Well, shit
I am completely overwhelmed. I am here on Monday, back from vacation, fuzzy headed and sick, trying to pick up the pace on my experiments so that I can finish up one manuscript before Little Bee arrives. Now I'm trying to add to that plate and apply for faculty teaching positions at universities across the east coast and I'm FREAKING OUT about having to write a research statement and cover letter.
Thankfully I already have my teaching philosophy written, critiqued, and revised so I can just upload that for all the application forms. I have one recommender on board and ready to write for me, the other two are just waiting for face-to-face meetings (I don't think they'll say no, they're my co-mentors). I have example cover letters from both online sources and a former graduate student in my lab. I think I can do that one.
The research statement, though? I don't know what I want to research! I don't even know if I want to do research at all! Most of the colleges/universities I'm looking at are primarily teaching with a side of undergraduate research, very similar to Clarkson. The problem is... I don't have the foggiest clue what I could take with me from what I've learned here and apply it to a small institution. Chances are, there's not going to be a huge animal facility available or a synthesis core with all the required equipment. I could totally have undergraduates run HPLCs all day long or characterize novel ligands, but where do I propose to get those novel ligands from? What is the overall purpose of that research? How will it further science and help society and educate students?
I am completely drawing a blank and everything I'm reading about preparing a research statement says not to save it for the last minute. Ha. The applications I can foreseeably make by the deadline start on Dec 15th. Can I write a semi-coherent and reasonable research statement in that time, plus do my dissertation work, plus be a mama and wife, plus grow a new baby? It's exhausting even thinking about it.
I promised myself I could take these past 15 minutes to decompress before starting my assays for the remainder of the day. I am almost finished drinking my tea but feel no less stressed than when I sat down. Here's to a swift kick in the rear to get me going!
Yikes.
Thankfully I already have my teaching philosophy written, critiqued, and revised so I can just upload that for all the application forms. I have one recommender on board and ready to write for me, the other two are just waiting for face-to-face meetings (I don't think they'll say no, they're my co-mentors). I have example cover letters from both online sources and a former graduate student in my lab. I think I can do that one.
The research statement, though? I don't know what I want to research! I don't even know if I want to do research at all! Most of the colleges/universities I'm looking at are primarily teaching with a side of undergraduate research, very similar to Clarkson. The problem is... I don't have the foggiest clue what I could take with me from what I've learned here and apply it to a small institution. Chances are, there's not going to be a huge animal facility available or a synthesis core with all the required equipment. I could totally have undergraduates run HPLCs all day long or characterize novel ligands, but where do I propose to get those novel ligands from? What is the overall purpose of that research? How will it further science and help society and educate students?
I am completely drawing a blank and everything I'm reading about preparing a research statement says not to save it for the last minute. Ha. The applications I can foreseeably make by the deadline start on Dec 15th. Can I write a semi-coherent and reasonable research statement in that time, plus do my dissertation work, plus be a mama and wife, plus grow a new baby? It's exhausting even thinking about it.
I promised myself I could take these past 15 minutes to decompress before starting my assays for the remainder of the day. I am almost finished drinking my tea but feel no less stressed than when I sat down. Here's to a swift kick in the rear to get me going!
Yikes.