What to do when your undergrad advisor hasn't been an advisor?

[Marshalltown]

I've been preparing a list of professors that I'd like to recommend me. In the process, I've considered my advisor, however I'm conflicted about contacting them. They have never pushed me to consider where I'd like to go to grad school, what I'd like to do in the next 5-10 years, or even given me advice. They even forgot an advising appointment that I set up with them and asked me how my time studying abroad went - when I didn't even study abroad! Here are my biggest questions:

1. Do grad schools care if you don't send them the email address/contact info for your advisor?

2. Is it acceptable to get advice on applications, schools, studying, etc. from other professors in the same department INSTEAD of your advisor?

3. Is there any way to insure that I won't get such a poor advisor in grad school?

 

The only reason that I haven't switched undergrad advisors is that the other person I have considered making my advisor is leaving for sabbatical and cannot take on advisees. 

[rising_star]

1) My experience is that they won't even know who your undergrad advisor is. Think about it. Unless that person's name is on your transcript, then how would an adcom know who your undergrad advisor is. My undergrad advisor didn't write any of my letters but that's because they were never someone I really talked to but more of someone who signed the things I needed signed. At the large public university where I did my PhD, there are professional academic advisors who do the bulk of the advising. Since these people rarely have PhDs, I doubt many seniors ask them for recommendation letters to graduate school.

2) Get advice from whomever you can get advice from! I wouldn't worry about what people think. If they ask, say you're trying to solicit a variety of opinions and get multiple perspectives as you decide what you want to do. 

3) Yes and no. The relationship is much different at the graduate level since that person has to sign off on your research, not just help you register for classes. That said, what makes someone a poor advisor in your eyes may not make them a poor advisor in someone else's. To avoid getting someone you consider to be a poor advisor, you first need to figure out what you want out of an advising relationship. Do you want someone that you can call up to meet for a beer? Someone who returns drafts in a week with line edits? Someone that requires weekly reports on everything you've done? Once you've figured out what you want, you can talk to potential advisors about their advising style. You'll also want to talk to their graduate students to see if what's being said about the person's advising style is the same. Even then, you could still end up with a less than desirable situation since things (and people) change. 

[farflung]

1. You want letter writers who have worked with you in some capacity and can candidly speak to your intellectual interests, your emotional and social maturity, and your promise in Anthropology. If this is your academic advisor, great. If it's not, don't sweat it. You may be asked who was your advisor informally in an interview or something, but you can just respond something to the effect of: "person XYZ, but I didn't work as closely with them as I did with my letter writers." It won't be a big deal.

2. Yes, get advice from everyone, especially those in the department/field you're thinking of pursuing. Informational interviews are SO helpful. Where did they go to grad school? What was funding like? What do they regret/wish they had done differently?

3. Go to a school where you can envision working with several faculty members. This way, if a faculty member leaves/goes on sabbatical/is a terrible advisor/ turns out to be crazy, you can still complete your PhD! You never know how an advising relationship will go until you try it out, and you may end up switching advisors after a year or two. That's OK and normal. Talk to graduate students in the departments that interest you -- who is their advisor? What is the advisor good & not good at?