Co-advisors

[Nytusse]

After enduring one heck of an adventurous visitation weekend, I have decided to make my final decision. However, I'm not sure about the whole co-advising issue. My own advisor X will be gone my first year, and many of X's students are co-advised. I met Professor Y and it was a great match, and I would love that person to be a co-advisor. Do I have to notify Professor X formally? Is it offensive in any way to take on another advisor? How would I word such an email?

[Bearclaw]

Someone who is already in a Ph.D. program might be in a better position to answer this, but my impression is that it's not something you need to worry about right now. I would see how things play out in the first year and go from there. You might e-mail Prof. X and see if he/she would be interested in working together with Prof. Y, but right now, I don't think it's that much of an issue.

[Riotbeard]

My advisor is gone for the first year, so we are keeping up via e-mail, and he is hooking me up with a "local" advisor. I wouldn't worry too much. I bet if your advisor is gone the first year, s/he expects you to pick a local stand in.

[RockEater]

Do I have to notify Professor X formally?

Hm, I wager as soon as you thought of it, Professor X already knew.

Sorry. I couldn't resist.

[Nytusse]

Hm, I wager as soon as you thought of it, Professor X already knew.

Sorry. I couldn't resist.

LOL. Took me a minute, though...

[chlobot]

After enduring one heck of an adventurous visitation weekend, I have decided to make my final decision. However, I'm not sure about the whole co-advising issue. My own advisor X will be gone my first year, and many of X's students are co-advised. I met Professor Y and it was a great match, and I would love that person to be a co-advisor. Do I have to notify Professor X formally? Is it offensive in any way to take on another advisor? How would I word such an email?

I don't think that it will matter so much this early in the process. You'll probably want a little help choosing your courses, but it's not as if you're going to plunge into dissertation research right away. You may want to email professor X and ask whether working with professor Y would be a good idea in light of the fact that professor X will be unavailable. Professor X will almost certainly respond in the affirmative. That should eliminate any weirdness.

[Strong Flat White]

After enduring one heck of an adventurous visitation weekend, I have decided to make my final decision. However, I'm not sure about the whole co-advising issue. My own advisor X will be gone my first year, and many of X's students are co-advised. I met Professor Y and it was a great match, and I would love that person to be a co-advisor. Do I have to notify Professor X formally? Is it offensive in any way to take on another advisor? How would I word such an email?

I wouldn't stress over it, in fact I would see it as an opportunity. I've been co-advised twice, and never solo-advised, and I find a lot of advantage: two pair of eyes over each of your drafts; two viewpoints to shore up your arguments; division of labor that the faculty enjoy (supervision is a big ask); double the recommender-power in the future; possible multi-disciplinary firepower (I was once in department A with co-advisors from deparments B and C; even when I was co-advised and we were all in the same department, it was striking how much the extra perspective added to my experience, not to mention my academic quality). So, go nuts, I say.

[Fifster]

I wouldn't stress over it, in fact I would see it as an opportunity. I've been co-advised twice, and never solo-advised, and I find a lot of advantage: two pair of eyes over each of your drafts; two viewpoints to shore up your arguments; division of labor that the faculty enjoy (supervision is a big ask); double the recommender-power in the future; possible multi-disciplinary firepower (I was once in department A with co-advisors from deparments B and C; even when I was co-advised and we were all in the same department, it was striking how much the extra perspective added to my experience, not to mention my academic quality). So, go nuts, I say.

These are definitely good arguments in favor of co-advisors -- however, be aware of some possible pitfalls as well. I'm speaking more from undergraduate experience here, but you want to make sure that both advisors are ok with each other, and also make sure that there is a clear division of labor. You don't want one of them to be able to just assume that the other advisor is taking care of problem X.

Once you get towards the dissertation stage, I would think, as well, that you would want a single person to chair your committee, although co-advisors would be welcome members of the committee.

[StrangeLight]

i would not mention a co-advisor before you actually get to class in september. it's possible some professors could read it as insulting that a student who hasn't even begun is already thinking about "getting in" with another advisor. you don't know professor X or professor Y well enough yet to truly judge that dynamic. i think, in general, professors are very much okay with being co-advisors, but it also depends on how well X and Y can work together. to a certain degree, they need to be satisfied with your final work as well.

once you get to town and start your classes, you can talk to both profs about your research. it's early in the process, you don't need to declare co-advisors formally yet. just bounce ideas off of both of them (make sure that both know you're talking to the other prof about your work). if it makes sense to take them on as co-advisors and they're both on board, it will happen easily. but to email now? that's not good form. just hold your horses.