Here at #VanguardSTEM, we like to think of October — and the entire fall term really — as “on the come-up” month because there are so many applications open, especially in academia. We’ve dedicated this month to all things application-related and we’ll feature a raft of strategies, tips and tricks to help you get the most out of the application process without losing yourself along the way.
Job applications, fellowship applications, scholarship applications, conference abstract submissions — and the list goes on. As a team primarily composed of black women in active pursuit of academic goals; we definitely know the kinds of anxiety (and joy and introspection and …) that this season can bring. So we’re spending the month focusing on completing the application while also taking care of yourself.
What exactly to do we have on deck?
During our October show (date forthcoming) we will share practical tips about applying at various stages of your career, inside or outside of academia. Our host (and now professor!) Jedidah Isler, PhD will share some of the ideas and strategies she employed during her faculty application process last year (which earned her a tenure-track position at Dartmouth College plus two other tenure-track offers). She will be joined by special guests who can give insight into applying at the undergraduate and graduate level and then at the postdoc and early-career level, respectively. Don’t miss your chance to ask your burning questions about best practices in applying (to anything, really).
Voices from the #VSVillage
We also have contributed pieces from #VSVillage members who have recently gone through different application processes. This series will be in an easy to implement “Top 5 Things You Should Know About…” Here’s a preview of what to expect for the rest of the month.
In academia: New professors Dionna Williams and Jedidah Isler, PhD share their top five lessons learned from completing the academic job application process.
In industry: New Intel engineer, Kendra Souther, gives her take on transitioning from graduate school to industry and new P&G cosmetic scientist, Markaisa Black, gets even more specific about how she was able to turn her summer internship into the job she has now.
In graduate school: New Mount Sinai PhD student (and creative director of #VanguardSTEM!) Natasha Berryman shares her tips for transitioning into a STEM discipline as a master’s student and reminds us that it’s never to late to pursue your dreams.
We’ll also share some curated articles about dealing with anxiety during the admissions process, courtesy of our digital curator, Chrystelle Vilfranc, and her #RevealtoHeal series.
Last but not least, we’ll pass along some guidance about asking for and receiving the best possible recommendation letters.
So as you can tell, we’ve got a lot of content for you because we know you’re on the come up and we want to do what we can to help with that.
Are there other things you want to know about the application process? Things you’d like us to cover this month? Do you have advice on a facet of the application process not mentioned here? If so, let us know and we’ll do what we can to make it happen. But even if we don’t get to it this month, October will always be “On the Come-Up” month here at #VanguardSTEM, and we’ll have even more wisdom to share next time.
You can chat with us IRL, too, since we’ll have a booth at SACNAS and NSBP this year. Pull up!
If you enjoy our original content, consider donating to our parent not-for-profit, The SeRCH Foundation, Inc., to help support this work.