ABSTRACT
Students who complete TlDs satisfactorily agree that they remember three peaks of progress along the way. Faculty members experienced in research advisement tend to name the same three:
The actual selection of the problem to be attacked The approval of the proposal document The completion of the final oral examination
All concur that effective consultation with committee members is of fundamental importance in reaching those peaks. Consultation is more than a casual conversation; it is a complex set of interactions. Also, it is work. Like most complicated and strenuous undertakings, planning makes it go better.
