Hello everyone,
In a bit of a particular situation and could use some advice. For reference, I'm a couple years post-bacc.
I'll be moving in a few months, and will be restricted to the major metropolitan area in terms of seeking research opportunities. Given that I'm eager to begin resuming research in some capacity as soon as I'm settled, I was planning on reaching out to local faculty to inquire as to whether they're open to a volunteer. Yes, I do hope to eventually find a paid position at some point.
So my question regards who I'm better off prioritizing. I applied to clinical programs this previous cycle, including two PI's in this geographic area. One I never ended up hearing from, the other I spoke to briefly and ended up being waitlisted for the official interview round (didn't make it however). As these PI's are highly aligned with my interests, I would love to reach out to them since I'll actually be in the area. However, I'm not sure if this would come across as weird? I also don't want to risk not having them as advisor options further down the road because I inadvertently weirded them out. Am I better off focusing on other faculty? I guess I'm not entirely sure on the appropriate "etiquette" here.
For current faculty, how would you feel if a someone who had previously applied to you as a potential advisor reached out some months later asking if you'd be willing to take them on as a volunteer? Would you see this as dedicated or overly keen? I'd hate to make it seem like I just "can't get a proper job", but it's been especially cutthroat since COVID and there aren't a lot of full-time openings in this area.
Any helpful thoughts/suggestions here greatly appreciated.
In a bit of a particular situation and could use some advice. For reference, I'm a couple years post-bacc.
I'll be moving in a few months, and will be restricted to the major metropolitan area in terms of seeking research opportunities. Given that I'm eager to begin resuming research in some capacity as soon as I'm settled, I was planning on reaching out to local faculty to inquire as to whether they're open to a volunteer. Yes, I do hope to eventually find a paid position at some point.
So my question regards who I'm better off prioritizing. I applied to clinical programs this previous cycle, including two PI's in this geographic area. One I never ended up hearing from, the other I spoke to briefly and ended up being waitlisted for the official interview round (didn't make it however). As these PI's are highly aligned with my interests, I would love to reach out to them since I'll actually be in the area. However, I'm not sure if this would come across as weird? I also don't want to risk not having them as advisor options further down the road because I inadvertently weirded them out. Am I better off focusing on other faculty? I guess I'm not entirely sure on the appropriate "etiquette" here.
For current faculty, how would you feel if a someone who had previously applied to you as a potential advisor reached out some months later asking if you'd be willing to take them on as a volunteer? Would you see this as dedicated or overly keen? I'd hate to make it seem like I just "can't get a proper job", but it's been especially cutthroat since COVID and there aren't a lot of full-time openings in this area.
Any helpful thoughts/suggestions here greatly appreciated.
