2015-2016 Post-Doc Thread

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Keep in mind that I stopped updating the first post of that thread at some point. So be sure to search the entire thread for your site!
 
Just here to say that the only thing I have heard from postdoc sites so far is a confirmation from VA Boston that they received my application. I applied for 11 VA postdocs; 9 used APPA-CAS and 2 did not. Looking forward to hearing more in January!
 
psychchica80 said:
Just here to say that the only thing I have heard from postdoc sites so far is a confirmation from VA Boston that they received my application. I applied for 11 VA postdocs; 9 used APPA-CAS and 2 did not. Looking forward to hearing more in January!
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I also got the confirmation from Boston and I thought it was a rejection because it starts with "Thank you for your interest in the VA Boston Fellowship..."! I haven't heard from the other 6 VA post-docs I applied to either.
 
I got a "completed application" email from the Seattle VA...need to keep telling myself "it's waaaay too early too hear anything!".
 
Is anyone designated to update the original post with new rejections/invites? I sent a PM with invitation info to the OP earlier this week, but I'm not seeing the info anywhere in this thread.
 
Heads up to whoever submitted the Stanford Sleep Medicine rejection - I got a generic rejection from the DCT at the same time, but then a specific invite to my track over the weekend. So it may be a fluke if it wasn't sleep track specific!
 
pittpsych2014 said:
I just updated this list!! A bit slow this week....
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How's everybody doing with this process? I can't tell if I'm apathetic or just healthily not freaked out about this process. I have 3 of 5 apps in, haven't heard back either way from any. I assume I'll just be applying as I see openings that look good. I think I used up all my give-a-f*cks during my internship apps! 😉
 
AppsAintNoThang said:
How's everybody doing with this process? I can't tell if I'm apathetic or just healthily not freaked out about this process. I have 3 of 5 apps in, haven't heard back either way from any. I assume I'll just be applying as I see openings that look good. I think I used up all my give-a-f*cks during my internship apps! 😉
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Haha, I completely agree (re: having zero f*cks left)! This process feels so much calmer than the internship process. I have received a few confirmation emails from sites letting me know that they are reviewing my application, but that is it so far! I imagine that things will start to heat up next week?
 
psychchica80 said:
Haha, I completely agree (re: having zero f*cks left)! This process feels so much calmer than the internship process. I have received a few confirmation emails from sites letting me know that they are reviewing my application, but that is it so far! I imagine that things will start to heat up next week?
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I, too, feel apathetic/healthily not-freaked-out. 3/6 apps in! My guess is we'll hear from most sites in mid-January..

Interview question: do more people opt for phone interviews (if the site is not within easy driving distance) this go-around (and more specifically, for VAs)?
 
Received an interview at the Baltimore VA PTSD track. They offered Feb 4th and 11th interview dates. Interviews are 8-1:30 pm.
 
I'm feeling similarly about not being as anxious/preoccupied by this process compared to how I felt applying for internship. That was a brutal experience and I'm glad to be more relaxed this time around!

On another note, I was wondering if there is a general consensus about the maximum length for cover letters. One VA site is asking for several points to be addressed in a letter, and there are no supplemental essays or other materials requested (besides a work sample). My letter for that site is currently 4 pages and I feel like that is way too long (I've been under 2 pages for all other sites), but does 3 pages seem acceptable? Or is 4 pages reasonable when there are multiple areas to be covered? Thanks in advance for any guidance!
 
DGCali said:
I'm feeling similarly about not being as anxious/preoccupied by this process compared to how I felt applying for internship. That was a brutal experience and I'm glad to be more relaxed this time around!

On another note, I was wondering if there is a general consensus about the maximum length for cover letters. One VA site is asking for several points to be addressed in a letter, and there are no supplemental essays or other materials requested (besides a work sample). My letter for that site is currently 4 pages and I feel like that is way too long (I've been under 2 pages for all other sites), but does 3 pages seem acceptable? Or is 4 pages reasonable when there are multiple areas to be covered? Thanks in advance for any guidance!
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I think I'm struggling with the exact same issue (likely for the same VA)! 😉 I've also been told to keep them at 2 pages max, but the requirements for this VA cover letter seem to make that impossible!
 
DGCali said:
On another note, I was wondering if there is a general consensus about the maximum length for cover letters. One VA site is asking for several points to be addressed in a letter, and there are no supplemental essays or other materials requested (besides a work sample). My letter for that site is currently 4 pages and I feel like that is way too long (I've been under 2 pages for all other sites), but does 3 pages seem acceptable? Or is 4 pages reasonable when there are multiple areas to be covered? Thanks in advance for any guidance!
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I was told to keep it 2 pages or less, unless a different length was specified by the site. I had one site that states "~3 pages." Hope that helps! 🙂
 
Thanks for the replies! After what felt like a total slash and burn, I managed to whittle my letter down to ~2.5 pages and I ended up just deciding to submit the slightly longer letter because I didn't feel that I could cut more content and still convey what I wanted to say. This is a super competitive site, so I'm not very confident in getting an interview anyway, but we'll see how it goes! Best of luck to everyone!
 
University of Kansas Medical Center NeuroRehabilitation Psychology Fellowship
-Date notified and notification style (email, phone, etc.): 1/4 via personalized email
-Invite or rejection: invite
-Track (please specify even for general tracks): NeuroRehabilitation
-Interview dates offered: 2/8/16
 
University of Massachusetts Family Medicine Fellowship
-Date notified and notification style (email, phone, etc.): 1/5 via phone call
-Invite or rejection: invite
-Track (please specify even for general tracks): Barre Family Health Center
-Interview dates offered: 1/15/16, with a backup date of 1/22/15
 
diversitydoc said:
Hey guys. First interview- woot!

-Site: Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical
-Notified: 1/4/2016 by personal email
-Invite
-Track: Behavioral Medicine
- Offered 1/7, 1/8, 1/11, 1/14
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That's not a whole lotta turnaround time, is it!
 
-VA Boston Clinical Neuropsychology Training Program
-Thurs 1/7 - email
-Invite
-Neuropsychology
-1/22 or 2/1 on-site. phone / video interview also available.
 
Kaiser Permanente - South Bay Consortium, Santa Clara
1/7/16 - by phone
Invite
Adult Psychiatry
Interviews to be held on Fridays throughout January, on-site
 
Do most sites send out invitations for all of their tracks on the same day?
 
How long is appropriate to wait to reply to interview invitations? In an attempt to work out travel means, I fear I may need to wait to reply until I can determine if I can travel to a site. Do I have until Monday, or will that give a poor impression? Offer was extended today.
 
cBpsych said:
How long is appropriate to wait to reply to interview invitations? In an attempt to work out travel means, I fear I may need to wait to reply until I can determine if I can travel to a site. Do I have until Monday, or will that give a poor impression? Offer was extended today.
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Did you not anticipate getting interviews prior to applications?

If the site offers multiple dates, one may get filled up before you respond. However, I have heard of instances where someone took a few days to respond. Just make sure you address it in your reply.
 
Just remember, we (sites) are sending out a group of invites all at once, likely. We are filling those slots on a first come, first served basis. The longer you wait, the less flexible your choices may be, in some circumstances.
 
cBpsych said:
How long is appropriate to wait to reply to interview invitations? In an attempt to work out travel means, I fear I may need to wait to reply until I can determine if I can travel to a site. Do I have until Monday, or will that give a poor impression? Offer was extended today.
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I don't think waiting until Monday would be unusual; it'd be akin to getting the offer on Monday and replying Tuesday, essentially. That being said, as WisNeuro mentioned, the slots are usually filled first-come, first-served, so waiting may limit your/their flexibility.
 
- Hampton VA
-notified 1/8/15 via email
-Invite
-Women's outpatient MH & trauma
-2/4, 2/5, 2/8 phone or Vtel only
- chocolate chip!
 
Kaiser Permanente - Central Valley Consortium, Elk Grove
1/8/16 - by phone
Invite
Adult Psychiatry
Interviews on site 2/1 and 2/9
 
Finally ready to start applying to post-docs! Can anybody talk to the cover-letter part of the app? Similar length than for internships? Similar content, i.e., interests, previous experience, etc.?

Good luck, all!
 
Phipps said:
Finally ready to start applying to post-docs! Can anybody talk to the cover-letter part of the app? Similar length than for internships? Similar content, i.e., interests, previous experience, etc.?

Good luck, all!
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Kinda -- it's depends on your focus (research or clinical fellowships) -- I'm applying to research post docs so I focused more on my research experience, interests and goals. I did mention populations I worked with because that tied into my research. My cover letters (which sites have listed as statement of interest/cover letter) have been about 1.5-2 pages. Good luck!
 
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Did anyone apply to the University of Michigan-VA Ann Arbor consortium? I emailed my application to Pam per application instructions for the adult track in early Dec. (deadline 12/15), and I never received confirmation from her that my application was received. Did others have the same experience? I emailed her again for a confirmation, but she never responded! I'm not sure if I'm being paranoid or if I should follow up again ... Thanks in advance!
 
PsychStudent222 said:
Did anyone apply to the University of Michigan-VA Ann Arbor consortium? I emailed my application to Pam per application instructions for the adult track in early Dec. (deadline 12/15), and I never received confirmation from her that my application was received. Did others have the same experience? I emailed her again for a confirmation, but she never responded! I'm not sure if I'm being paranoid or if I should follow up again ... Thanks in advance!
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Same experience, though I didn't send a follow up email.
 
Has anyone applied to the Trauma Services track at the DC VAMC? Applications were due 10 days ago and still waiting on any sort of news.

No cookies today, but bacon...
 
StarPlusLiving said:
Has anyone applied to the Trauma Services track at the DC VAMC? Applications were due 10 days ago and still waiting on any sort of news.

No cookies today, but bacon...
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I applied to that site for a different track (same due date) and haven't heard anything from them either! Hopefully no news is good news?
 
Has anyone here applied to any college counseling centers? Some of the ones I applied to had deadlines in early January so I'm not entirely sure when it's likely I'll hear something from anywhere.
 
Indiana University School of Medicine
-Date notified and notification style (email, phone, etc.): 1/11 via personalized email
-Invite or rejection: invite
-Track (please specify even for general tracks): Neuropsychology
-Interview dates offered: Anytime in the next two weeks, INS
 
cara susanna said:
Best of luck to everyone! For what it's worth, although I was incredibly stressed about post doc applications, in the end it was a much better process than internship apps.
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I didn't like this process at all. For internship, sources were able to just upload one letter to the system, and all sites could access it. For this process, I have to ask my sources for individual letters to be sent separately to each site, and I really don't like bothering people so much even if they don't mind. Also, there's no list of all available programs, as you never know if you'll get another email about a program you might like. And since most programs don't use the APPA CAS system, they don't have a set date for notification, interviews, offers, etc. Internship process involved more pressure, as it was required, but it was way more streamlined and organized, whereas this is just pure chaos.
 
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