PhD Supervisor.. Does it Matter?

[Valorship98]

Hi, I am interested in attending Grad School, however most of the professors I want to work with are very late in their career, my top choice telling me he would be retiring prior to my proposed completion date. I could still attend this school but propose to work with him while he is there, but other professors once he leaves, my main supervisor being someone other than him. I am interested in contemporary Chinese art history, so I could easily be supervised by a contemporary or a Chinese specialist.

Does it really matter if I am working with a professor who is well known, or is the school the most important part. Most of the times art history PhDs gain professorships only if they attended at a top 10.

[Adelaide9216]

I think you need to consider all of these aspects, but most definitely the relationship you'll have with your supervisor. I think you need to assess if they can meet your expectations and needs as a supervisor and vice versa. To me, it's crucial to have a supervisor who's an expert, knowledgable but also who has great interpersonal qualities and with whom you can get along and have an open conversation with.

Edited June 27, 2018 by Adelaide9216

[Sigaba]

4 hours ago, Adelaide9216 said:

I think you need to consider all of these aspects, but most definitely the relationship you'll have with your supervisor. I think you need to assess if they can meet your expectations and needs as a supervisor and vice versa. To me, it's crucial to have a supervisor who's an expert, knowledgable but also who has great interpersonal qualities and with whom you can get along and have an open conversation with.

IRT "great interpersonal qualities," that is a highly subjective assessment that is dependent upon individual differences and the circumstances of the moment. 

It is unlikely that you can make this kind of assessment until you're working with a potential supervisor closely, e.g. in a graduate research seminar. Even then, you won't really know; relationships can change. Also, it's the graduate student's responsibility to "get along" with professors, not the other way around. There are a number of threads on this BB in which doctoral students share their experiences.

One may be more successful, if not better served, by getting a sense of a professor's knowledge, experience, success rate, and professionalism.

[neenaahuja]

Good replies all..