as72

Hard to compare what it would be like on the tenure track at the right institution with your postdoc without knowing what exactly your postdoc looks like. However, I will say that for most of grad school I talked a good game about leaving the academe. I'm a medical anthropologist and thought I'd like to do work with public health people or maybe NGOs. I got a postdoc doing just that and I'm not even a year in and really dislike it. Quite possibly a result of the people I'm working with but it's been a huge challenge and has taught me a lot about the beauty of not being on soft money, for example. I also was able to utilize a truly wonderful center for teaching and learning at my postdoc institution and that helped me see I really think about and like teaching and pedagogy more than I had previously thought. I was fortunate to land (what I think will be) a great TT position that I'll start this August. I can already tell you I feel far less isolated than I have in my postdoc time, which seems to be a common complaint. The bottom line for me was the autonomy and the ability to continue to do research (R1 position with a 2-2 load) in a place that seems like a great fit. There were certainly other TT jobs I applied for and even did campus visits for this year that I was less than enthused about. In this market, people operate with such a scarcity mindset that they get stuck in positions (even TT) that they really dislike or make them unhappy because they are not a good fit. Since you're someone who can potentially see yourself going both ways, I'd suggest you think more about fit with a position (in or out of the academe), as opposed to prioritizing being IN academia. My slightly more blasé attitude (and the buffer of a guaranteed second year in my postdoc if need be, an admittedly privileged position) made me more selective on the market this year. I think the things you list as concerns with academia might be non issues in the right position, so says a brand new, not yet even started, TT Asst Prof... so take it for what it's worth and check back with me in like a year haha

Hey, just a voice of encouragement! We in anthropology often spend a minimum of 10 months away from our home department collecting data in the field, and obviously not always in the U.S. By the time I finish with this phase of things, I'll have been living two continents away for nearly 2 years. Technology really makes it a whole different ball game. My advisor and I email very regularly, we Skype when needed, and collaborate on revisions for various things. I have a whole different support network here in the field, which has its own benefits. There is something to be said for focusing on your work and dissertation but not becoming embroiled in it to the point that you forget life outside your PhD program exists. It can be very grounding to be in a different environment and actually, for me personally, having this taste outside of the daily life of my department has been motivating me to get the dissertation finished because I can't wait to find an exciting job (in academia or outside). I think it's highly personal and you have to be honest with yourself about how much of a self-starter you are. Do you need someone in your department to be telling you what to do all the time? Do you like doing things in groups? Or is weekly Skyping with your home department friends enough to encourage and support you? It definitely depends on the responsiveness of your advisor, also. If you think doing this fieldwork would enhance your dissertation then you definitely have to go for it!

My two cents on this, for what's they're worth, is that regardless of what you do, you need to make sure you go about it in a professional way. We had someone in our department change advisors and they handled it poorly. Professors got offended, there became a rift between various faculty members and their students, etc. That being said, you absolutely should do what you feel will be best for your academic and professional development. I would just make sure to ask around your department to see what would be considered the best way to go about changing advisors. You don't want to burn any bridges, especially this early on.

Hey all. Just wondering, for those of you who already have reviews up, when did it say yours went out for external peer review? Mine says it began on the 20th and it says still pending. I know in the spring it looked like there were two panels that met at slightly different times and people I knew who were in the earlier one found out a lot sooner that they hadn't gotten it.

Thanks, utsusemi. We also have a new coordinator for our campus so she doesn't have much to go on. I'm already in the field so I was really hoping some of these things would be a little more expedited. I also had my start date listed as October 15th on the app so was hoping they'd at least be doing things a little more quickly since I was never told that that date wouldn't be feasible. Nothing to do but wait, it looks like! Any idea from previous years how the money gets dispersed? I.e. is it a lump sum, each month, half now, half later, etc.? Or because the university administers it is it up to them somehow? I'm really in the dark here. Thanks for the info!

Just on the off chance somebody will look at this again, any of you who were successful get any further info on when you can expect to get money and/or what comes next? I've found the people on the Dept. of Edu side to be very not helpful and my program officer at my university hasn't gotten much of anything else either.

National Geographic Young Explorers maybe, if you qualify?

Memetics, the campus rep said she was just notified this morning and she was working from home so it was a little uncoordinated because I ambushed her with the email before she'd sent anything out. When she forwarded everything to me it did include the technical review form which includes the scores and comments from 2 reviewers. I'm at Washington University in St. Louis.

I emailed my campus rep and she said she got the notifications this morning. My grant journey is over! Good luck to everyone else!

Mumstheword thanks for letting us all know, much appreciated! Now, I'm going to try to not have a panic attack for the next two weeks straight! Haha Good luck everyone!

Not knowing anything about your first option I can really only comment from the perspective of someone who did a research Fulbright. I think some things to consider would be what kind of future career you're considering and the relative prestige of the Fulbright vs. the Erasmus program. Networking opportunities and benefits would be another thing to consider. Personally, (I'm in anthropology) the value of having had a year of independent, Fulbright funded research is far more than the value of another degree. I had opportunities to network with important people within my Fulbright country as well as being part of an extensive alumni network after finishing. Receiving funding for your own research concept goes a long way towards building the credibility you need if you want to have a career in academia and will need future grants for your work. Not to mention the invaluable experience of living and conducting research in my country of choice which really increased my fieldwork and language skills, which made me more competitive for other opportunities. Hope that adds something else to think about maybe. Best of luck.

Talk about uh oh mumstheword! I'm in Tanzania and those are super close to the words I would use to describe my project! Even if it doesn't bode well for our grants, maybe we should chat!

Anyone with gmail should check their spam folder. You might find it there.

I've assumed it means for the sub-discipline since, if you do the math, 3-4 for 3 or 4 sub-disciplines is more than ten already...