Hello,
I've been filtering my options and I've ended up with three possible doctorate programs in three different universities. They are all interesting, equally good quality, and affordable (I don't qualify for grants).
I guess my choice must be made regarding the quality of the supervisor.
I've heard there are two kinds of supervisors:
1) The kind that detach themselves from your daily work and leave you alone to choose your direction and do your research, only contacting you occasionally to see how you're doing and sign the paperwork.
2) The kind that work with you more closely, offering suggestions constantly and also constantly checking up on your progress.
I'd like to have a supervisor of the second type. But I'm afraid that there is no polite way to ask a potential supervisor which one of the two types he believes he is.
So how can I find out?

Thanks!

talk to people they have supervised before! Mine is a mixture of both, she can ignore me for 7-8 months but when she is interested she can get involved in the day to day stuff too.

Hi! Thank you for your reply! But what happens when you have had no prior contact with the university, and you don't even know names (let alone contact details) of people that the prospective supervisor has supervised before?

======= Date Modified 15 Dec 2009 14:30:49 =======
Hey,

I think it's perfectly acceptable to ask a supervisor what 'kind' of supervisor they are, and I'm sure most will give you back an honest answer, i.e. whether they are hands on or not. If I was doing it all again, applying for PhDs etc and going for interviews with potential supervisors, I would treat it like an interview both ways, so that while they interview you and find out about your motivation and knowledge, you also interview your potential supervisor to try and gage whether or not they are the right supervisor for you. In fact, I remember having one interview where the supervisor actually told me how she operated as a supervisor, that she was very hands on, wanted updates every few days etc etc. You're going to have to spend at least 3 very long years with these people so it's just as important that you get the right person to supervise you as well as finding the right project!