How to Choose Your Academic Advisor

One of the most important decisions you can make during your academic career is the choice of an academic advisor.

Choosing the right advisor can produce an enriching dissertation writing experience. On the other hand, the wrong advisor could result in a terrible experience, with the dreaded thought that you might never finish.

Here are two critical considerations for choosing your advisor:

Research Interests

You must know how your interests and your advisor’s research fit together. A match in research interests can be even more important than the school or department in some cases.

Here are some essential questions to guide you:

  • How many recent publications?
  • Are your advisor’s research interests published on the school website?
  • Does your advisor prefer that you continue their research, or would you develop your own research questions?

Communication

You must communicate with your advisor and rely on them for guidance. You can ask several questions to gauge your advisor’s communication style.

How much control does your advisor keep?

For example, is your advisor more likely to prescribe step-by-step directions, or give more power to their students?

If you are an independent worker, you may seek a particular type of advisor. If you thrive with clear-cut instructions, you will need to factor your advisor’s style into the equation.

How does your advisor like to communicate?

Do they prefer in-person meetings? If so, you will need to figure out the best ways to meet with, schedule, and work with your advisor. Do they prefer phone calls, emails, or text? What is your preferred mode of communication? Make sure that your communication styles align.

How quickly does your advisor respond?

For example, if you ask a question, are you likely to get a response on the same day, or will it be more likely that you will need to wait a week or more? What is their track record with previous students?

Does your advisor set deadlines?

Setting deadlines is essential because the scope of a thesis or dissertation project is enormous, and it is necessary to break it into manageable chunks.

To summarize, there are several considerations for choosing an advisor; however, some of the essential factors are alignment with research interests and communication. To answer these questions, meet with your advisor, review their past research, and university website, and ask previous students about their experiences with the advisor, and suggestions for communication style.