Gap year advice!!! HELP

[Cerebrus123]

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Hey all,

I know questions like this are annoying, but i am getting DESPERATE.

Basically I'm taking a year off next year before med school, and I'm trying to score some sort of research job. Only prob is I'm a biological anthropology major -- hence not much hard science research experience.

I've been sending out TONS of applications through different schools HR websites, but still haven't gotten anywhere. I feel like I must be doing something wrong because I DO have research experience (although I studied primates as an undergrad) and all of my friends have been able to find things....

Any advice on ways to find jobs? Should I be emailing PI's directly? Also, since it's already half way through summer -- will most research jobs already be filled? (aka am I screwed) How did you guys go about finding gap-year research jobs?

Thanks a crap ton... any advice would be AWESOME.

 

[Grobe57214]

Your best bet would be to email the PI's directly. Are you looking to get paid or volunteer? Getting a paid research job will be tough.

 

[ItzYaYa]

If you're looking for a research job the NIH has a boatload. It's extremely competitive though...https://www.training.nih.gov/student/sip/ . If you can't score a research job, then I suggest that you call a hospital administrator and ask about their shadowing opportunities, or you can go back to your college and inquire about some post-grad research opportunities. G'luck.

 

[krs881]

Given your major, if you are not applying to public health research jobs, I would suggest doing so. Search the Emory public health job board, openings all over the country are listed there, it's one of the most utilized public health job boards -- http://cfusion.sph.emory.edu/PHEC/phec.cfm. Also, many municipal/state public health depts have internships and other opportunities.

Regarding being halfway through summer: research jobs won't always necessarily rotate around academic year, other factors such as new funding coming through, personnel leaving, project timelines, will all influence when positions open up and hiring happens.

good luck!

 

[TooMuchResearch]

Using the term "gap year" is one of the most effective ways to get your resume tossed before being read.

 

[Practitioner]

This:

Your best bet would be to email the PI's directly. Are you looking to get paid or volunteer? Getting a paid research job will be tough.

This:

Using the term "gap year" is one of the most effective ways to get your resume tossed before being read.

and try setting a meeting in person if you can.

 

[premedmind]

Using the term "gap year" is one of the most effective ways to get your resume tossed before being read.

Well, what if they specifically ask you if you have more than a year to devote to the position?

 

[orthomyxo]

Well, what if they specifically ask you if you have more than a year to devote to the position?

You say "no."

 

[Lccjblu]

I am currently taking a gap year right now doing research.

From my experience, now may be way too early to be starting your job search. I believe most PIs have immediate openings and will not want to wait until may/june/july, maybe even august for you to start.

I personally think that starting your job search around march or april is the ideal way to go because you will be able to start shortly after and you will allow the university's HR to get all the paperwork sorted out. I started looking around then, but got caught up with finals, so I didn't actually start interviewing for jobs until june, which is kinda late (didn't start until july).

Like what a previous post said, don't mention that you're taking a gap year in your CV or cover letter. When you do get your interview, however, do emphasize the fact that you are applying to medical school, but that you love research and that you won't be distracted. The point is to at least have your interviewer get to know you a bit before they actually decide if they want to write you off as a person who just wants to get paid for year.

In terms of emailing the PI.. for the two institutions that I mainly applied to, they didn't reveal Pi information, only the division. I think that may have been to prevent the PI's from getting bombarded by emails from prospective employees. If you write a good cover letter and highlight your previous research experiences on your application, then the PI should notice you.

hope that helps =D