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[the_hanged_man]

I'm starting a PhD program in the fall and am looking for advice on choosing an advisor.  If you had a choice between these two advisors which one would you prefer?

Advisor A: Superstar in the subfield. While generally well-meaning is very busy and can not devote very much time to helping advisees.

Advisor B: Competent and well respected in the subfield, but by no means a superstar. Very enthusiastic in helping advisees and finds a good portion of time to assist them.

I'm thinking that while in grad school Advisor B would be preferable, but I wonder if Advisor A might be the better choice in the long-run once I finish and begin my job search. Any opinions would be much appreciated!

[dr_prephd]

Why not ask B to be your advisor and A to be on your committee? Impress both of them, and you'll have both of them in your corner when it comes time to look for jobs.

 

Yes, this. The person with the most time to advise should be your advisor, but do try to have the superstar on your committee.

[the_hanged_man]

Do you mean your primary advisor for your dissertation? If you're just starting your degree program, won't you have some time to feel them both our?
 

Thanks for the replies.

Yes, I mean as my primary advisor for my dissertation. For the sake of argument let's say the potential advisors are at different schools and this is one of my deciding factors in choosing a grad school. I suppose mainly what I am trying to tease out of this is the importance of the status of your advisor when on the job hunt.

[madhatter]

A good recommendation from an impressive advisor can be helpful in the job hunt.

However, a good advisor who can get you through to completion makes it more likely that you will get to be in the job hunt. Bear in mind that about half of students who enter Ph.D. programs are estimated not to finish.

[readandwept]

This is hard for me to answer because it partly depends on whether there is large variation in how the superstar treats his students, and if so, whether you are able to accurately estimate the kind of relationship YOU might have with him.

I have known superstars who had tons of advisees and tons of other commitments and generally were hands-off with their advisees -- except for the few whose work they felt most passionately about, or most linked with their own. And, of course, there are others who just don't have much time for any students.

Even if this person is the former, though, you might not be able to gauge what kind of relationship you'd be likely to have. So I think it could be risky to go to his school. You also may (or may not) have a sense of what kind of assistance you, personally need. Some people need more than others and this isn't better or worse, in my opinion, just different needs.

Can you find out where students of each of these people have gotten jobs in recent years? That might help you.

[bread_pirate_naan]

Do you mean your primary advisor for your dissertation? If you're just starting your degree program, won't you have some time to feel them both our?
 

Thanks for the replies.

Yes, I mean as my primary advisor for my dissertation. For the sake of argument let's say the potential advisors are at different schools and this is one of my deciding factors in choosing a grad school. I suppose mainly what I am trying to tease out of this is the importance of the status of your advisor when on the job hunt.

It matters. Blogs in my field keep stats.  A weak letter from an important scholar is a scary thought.

If you are indeed looking at two different schools, you need to look at who is available to supervise in the event that there is a change.  That could mean your advisor leaves and doesn't take you with them, there is a health event, there is a bad fit...

Readandwept's post is a keeper.  If you have a poor relationship with your advisor, that will probably be more costly than having a less prominent advisor.  This can be a fit question.

Advisor A: Superstar in the subfield. While generally well-meaning is very busy and can not devote very much time to helping advisees.

Advisor B: Competent and well respected in the subfield, but by no means a superstar. Very enthusiastic in helping advisees and finds a good portion of time to assist them.

I wonder how you know this.  This is a significant relationship decision and if this commentary is based on assumptions about how very successful people work, you could be wrong.  Very busy doesn't necessarily mean inattentive, and attentive doesn't necessarily mean helpful.  Make sure you hear this from more than one person before you decide it accurately describes the professor.  I prefer quality time to quantity, though I get both.


Go to admit days and pay attention.  Ask the prospective advisors if they will be able to meet with you, or if they will be attending the wooing events.  This togetherness will probably clarify your decision.

[the_hanged_man]

Thanks again for the replies. At this point the scenario I outlined is largely hypothetical, although it is being informed by feedback I am receiving from current grad students at some of the schools I am considering. At this point I'm just trying to gather as much info as possible so my decision is more informed and less of a blind leap of faith.

[embitteredhistorian]

Are these potential supervisors at different universities? If you want a job in academia after the Ph.D., your university name will be important. A superstar supervisor at No Name University might not be as good as the competent adviser at Fancy Pants U.

[ls410]

Keep in mind that things will change at both schools during your program.  I chose between 3 programs.  In the time since, 1 potential advisor changed his research focus.  1 took a long sabbatical during the time I would have been taking comps.  My advisor went from good to superstar.

Of the students who went to our PhD department to work with a huge name: about 1/2 changed advisors, 1/4 finished, 1/4 are still ABD.  His name won't help them get jobs if they can't finish.

[bread_pirate_naan]

Thanks again for the replies. At this point the scenario I outlined is largely hypothetical, although it is being informed by feedback I am receiving from current grad students at some of the schools I am considering. At this point I'm just trying to gather as much info as possible so my decision is more informed and less of a blind leap of faith.

Have you been admitted?

[cranefly]

It depends on what your needs are right now. Are you an independent worker who doesn't need much guidance (pick advisor A), or are you intimidated by the PhD and want someone to hold your hand a little (pick advisor B).

[msparticularity]

OP, you may already have the rest of this stuff covered, but I'd like to suggest a broader cluster of considerations as you think about how to prioritize programs:

-Ranking in your desired field--in nearly every field these days you just really need to go to the best possible program
-Funding--this is both what makes it possible for you to go, and a measure that signals the department's interest in/commitment to you
-Completion rate for grad students/placement rates in actual, live jobs
-Depth/range in your field--as others have noted, faculty change fields and institutions, and sometimes the chemistry is just bad. As you are clearly aware, you do need to have someone with some reputation in the field to write you recommendations.

[the_hanged_man]

It depends on what your needs are right now. Are you an independent worker who doesn't need much guidance (pick advisor A), or are you intimidated by the PhD and want someone to hold your hand a little (pick advisor B).

That's a good point. I'm an older student with a Master's degree who has been in the workplace for while now so I don't think I need someone to hold my hand.

So far I know that I have been admitted into the most selective program I applied to and have been assigned a superstar advisor.  Hu is the administrator of a major institute in my field so hu is super busy. However, right now I am leaning towards accepting this offer regardless of the outcome of my other applications due to the status of the overall program and advisor. I consider myself to be fairly independent and the program overall has a good completion rate so I think I'll be ok.

[bread_pirate_naan]

It depends on what your needs are right now. Are you an independent worker who doesn't need much guidance (pick advisor A), or are you intimidated by the PhD and want someone to hold your hand a little (pick advisor B).

That's a good point. I'm an older student with a Master's degree who has been in the workplace for while now so I don't think I need someone to hold my hand.

So far I know that I have been admitted into the most selective program I applied to and have been assigned a superstar advisor.  Hu is the administrator of a major institute in my field so hu is super busy. However, right now I am leaning towards accepting this offer regardless of the outcome of my other applications due to the status of the overall program and advisor. I consider myself to be fairly independent and the program overall has a good completion rate so I think I'll be ok.

Congratulations, it sounds like you were a top pick of your first choice.  If the feeling is mutual, don't fight it.  There a period of adjustment to being a returning student, but that is irrelevant.  If you have a good rapport with this person I would not hesitate to select program A, barring more appealing offers (in light of other posts, not over and above). 

Do go to all the admissions events.  They will be informative, even if you are clear about your selection.

[ptarmigan]

Presumably if he is a superstar he is also good at handling a lot of things all at once.