<p>Jingle: Of course a student should seek the best-qualified mentor (as you say, one who publishes and is respected in the field). But even a lesser-qualified mentor is better than no mentor. I say this after years of experience with students who show up in my office asking for a letter of recommendation, thinking that because they earned an A in my class I can write a compelling letter on their behalf. Most of these students will end up in a master’s program but it is the exceptional student who will be admitted to a doctoral program.</p>
<p>And of course there are approachable professors at big research universities and unapproachable professors at LACs, but if you are just going on odds, I would bet on finding an approachable professor at an LAC. Just figure out who even teaches the intorductory level classes (TAs or full-time faculty) and how large those classes are (20-40 at an LAC and 200+ at a university). Again, I am speaking in generalizations, but I think thsee are factors that are important to keep in mind.</p>