Summary
It is interesting to point out the considerable difference in patterns of meeting with their adviser in
various academic fields. In Israel, 63.9% of S&E students meet their adviser every week! And
22.1% met their adviser bi-weekly. Only 11.6% of SS&H students met their adviser weekly.
About one third met their adviser once a month and another third only once a semester. In Western
Europe, only 43.9% of S&E students met their adviser weekly, about 20% less than in Israel.
Due to the extensive involvement of the adviser, about 51% of S&E candidates in Israel answered
that the adviser made a major contribution to their research, while this was only about 40% in
Western Europe. In Western Europe, 10% of the candidates answered that their adviser made no
contribution to their work; that is, they worked alone or were advised by a third party. In Israel,
46% of SS&H students answered that their adviser made a major contribution to their research.
Some 37-40% of students who were involved in the survey replied that their adviser had good
managerial skills. There are similar patterns in Israel and Western Europe regardless of the academic
field.