Which professor should I work for? Forum

[Anonymous User]

Professor A:
- Did extremely well in her class (A+, not sure how many A+'s are awarded).
- She at least knows who I am
- Been at the school for a long time
- Not really interested in the subjects that she teaches and researches

Professor B:
- Did very well in his class (A)
- Interested in his field
- We're both from the same geographical area (which is nowhere near where my school is)
- Besides getting called on once, have never spoken with him in my life

[Cavalier]

I'd go with professor B. The difference between A and A+ shouldn't matter in your decision. You have something in common with professor B, and are interested in his subject, so it sounds like will have the opportunity to develop a good relationship with him, even if you don't know each other now. With professor A, just take another class with her and do well, and you can probably get a decent reference from her without being her RA.

[jp0094]

Professor A:
- Did extremely well in her class (A+, not sure how many A+'s are awarded).
- She at least knows who I am
- Been at the school for a long time
- Not really interested in the subjects that she teaches and researches

Professor B:
- Did very well in his class (A)
- Interested in his field
- We're both from the same geographical area (which is nowhere near where my school is)
- Besides getting called on once, have never spoken with him in my life

IMO this decision comes down to how uninterested you are in A versus how interested you are in B. Since you already have a connection with A it may be beneficial to nurture that relationship for the future. However, it would be a bad choice in my mind to go with A if you strongly dislike A's subject. I wouldn't want to spend the entire time working on a subject I disliked. That being said, if you only mildly dislike subject A it may be worth it to pursue given your previous connection with A.

EDIT: Cavalier brings up a really good point about being able to get a reference without RAing for A. TCR

[Alexandria]

B. Definitely RA in the area you're interested in. The only other thing to consider would be if A were a superstar who has pull with judges and B not.

You'll get to know B. It doesn't matter that he doesn't already know you, if he knows enough that he offered you a job.