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.