To figure out of the lab is a good fit, you need to know what the traits of a "good fit" are for you. In an environment that's a good fit for you, you are connected and engaged. All aspects of the lab/team contribute to whether it is a good fit for you:

• Values of the PI
• What work/life integration looks like
• Type of science and scientific questions
• Working relationship between PI and lab members
• Support for skill development
• Support for career and professional development
• Support for your personal and professional identities
• Work environment: collegiality, open-door policies, noisy/quiet spaces

Consider previous lab/team experiences you have had. What traits were present in labs where you were connected and engaged? What traits were present in labs where you were not, or what was missing? Trust yourself here, you know yourself and your experiences the best.

To make the best use of your rotations, you want to be sure you're rotating in labs you may actually be able to join. That doesn't just mean whether they're taking students or not, but also how well they align with what you are looking for (above section). You can figure some of that out in a brief conversation, so you don't spend your valuable rotation time in a lab that's not close to a good fit for you.

During your conversation, ask the questions in the blue box, as well as any other questions you have. To end the conversation, you can say, "Thank you so much for your time. You've given me a lot to think about. I'll follow up with you by [date]." Then reflect on what you heard. Remember, if their expectations don't align with yours, you don't have to rotate in that lab!

How do you find faculty to reach out to?

You'll need to reach out to faculty individually to discuss the possibility of rotating with them. We recommend setting up 15-30 minute conversations with at least three faculty members per quarter before you commit to rotating in any lab.

You may have noticed that, unfortunately, lab websites are usually out of date (though if they're up to date, that's often a good sign!). To find faculty to reach out to, you can start with the lists provided by your program, but you'll get better guidance by talking to people. Ask your graduate advisor or more senior graduate students (those involved in bootcamp are likely happy to help!) for starting points. If you had a good conversation with a PI during interviews, feel free to ask them for suggestions too.

You can use this language for reaching out to PIs to discuss doing a rotation:

Hi Dr. A,

I'm a first-year student in the B program and I'm planning my rotations. I'm interested in your lab because C. Would you be available to discuss a possible rotation in your lab for 20 minutes sometime in the next two weeks?

Thank you,
D

What to ask depends on what you're looking for. You want to keep in mind your training goals and your career goals. Watch our short video for details!

When to ask is especially important in virtual rotations. There are no serendipitous moments online, so you need to be intentional about creating the interactions where you can ask your questions. Your rotation is one long interview, so any time is a good time!

You need to set up structure.
Structure is the best way to make sure that you have the interactions that you need to have a successful rotation. Here's a sample schedule for interactions to set up during your rotation (or access the text version):

What should you be communicating about?
In the beginning of your rotation, communicate about expectations - yours, the PI's, and those of anyone you'll be working with. Later on, ask for and provide feedback on whether those expectations are being met. Communication is key in the mentor-mentee relationship, and the rotation is your chance to practice and see how well you and the PI communicate.

A good fit happens when your values, strengths, approach, work style, and goals are recognized and rewarded. Before your rotation, you reflected on what these things look like for you. During your rotation, you want to find out whether they are recognized and rewarded. You can do this by observing/experiencing and by asking the people in the lab.

We recommend setting up 20-30 minute "coffee chat" 1:1 conversations with each member of the lab (if possible) during your rotation. Use this time to ask the questions in the checklist and any other specific questions you have from your experience in the lab. Notice what people say and what they don't say. If they don't mention something, it's probably not there. Also look for consistent responses. If one person tells you there's lots of flexibility for taking care of yourself and another person tells you there isn't, that's a red flag.

Look for labs that are inclusive. The lab's culture is reflected in everything they do. Note how lab members respect and acknowledge each other. Note how accommodations are made for everyone in the lab to be included. Ask how hiring decisions are made. Note how you are trained.

Resources:

• Using the interview to determine if a work place is a bad fit
  • These slides provide tips on what questions to ask, how to ask them, para-verbal and non-verbal cues to look for, how to identify skillful defensiveness, and how to recognize when you're dismissing red flags.
• Assessing your PI as a supervisor
  • Fill out the handout after a few weeks in your rotation to understand how well the PI manages their lab. Management can make or break a lab, but it's a skill most scientists aren't trained in and many aren't good at.
• You can learn about trainings that PIs have participated in either on your graduate program website or on the Faculty Participation Tracker.
• You can learn about anti-racism and about life in graduate school/academia in the books How to Be An Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi, Real Life by Brandon Taylor, and Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpowers by Brittney Cooper.
   

People who aren't having a good experience usually won't tell you flat out. It may be in their best interest for the lab to have good trainees like you. Or they may not be able to say anything negative because the PI is supporting their visa. Or they may not know the environment is toxic, because they've always worked in toxic environments. Or maybe they're part of the problem!

To determine whether people are faking it or telling the truth, listen for:

Evidence instead of adjectives
You want to hear facts, so you know what you can expect in your own experience in that lab. The difference is subtle but important, so watch our short video to hear the difference! Then learn how to dig a little deeper if people don't give you detailed, factual answers.

Consistency instead of candor
People who share a common truth will tell the same story. Learn how to ask the same question to the PI, postdocs, and graduate students in the lab to uncover what that common truth is in the lab. Follow up if what they say contradicts what someone else in the lab said.

Most graduate programs don't have a formal process of joining labs, so it's up to you and the PIs you've rotated with to communicate about this. You can use the language below to structure your emails.

If you know you don't want to join:
"I wanted to let you know that I have decided to join AAA lab. I wanted to let you know as soon as I decided. Thank you for allowing me to rotate in your lab. I appreciated the opportunity and learned a lot."

If you're interested in a mentoring relationship with this PI, add:
"I really enjoyed working with you and would look forward to continuing to talk with you about my career aspirations. Let me know if you'd be willing to meet again after my qualifying exams to help me plan my training goals." [Adjust for the type of mentorship you are looking for]

If you're not sure and want to do other rotations:
"Thank you for allowing me to rotate in your lab. I wanted to let you know that I enjoyed my experience in your lab. I would like to follow up with you after I complete my other scheduled rotations, which will be in May. Let me know if that timeline will work for you." [Be sure you mark your calendar to email them after your rotations!]

For a lab you want to join:
"I'm following up on my rotation in the winter. I have now completed all of my rotations and am interested in joining your lab. Let me know if we can set up a meeting to discuss this possibility in the next two weeks."

Students succeed when they have networks of mentors, rather than relying solely on their thesis advisor. There are a number of formal and informal ways you can develop mentoring relationships with PIs who are not your thesis advisor. PIs that you have successful rotations with, but whose lab you do not join, are great candidates for your mentoring network. Keep this in mind as you do your rotations, even if you realize their lab may not be the best fit for you. Postdocs and students in that lab can become informal mentors too!

To learn more about why mentorship is important and can't be done effectively by just one person, as well as how to reach out to people for mentorship, see our program on Finding Your Five Mentors.

The single piece of advice that senior students most often give to first year students is "Science changes, people don't." This means that it is unwise to choose a lab based solely on the research in that lab, without taking into consideration the lab's fit for you. If the lab is not a good fit, you will be unhappy regardless of the science you are doing. Plus, research projects can fail or change direction many times over the course of a PhD, so you can't really be sure what research you're signing up for. On the other hand, a lab that is a good fit can make doing your research a wonderful experience, regardless of what that research is.

Learn more about this process and go through it with your peers at the Choosing a Dissertation Lab program, offered in the winter. Sign up for the OCPD listserv to get announcements about OCPD's programs.