Well, from my experience, the most important thing is to get a supervisor you like/get along with who is well-known/respected in his/her field. If the person is a good supervisor as described above, then you don't have to worry about the reputation of the school. If the school were disreputable, it would not have been able to attract/retain such a supervisor.
It's also important that you like and are very interested in the potential project you'll be working on. If you're just somewhat interested in the project or see it as a means to an end, then it's not for you. Remember, this is something you'll be spending the next 2+ years working on and have to write a book about later.
What's not as important are things like the chance to travel, where you'll be living, how much you get paid, TAships, things like that. Although these are things that would be nice if they worked out one way or another (liking where you live or getting paid more), in the end their impact on your grad school experience will not be as important as the first two points, and can be fixed easier.
It's important to get to know the other grad students the supervisor has and see what their opinion of the supervisor is. However, don't get too caught up in what you think of your potential supervisor's students. Sure, you may have to share an office with them, but your project may have nothing at all to do with theirs and you may not have to interact with them at all, if ever, on a professional level.
It's also important that you like and are very interested in the potential project you'll be working on. If you're just somewhat interested in the project or see it as a means to an end, then it's not for you. Remember, this is something you'll be spending the next 2+ years working on and have to write a book about later.
What's not as important are things like the chance to travel, where you'll be living, how much you get paid, TAships, things like that. Although these are things that would be nice if they worked out one way or another (liking where you live or getting paid more), in the end their impact on your grad school experience will not be as important as the first two points, and can be fixed easier.
It's important to get to know the other grad students the supervisor has and see what their opinion of the supervisor is. However, don't get too caught up in what you think of your potential supervisor's students. Sure, you may have to share an office with them, but your project may have nothing at all to do with theirs and you may not have to interact with them at all, if ever, on a professional level.
Good luck with the grad school hunt! ^_^
P.S. -> Coming camping? I booked sites...
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