A response to an anonymous contact

Advice, hmmm... here's what I can offer:

The term "your best interests" means just that. They're your best interests. Although I could say what I think my best interests were/are, they may not hold true for you.

Take an inventory of what you have/need as a grad student:

• What are your strengths and weaknesses?
• What is your area of interest for research?
  What is the theoretical perspective you will utilize in your research?
• What is your work/study style?
• Who are you reading, who have you read, who will you read? Put it down in three categories like that.
• Write out a page or two about your ontological & epistemological perspective. This is for you. Get an understanding of where you are in terms of how you view/understand your reality and the nature of knowledge.

OK, enough about you, now... your adviser:

• What do you think are your advisor's strengths & weaknesses? Are they compatible with yours?
• When you talk to your advisor about your studies, is the conversation focused on you and your studies? Or is the conversation about the advisor, the advisor's work, the department, etc...
• What is the teaching/work style of your advisor? Is it compatible with yours?
• How responsive is your advisor? Ask your advisor, upfront, what the expectations for communication are... meaning, how often will you meet? What will be the turn-around time for email communication between you and your advisor? etc...
• Ask your advisor, in as delicate terms as possible, who they can and can't work with for a committee.

This is a short, incomplete list, but it should get you started to think about the types of questions you should be asking yourself, and your adviser. Write them down.

What makes a good adviser?
 
In my opinion, a good advisor is someone "who get's you" and this is something that you just have to feel. Your advisor doesn't need to share your theoretical perspective per se, but the advisor should have a solid understanding of your theoretical position. You advisor should also be willing to disagree with you. This is, in my opinion, crucial. Advising doesn't always mean they agree. I had an experience where the person I was working with agreed to every idea I had. This wasn't helpful because I needed direction, not confirmation... or at least not just confirmation. I needed someone to advise on how to shape my study, etc...

You also need an advisor who is forward-thinking. Someone who doesn't operate day-by-day, but someone who knows that in 2-weeks, they're going to a conference, in 6 months, they're on vacation, in a year they're going on sabbatical, etc... Also, help your advisor to understand your short and long term goals, and let them assist you in determining if these are feasible/possible/whatever.

My mistake was, early on in my program, I changed advisors because (a) my advisor just had a child and was preparing for tenure, and (b) I thought that I wanted to work in a particular theoretical framework with a particular method of research, and there was another person in the department who was "specialized" in those areas. The issue was that my original advisor "got me" and my second advisor didn't. My first advisor was more responsive, flexible, and willing to step in where I needed help. My second advisor was not as flexible, responsive, and in retrospect, didn't seem to even be listening to what I was saying. This advisor agreed with everything and never really said "Ok.. hold on. Let's take stock of where we're at..."

Now, not all of this what the fault of the advisor. I accepted my fellowship with only an inkling of what I wanted to research. I finished my research proposal while I was in Wales, days before I conducted the research. This meant that I would have collected data for my dissertation without writing my dissertation proposal. It was all flipped around, but there was no clear direction from my advisor saying... "Now wait a minute..." That is a warning sign right there. What that tells me in looking back, is that advisor didn't really have my best interests at heart.

Realizing my errors, I've since switched advisors. I am with my original advisor who is supportive, will challenge me, question me, and respond to me in less than 3-weeks (that was the minimum turn-around time for an email from my previous advisor - 3 weeks). Since changing advisors, I've written and defended my proposal, conducted a new research project, and written a rough draft of my dissertation. That is the difference a good advisor can make. I hope this helps!