urgent-advisor leaving univ

[babel123]

Hello,

My advisor is switching university to a different country. I have already made a defense of my PHD proposal after about 2 + 3/4 years so it is not easy for me to decide if to go with him or stay at my current university. He said he would take me, and that I will not be forced to take coursework at this new university, and that he has funds too. The university is higher ranked than the one I am in now. But my current university is in US and the new one is in Canada. If I stay at my current university I may be able to finish my thesis by myself in about 3 semesters. i.e having him as an external advisor. But it puts a lot of pressure on me to do much work, and also look for a job at the same time. As you know it is not easy to find a job nowadays. I am not a US citizen so I need to get a job to stay here which I do want to. I am in a great dilemma changing my decision every day. Please give me your suggestions to help me make up my mind. I need to tell him in a week or two. I would also like to delete this thread once I get some answers for privacy reasons.

Edit: He also said I will need to make a new proposal at the new university (basically the same presentation that I already made). A semester has passed since then. If possible I would like to get my degree from the US university. Honestly I don't mind finishing it at the new university in Canada if I get a the US degree, but that may not be possible at all. Am I being naive (stupid) to pass a chance to get a degree from a higher ranked university even though it is in Canada ? Please be honest.

Thank you in advance.

Edited September 7, 2011 by babel123

[Sigaba]

If you go with him, how much longer will you be in the pipeline? The recession is going to get worse before it gets better. (Delaying your entry into the job market may not be such a terrible thing.)

Before making your decision, make sure that he can deliver on what he's offering to you if you go with him.

[babel123]

If you go with him, how much longer will you be in the pipeline? The recession is going to get worse before it gets better. (Delaying your entry into the job market may not be such a terrible thing.)

Before making your decision, make sure that he can deliver on what he's offering to you if you go with him.

He said about one and half years more but I am not sure about that . I expect worst case to be 2 years more.

He is a good professor so I think he will deliver. But I need to decide what is good for me. I feel that I need to move with him

to maximize my chances of staying longer in univ, but I am afraid not to make a mistake by switching. I really have no idea

how valuable a US phd degree would be compared to a canadian one for the job market in us i.e after the recession is over.

I need to make a choice soon. So please give me choices so that I can go with the majority's opinion. I know this is desperate

measure but I can't decide for my self.

Thank you.

[dimanche0829]

So please give me choices so that I can go with the majority's opinion. I know this is desperate

measure but I can't decide for my self.

Thank you.

I don't think this is a responsibility any of us would like to bear for you. YOU are the only person who knows what's best and it sounds like you've already made up your mind but want reaffirmation. Make your choice as best you can and live with the good and the bad that go along with that choice.

Since we are not privy to any information outside of what you have included in your posts, there is simply no way that anyone else could decide your future for you. Just my 0.02.

[fuzzylogician]

Can't you have an honest conversation with your professor and bring the question of American vs. Canadian degrees up? If he has your best interest at heart, he will give you his honest opinion. From what you write, it sounds like your advisor wants you to succeed and it doesn't sound like he has ulterior motives, so just ask for his advice. In general, you should be talking to people in your department about your concerns. It's impossible for us to give you any concrete advice without knowing specifics like the field that you are in, what university you are moving from and to, and other individual factors about your career. Even then, we are not nearly as experienced as your professors. At the very least, you should talk to your advisor and to whoever would be your primary contact at your current university, should you choose to stay there. The DGS or the department chair are also options, and maybe also more advanced students or post-docs, if the situation is not sensitive and can be shared with them (broadly speaking). Questions like duration of degree, when it would be best to go out on the market, funding, quality of degree, etc. should really all be addressed to these people, not us.

[babel123]

Sorry if I come hard on people making a choice for me. But really the situation is difficult for me to decide and it would have helped me getting some choices. I am still in dilemma because he offered the same options to his other 3 phd students but they all turned him down. One of them might even finish in 1 semester. They all have good personal reasons to choose the old university but my choice is mainly based on the job situation and value of the degree I get. Maybe I am over analyzing this anyway. It is pretty much forced upon me since switching advisors at this stage is usually a disaster.

Thank you.