How to decide between offers?

[JonathanEdwards]

I read lots of agonizing on the board, so I hope these suggested criteria are helpful to someone out there. Based on advice from others and my own experiences, I would suggest the following list to those of you in the decision phase:

1. The scholar(s) who can provide the best supervision for your particular research

2. Faculty reputation in your subfield

3. Resources to support your research (primarily libraries/labs, but also funding)

If you want to break into university teaching, your thesis had better hit like a hammer. It won’t if you don’t find the best possible supervision for your research. I also understand hiring panels frequently view this area as a future indicator of your dedication to ongoing research. They want to see that you are interested in making a genuine contribution to your chosen field, and giving higher priority to other items like convenience, cost, name cachet, etc. suggests that you’ll have the same attitude towards your research if hired as faculty.

Best wishes!