Which advisor is better? (FINANCIAL ADVISORS?

What do you say to your PhD advisor when you want to change advisors?

• Answer:

  Make sure your reason for wanting to change advisors is a good one, such as a genuine desire to do research in an area in which your advisor has no interest. If you have a good reason, talk to him like an adult. He'll either understand or not, but as long as you approach it forthrightly and honestly, you'll have the best chance of avoiding hard feelings. Remember, your current advisor will participate in the periodic review of student progress. You will no longer have him as an ally to speak up for you. You want to avoid making him an enemy who speaks badly of you. And, when you find a new prospective advisor, they will probably talk to your old advisor before taking you on to be sure he didn't abandon you for a good reason. (Yeah, that all smacks of politics. Welcome to academia. Welcome to life.) Make sure this is the one time you switch advisors. When I was in grad school I was told by my advisor (before he became my advisor) that you get at most two chances picking an advisor. No one in the department will want to waste their time with a student who is looking for their third advisor. You will get the reputation of either being a flake (unable to finish what you start), or just not capable of doing research at the quality required for a PhD. Don't switch advisors if you feel you are just not getting along well. What you think isn't getting along well might just be his attempt to push you harder. Or it could be his dissatisfaction with your progress. Find out what it is and fix it. You'll be better off in the long run. Don't switch advisors if you feel like you aren't getting enough attention (or feel you are getting too much attention).  The amount of attention your advisor gives you will ebb and flow depending on where you are in your process. My advisor spent tons of time with me in the first year and then cut back to progress meetings every week or two. I felt nearly abandoned at one point during that time, until he decided I had enough material for my dissertation. Then interaction became more frequent again. If you are in one of those periods where you feel too much or too little attention, talk to your advisor.