Steve Tippins Ph.D.Helping doctoral students get their dissertation accepted, succeed in their careers, & change the world | Academic Career Advisor | Dissertation Chair & Founder, Beyond PhD Coaching | 35 + years of experience.

My Chair was vague

3 Jun 2026 · 1 min

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In this brief testimonial, the speaker recounts the difficulties faced with an academic chair who provided vague, infrequent guidance, especially after the chair left the university. Feeling lost and time‑pressured, the speaker sought more concrete support. Dr. Tippins stepped in, offering a hands‑on mentorship approach: they would read the chair’s emails together, Dr. Tippins would interpret the expectations (identifying the needed X, Y, and Z), and encourage immediate submission. This steady, accountable partnership helped the speaker navigate the process, regain momentum, and feel less like a bother and more like a supported graduate.

Chapters

I had a chair that was really vague with her directions. And so Dr. Tippins helped me see through the fog. She would write an email, I would read it to him, and he would tell me, "Oh, she's looking for X, Y, and Z. Oh, just submit it. Let's just work through this." So it was a steady process. My initial chair had left the university, and then there was a period of— I just felt like I was losing time. I wanted someone who would be able to give me accountability and work with me intimately. I had a lot of questions about the process, and my chair just, like I said, just wasn't available all the time because she had so many things on her plate. I really felt like I was a bother, rather than someone she was guiding.