Senior graduate students are often asked to participate in orientation activities to acclimate each first year student to their new surroundings. Students have the opportunity to perform research rotations during their first academic year in any laboratory of a Sackler faculty member, regardless of their departmental or program affiliation. By the end of their first academic year students choose a research advisor and a correlating laboratory in which to perform their thesis research. The difficult decision of choosing a lab is eased with the help of a Graduate Advisory Committee, exposure to research possibilities through a series of faculty seminars, and participation in elective courses in the various disciplines. The rotation schedule extends from the start of the Fall semester until December break, from January through March, and from April to the end of June.
Students select their rotation mentors after consultation with and approval from the Dean.
In order to assess each student's progress during these rotations all research mentors are required to complete an evaluation form and discuss its contents with the students. These evaluations become part of the student's permanent file, and are used in the assessment of student records at the end of the first academic year. The Sackler Office will be responsible for sending out evaluation forms to each laboratory mentor approximately two weeks before the end of every rotation. Beyond Choosing a Committee Students begin their doctoral research once they have selected an advisor after completing their research rotations. The committee is ultimately comprised of the advisor, three readers who must be Sackler Faculty, and an outside reader who is not an NYU faculty member.