee member--who is the head of my department--says it's not in the correct paper format (APA). He then sends a fairly curt letter displaying this message, as well as the fact that I'm almost done with my degree, shouldn't I know this format by now? I see my mistakes, print out the Purdue APA example paper, and follow it to the friggin' T. I show this one to the chair again, and she says it looks even better than before. Tickled, I hand it in to my final adviser.
He sends one of the nastiest emails I have ever received from a professor, basically stating that I was wasting his time with this paper (!) and I must think I'm the class clown for thinking this is in the correct format. He also said I used improper words, like 'growing' as a verb and 'stellar'. What other 'improper' words there were, he did not state, though he did say I used too many of them. He then said that I may not contact him anymore, he is tired of working with my paper if I can't seem to improve myself, and that I should not be bothering other professors with this paper, since they will all tell me the same thing.
I was so shocked I almost cried. I then ran to my chair to ask her what to do. She looked over my paper again, and said that she will talk to this professor personally, and that he's known for not always having all of his apples in the barrel, so to speak.
I'm very glad my other advisers (especially my chair!) are on my side. But I must defend my thesis this term, as I am going on internship next term. Is it too late to seek another adviser? What can I do since he refuses to speak to me? How can I possibly defend my paper in front of him if he's already acting like this?
Arrrrrrggggh. This term was going so well, so smooth, and now this garbage happens!
Final committee member--who is the head of my department--says it's not in the correct paper format (APA). He then sends a fairly curt letter displaying this message, as well as the fact that I'm almost done with my degree, shouldn't I know this format by now? I see my mistakes, print out the Purdue APA example paper, and follow it to the friggin' T. I show this one to the chair again, and she says it looks even better than before. Tickled, I hand it in to my final adviser.
He sends one of the nastiest emails I have ever received from a professor, basically stating that I was wasting his time with this paper (!) and I must think I'm the class clown for thinking this is in the correct format. He also said I used improper words, like 'growing' as a verb and 'stellar'. What other 'improper' words there were, he did not state, though he did say I used too many of them. He then said that I may not contact him anymore, he is tired of working with my paper if I can't seem to improve myself, and that I should not be bothering other professors with this paper, since they will all tell me the same thing.
I was so shocked I almost cried. I then ran to my chair to ask her what to do. She looked over my paper again, and said that she will talk to this professor personally, and that he's known for not always having all of his apples in the barrel, so to speak.
I'm very glad my other advisers (especially my chair!) are on my side. But I must defend my thesis this term, as I am going on internship next term. Is it too late to seek another adviser? What can I do since he refuses to speak to me? How can I possibly defend my paper in front of him if he's already acting like this?
Arrrrrrggggh. This term was going so well, so smooth, and now this garbage happens!