Most supervisors won't tell you what they're really like, but their students will spill the REAL tea. 
A chat & a coffee could save you from one of the worst decisions of your life - agreeing to do a PhD with someone who doesn't deserve your talent.
https://authenticallyaverage.com/2019/10/15/what-to-look-out-for-in-a-phd-advisor/ …
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Replying to @thoughtsofaphd
Senior grad students certainly know the truth, but getting them to speak the truth is seldom straightforward. Their professional prospects depend critically on maintaining good relations with their adviser; they stand to gain nothing, and to lose a lot, by dishing to newbies.
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Replying to @MathPrinceps @thoughtsofaphd
Some will nevertheless reveal what they know, if they're persuaded you'll maintain their confidences. Some will speak out of a sense of moral obligation. But most will preserve a tactful silence, or even dissemble. (Postdocs are only slightly more likely to speak the truth.)
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Replying to @MathPrinceps @thoughtsofaphd
I counsel extreme caution. Take rumors seriously. Take oblique hints seriously. Above all, don't imagine you'll be singularly adept at wrangling an adviser who might be trouble. That's way too risky! Remember: of all God's creatures, the grad student is the most vulnerable.
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Replying to @MathPrinceps @thoughtsofaphd
The prudent grad student (vastly) prefers an adviser who is clearly and reliably kind, generous, patient, and encouraging over an adviser who is a world-famous genius. It is almost impossible to exaggerate the nightmares that may result from apprenticeship to a ruthless monster.
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And, sadly, ruthless monsters do indeed exist. If you want a graphic idea of what they look like, and what it can mean to apprentice yourself to one, just watch Damien Chazelle's brilliant film WHIPLASH. Great masters seldom spend much time thinking about the happiness of others.
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