How to Switch Mentors in Grad School

Grad school is a long, hard, long, time-consuming, and–wait for it–long process. A bad relationship with your primary mentor can make it worse, and may even drive you away from a science career. 

Because much of your success and happiness in grad school depends on an effective relationship with your mentor, this article covers how to switch mentors in a professional (and sanity-protecting) way.  I’ll also cover how exactly to tell your current mentor you’ll be switching, and what to say to colleagues and other professors.

Recognizing Red Flags

Unfortunately, you often can’t spot incompatibility until you’ve spent time with a mentor and lab. Even then, how do you tell the difference between a rough patch in an otherwise effective relationship versus red flags indicating that you should switch to another mentor?

Red Flag 1: Poor communication

Do you communicate well with your mentor?  Whether this is unscheduled drop-ins, a weekly update with an in-progress Excel graph, or a formal monthly meeting with PowerPoint, is it working for you?

No one’s communication styles match perfectly.  If there’s enough good in the relationship and your project, you may try adjusting first.  Here at Bitesize Bio, Joanne Kamens has provided some excellent advice on establishing good communication with your mentor .

But sometimes adjustments don’t work.  Despite meeting weekly, Ann*, a grad student at the University of Washington, realized that she was floundering without more concrete guidance.  Although she attempted to improve communication with her mentor and reached out to senior lab members for more hands-on help, she ultimately switched to a different mentor.  “Try to make changes within months,” she cautions now, “not years.”

Red Flag 2: Other unhappy people

As a postdoc who switched labs during grad school, Alison says a red flag about her former group was that “morale of the lab group was not high.”  A student left the lab soon after she had joined, which Alison then excused as a difference in styles.  Now, she realizes that the student’s leaving was “an indication of how the other students and employees felt at work.”

Ann strongly agrees that poor morale is a red flag: in her former mentor’s lab, people regularly fought and argued.  “Nobody talked, [or] ate lunch together,” she recalls.  People left early whenever possible.  None of the thirty lab members worked closely enough to realize everyone had a different PCR protocol for the same genes.

Pay close attention to morale and group dynamics.  A poorly run, unhappy lab is a bad sign of a mentor’s leadership abilities.

Red Flag 3: Stress, depression, and anxiety

But what if the unhappy person is you?  Stress, depression, and anxiety are red flags about a bad situation: don’t dismiss them!  Do you dread meeting with your adviser for days ahead of time?  Do you wake up anxious?  Do you cry from stress, like Ann did before she switched, or find yourself needing to drink at the end of a day, like Katie*, an American grad student in a difficult mentoring relationship?

It’s quite possible to have anxiety and depression independent of grad school, but still be in a bad situation.  And being in a bad situation brings out anxiety and depression in otherwise healthy people!  A counselor can help you determine how to cope, whether through cognitive behavioral therapy, medication, or other means.  Ann found going to her university’s student counseling center helpful, while Alison drew support from her friends and significant other.

Whether you switch or not, ask yourself if you want to continue like this for one year, two years, or even seven years.

Red Flag 4: Mismatched priorities

Seven years seems like an improbably long biomedical PhD, but if other students in the lab take seven-plus years to graduate–like in Ann’s former lab and Katie’s current one–then that probably indicates mismatched priorities between the students and mentor.  But there are other signs.  Ann’s former mentor did not support her taking a weekly class helpful for her career goal, nor help her progress through her program.  “He fell asleep during my [qualifying exam] presentation,” she recalls now.

It’s perfectly normal for mentors to have their own goals.  However, it’s a red flag if they have a track record of not letting people go, and interfering with students progressing and preparing for future careers!

Red Flag 5: Lack of trust

This is the biggest red flag: do you trust your mentor to behave professionally?  To provide a solid recommendation like promised?  To ensure that you work in a functioning, safe lab?  To be honest, ethical, and fair, with people, lab animals, and data?

Unfortunately, Alison realized that she “did not have good faith in the quality of science or scientists” in her former lab.  Ann’s former lab was so unfriendly that questions about safety weren’t properly addressed, and nobody trained or supervised the undergrad assistants.  A soured relationship between her former mentor and his postdoc, and the mentor’s lack of collaborations, also showed how little trust others had in him.  Ultimately, Katie recommends paying attention to how a mentor treats others and talks about former trainees, because “whatever happens to other people could very well happen to you.”

Planning and Preparing to Switch

Despite your best efforts, you need to switch mentors to succeed in your program.  But how do you prepare to change mentors mid-PhD? Switching mentors is challenging, but planning can make it go more smoothly and professionally.

Step 1: Write it all down

Before doing anything else, list what convinced you that you cannot successfully continue your PhD with your current mentor.  Write these key points in simple, professional language that you would use with a colleague, not a friend.  List how, and for how long, you’ve attempted to improve the relationship.

Now, write down your objectives.  What is your ideal scenario going forward?  Who would you rather work with?  Where would you get funding?

Step 2: Consult other professors, your program manager, or department chair

Who do you trust in your department to help you identify a new mentor?  Be prepared to meet with multiple people to find the helpful ones.  Seek out a trustworthy professor from your committee or classes, or your program’s manager.  Don’t be afraid to approach the department chair!  Ann*, a graduate student who switched mentors, was pleasantly surprised when “the chair said he [the department] would pay for a five-week rotation” for her with a new mentor.  Furthermore, if your department is based in a School (e.g., the School of Medicine), then the School’s advisers and staff might be able to help.

Remember to be honest but professional: your goal is not to badmouth your soon-to-be ex-mentor (no matter how justified).  Your goal is to demonstrate that you are professional while handling a difficult situation, and that you are so motivated to continue and succeed that you will switch labs and start afresh, rather than quit.   Use your written list and objectives, and take notes at your meetings.  Practice what you’ll say with a friend or counselor beforehand.  Bring Kleenex and water with you in case you become understandably upset.

Step 3: Line up a new mentor

Now that you have advice and help, it’s time to arrange a new mentor.  Be ready to approach multiple professors; Ann emailed and met with two potentials before settling on one recommended by other professors.

Approach the professors first on your ideal scenario, and ask to speak with them privately.  Explain to them succinctly and professionally that despite efforts to improve it, your current situation is not meeting your needs towards progressing in your PhD, and you would like to discuss the possibility of joining their lab.  Do they have space, funding, open projects?  What timeline do they have–would you need to start immediately, in a week, a month, a semester?

Step 4: Prepare for a graceful exit

While arranging a new mentor, prepare to leave your current lab.  Even if you can’t wait to leave, be professional.  Just envision a hapless new grad student kick-starting your dusty project!

Update your lab notebook.  Organize your computer and data files.  Label and organize your supplies and samples.  Ann made it a point to “leave careful notes” detailing the state of her project, which were much appreciated by the next student.

Your colleagues might notice your organization efforts.  It’s fine to tell them that you want to get your system in order; this is true, and it avoids the whole tangled issue (especially if your current mentor doesn’t know you’re leaving).

Just remember, your goal is to be professional, not vengeful!

Step 5: Use your support network

This is a challenging time, so make sure to take care of yourself.  Alison, a postdoc who switched mentors during graduate school, recalls, “I was very worried about what others thought about my decision…[and that they would] judge my switch as a fault of my own.”  However, she discovered her friends and significant other were very supportive.  Similarly, Ann found support from her university’s free Counseling Center.

Try to avoid discussing your switch inside your current lab and program until it’s official.  But do reach out to friends and family, and let them know you’re going through a tough time.

Just remember that this is a stressful period, and that it’s natural to be questioning yourself.  Alison notes “In retrospect, I think most people were very understanding of the fact that sometimes things just don’t work out between mentors and students.  I also think most people understood my decision and respected the fact that I wanted to continue in graduate school even if I had to start in a new lab.”

Actually Switching – Is it Worth it?

 You’ve taken the steps to switch to a new mentor. Now comes the hardest part.

What do you actually say to your current mentor about the switch, and what do you tell others about why you switched mid-PhD?  What are the pros and cons of switching? Is all the awkwardness worth it?

What to Say to Your Current Mentor

You’ve lined up a new mentor and are ready to hand off your project.  Now comes the hardest part: telling your current mentor.

The goal here is to be professional and clear – this is not the opportunity to take revenge.  Ann*, a grad student who switched mid-PhD, found it helpful to write out and practice a script beforehand for what to say.  Alison, a postdoc who also switched during her PhD, kept what she said “as professional as possible [by] not accusing any one party[,] but instead describing the situation as bad for both parties.”

Here is an example script:

Hi, [PROFESSOR].  An opportunity has come up for me to pursue my PhD in another lab that will be a better fit for me and my professional goals.  I’ve been asked to switch over by [DATE].  I wanted to thank you for the time and effort you’ve invested towards mentoring me here.

However they respond, be prepared to reiterate that you know that the opportunity will be a better fit.  Avoid negotiating or discussing the ex-mentor’s flaws, even if invited to do so.  After they’ve had a moment to react (and assuming they don’t react badly and unprofessionally, as I’ll describe below), steer the conversation towards leaving smoothly:

I want my transition to be as smooth as possible for the lab and project.  I’ve [updated my notebook, inventoried samples, etc.].  Is there anyone I should speak with in the lab about the project?

What should you do if the ex-mentor reacts badly, swears, and insists that you pack up your stuff, just like Ann’s ex-mentor did?  If you think this might happen, have your backpack, laptop, etc., packed so you can grab your personal items and leave immediately.

But even if your breakup meeting goes smoothly, what do you tell everyone else?

What to Say to Everyone Else

It’s understandable to worry about what to say to others.  Alison was “very insecure for a while after the switch,” and was “worried that others would judge my switch as a fault of my own.”

Like always, be professional and honest, but not vengeful. You switched because the lab and mentoring style did not meet your needs as a student.  Emphasize that, despite the setback, you were still highly motivated to continue in grad school and your scientific career.  It’s to your benefit to demonstrate how professional you are.  At the same time, it’s fine to vent to family, counselors, and friends outside the lab.

Is All the Awkwardness Worth It?

Switching does exact a cost.  Both Ann and Alison found that switching set back their PhD progress; Alison had to work extra hard to graduate with her contemporaries.  Ann also switched PhD topics, moving from a topic that she was passionate about to one that was less captivating.  Furthermore, she was assigned a project in her new mentor’s lab, rather than being given time to develop her own.

However, switching mentors was ultimately worth it.  Alison says, “I found myself in an environment much more conducive to my needs and in which I thrived as a young investigator.”  Both scientists regained their passion for science, and Ann was making more rapid progress in a happier environment.  Importantly, she was also safer in her new lab, which had a helpful, open culture.

Final Thoughts

Grad school is long (did I already mention that?) and tough enough without a bad mentoring relationship, which can dog you even after graduation. Given how important a good relationship is, sometimes you have no choice but to switch. While it’s challenging in many ways, many other students have switched and, like Ann and Alison, rediscovered their love of science and their ability to be happy and successful as grad students.

If you’re considering switching mentors – or just curious about the experience – here are some other perspectives.  The blogger at Tenure, She Wrote provides excellent advice on recognizing and coping with toxic mentoring and bullying. Female Science Professor offers the mentor’s perspective on switching.  Finally, UC-Berkeley PhD student Ann Goldstein offers her insights on switching research groups at PLoS Blogs: “I switched research groups – and lived to tell the tale.”

* Names changed by request.