Choosing%20and%20Getting%20the%20Best%20from%20your%20Advisor

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Choosing and Getting the Best from your Advisor

• Gentian Jakllari

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Choosing the Right Advisor
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The First Step

• Identify the professors working in the area(s) of
  your interest
• Go and talk to them
• Take at least one class with them
• Is the best way for both to get to know each
  other
• You get a feeling of his working and
  communication style
• The potential advisor gets an idea of your
  capabilities
• Very important if you are very interested in
  working with the specific professor and the spots
  in his lab are competitive

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Study his Current Projects

• Are they in an area current interest?
• Are the projects interesting / appealing to you?
• Keep in mind that just looking at their web page
  can be misleading
• So, again, go and talk to them

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Look at his Recent Publication Record

• You want to work with professors that are
  currently active in research
• The best indication are the publications in the
  last 3-4 years
• A certain professor might have been very active
  10 years ago and established himself but hasnt
  done anything in the last 5 years
• He might have switched to administrative duties

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Consider his Recent PhD Graduates

• If the last alumni of the specific advisors lab
  have been successful, there are chances you may
  be too
• This advisor help you graduate in a reasonable
  time frame
• Looks out for you professionally
• The same applies for the opposite case
• Keep in mind that there are always exception
• At the end you make the difference
• I have seen students from the same professor
  having totally different quality PhDs and first
  jobs

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Talk to his Students

• The student working with a professor are probably
  in the best position to advise
• They can give you an insiders perspective
• But be cautious
• Different people might have totally different
  perception
• Ive seen cases two different students of the
  same advisor having totally opposite opinions

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Young vs Senior Faculty

• An everlasting dilemma

• Senior faculty
• More experienced and connected
• More money
• More alumni -- has had the chance to give the
  world some successful PhDs

• Young faculty
• More active and motivated
• Less administrative duties
• Less teaching
• Closer to our age group and therefore more fun
• More friendship percentage to the relation
  advisor-student

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Managing your Advisor -1

• Have a weekly meeting (very important)
• Sets a quick pace for your projects
• For the first time you will be working on
  long-term projects
• Can leads to the biggest obstacle in finishing on
  time-- I can do it tomorrow effect
• Lear how to communicate, including disagreeing
  without making it personal

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Managing your Advisor -2

• Take the initiative -- the PhD is your baby
• Professor have many PhDs to think about and are
  much busier than use
• You need your advisor more than he needs you
• Try to meet the deadlines
• It is important and will build the trust of your
  advisor in your capabilities
• Try to understand his character
• Will help you in getting things done

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Time Efficiency

• Being time efficient is probably the single most
  important thing to succeed in research
• There is lots of time -- if used efficiently
• You can do some great research and enjoy yourself
  at the same time

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Time Efficiency Scheduling

• Divide your long project into tasks (Divide and
  conquer)
• Literature reading, Problem definition, Solution,
  Implementation, Writing etc
• Assign every task a deadline and fit them into
  your calendar/agenda
• Your calendar will keep all the things you have
  to do
• Dentist, class, this presentation, meetings,
  trips, car to fix etc
• Push your self into meeting the goals within some
  reasonable margin
• You will get more things done
• You will feel better -- the feeling of
  accomplishment

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Recharging the Batteries
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PhD is a Long Journey not a 100 m Sprint

• Pan metron ariston (all things in moderation)
• Body
• Physical activities (workout, your favorite
  sports)
• Enough sleep
• Mind
• Hobbies, languages, reading
• Soul
• Friends
• Relationships

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All Things in Moderation

• You need to combine work with fun
• If you are happy you will produce more and better
  research
• If you are miserable you will burn-out
• Try to do something outside your lab/home at
  least once a week
• Take a break from Riverside and reward yourself
  after a big project deadline

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Everyday Activities

• Go for a coffee with a friend
• Go to a nice restaurant for dinner
• Go to a nice bar
• Go to the movies
• Go the the gym (great facility and is free)
• Go skiing
• Go to the beach

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Escape Activities

• Reward yourself after a big deadline
• Leave the town for a week -10 days
• Changing place can be very recharging
• These are probably the best years to travel and
  see places
• We are lucky to live in California - make the
  best of it

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You Can Have Great Fun while Living in Riverside

• Within 1 hour drive (save money for a car!)
• Orange County --gt for the beach lover
• Irvine Spectrum, Sunset Boulevard, Santa Monica
  Promenade --gt dinning, clubbing, shopping
• Big Bare Lake --gt winter sports
• Temecula --gt wine testing
• Universal Studios, Disneyland, Seaworld
• Cabazon outlets --gt shopping therapy within our
  budget

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You can Have great fun while living in Riverside

• Within 3-4 hours (refuge after a big deadline)
• Las Vegas !!! Go Crazy, it stays there
• Yosemite National Park
• Santa Barbara -- beaches and wine testing
  (Sideways)
• Central Pacific Cost -- some of the most
  beautiful places in the world

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Conclusion

• Your PhD could be the best time of your life
• Efficient time management
• Succed at work
• Have fun