To do:

  1. Choose a PhD counsellor together with your Supervisor(s)
  2. Fill in the Progress Report
  3. Discuss the report with your supervisor(s) and sign the report for approval together with them
  4. Send the Progress Report to the PhD counsellor
  5. Plan a meeting with your supervisors and your PhD counsellor together

  6. During the meeting:

    1. The first part is together with both the PhD counsellor and your supervisor(s). The second part is with the PhD counsellor only
    2. Prepare a short presentation for the first part of the meeting. Give an overview of the project and the progress that has been made
    3. Participate actively in the discussion
    4. In the second part of the meeting, in private with the PhD counsellor you may address personal issues or other challenges of the project

  7. After the meeting:

    1. PhD counsellor will complete the Consultation Form and sign it
    2. PhD counsellor will send the form only to you (and not to your supervisors)
    3. You endorse the feedback in the form by signing it
    4. Scan the signed Consultation Form and signed Progress Report and send it as a single .pdf document to the Amsterdam UMC Doctoral School (doctoralschool@amsterdamumc.nl)
    5. Make sure your supervisors get a copy of the Progress Report. You are not obliged to send them the Consultation Form

Note: Digital signatures are accepted

Necessary documents:

Optional:

    Tips:

    • Try to find a PhD counsellor who can give you independent advice
    • Be honest in your Progress Report; e.g., if you think you cannot finish the project in time it is good to mention this in the Progress Report, so that it can be openly discussed
    • Stay open for feedback to improve your project
    • Ask for a confidential conversation with the PhD counsellor
    • If needed, use the advice given in the Consultation Form to discuss issues with your supervisors
    • Use the Action Plan document if you need to develop an alternative strategy if your project is not going as planned. This is optional
    • Get in contact with a PhD advisor from the Doctoral School if needed to discuss any remaining issues
    • You can use the following message to invite a PhD counsellor to participate in your PhD Progress & Consultation evaluation:

    Dear ...,

    Hereby I/we would like to invite you to act as the PhD counsellor for PhD candidate [name]. As PhD counsellor you are asked to give supportive, external input to monitor the progress of the PhD project. It is a one-time action about halfway through the PhD project.

    If you are willing to serve as a PhD counsellor, [name of PhD candidate] will send you his/her Progress Report that has been discussed with and signed by the supervisor(s). During a meeting you are kindly invited to discuss the Progress Report with both PhD candidate and the supervisor(s). This will be followed by a conversation with the PhD candidate separately. After the meeting you are kindly requested to provide your comments on the Consultation Form that will only be shared with the PhD candidate.

    More information on the PhD Progress & Consultation can be found on the website of the Amsterdam UMC Doctoral School.

    Please let me/us know whether you are available to serve as PhD counsellor.

    [signature]

    Downloads: