Is it better to have an advisor who you can talk to on a friendly basis or who is maybe more standoffish but more prestigious? There is a professor who I really get along well with. We have even been out to dinner together twice. I am very comfortable with this professor and would like him to be my advisor but i'm concerned that I am choosing for the wrong reasons. There is another professor who I have done more professional work with - i took his class and work on a research project with him. He is not as openly friendly though and is not nearly as comfortable to be around. However he is very well-known in the field and i feel like politically, it would be better to have him as my advisor.

does anyone have any advise about choosing an advisor in this situation?

Maybe you could speak with each of them about your goals for your dissertation and see what each one says about how they feel about you reaching them and how they want to help. You want someone who can help you reach your goals, whether that is fulfilling the minimum requirements, or spending years on a deeply involved, intricate project of more depth. Even their communication skills/personality are not as important as how the 2 compare in their particular abilities and ideas of how to help you on your particular project.

thanks for your response noserenity -

I guess in a way, i think that the prestigious professor might be smarter and better read in my field and area of interests. However, I feel so inimitated by him sometimes that I feel like that will get in the way of receiving good advice from him. I totally see your point about talking to them about my goals for my dissertation. I guess I'm just nervous to express my ideas to the prestigious professor. Maybe i'll make an appointment. How did you go about choosing your advisor? was it an obvious choice? thanks again

Hi - sorry for not getting back to you sooner - you can see by my main post that my very dear advisor is dying, I think today.

One of the best things about him is that he never had a big ego, he always supported me and said "there is no stupid question". So even though he was so accomplished, I wasn't afraid to ask him questions - like the things I was most scared about - statistics and career advice, sensitive details that will hamper your productivity until you've taken them out of the dark places they were hiding and discussed them with a kindred spirit.... So the person you choose - I think you'd want them to be kind, enthusiastic about your work, happy to be a mentor, and want you to succeed.

Well, your relationship with your mentor is extremely important. (I am learning this now as a first year grad student, but that is another matter) If you can do good research with the one you get along with, then do that. You need to be able to talk to your mentor. Communication troubles can lead to big problems. If you are so uncomfortable that you don't want to be in the same room with someone, how will you spend years of your life with them? On the other hand, a strictly professional relationship is not a terrible thing to have in grad school. I would suggest the one who gives you the best of both.