What's the point of grad committee meetings?  Jun 29 2012
Published by under [Education&Careers]  I don't even know how
many committee meetings I have been to, either as a student or
supervisor. Every place does them slightly differently and there
is usually substantial freedom in the format and tone. Some
include a formal presentation, written report before hand, or
both. Others are a casual conversation.  As fas as I know,
however, the point of having a committee meeting is mainly to
get some constructive "outside" guidance on the work you are
doing and have planned. Lot's of other things can come out of
committee meetings, but making sure you don't have your head
stuck up your advisor's ass is a key component. In most cases, a
committee comes on board once you have a research plan in place
and meets once or twice a year.  Based on this, I was surprised
to read Algae Girl's post about her first committee meeting
happening at the end of her third year. In a follow-up post she
mentions she may be defending in