Selecting Your Thesis Lab

After making your choice

Most students will find that there is no “perfect” lab for them but that many labs would be a good fit. Once you have identified the lab you would like to join:

• Talk to the faculty advisor. Set up a meeting in person to tell her or him you would like to join the lab and discuss logistics.
• Tell your Home Program that you have chosen the lab.
• Inform the other labs you rotated with that you have chosen to join another lab. Don’t worry about offending faculty members; they know that most students will only join one lab that they rotated in.

Can I have co-advisors?

Some students choose to have more than one advisor. Talk to your prospective advisors and first-year advisors if you think this makes sense for you. Many students have informal second advisors and faculty with whom they collaborate. In general, with co-advisors it is important to delineate responsibilities between them.