Choosing an Advisor:  Some advice

The best advice is to interact with your potential advisor as much as possible before making a commitment.  Try to meet with at least one faculty member a week shortly after the year has begun.  Once you have met with the people you are interested in, make appointments for another round of meetings.  Find out when group meetings are held and try to go to them if your schedule permits.  Talk to the people in the groups, they will be one of your best resources. (We just can't say this enough!)

When picking a lab there are a lot of concerns, so try to think about why you came to grad school.  Map out these ideas, even write them down; the better you can tell others about what you want out of grad school the more likely you will be to find a good match.  You should share these things when meeting with faculty members.  Don’t be scared; ask the questions that you are thinking too!

-Ask about the number of hours a week you are expected to be in lab. 

-If you really love to ski then ask if you can occasionally interchange a Sunday for a Wednesday in your workweek.  

-You are looking to best understand how a professor thinks about science and his/her role as an advisor.  If you feel that when speaking with a prospective advisor you are not getting that information then let them know.  The professors here want to see good advisor-grad student matches too.