BC Environmental and Occupational Health Research Network

How to Succeed in Graduate School: A Guide for Students and Advisors “Once you identify one or more potential advisors, get to know them. Introduce yourself and describe the area you’re interested in. Attend their research group meetings if they hold them regularly. Give them a copy of a research proposal if you have a good idea of what you want to work on, and ask for comments.”
 
Choosing an Advisor “Prepare a general list that you can share with a potential mentor in order to find out if they are a good fit for your particular needs. Knowing yourself is essential. What do you want out of your graduate education? What level of independence do you thrive in? What sort of encouragement and critique do you need?”
 
An Insider’s Guide to Choosing a Graduate Adviser and Research Projects in Laboratory Sciences “Meeting potential advisers may be scary; but you must develop strong, positive, self-presentation skills if you are to succeed. You can meet potential advisers and their students at professional conferences. A too-little exercised but most useful option is working on a summer project in a laboratory. If you arrive at graduate school without an adviser, then do interview all potential advisers. You will learn quite a bit about the work in your new department and, consequently, have a good idea about whom to select for your research committee.”
 
Questions To Consider In Selecting a Dissertation Advisor “…..How long do students take to complete their degrees with this advisor? …..What proportion of this advisor’s students successfully complete the program? …..What is the placement record of this advisor’s students? Where do they get jobs? …..Does the advisor publish with his/her students as first author?…”
 
How to Choose a Graduate Advisor As a graduate student who’s been around for awhile, you know that there are certain arguments in your field that can get very heated. Be sure you and your advisor are on the same side of any of these debates that are relevant to your research. In addition, find an advisor who gets along with the other people you want to put on your committee.