How to ask for funding, lab time, and advisement

[mutualist007]

I'm not very good at the more social skilled focus sides of things like how to build rapport early and quickly and how to ask for lab time and ask about funding.

Horrible actually like the most terrible absorbed consumer asking for product guarantees.

So I have met with profs a couple of times, but did not get far and I'm afraid I did not come across as committed and sure as I needed to be. It's already late in the first semester and I am doing well academically, and my grades are great. I may not be living up to my full potential since I am still sloppy with editing (typos).

In terms of getting "connected", I am woefully behind. I have been very slow to build a "relationship" with the faculty members I am interested in working with. While my colleagues are already locked in for lab time/space and for TA'ing, I have yet to develop work/research prospects.

I am a little worried now (and probably panicked) that I may find myself with research interests but no lab time and no ways to develop a working rapport as a graduate student. I guess I had assumed that they would seek me out or suggest something. I failed to realize that most of this was up to me. Faculty is wonderful, all of them and I would really like to work with them.

So how and when do I ask about those direct questions regarding working in their labs and ask about whether or not I will be offered funding? (Note - Our funding is usually offered semester-to-semester, or definitely after your first semester.)

Edited November 8, 2011 by mutualist007

[ktel]

I too struggled with the social-skills aspect of grad school, even though in "normal" life I don't usually have problems with that sort of thing. So I dove in with both feet. I found I have been receiving the most helpful advice and information through very informal conversations, either on the bus, before/after class with fellow students or in the cafeteria eating lunch beside somebody. The other day I went to see on of my professors for help with a sample problem and ended up in his office for an hour receiving interesting information about being/becoming a professor and advice on the global financial crisis of all things. These informal conversations can easily morph into anything of your choosing, including inquiring about obtaining research projects. Even a professor who you might not want to work with will have useful information for you.

[mutualist007]

I took your suggestion ktel... but I now find I have to make time as in be around when people are available to interact. My problem is that I live off campus and have to jet out after class, or I have not been hanging around for the impromptu convos.

[ktel]

I suppose it depends on your department and how everything works. My department is off campus, rather far from the downtown campus, and it takes me about an hour to get there or home. Because I do computational work, I can easily do my work from home, but choose not to for appearances and to get the sort of interaction I mentioned. Because my department is off campus we are all forced together, except for those who choose to not spend very much time there. Because there is really nowhere else to go, you always find people in the cafeteria and all the professors are quite readily accessible. I don't know that this would be the case if the department was on campus.