Tips for Landing a Post-Baccalaureate Research Experience

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Making the Most of Your Time There
tiny.cc/PostBaccTips 

Contributors: ​Leah Fulmer​, ​Marina Dunn​, ​Alex Gagliano​, …

May 6, 2018

This is intended to be a ​living document​. Please feel free to share, edit, and rearrange as you feel called. If you do
make a contribution to this document, we encourage you to add your name to the author list, along with a link to
a personal or professional webpage. The primary e-mail contact for the following documents is
lfulmer@uw.edu​.

Why I Chose to Take a Gap [Year]

How I First Came into a Gap Year: After realizing (late) that I could graduate a semester earlier than I
originally expected, I felt overwhelmed by the prospect of shifting my graduate school application
process (taking the Physics + General GREs, applying to graduate programs) an entire year earlier than
expected. I chose to hold off applying to graduate school until the following year, therefore maintaining
my originally-conceived application schedule.

How it Ultimately Became Meaningful for Me: I was given the opportunity to take time off from school,
to discern what I wanted to study in graduate school, and to further develop my programming skills.

You know yourself better than anyone else, and you can take a gap [year] for ​any​ reason.

Where to Search for Post-Baccalaureate Opportunities

૦ AAS Job Register. [​jobregister.aas.org​]

૦ AURA Job Register. [​www.aura-astronomy.org/jobs/​]
૦ Bridge Programs (i.e. Columbia, Princeton, Vanderbilt)
૦ STScI (i.e. Research and Instrument Analyst) [​www.stsci.edu/institute/employment​]
૦ SAO (i.e. Chandra Mission Planner) [​www.cfa.harvard.edu/hr/postings/​]
૦ Telescopes (i.e. Gemini, Green Bank, Kitt Peak)
૦ Observatories (i.e. NOAO, NRAO, Carnegie Observatories)
૦ National Labs (i.e. Los Alamos, SLAC, JPL, SULI Program) [​science.energy.gov/wdts/suli/​]
૦ NASA (i.e. One-Stop Shopping Initiative, Pathways Recent Graduate Program)
[​ossi.nasa.gov/ossi/web/public/main/​,
nasajobs.nasa.gov/studentopps/employment/rgp.htm​]
૦ TIMESTEP Website [​lavinia.as.arizona.edu/~timestep/research--bridge-programs.html​]
૦ APS Resources for Internships [​www.aps.org/careers/employment/internships.cfm​]
૦ APS Job Openings [​americaninstituteofphysics.applicantstack.com/x/openings​]
૦ American Institute of Physics Job Postings
[​americaninstituteofphysics.applicantstack.com/x/openings​]
૦ Physics Today Internships [​jobs.physicstoday.org/jobseekers/internships/​]
૦ Society of Physics [​jobs.spsnational.org/jobseekers/internships/​]
 Strategies for Finding a Post-Baccalaureate Research Experience

૦ Make your goals known. Your mentors want to help you achieve your goals, and they can do so
more effectively when they know where you’re heading. In articulating your goals, consider not
only a particular subfield, but also data analysis methods, programming language, and
conference attendance.

૦ Leverage your network.

a. Write to literally everyone you know (of), even if you don’t think they’ll remember you
(in these cases, start with a reminder of who you are and how you two met). Most
people will not respond, and that’s okay. At the very least, this will get you in the
practice of asking for guidance and initiating potential mentorships.

b. Write “reply-able” e-mails. By constructing a message that is easy to respond to, you
will connect with people faster and more frequently. Take note of how frequently
people reply to your e-mails and adjust your approach accordingly.

i. My most reply-able e-mail structure contains one sentence for each of the
following questions: Who am I? What is my situation? What are my goals? Why
am I writing to ​them​? What am I asking for?

ii. Example: I am a recent graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, currently working as

a Data Reduction Specialist with NOAO and the new NOAO Data Lab (​datalab.noao.edu​). Within
the next few weeks I will apply to the [University] astronomy graduate program and, if accepted,
I am particularly interested in working with you. My primary goals in graduate school are to
develop ambitious astronomical data science techniques, to study galaxy formation and evolution
by combining theoretical and observational strategies, and - if possible - to incorporate some
element of pipeline / software development into my thesis.

I am excited about the potential for collaboration between [University] astronomers

and [Data Center], for which I understand you are a proponent as the Director. Therefore, I am
wondering if you are open to taking on new graduate students this coming cycle, and if so, if you
would be willing to discuss your research with me in more depth. I have attached my CV to this
message as an initial reference, and I look forward to connecting with you soon.

૦ Grow your network. This can often seem like a daunting task as an undergrad, but networking
is really just about “making friends of different kinds” (​Lauren Chambers​, ​Get This Girl a Job)​ .
It’s about finding folks who you genuinely enjoy and who also hold greater knowledge about
your shared community.

a. Talking with people outside a professional setting (i.e. coffee breaks, sports events,
airplane rides) can help to establish those relationships. Even if it feels silly or
awkward at first, you may end up meeting someone that could help you later in your
career. In any case, practicing establishing a causal connection can only help solidify
your network.

b. Do not underestimate the network you have within your own cohort. The people in
your classes / internships may eventually become your collaborators. You can become
your own web of knowledge as you progress in your careers.
૦ Use your network’s networks. Ask not only if ​they have available opportunities, but also if they
know anyone​ who might have an available opportunity.

૦ Apply for positions that you might not think you’re qualified for. In some cases, you may not
have the exact experience / degree suggested in the job description, but you may still be
(over-)qualified for the position because of your unique skill set. Make sure to highlight those
skills in your application / interview. Furthermore, even if you don’t have a particular skill at
the moment, you can learn. At the very least this will offer additional application and interview
practice when more preferable job applications are pending. In other words, “carry yourself
with the confidence of a mediocre white man.”

૦ More generally, practice accepting direct advice and surround yourself with assertive mentors.
This is not to say, “surround yourself with jerks”. In fact, I encourage you to stop seeking help
from a rude or toxic mentor. There are plenty of kind, assertive mentors who will help you
reach your goals. Rather, let your mentors guide you without allowing ego to get in the way of
your own progress. This does get easier with time.

a. Examples of Hard Advice [I’ve] Been Given: “You need to organize yourself.” “It
seems like you need some direction.” “If applications roll around and they don’t know
who you are, that’s going to be a problem.” “You need to sound more [confident,
assertive, eloquent].”

૦ Consider talking with a career counselor or coach. Career counselors help you find your
strengths and achieve your goals, and many universities offer career counseling to students for
free. A series of personal statement brainstorming sessions could also really help to focus your
future goals, and they’ll come in handy later for graduate applications and scholarships!

You’ve Done It! Making to Most of Your Time There

૦ Talk to individual faculty members about their research. You can say that you’re interested in
learning about the types of research that goes on at that institution generally, that you’re
interested in their research in particular, or that you just want to introduce yourself. In all
cases, read up about that faculty member’s research and even prepare a few questions ahead of
time.

૦ Attend scientific gatherings (i.e. colloquium, astro-ph, lunch talks, FLASH).

૦ Attend social gatherings (i.e. Friday beer, morning/afternoon tea).

૦ Get involved in outreach, Equity & Inclusion efforts, etc.

૦ Volunteer to go observing.

૦ Look out for conference opportunities and ask your advisor if you can present your research
there. It is advantageous to have you represent them, and a perfect way to get your name out
there/network with those doing work you’re interested in!

૦ Ask faculty members, postdocs, and graduate students for advice / guidance in applying for
graduate school.
૦ Sit in on graduate classes.

૦ Consider the most important skills needed for your next step. Do you need to know a particular
software? Or about an understudied area of your field? Use your gap [year] to evaluate the path
forward and even refresh your memory so that you can hit the ground running in graduate
school.

૦ Use the experience of existing graduate students to learn more (and gain greater discernment)
about what you seek in a graduate experience / community.

Additional Resources
Resilience Resources

૦ Self-compassion. If you need some guidance here, check out ​Self-Compassion​ by Kristin Neff.

૦ Tangible, optimistic prospects for the future. By keeping an open mind and continuing to apply
for new positions, you can create a safeguard of possibilities on the horizon.

૦ Remembering and validating past and present successes. Write down your achievements and
share your list with others. They might even remind you of some accomplishments that you
forgot!

૦ Kind, compassionate, and supportive friends and family. Chosen family counts.

૦ Earnest and resourceful mentors. These connections are ​the most useful resource for finding
future positions.

૦ Radical acceptance of all feelings that arise. It’s okay to feel disappointment, sadness, and
frustration. Let yourself feel and express these emotions however is most healthy for you.

Avenues to Maintain Confidence During Periods of Rejection (or Anytime, Really)

૦ Tell people about your past and ongoing research experiences. This is an active, self-validating
reminder that you are doing good research and that you have many valuable skills.

૦ Similarly, know your strengths. Compile a list of your strengths including research talents,
social abilities, and technical skills. Ask friends or family members to contribute to the list, or
search for a “find your strengths quiz” online (example ​here​). The same can be done to
recognize your weaknesses and spend your gap [year] improving upon them, but it’s important
not to dwell on the negative.

૦ Stay close to your values. Journal about how you enact your values or how you might do so
more effectively throughout this process. This can help you feel centered when other aspects of
your journey seem so far out of your control.

૦ Remember that the worst-case scenario may not be all that bad, even if it is not preferable.
This may help calm catastrophizing / anxiety, especially if unemployment is not
 life-threatening. Life is one massive contingency plan, so remember that nothing will go
exactly as you anticipate.

૦ Remember, “I am no better than anybody else. Nobody is better than me.” (Katherine Johnson,
Hidden Figures​). If you’re interested, read ​Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly, I highly
recommend it.

૦ Practice celebrating your friends’ successes. This is an important survival skill in academia, and
even more so during periods of rejection. Remember to hold compassion for yourself if this
seems impossible.

૦ Ask yourself, “What would I do if I knew I would not fail?” or “What would I do even if I knew I
would fail?” For me, the latter question is more effective. I always think, “Even if I knew I
wasn’t going to get this job, I would still make them look at my application. I would ​make ​them
say no.”