Taking a sixth year for research?

[Dazen]

Hi all,

I know this has been talked about before on here, but would love any advice you might have in considering to take a sixth year in a five year program. I'm primarily research focused and have had reasonable productivity for my first two years and change (2 pubs and 4 under review, two of which are first author). I've also submitted three IRBs this semester, so I have some projects I'm excited about that are in their earlier stages too. I've generally been pretty ahead on milestones (defended my masters spring of my second year, have almost 300 f2f hours). However, I'm currently trying to apply for the December deadline of the F31 and am worried that I'll have to push back until April given how overloaded I was this semester with other work. Best case scenario if I apply in April, I wouldn't be able to be funded until halfway through my fourth year. Worst case where I receive funding would have me looking at my fifth year only being funded. I'd prefer not to give up the chance for this fellowship and taking advantage of its many opportunities, but I also don't want to necessarily delay my graduation if it won't make much difference. I recognize that taking on too many responsibilities this semester, while beneficial for my career generally, took away from my writing time and accept those consequences.

I'm going to put my head down and try to finish the app in the time I have left and certainly am not going to make a decision now about when I'll apply for internship. Curious what considerations I might be missing or any thoughts you all have?

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[jdawg2017]

I believe you can always take an F31 for less than the maximum 3 years of funding. Of course, more time is definitely better. I knew a few students in my program who took a 6th year for research, but 5 years (6 with internship) is more common.

I’d personally try to get the submission in this cycle (if you are *mostly* ready and just trying to refine the grant draft) as it’s common to not be discussed or funded on the first try. If your idea and materials aren’t really fleshed out, then you probably are too late depending on your institution’s internal grant deadline (for my F31 I had to turn it in to our internal grants office 2 weeks before the actual deadline).

Having had an F31, I definitely think it was helpful in me landing a solid internship and post-doc, and the little bit of funding they provide was great for my training (conferences + workshops). That said, I know a lot of very successful researchers who didn’t get an F award and I got mine early in my training, so I can’t speak to the trade off between getting one and extending your time in grad school.

 

[cotn_psych]

I took a 6th year, partly because I didn't match the first time I applied to internship but also because I was more research focused and had not accrued the hours I needed to be competitive clinically. That 6th year was probably the best year I had in grad school. Classes were done and I had a lot of time to do some in-depth clinical work and full days of research. It was an incredibly productive year. Getting your dissertation finished before internship is the way to have a great internship year.

 

[borne_before]

What are your goals?

Things to consider:

• you're probably already competitive for a tenured position in a least desirable place.
• A lot of people get tenure a smaller school, and then move up into other positions at more desirable universities, with tenure.
• is an extra year of research worth 150 grand? Like, don't rob tenured full professor Dazen from a whole year of income
• would that year be better spent doing a post doc somewhere else?
• internship is fun.

 

[bcliff]

I took a 6th year for reasons largely outside of my control but used that year to more fully develop as an independent scientist - It also made internship much less stressful, as I had already defended my dissertation before it began. I am happy with how things unfolded but agree with the point above that it essentially robbed me of one year of salary, which... I guess is less than ideal? The counterpoint is that there are tangible benefits I'm currently benefiting from as a result of taking that extra year, so it seems, at worst, like a wash.