"Advisor, you are my Richard Parker"

The Life of Pi is a work of fiction by Yann Martel published in 2001. The protagonist is Piscine Molitor "Pi" Patel, a curious Indian boy. Due to series of unfortunate events, he ends up stranded on a lifeboat in the Pacific Ocean for 227 days with a Bengal tiger. The tiger, whom he named "Richard Parker," is a genuine danger to Pi, but being stuck together on this lifeboat, the two develop a relationship that allows them to coexist in their struggle to survive. Each becomes in some way dependent on the other, and thus their relationship becomes a mingling of fear and admiration, threat and dependence.

One day I was talking with one of my graduate student advisees, and asking whether I was asking too much of her, or having excessively high expectations for her research. I know from my own days that graduate students have a bit of a love/hate relationship with their advisors. On the one hand, the advisor is supporting them in the pursuit of their goals and providing resources and opportunities to do so. And on the other hand, the advisor is pushing them out of their comfort zone, and helping them to achieve their maximum potential. Sometimes that requires harder work and longer hours than the student him or herself might prefer.

Now this particular student is extremely hard-working. She is intelligent and creative and takes on any opportunity given to her. She also has a great sense of humor. When I asked if I was pushing her too hard, she replied, "You are my Richard Parker." Initially I had forgotten whom "Richard Parker" referred to, but once she reminded me it was the tiger from the Life of Pi, it all came together. The presence of the tiger in the lifeboat had been a constant reminder to Pi to be alert, and this attentiveness had been just what Pi needed to survive the arduous experience of 227 days at sea. She went on to explain that while I could be intimidating, and ask a lot of her; this led to a level of attentiveness and alertness that kept her focused on what was expected of her as a graduate student.

Initially I was a bit distraught about being compared to a tiger. Am I really that intimidating? I want to be kind and supportive of my students. I want to have a supportive and close relationship with them as they pursue their academic goals. But it dawned on me, that perhaps there is room for respect borne of high expectations too. If I, as their advisor, don't motivate them to overcome adversity and aspire to achieve their optimal potential, who will?

While I hope I'm not only "Richard Parker," I understand now that the role of helping graduate students to remain alert and focused is also part of helping graduate students to grow. This is one way that this role is accomplished. I want to always be growing and improving in my ability to advise graduate students, and reflecting on this aspect of helping them to remain alert and focused has been helpful, but it's not my only role as their advisor. I'm supportive and empathetic too. I'm sure you can think of many other ways to be effective advisors. Please share them with me.