<p>When picking major advisors, is it best to pick an Assistant Professor or Associate Professor as your advisor?</p>
<p>I know that Assistant professors are new in the field (college) and very interested in showing what they know (since they want tenure). Associate professors are already on the tenure-track, and have a little more freedom to do whatever they want but can be quite isolated from students.</p>
<p>i don't really get the difference between an associate professor and an assistant professor.. they both teach.. just pick someone that you think you can work well with, if you plan on meeting with your advisor. I've never once met with my advisior and i graduate this may.</p>
<p>Same here as fendergirl, I have been to community college and to state university, never once talked to an advisor. Graduate in 38 hours w00t! </p>
<p>BTW someone jacked your name fendergirl, she goes by the name fendergirl83.</p>
<p>oh well. as long as i'm not being made look bad (well worse than I already make myself look), its alright :)</p>
<p>to the OP, if you have no interest in advising it doesn't matter. On the other hand if you intend to try to develop a mentor-type relationship with the advisor with the prospects of a solid letter of rec for grad school and perhaps future contact over the years, the associate is the way to go. Its likely they will be at your college for many years, while assistant profs typically work for a few years and then move on.</p>
<p>"while assistant profs typically work for a few years and then move on."</p>
<p>That's ridiculous, mikemac. All professors start as assistant profs and become associate profs after 6 years (on average) if they get tenure. If they don't get tenure, they're just fired. I don't think it makes sense to assume that assistant profs are systematically better or worse advisors than associate profs. Associates are more experienced, but that doesn't necessarily make them better advisors. You need to look at the individual and whether he/she is interested in helping students. You'll find great advisors and terrible advisors both among assistants and among associates. Ask around to learn about specific people.</p>