Advisor dilemma , one is brilliant but inaccessible and others are approachable but not aligned with my feild. Have to decide in 2 days, help
Second-year econ Master's student in India, trying to lock down a dissertation supervisor before my proposal is due in a couple of days, and I'm stuck.
My interest is banking/finance. I want something data-heavy, panel econometrics, stuff I can actually talk about confidently in job interviews later (I'm leaning toward the job market over a PhD).
There's a professor who's the person for banking + econometrics in my dept. Genuinely brilliant, no debate there. But the word from seniors is: hard to get time with him, and he wants things done his way without always explaining why. Looked up two of his former students' dissertations, though, and they're genuinely solid.
Then there's a prof I did a coursework project with once who was a good mentor. Her topic of interest is Labour and gender, and I am neutral towards this topic. She actually explains why you're doing something, helps you figure out what to do when a method doesn't work instead of just handing you the fix. The field is different, and she won't take on banking topics. So that door's shut.
The third option is approachable and smart too, but agriculture/environment econ, and I just don't have real interest there. Forcing it for 7-8 months feels like a bad idea.
So it's basically: topic fit + harder personality vs. finding someone else who's both, if that even exists in my department.
Anyone been through this? How much does advisor style actually matter for a Master's diss vs. just going with whoever's the expert? Trying to decide fast.