2015 Postdoc Applicants

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@erg923 That makes sense. Thanks!

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Yeah, it wouldn't be an actual postdoc. Those positions are created and need ot be budgeted for. Also, there needs to be an actual training program, didactics and all to be an actual postdoc. Otherwise you're just accruing clinical hours to make someone else money and getting little out of it in terms of professional growth.
 
Yeah, it wouldn't be an actual postdoc. Those positions are created and need ot be budgeted for. Also, there needs to be an actual training program, didactics and all to be an actual postdoc. Otherwise you're just accruing clinical hours to make someone else money and getting little out of it in terms of professional growth.

Although as a GS-11 at the VA, at least you're making a livable wage and are in line for what would essentially be an automatic pay bump assuming you're licensed.

Definitely agreed re: the training aspect, though. You may not end up actually learning a whole lot beyond how to work as a psychologist in the "real world" (or at least the real world of the VA) in a GS-11 position, given that pretty much all of your time is going to be booked for clinical and administrative duties.
 
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I am also feeling the anxiety about applying for postdocs, especially since I am attempting to be very location specific. I have several formal posdoc positions that I am planning on applying to, but also know I need to do a bit of networking to other sites in the area in case those do not work out. Is anyone else in the same boat? I have several former supervisors in the city I want to relocate to that I am hoping may be able to help me out (either with a position at their site or by knowing someone somewhere else), but am struggling with what to say when I contact them. Is an email appropriate and any tips on how to word it? Best of luck to all!
 
I am also feeling the anxiety about applying for postdocs, especially since I am attempting to be very location specific. I have several formal posdoc positions that I am planning on applying to, but also know I need to do a bit of networking to other sites in the area in case those do not work out. Is anyone else in the same boat? I have several former supervisors in the city I want to relocate to that I am hoping may be able to help me out (either with a position at their site or by knowing someone somewhere else), but am struggling with what to say when I contact them. Is an email appropriate and any tips on how to word it? Best of luck to all!

I am in the same terrifying boat as you! :eek: Minus the former supervisors. I think a straight, short, and to the point email would do the trick. That's my strategy, at least.
 
I have a couple of places that I would be interested in working. However, these places do not offer formal postdocs (that I can see). My internship doesn't advertise but they do offer informal postdocs almost every year. I suspect that many sites do this. How do I go about asking about a job opening and negotiating an informal postdoc? Has anyone done this? Several of my fellow interns are simply calling and emailing department heads, but I have no idea if that is the best approach.
 
Having applied to formal postdocs and secured a position at a private mental health clinic, I am really glad I am where I am. I get to operate as Doctor and it feels more like I'm in the real world than still a student. I also get opportunities for training, but it is more comparable to the ceus I'll be getting after obtaining a license. I feel I have greater autonomy than on internship and got this job without paying an application fee, putting together a packet, or writing a cover letter.
 
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I am interested to hear people's thoughts about "taking time off" between predoc and postdoc. While I'm sure lots people would appreciate a little time away from the grind of getting through graduate school, I have to wonder how this would look to potential employers/postdoc sites once they decide to make a return.
 
I am interested to hear people's thoughts about "taking time off" between predoc and postdoc. While I'm sure lots people would appreciate a little time away from the grind of getting through graduate school, I have to wonder how this would look to potential employers/postdoc sites once they decide to make a return.

"Time off" as in a few weeks or like, a whole year. If there is sig life event, pregnancy, death, etc. then I can see it taking a year off. Otherwise, I wouldn't recommend it.
 
"Time off" as in a few weeks or like, a whole year. If there is sig life event, pregnancy, death, etc. then I can see it taking a year off. Otherwise, I wouldn't recommend it.

Seconded. It's not so much the potential for it to look negative to employers that would be detrimental as it is the likely significant hit your motivation would take, and the fact that it's adding on another year until you're able to practice independently. Plus, it can make it that much harder to track down letters of rec and the like.

If you want to take more than a few weeks off, I personally would recommend just knocking the postdoc out of the way first and then going on the extended leave of absence.
 
"Time off" as in a few weeks or like, a whole year. If there is sig life event, pregnancy, death, etc. then I can see it taking a year off. Otherwise, I wouldn't recommend it.

Likely 1 year, only because of the nature of formal postdoc application cycles. I am currently in college counseling, anticipating I would like to stay in that field. It can definitely be a tight-knit community, so I worry what a year away could do to impact the chances of placement. I already have enough challenges ahead with my past educational choices to overcome.But also recently married, debating time off for some family time.

So I've been considering finishing internship and keeping with a part-time mildly-related non-clinical position that I have (which fortunately pays better than a UCC postdoc) for one year to focus on my family before I dive into the last hurdle before licensure.

Or I battle through to postdoc, anticipating that I will likely have to end up moving away from my new husband because we are currently located in the oversaturated Bay Area of CA, and his government job makes transferring to another location difficult (and out of CA impossible).

Been trying to weigh the different options but I feel like I am just spinning instead.
 
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Appreciate the feedback by the way; I don't have many people near me that understand the field or my debate. I should have come back here sooner!
 
It's of course ultimately your decision. I personally would opt to just go ahead and complete the postdoc for the reasons I listed, but I also don't have a spouse to consider. I don't imagine that it'd be a "kiss of death" for many places, if any; it just draws things out a bit longer, and gets you further removed from the trainee mindset that'll likely come into play in some capacity while on postdoc.
 
So I've been considering finishing internship and keeping with a part-time mildly-related non-clinical position that I have (which fortunately pays better than a UCC postdoc) for one year to focus on my family before I dive into the last hurdle before licensure.


In my experience, it's been hard to go from increased focus on family back to demanding training, especially if focusing on your family means having kids. I agree with others that it's probably easier to push through to licensure, then move on to the rest of your life.
 
I'd strongly consider pushing through. Once you are licensed you can decide to take some time off, but before then it will just hang over your head. Once you are licensed you can do per diem work, part-time work, relocate with far less complications (i.e. each state has their own nuances for collecting post-doc hours, timelines, documentations, etc).

ps. After completing a two year fellowship (60-70+ hr/wk) I took a month or so off…and I came into my job refreshed and ready to go. If I had taken a break before my fellowship I would have lost any moment in regard to things like studying for the EPPP (which some ppl can take after internship or during post-doc/fellowship).
 
Unless someone talks me out of it, I think I'll be skipping the formal post doc next year and be looking for a permanent position at a UCC. Any reason why this might be a mistake later on down the road?


I'm torn on this issue as well and doing both -- applying for academic jobs and UCC post docs. I think it's a long shot to land a TT position as a pre-doc, although my current TD says it's happened for other pre-docs at this UCC.

Anyone out there get hired to a TT position during pre-doc year?
 
I'm torn on this issue as well and doing both -- applying for academic jobs and UCC post docs. I think it's a long shot to land a TT position as a pre-doc, although my current TD says it's happened for other pre-docs at this UCC.

Anyone out there get hired to a TT position during pre-doc year?

Yes. But a very small college, with focus on teaching.
 
I can't believe Brown is requiring the APPA CAS to apply for fellowship. And the Boston VA. So now I definitely have to use this stupid system.

Only in our field does someone who nearly has a PhD have to pay money to apply for jobs that significantly under-compensate you. :mad::rage:
 
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I can't believe Brown is requiring the APPA CAS to apply for fellowship. And the Boston VA. So now I definitely have to use this stupid system.

Only in our field does someone who nearly has a PhD have to pay money to apply for jobs that significantly under-compensate you. :mad::rage:

Its cost money to apply to post-docs now? WTF?!
 
Its cost money to apply to post-docs now? WTF?!
$25 for your first app, $15 for every additional. The website is kind of like internship, except there's not a common deadline, sites can ask you for unlimited materials, and there's no match.
SO WHAT AM I PAYING FOR? (seriously high levels of rage right now)
 
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$25 for your first app, $15 for every additional. The website is kind of like internship, except there's not a common deadline, sites can ask you for unlimited materials, and there's no match.
SO WHAT AM I PAYING FOR? (seriously high levels of rage right now)

This must be new, I've never heard of it. Yea, what are you paying for? Whatever happened to here's and app, email it back to me with a cover letter and your CV? Whats the difference?
 
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I'm so irritated by this whole thing too. After applying for internship last year, and then matching, I remember thinking, at least I will never have to deal with a stupid portal or pay for applications again. But unfortunately, it's not to be the case. Agree with @erg923, whatever happened to emailing a cover letter and CV? If we had to do essays, I would probably skip a formal postdoc completely. I am questioning just how important those essays even were. Who knows. /end rant

Edit: I haven't even really looked at the stupid portal, we don't have to do essays, right??

Edit 2: Just looked at the portal. Out of the sites I want to apply to, there are three on that damn portal. Two out of those three I have listed as a "maybe, leaning towards probably not" in terms of applying. One site wants a statement of purpose, in addition to a bunch of other crap. The letters of reference – does that mean the people writing letters would have to upload individually to each site, or would it be centralized like internship? I couldn't tell. But I'm thinking – no thanks!! Hopefully the other sites I am interested in won't jump on this portal, and I can skip this whole thing completely.
 
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Only two of my sites are on the portal, which is just fantastic because it means that I have to do all of the work on the APPA CAS plus the work for the non-portal sites. Hurray!

I'm pretty sure that in a few years they're going to have a post doc matching process. Seems to be the direction they're leaning in.
 
The other really idiotic thing about the portal? Your letter writers still have to upload a different letter for each site.
 
I can't believe Brown is requiring the APPA CAS to apply for fellowship. And the Boston VA. So now I definitely have to use this stupid system.

Only in our field does someone who nearly has a PhD have to pay money to apply for jobs that significantly under-compensate you. :mad::rage:

This is going to get outrageously confusing quickly. Your post threw me for a loop since I'm planning to Brown (and possibly Boston VA)...and I didn't think they were using the system. Turns out some of the post-docs at each location are using the system and some are not. I was looking at the ones that were not.

Are there any post-docs that use the system that aren't listed in the directory? I just did a quick search and only came across one that seemed even moderately appealing, so am hoping I can avoid this.
 
This is going to get outrageously confusing quickly. Your post threw me for a loop since I'm planning to Brown (and possibly Boston VA)...and I didn't think they were using the system. Turns out some of the post-docs at each location are using the system and some are not. I was looking at the ones that were not.

Are there any post-docs that use the system that aren't listed in the directory? I just did a quick search and only came across one that seemed even moderately appealing, so am hoping I can avoid this.

This is already outrageously confusing - because I thought all the Brown ones were using it when I looked at their website, so now I wonder which Brown post docs you are looking at that I haven't seen....

And I'm super angry that letter writers have to upload them per site. Seriously, WHAT IS THE POINT OF THIS THING?
 
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Hah! And now another one of my sites is using the portal BUT they want physical transcripts sent directly to them from the registrar. This makes no sense!!! I was trying to tell myself that at least I won't have to pay the transcript fees for the portal sites, but that's apparently not true for all of them. Now I'm gonna have to check and see if any others are doing it this way, too.
 
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As long as we're still complaining, what is with that internship model question? Egh.
 
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Confessions of a Broke Grad Student is applying for internship as well. We're one year off, darnit ;)
 
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I, too, am in the unfortunate predicament of having two sites on the APPA CAS :lame: I am beginning to fill out info and noticed that there is a "transcript request" button below the undergraduate institutions I've entered... seriously?! I was hoping to only need to submit grad transcripts (similarly to internship). woe is my post-doc application process.
 
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I, too, am in the unfortunate predicament of having two sites on the APPA CAS :lame: I am beginning to fill out info and noticed that there is a "transcript request" button below the undergraduate institutions I've entered... seriously?! I was hoping to only need to submit grad transcripts (similarly to internship). woe is my post-doc application process.

I know, right?? I checked their help website and, yes, you do have to submit undergraduate transcripts for your application to be considered complete. What the heck, guys?
 
I know, right?? I checked their help website and, yes, you do have to submit undergraduate transcripts for your application to be considered complete. What the heck, guys?

Wait, seriously? None of my sites actually want an undergraduate transcript, though...
 
Wait, seriously? None of my sites actually want an undergraduate transcript, though...
Right! So... does anyone know what this final "application" will look like? Is there an option to select what transcripts are sent to what site? I have looked at the site and have not been able to find anywhere we can even ask questions like this...
 
I called them and apparently scanned copies of your transcripts are sent along with your application. A site can still request you to directly send them transcripts, but they'll also receive your scanned transcripts through APPA CAS.

And yes, APPA CAS is requiring undergraduate transcripts for an application to be complete even though I can't find any sites that want them.
 
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So, undergrad transcripts are required to complete the application? I could not find this information on the website.
 
Their help section makes it sound like they are.
 
Yeah. I mean, someone could call and ask to confirm it, but they said that they want us to list all education including undergrad, and then the help section says that we need transcripts for all schools attended to have our applications be complete.
 
I plan to call at some point and will report back on the forum
 
I plan to call at some point and will report back on the forum

I emailed and this is what I was told:
"You can submit your application without your
undergraduate transcripts, and your programs will be able to view your
application as soon as you submit; however, your application will not have a
Complete status until we have received all of your transcripts. You can contact
your programs directly to see if it is acceptable to them that your application
is submitted but does not become complete."

So, I think I'll be spending the time and money to have my transcripts sent...
 
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I emailed and this is what I was told:
"You can submit your application without your
undergraduate transcripts, and your programs will be able to view your
application as soon as you submit; however, your application will not have a
Complete status until we have received all of your transcripts. You can contact
your programs directly to see if it is acceptable to them that your application
is submitted but does not become complete."

So, I think I'll be spending the time and money to have my transcripts sent...

So, this app portal is not connected to the internship portal? All these transcripts were in your internship potal less than 12 months ago
 
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