The Rabbit Hole

To further a point from part 1, choosing the right supervisor can be a difficult task. This becomes even more difficult if you haven’t been taught or supervised by them before! So how do we go about deciding in this case? Well, you’ve come to the right place! I chose my supervisor through a highly rigorous process called “Ben’s vibe check“.

Seriously, that’s what ultimately decided it for me. However, that vibe check only tipped the scale after doing some due diligence in researching their group and asking about available projects. Things you should do before using the so-called “vibe check”, is to ask about what they do (e.g. kinds of experiments, time scale for results, day-to-day operations, etc.) and what projects they are thinking about now. This is ubiquitous advice and should be done for any supervisor/group that you’re interested in – it’s also something that can be done with basic research into their work, and by either email or chatting with them.

So what’s the “vibe check” and how do we do it for a supervisor? Similar to what we do with newcomers in a friend group, we need to see if the individual meets our requirements. This subjective vibe check evaluates the likelihood of getting along, how they think, and their core traits. Because academia is a quasi-professional environment, the core traits are perhaps not the same ones that you’d ask of potential friends (e.g. hobbies, politics, not drinking Tim Hortons, etc.). Through an in-person interview, chats with senior graduate students (both the ones in their group and definitely the ones that aren’t), and their group website, you can get a good idea of who they are and how they operate. You’ll have to exercise your emotional intelligence and trust your gut to some extent – ask yourself about the positive (perhaps hierarchical) relationships in your life, and what you think made them enjoyable. Alternatively, you can isolate the unenjoyable ones and work on avoiding that.

This is important because you want to vet for any red flags and also find green ones. This person will be your mentor, guide, and effectively a “roommate” (that pays all the rent and is your landlord) to your early research career. Personality conflicts need to be minimized and communication channels must be maintained for a smooth and enjoyable graduate experience.

To give you an example, what I did was I skimmed their papers, went through their website, and talked to them in person during my school visit (after the university’s offer). This gave me a good idea about their ability to communicate to others within the field, outside academia, and to those who are perceived to be beneath them a hierarchy. What I found about my eventual supervisor is that they were incredibly patient and could distill information like no other. They were able to inspire interest and explained concepts in a clear and non-condescending manner. In other words, they are likely a patient teacher and take pride in mentorship. They were transparent about answering projects and timelines. My conclusions about them were also consistent with the reviews given by graduate students outside of their group. So in summary, treat this like going on a first date – how someone treats a service worker, especially when something goes wrong, speaks a lot about them as a person. Use that information and don’t get cat-fished by fancy projects, perceived prestige, or boatloads of funding (although an absence of funding is a very big concern).