Asking to be in multiple pois labs, bad idea or not putting all eggs in a basket?

[budgiepie]

Sorry if the title isn't clear, I'm not all here right now. At one school I've been hunting down one professor (p1) but I'm interested in 2 others' labs. The one p1 is debating whether or not they'll accept students the other two I've been debating contacting.

 

The school only accepts applicants who have been accepted into a lab, so I'm wondering if it's cool to ask more than one incase p1 doesn't accept students this fall or if it looks like a sign of indecisiveness. Note they are all in the same program and department.

[TakeruK]

I think it's okay to ask more than one lab in the same program/department. It matters how you do it though -- don't tell p1 that his/her lab is your dream lab and then go and tell the other profs the same thing! I usually wrote things like I am interested in working with you, and Profs X and Y, etc. 

 

I know that many schools I applied to really discouraged us from putting all our eggs in one basket. You aren't expected to apply to one school only so it's reasonable to be applying to several labs in the same program.