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Postbacs/Summer Students

Making a decision: grad school, med school, or a job?

Exploring graduate and Professional school

Exploring job options

Finding a job

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT RESOURCES


Making a decision: grad school, med school, or a job?
    

Sign up for an appointment with a career counselor


Take a closer look at yourself!

  • Strong Interest Inventory

    The Strong Interest Inventory® provides research-validated insights to help you in your search for a rich, fulfilling career. The Strong empowers users to discover their true interests so they can better identify, understand, and often expand their career options.

    If you are interested in taking this assessment, please contact the Career Counseling Center to set up an individual appointment with a career counselor.

  • Exercises External Link to help you explore your values, skills, and interests

Exploring graduate and Professional school
 

Graduate/professional school advising appointments

If you schedule an appointment with Dr. Higgins (or an OITE Career Counselor or Dr. Sokolove or Dr. Milgram), be certain to prepare in advance.  This is true whether you would like to discuss a personal statement or experience a mock interview.  If you cannot attend a workshop on the topic in person, then watch the videocast of an earlier workshop on the topic.  If you wish to discuss a personal statement, write and edit it carefully prior to the appointment.  If you have scheduled a mock interview, practice examples of possible responses in advance.

Limitations on Pre-professional Advising for Applicants to Graduate and Professional School

The OITE is committed to assisting postbacs and summer interns with the application process for graduate and professional (medical, dental, pharmacy, etc.) school.  However, given the large number of trainees interested in this service and the need for application materials to reflect the applicant's interests and skills, we want to clarify the extent and nature of the services we can provide.

  • The Office of Career Services will review one final draft of a personal statement for graduate or professional school.  The Staff will not review secondary application essays or review a statement more than once.  An applicant may request a review from only one staff member. 
  • Counselors will review the content of personal statements, including the structure and organization of the essay and whether the message intended by the applicant is being effectively communicated. The service does not include correction of grammar, misspelling, and punctuation errors.  We will refer trainees to grammar and punctuation resources, many of which are now available on the OITE Web site at https://www.training.nih.gov/writing_courses.      
  • Staff members in the Office of Career Services will assist applicants with preparation for interviews. Unless there are extenuating circumstances such as extreme anxiety, applicants will be eligible for only one mock interview or discussion of the interview process.
  • Overall, the staff of the Career Services Center will meet with applicants a maximum of twice during the pre-application season. The two-appointment limit will apply to application review, interview preparation, and pre-med advising . Trainees may schedule additional visits should they need assistance with other career planning issues.

NOTE: prior to keeping appointments, trainees  are expected to have attended the relevant pre-med or graduate school  workshops or viewed them on the OITE Web site.)

Understanding standardized tests

Preparing your statement of purpose External Link

Interviewing for professional school: Slides from OITE presentation; View videocast

Financial aid opportunities


Exploring JOB OPTIONS



FINDING A JOB
 

Getting materials ready

Job search strategies

Interviewing skills

Additional online resources


professional development resources


Writing professional e-mail

Keeping a lab notebook: Download OITE Webinar, download written transcript