During the challenging phases of dissertation writing, the biggest support comes from your academic supervisors. They work day and night with the students to guide them throughout the research, experimentation, and writing. To show gratitude for their invaluable assistance, feedback, and mentorship, surprising them with a thoughtful gift is a meaningful gesture indeed.
So, whether you want to thank them for their matchless support, mentorship, or achieving a milestone like a dissertation, choosing the right gift for a dissertation advisor is both important and rewarding. Since gift ideas for PhD advisors aren’t easy to come by, we’ve put together a helpful list just for you.
Here, we will discuss some of the best thank-you gifts for dissertation advisors so that you can choose to appreciate their efforts and show your gratitude.
How to Choose the Perfect Gift for Your Advisor?
According to the book Guide to the Successful Thesis and Dissertation, after completing your dissertation, you need to express gratitude to your advisor by giving them a thank-you gift, which should not be only material-based. As materialistic gifting is not allowed everywhere, you should prioritise giving gifts in a very professional manner.
Wondering how to choose the perfect gift for a dissertation advisor? Well, the following are some ways to give gifts to your advisor for their valuable dissertation writing assistance. You can select any one of your choices from the list below:
1. Acknowledge Their Role in Your Dissertation
While selecting the best gift for your dissertation advisor, express your appreciation by considering their acknowledgement both formally and publicly for succeeding in your academic journey. One of the best gifts is that you can include acknowledgement of his guidance in your dissertation as they helped you to avoid dissertation mistakes.
Additionally, you have to tell how his guidance and expertise influenced you in every step of writing your dissertation. It’s a long-lasting tribute or gift for dissertation advisors. Apart from public acknowledgement, you can also write a personal thank you letter that conveys your gratitude to your supervisor.
Take some time to write it and tell him how all their guidance and expertise help you in both academic and professional life. These small and meaningful gestures will show the advisor that you value his guidance and how much you support his mentorship.
2. Share Your Achievements with Them
The best gift for dissertation advisors is to see their students’ success. No one can deny the fact that you will succeed in your research only because of your supervisor. So, if you achieve any milestone and share your accomplishments with him, it would be the best gift in itself. As the advisor, responsibility and relationship with the student do not end when you finish the research or dissertation.
So, you have to share each success of your work, like being published, securing a job, or getting an internship with him. This would serve as a great gift for the dissertation advisor as he thinks that he plays a key role in your academic and professional life.
This is how you can get it:
- Send an email or note to inform them of the success or publishing of your dissertation.
- If you receive a job or fellowship, let them know how your career is going and thank them for their mentorship.
By doing this, you cannot only express your appreciation for their leadership but also show that you have successfully done what you learned from them in real life.
3. Collaborate on Future Research
When you perform well in your dissertation, and your work gets published, the best thank-you gift for your dissertation advisor would be to collaborate with him again on new projects. If they like your initiative to re-join, they might collaborate and support your ideas further.
- You can work with them on a book project, co-author a paper, or help with a grant application in the future.
- If you have spare time, then go and help your advisor in a relevant research program in which you have expertise.
This type of connection with your advisor will benefit both of you. You can also show him what you have learned even after your dissertation.
4. Share the Credit Publicly
One of the best gifts for dissertation advisors is the recognition of their work publicly. So, after completion of your research, you must remember to give credit to your doctoral advisor during academic conferences, in publications, or in the professional network. Make sure to highlight how they inspired you throughout your academic journey.
There are three common ways to give credit to them that act as the perfect gift for a dissertation advisor:
- When you give your final presentation, give credit to him for getting the direction.
- In the publication process, there is a section of acknowledgement that has to be filled by acknowledging him.
- If you have an opportunity in the future to address your institution, you should admire him for his services.
This public acknowledgement can act as a continuous building to their expertise and presence in their job.
5. Continue to Grow and Contribute to the Field
After completing your academic goals, the best gift for a dissertation advisor is to keep improving and pursuing your objectives. It is your advisor’s responsibility to help you realise your full potential and put in the effort to do some new work. So, when you continue to improve your abilities and learn new things, you demonstrate that their advice not only helped you earn your degree but also helped you deal with common university life challenges.
Thus, by giving significant contributions to your field and showing continuous growth in your academic or professional life, you will honour your mentor and show the long-lasting effects of his advice.
6. Mentor Yourself to Inspire Others
Becoming a mentor, yourself is one of the best ways to honour your advisors and thank them with the surprising gift of your mentorship. As you advance in your career, you will share the knowledge and skills that you got from your supervisor. Don’t forget to mention and give credit to them for their unlimited support in your academic career. It would be the perfect thank you gift for the dissertation advisor.
So, whether you are a teaching assistant, a mentor, or a peer advisor, sharing your knowledge inspires others and keeps the guidance process flowing. In this way, you can make a lasting impact by sharing knowledge with the same dedication your advisor showed to you, enriching your academic life for others.
Should I Give my Thesis Supervisor a Gift?
Before giving a gift to your advisor, you have to consider your relationship with him. You should think of the perfect gift for a dissertation advisor that would not damage your professional relationship. So, instead of giving a physical gift, give him the gift of your success in both your professional and academic life, which became possible due to his mentorship.
Writing a heartfelt thank you note, formally acknowledging him in your thesis, and keeping him updated about your progress are all good ways to show your appreciation. If you give a copy of your thesis to his bookshelf, it will also be a great professional way of giving the gift to your advisor.
Furthermore, if you want to give a physical gift, you should consider a professional item like a book related to his field, a quality pen, or a notebook.
What is the Best Gift for a Dissertation Supervisor?
Most dissertation advisors do not seek any materialistic gifts. So, one of the best gifts for your dissertation advisor is to show your successful career ahead. Apart from that, when you decide to choose the best gift for your dissertation advisor, you should remember that he is not your friend to whom you can send anything like flowers, books, coffee mugs, and more.
Here, you need to be very selective and treat him very professionally. You can do it through his formal acknowledgement in your dissertation or research work and writing a thank you letter for him. So, rather than choosing material gifts, a meaningful gesture often comes from your academic success, which can be a more profound form of appreciation.
Conclusion
Your dissertation advisor is one of the most important personalities who helps you throughout your academic journey. So, it is a nice gesture to think about giving a gift to the supervisor to appreciate what they have taught you and showcase their impact on your academic life. To help you choose the best thank-you gift for your dissertation advisor, we have mentioned some useful ideas that you can implement easily.
For further assistance, you can also seek support from dissertation help services to give a lasting tribute to your PhD supervisor who helped you to get what you are today. The best thank you gift for PhD supervisor is to see their student’s progress and accomplishments.
So, by reflecting on their teachings through your work and becoming a mentor for others, you will indirectly appreciate your supervisor’s efforts in your development.
