When to start asking PIs for lab rotation positions??

[PathHopeful]

Hi everyone! I'll be starting my PhD in Biophysics in the fall, and am wondering when the appropriate time is to start emailing PIs about rotations.

I already know which PIs I want to ask for a rotation position with, but is it too early to send those emails? The program website says that a list of labs hosting rotation students will be given out (doesn't say when though) and additional guidance will be provided by advisors during orientation week, but I have a feeling the labs I'm interested in are going to be highly sought after, hence my wanting to ask early. Do most people wait until orientation week to choose their rotation labs?! 

Side note: I'm locked in at my current job until the end of August, so I can't do a summer rotation- I'll spend my whole first year doing my three rotations, one each quarter. However, I currently work in a lab on campus at the university where I'm going for grad school, so emailing early and meeting with PIs early is still an option for me.

If any current/former science PhD students could share their timeline or any other experiences with asking for lab rotations, I'd really really appreciate it!!!

[noisemaker483]

Over the summer would be plenty early. And if the program has told you that they'll be providing a list of available labs, you can definitely wait until they send that out. It probably depends on the program, but I wouldn't be surprised if they expect you to wait until orientation week if the website seems to allude to that

Also, I'd recommend only contacting the first lab (and possibly the second) for now. Your interests may change over the course of the year, or you may learn about new labs that you weren't aware of before, and you don't want to lock yourself into anything a year in advance. For example, I ended up joining a lab that I didn't even know existed when I applied

[DRMF]

Are you expected to start rotations right after school starts? Or do you have a month or two with just classes before people start rotating? Program can range widely in their timelines. My program highly encourages us to wait and figure things out, and most of us started rotating in November/December, partly because our department retreat is late October and that's a good opportunity to get a sense of who's doing what and taking students. Not the case for a similar program here, I feel like they start rotations in late Sept/Oct. And many of the guest seminar speakers are surprised by how late we start rotations lol.

Since you're worried some of your favorite faculty may be well sought after, I'd also start by connecting with their current students (like on FB, through a mutual friend etc. - you already work on campus so you probably know someone). Ask about their experience in the lab, and also how/when they recommend you contact the PI. Or maybe just go to department happy hours / social gatherings and see if you could bump into the PI and chat with them over beer.

[eevee]

 

On 3/22/2020 at 10:06 AM, noisemaker483 said:

Over the summer would be plenty early. And if the program has told you that they'll be providing a list of available labs, you can definitely wait until they send that out. It probably depends on the program, but I wouldn't be surprised if they expect you to wait until orientation week if the website seems to allude to that

Also, I'd recommend only contacting the first lab (and possibly the second) for now. Your interests may change over the course of the year, or you may learn about new labs that you weren't aware of before, and you don't want to lock yourself into anything a year in advance. For example, I ended up joining a lab that I didn't even know existed when I applied

I 1000% agree with noisemaker. I asked my PIs for rotations over the summer but regretted it and changed plans later. I would recommend only "locking in" your first rotation early!

From personal experience -- my interests changed after my first rotation and I ended up swapping out my planned second rotation that I had discussed over the summer with the PI. It turned out okay; the PI that I cancelled on was super understanding (and is now on my committee!), but not everyone is as awesome and even a 'soft commitment' like that still should be taken seriously, so don't do what I did!! I also ended up doing my third rotation in and then joining a lab that wasn't on my radar when I applied, and a few members of my cohort ended up joining brand new labs that came to campus during our first year, so keep in mind that those are also possibilities that you wouldn't be able to explore if you locked in all of your rotations too early. 

For your second and third rotations, I would recommend putting feelers out about a month and a half in advance and deciding by about two weeks until the start of the rotation. (If you're on the quarter system, this might look like: start looking into winter quarter rotations in week 6 of fall quarter, decide around week 8-9.)

Edited April 16, 2020 by eevee

[largeTantigen]

I already did, just to make sure the PI was taking students. He said a month or two out (from August start date) we would hash out some ideas, so I wouldn't rush.