Female grad student in yellow sweater talking with Hispanic female advisor

A Master Mentor: How to Pick a Grad School Advisor

Few people are as important as your advisor in grad school. Finding someone fit for the role is crucial. Here's some advice for finding the right person.

Sometimes it feels like it takes a village for you to get through grad school. Of all the professors, lab partners, coworkers, assistants, and students you'll interact with in your grad school years, few are as important to your success as your advisor. But how do you choose your advisor in grad school? And why is this one person so important? Choosing an advisor isn't as easy as it sounds. Finding the right mix of professional knowledge and success, personal style, and even availability isn't always as straightforward as going to the department chair like you might have done as an undergrad. You have to do a little self-assessment and searching around to find the graduate advisor who will work best with you. But once you find that person, your grad school years will become much smoother. Here are a few ways to make sure you find the right grad school advisor.

Find the expert in your interests

Logically, you want your advisor to guide you through whatever graduate school difficulties you might encounter. But you also need someone who has been in your shoes. Start looking around in your department for someone who has similar interests and has achieved professional success or recognition within their field. Consider their standing in the university, their own career achievements, their network of associates, and even their current group of advisees (as these people will potentially be in your professional network as well), their history with getting reliable funding, and how well those qualities will fit your own goals.

Related: How to Find a Great College With Amazing Professors

Make sure they have time

Everyone might love a certain professor, but if she is overloaded with advising duties, she might not have as much time to focus on your work. The same thing can happen with a professor who is on the verge of a lab breakthrough; all the work and potential travel could detract from their availability. It's not a bad idea to ask other students for their impressions of different advisors. You want to make sure you find someone who will help you and has time to work with you and give you feedback when you need it.

Find the right rapport

You're not looking for someone who can hold your hand through grad school, but you do need someone who has the right advising style for you. You'll be working closely with your advisor, so you'll want to make sure your personalities mesh enough to get the necessary work done and to be able to navigate feedback. Are you someone who can take criticism if you know it makes your work better? Then that brilliant department chair with a reputation for being prickly might be a good advisor for you. Do you tend to obsess over details to the point of procrastination? Then try to find an advisor who can help you set deadlines and get moving so you don't stagnate and fall behind. Are you a super-organized go-getter? Then that well-respected but messy and absent-minded advisor might not work for you.

Related: How Students Can Find Supportive Mentors in College

What your advisor can do for you

Obviously, your advisor will guide you on a path to getting your degree and contribute significantly to that process and how it flows. But while an advisor is helping you with your dissertation, he can also help you get ready for the next step. Find out if you'll be part of the professor's own research in any way. Will you have opportunities for presenting your work at conferences? Is this person experienced enough to help you get from just accumulating information to helping you make your own voice heard in your field?

Navigate the relationship

Your advisor is not necessarily your mentor. While some lucky grad students find a mentor in their advisor, don't count on it. Your advisor is going to help get you through your thesis and dissertation, but they may not have the time or desire to help you network or give you deeply personal career advice. Respect the boundaries your advisor establishes and treat the relationship as you would any professional interaction. They are invested in you, but they won't take it kindly if you come to meetings late or unprepared. Remember, your relationship doesn't end when you graduate. You need the high esteem of your advisor as they will be supporting you through your dissertation and also writing letters of recommendation for you. As in most relationships, you’ll get out of it what you put in.

Related: How to Build Better Relationships With Your Teachers

Having a great advisor for grad school could be the difference between a smooth graduate school journey and a rocky one. They can help you navigate academics, balancing school with personal life, and more. Take the utmost care in making your decision, so that when you choose someone, you know they’ll have your back when you need it.

For more great grad school advice like this, check out the blogs and articles in our Graduate School section.

Like what you’re reading?

Join the CollegeXpress community! Create a free account and we’ll notify you about new articles, scholarship deadlines, and more.

Join Now

About Julia Quinn-Szcesuil

Julia Quinn-Szcesuil is a freelance writer based in Bolton, Massachusetts. 

 

Join our community of
over 5 million students!

CollegeXpress has everything you need to simplify your college search, get connected to schools, and find your perfect fit.

Join CollegeXpress

College Quick Connect

Swipe right to request information.
Swipe left if you're not interested.

University of Idaho

Moscow, ID


Jeannie Borin, MEd

Jeannie Borin, MEd

President and Founder, College Connections

I frequently visit CollegeXpress to answer questions from students and parents. There are countless hot topics in admissions that need to be addressed. I enjoy reading what my colleagues post and gain additional insight from different perspectives.

Abhishek Kumar

Abhishek Kumar

High School Class of 2022

As a high schooler, I know how hard it is to plan for college. You have to consider a lot of factors: SAT/ACT scores, college searches, scholarships, and more. CollegeXpress has been a helpful resource that solves all these problems. One can easily create a free account and search away. They help you search for scholarships and colleges, they have graduate program search, they have lists and rankings, and so much more. CX also has a lot of articles and advice to read—whether it’s financial aid, test prep, campus visits, internships/careers, or anything. Not only that, CX gives out free scholarship money to students who sign up and create a free CX account. I love CX and will continue to use it! Thank you CollegeXpress for making my college journey easier!

Amari Toussaint

Amari Toussaint

High School Class of 2022

CollegeXpress helped me narrow my school choices down from 10 schools to four and then two. It also gave me information on a school I had never heard about or thought about attending until now, which is the school I will be attending in the fall. I am thankful for CollegeXpress and its helpful tools.

Carlie Cadet

Carlie Cadet

High School Class of 2019

CollegeXpress has helped me learn about an abundance of scholarships available to me and my situation. I was able to do research for colleges in my best interest with your website. I've had multiple colleges email me and offer me multiple scholarships and things of that nature because of this website! Thank you so much for uploading scholarships I didn’t even know existed, even if my life took a huge turn and I wasn’t able to go to college straight out of high school. CollegeXpress helped me a lot in high school to be even more motivated to get into my dream college (which I did, by the way). I'm looking forward to using the materials CollegeXpress has kindly provided me for free to look for scholarships to help pay for college.

Rhiannon Teeter

Rhiannon Teeter

$2,000 Community Service Scholarship Winner, 2012

I have spent a lot of time aggressively searching for scholarships. It was a long and frustrating process until I found the CollegeXpress network. This site made my search so much easier. With the simple check of a few boxes, the site sorted out scholarships I was eligible for and led me directly to the correct websites. Winning this scholarship has definitely given me and my family some financial relief, and CollegeXpress has allowed me to improve my chances of winning further financial aid. Thank you so much!