Rating Faculty

[t_ruth]

Now that you are in somewhere or more than one somewheres, it's time to turn the tables and judge them! Any particular criteria you are using to rate potential advisors?

Maybe add one (or more) criteria beyond the typical 'helps me publish'...

Me, I want someone who responds to emails really promptly.

[socialpsych]

Me, I want someone who responds to emails really promptly.

Me too.

I like profs who set a regular meeting time with their students.

I like profs who are good at listening to their students rather than just making students work on their (the profs') ideas.

I like profs who have a sharp sense of what projects are likely to work and how to make smart decisions during the course of a project.

I like profs who are conscious of the culture of academia and their profession and are willing to give their students professional/cultural advice, not just project advice.

I plan to find out about potential advisors by asking their students -- I think I will get some honest answers. I have heard of people actually being discouraged from working with particular professors by those profs' current students.

[Louiselab]

the email thing! I want someone who answers email. God I just want someone who emails me back.

[ohheygradschool]

Sense of humor. I'll need that when I propose an inevitably ridiculous dissertation topic.