- #1
deRham
- 410
- 0
I wanted to ask the many experienced members of PF what they feel the role is. My interest is in math, but I am sure many physics students want to know.
As in, are they primarily there to alert us to things we should be thinking about in relation to our research problems? Help us with actual technical points so we can further our work and not stay stuck for too long? I know they will be crucial in recommending one for academic jobs, but what is it they help most with? Since as a PhD student, one is obviously responsible to do a lot independently, often select one's own problem, I have wondered this. The answer to this would be crucial to selecting schools.
How common and/or feasible or advisable is it to obtain an advisor from a school other than one's own in: case 1, when the other school is not far off and in person meetings are not hard, case 2, when they are tough? I know for instance MIT students may have Harvard advisors.
As in, are they primarily there to alert us to things we should be thinking about in relation to our research problems? Help us with actual technical points so we can further our work and not stay stuck for too long? I know they will be crucial in recommending one for academic jobs, but what is it they help most with? Since as a PhD student, one is obviously responsible to do a lot independently, often select one's own problem, I have wondered this. The answer to this would be crucial to selecting schools.
How common and/or feasible or advisable is it to obtain an advisor from a school other than one's own in: case 1, when the other school is not far off and in person meetings are not hard, case 2, when they are tough? I know for instance MIT students may have Harvard advisors.