How strict is regional focus when looking for possible advisors?

[feijoada]

Hey everyone! I've been reading for a while but couldn't find the answer to the following:

Say i'm looking at the faculty directory and found a professor that works with either the methodology or topic that i'm interested in, but his/her regional focus is in middle east while i'd rather focus on latin america (or some other mismatch). How much of a deal breaker is that considering fit?

[anonymousvulture]

50 minutes ago, feijoada said:

Hey everyone! I've been reading for a while but couldn't find the answer to the following:

Say i'm looking at the faculty directory and found a professor that works with either the methodology or topic that i'm interested in, but his/her regional focus is in middle east while i'd rather focus on latin america (or some other mismatch). How much of a deal breaker is that considering fit?

I think it may be a bigger deal depending on the department. I've heard some are less worried about the regional aspect. That being said, maybe you could try to see what kind of dissertation this person has advised in the past. This info is usually in different places in a website depending on the department, but it may be found.

Also, I would assume that this could put you in a disavantadge in terms of fit, since there is likely to exist someone as qualified as you are, but with the same regional interest as this professor (unless It is something really specific, I guess). Imagine you're eating feijoada with gin tonic. Can be done, but a caipirinha is a much more clear fit.