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<p>I agree - every year, I only learn more about how incredibly tough it is to match what such people do.</p>
<p>That said…</p>
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<p>I think some of these statements are exaggerated beyond the point of necessity, and I don’t believe how much someone’s time is “worth” is a philosophical question worth getting into here - correct me if wrong.</p>
<p>How much of a rockstar a professor is really has nothing to do with whether he/she puts in time into being a good adviser. Frequently, it is more of a reflection on the professor’s time-management skills. I have been time and again astonished how some of the most brilliant professors who are simultaneously personable and thus have tons of students (both undergraduate and graduate) go to them for advising still manage to honor all their commitments, and be helpful when you talk to them.</p>
<p>I think what has helped me most is being sympathetic to their needs. Having several PhD students to advise, classes to teach, and research to do AND undergraduates to advise is quite a lot of responsibility. My understanding is that the biggest issue is having potential disruption to the rest of their work. So they usually like to get these things done in one sitting. To develop sympathy – try doing what they do, or some approximation of it, with an extremely full academic schedule.</p>