2014-2015 APPIC (internship) interview thread

[Psychwomen]

For those of you have already had interviews, do you mind sharing what your experience has been like? I have my first interview on Friday and I'm just not sure what to expect...

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[PsyD2be1477]

Also a rejection from Denver Health. I applied to:
Outpatient Child and Adolescent Mental Health with Inpatient & Consult Psychiatry,
Outpatient Child and Adolescent Mental Health with Health Psychology
High Need Pediatric Primary Care

Any word from the Pediatric Health Track from Miami Children's??

 

[Bob'sBurgers]

Hey all,
I was wondering if anyone who received an App State interview received a confirmation for their interview date? I called to leave a message about which day I would be coming, then emailed the DCT once a week later to confirm, and I am not sure how much more I should bug them...

 

[healthpsych5]

Just got a generic rejection email from Denver Health. I applied to the Health Psych- Adult Outpatient rotation.

Me, too. That was the last site I was waiting to hear from. Now I know! Such a good feeling. On to the next phase. Best of luck, everyone.

 

[kohutian]

Me, too. That was the last site I was waiting to hear from. Now I know! Such a good feeling. On to the next phase. Best of luck, everyone.

Wish I had that relief Not all of us are done waiting it seems. Best of luck to each of us who are still waiting to hear back from sites!

 

[heartdignan]

For those of you have already had interviews, do you mind sharing what your experience has been like? I have my first interview on Friday and I'm just not sure what to expect...

I think they're all going to be quite different from each other, and sites seem to vary a little or a lot year-by-year. I have only done one interview so far, and it was a site where I knew of someone who'd interviewed there last year and told me what to expect. However, the site had changed their procedure from the previous year and that advice wasn't super helpful.

As always, you want to have a ton of questions prepared (good to have both general and those that are site specific). Sometimes put every little thing in their brochure, or as was the case with this site I went to last week, they had explained all of it in the orientation portion. That leaves very little to be asked, so you have to be creative.

My advice is definitely bring food and water. Even if they feed you - the site I went to gave us lunch but then took food away a couple hours later, but there were still 3 hours left in the interview day with no snacks or water. From what I saw and what I've read on here, it's considered perfectly normal to bring a snack and a beverage. I felt like I slowly wilted throughout the day and was dehydrated, hungry, and drained by the end of the day. I believe I would have maintained better if I'd had extra food and water with me.

Be social with everyone. If you're the quiet type, make sure to push yourself to interact. It's probably rather unlikely someone is going to think to rank you highly if they can't really remember you or what you said. Smiling is good. Being very grateful for the opportunity, shaking everyone's hand, thanking at the end of each interview - those things that show you're a nice, warm person and not snobby or cocky.

I'm sure others will jump in here, too. These are just some of my main thoughts off the top of my head. Good luck!

 

[jennigold]

anyone interviewing at vanderbilt tomorrow? hoping to ease some anxiety by having a friendly face to smile at!

 

[buss723]

For those of you have already had interviews, do you mind sharing what your experience has been like? I have my first interview on Friday and I'm just not sure what to expect...

I would say "ditto" to what other posters said. For me, I tried to weave key facts from their brochures into my interview questions. For example, one site referenced a diversity model that they used, so I mentioned it in my response to the what makes me different/what skills do I bring-type questions. I didn't bring food to interviews, but probably would have (I didn't have time to pack anything since my interviews are nowhere near where I live).

I also HATE vignette-based questions, and based my expectations on colleagues who interviewed at the same site. However, I was presented with a few vignettes and expected to give diagnoses, treatment recs, and interpret test results. Luckily, I work well under intense pressure, so I think my answers were articulated well.

Last but not least, be social, but not overbearing. I hope this isn't mean, but no one wants to be the person who just asks questions just for the sake of asking questions (especially if your questions are explicitly answered in program brochures). That being said, however, I think I benefitted from asking thought-provoking questions to other interns and faculty members which then allowed others to chime in.

 

[NeuroPsych22]

Is anyone interviewing at the Hines VA (Neuro Track) interested in possibly switching interview dates? I am currently scheduled for Jan. 15th, but most unfortunately had a conflict come up. I'm looking to switch with someone who is scheduled for Jan. 14th. If you are interested, send me a personal message! I would sooooo appreciate it!

 

[psychrat]

The Institute of Living just confirmed my interview date

Also, what are people doing about the American Lake open house? I have another interview scheduled on that day.

 

[CounsPsychPhD2b]

UT Austin UCC (wooooohoooo!)
Interview Invite
Personal Email received 12/16/14
Interview dates Jan 5 - 12

UMDCP UCC
Mass email rejection received 12/16/14

 

[aly cat]

Hey all! Waiting to hear from 5 sites that were due before December (I have two more that were due after December, so I'm going to give those a wait!). I'm wondering what everyone's take is on contacting TDs to ask when/ if they send out rejections. For three of the sites I'm waiting on (UWashington SoM, SFGH/UCSF CAS, and UKMC), other people posted somewhat early that they already received invitations, but it seems rejections were not sent out for any of these sites. How have others dealt with this issue/ or what would you do?

Not sure about those others, but UKMC listed their notification date as 12/31(granted it says 2013, but I'm assuming they're following the same date this year since I've not yet heard either way).

 

[Bag of Owls]

Alright. Officially rejected from UF Neuro - makes no sense to me why - I can bet I'm a very good fit for them. But this concludes my waiting game and I am now all interviews and dissertation.

With you. That was the last one! Sort of feels good in a way...

 

[AppsAintNoThang]

The Institute of Living just confirmed my interview date

Also, what are people doing about the American Lake open house? I have another interview scheduled on that day.

Mine too.. finally. Why does a week seem like an eternity to get back to us on dates? Thankfully I got my first choice. One more site to confirm dates and then I'm scheduling travel! woohoo!

Anybody here interviewing at Mississippi State Hospital? Curious if anyone's taking them up on the offer of pick up/drop off at hotels and airports..

 

[deathbygradschool]

Rejection from Western Psychological and Counseling Services 12/14 via personalized

 

[deathbygradschool]

Has anyone heard from Ryther Child Center or Puget Sound Psychiatric Center? They aren't APPIC members, so didn't have to post when they would notify by. I emailed the TD's this morning to inquire, but haven't had a response yet. I just don't know how long to wait until I make my travel plans for my other interviews in the same area!

 

[Phipps]

So, I am about to write a TY note. I wonder how people handle this if you were interviewed by groups of supervisors. Would you just email the training director or TD and cc'ed to the rest?? Thx

 

[peapodpsych]

Mass rejection received from Northwestern UCC.

Finally glad to be done waiting to hear! Now I can relax for a bit for the holidays and then focus on interview prep!

Good luck everyone!

 

[FLfuture]

Has anyone NOT heard from Pacific U.? I know classmates with both rejections and invitations... Hm...

 

[psychPhD gal]

I and another classmate got rejections from SAPIC La Frontera on Friday, 12/12. I forgot to post it here because I was more focused on posting invites. Sorry!

I had an invite from SAPIC on 1/12. It did mention that the Sierra Tucson assessment track is no longer an option. Were you applying to that one? I hope this helps

 

[psychPhD gal]

I had an invite from SAPIC on 1/12. It did mention that the Sierra Tucson assessment track is no longer an option. Were you applying to that one? I hope this helps

Sorry I meant the invite came on 12/12.

 

[AbnormalPsych]

.

 

[Psychobabble07]

I heard back from them yesterday with an invite. I would email them for an update if their notification deadline has passed. I had 2 sites that sent out notifications (both rejections and invitations) that I haven't heard from yesterday and it turned out that they mispelled my email or that my email got cut out from the list for whatever reason.

Has anyone NOT heard from Pacific U.? I know classmates with both rejections and invitations... Hm...

 

[Bag of Owls]

Bag of Owls' big bag of observations:

(1) Flying is expensive. Even if you are setting up dates, and you think you know all available dates, do not set up a roundtrip flight. You will be wrong, and another interview will be scheduled on your way home, and American Airlines does not allow rescheduling (unless you pay more up front or pay $200 as a change fee).

(2) Frontier Airlines is totally weird. Yes, yes, they keep the prices down by charging for drinks, etc. But depending on the airport/flight crew, you can have wildly discrepant experiences. SFO => DEN at 7:15? Everyone board at once! Put whatever you want in those overhead bins. DEN => CVG at 10:15? Whoops, we won't scan the boarding pass PDF on your phone even though it worked at SFO. We won't even try. Go back to ticketing, have one printed, and go back through security. Miss a meal while you're at it. That carry-on that was fine three days ago? You need to try to shove that into this bin that is much smaller than the overhead compartments. Doesn't fit? No problem, you can check it at the gate, just $35, credit card please. Now that you're exhausted, hungry, and thirsty, help yourself to an inner struggle over whether you should give us more money for food and drink. Stare at the empty overhead bin in front of you being closed to prepare for take-off.

(3) People will tell you that it may be hard to get your breath at higher altitudes. They may not tell you that you have to drink 3x your normal amount of water or you will become delirious. Hi, Denver VA people! That was me you saw drink four bottles of water in a row.

(4) Interviews vary widely in approach. Some shuttle you all over the city. At those, sometimes the shuttle takes off without you, totally empty, for no reason at all. HUGE respect for my fellow interviewee (to work with the same mentor), who kept her cool even though her interview with him was the first agendum after the shuttle ride. Also, thanks, Uber!

Other sites will put you in a room and send faculty to speed-date you. Sometimes 15 different mini-presentations, in addition to personal interviews that include case vignettes. Those sites are super-busy. If you match there, you will have to be comfortable doing work in 10-15 minute chunks, missing some of your planned breaks, and still being personable in one-on-one interactions. Sort of a perfect interview approach if you think about it.

(5) If you plan to stay with a friend, and that friend wants to celebrate after your interview, keep in mind your home time zone. And your age. And how new your leather dress boots are.

(6) Get a travel steamer. If your hotel has no iron, rest assured that it will also have those theft-deterrent hangers that have nail-heads instead of hooks and hang on a special ring. When you go to try the bathroom-sauna suit-steaming trick, you will find yourself MacGyvering those nail-heads into the plastic bathroom cups to allow you to hang your suit from the metals slat shelving. You will be tired. But it will work!

(7) During an interview, the psychologists do not want you to ask a bunch of questions just to show how conscientious you are. I gather this is a common behavior because one interviewer said to me: "Do you have any questions that are really make-or-break for whether this site fits? Don't do that thing where you ask a lot of questions just to show you are conscientious. We know that already. Just saving us time." It was funny and a relief to hear.

(8) The site invited you because they are pretty sure you are a good fit. What matters most in the match process is whether you think the site is a good fit for you. So focus on eliciting information rather than demonstrating your fitness. Seriously. Have conversations. Watch the current interns and supervisors for signs of their stress level and overall happiness.

(9) I hear these things can be energizing for extroverts. Well, I'm sort of an extrovert, and maybe one would be energizing, but jet lag is rough, and it really is hard to stay super-enthusiastic all day long. Hang in there. Treat yourself to nice food afterward. Yes you're spending a lot of money, but if you try to save money by cutting out your comforts, you will drain yourself and burn out. Plus, you will have to spend that money checking your carry-on anyway no matter how careful you have been.

(10) Feel free to get to the site and identify the room super-early, but if you go into the room super-early, you may to reintroduce yourself every time someone walks in. Can interfere with your pre-interview zen moment, or can be helpful for meeting new people or for distracting you from the interview worry train. Your call.

That's it for now. I'll think of more, and post them in batches. I hope it's going well for you all!

Baggy

 

[clps123456]

I know, I felt the same way. We could always try contacting another faculty member since the website says to be in touch with the faculty you'd be interested in working with-- ask them some questions about their clinical/research work, hopefully get a reply and then ask about invitations. Sort of a back-door approach? Maybe he replied to the other SDNer because they asked questions about the program.

Yea, I think I might do that. If I remember correctly their notification date is 1/6, the same day as their first open house...

 

[adsekhon]

Was not able to reschedule interviews that sorta conflicted

will fly to Kansas on the 14th and interview on 15th

will fly to Salt Lake on the 15th and interview on the 16th

At least hotels are cheap (thank you mom for being employed by marriott)

 

[heartdignan]

I had an invite from SAPIC on 1/12. It did mention that the Sierra Tucson assessment track is no longer an option. Were you applying to that one? I hope this helps

I did apply for the Sierra Tucson track, but my email didn't mention it. It was literally a form letter as an attachment with the body of the email saying, "See the attached letter. Thank you." That's good to know I'm not necessarily missing out on anything!

 

[psychinnola]

Bag of Owls' big bag of observations:

(1) Flying is expensive. Even if you are setting up dates, and you think you know all available dates, do not set up a roundtrip flight. You will be wrong, and another interview will be scheduled on your way home, and American Airlines does not allow rescheduling (unless you pay more up front or pay $200 as a change fee).

(2) Frontier Airlines is totally weird. Yes, yes, they keep the prices down by charging for drinks, etc. But depending on the airport/flight crew, you can have wildly discrepant experiences. SFO => DEN at 7:15? Everyone board at once! Put whatever you want in those overhead bins. DEN => CVG at 10:15? Whoops, we won't scan the boarding pass PDF on your phone even though it worked at SFO. We won't even try. Go back to ticketing, have one printed, and go back through security. Miss a meal while you're at it. That carry-on that was fine three days ago? You need to try to shove that into this bin that is much smaller than the overhead compartments. Doesn't fit? No problem, you can check it at the gate, just $35, credit card please. Now that you're exhausted, hungry, and thirsty, help yourself to an inner struggle over whether you should give us more money for food and drink. Stare at the empty overhead bin in front of you being closed to prepare for take-off.

(3) People will tell you that it may be hard to get your breath at higher altitudes. They may not tell you that you have to drink 3x your normal amount of water or you will become delirious. Hi, Denver VA people! That was me you saw drink four bottles of water in a row.

(4) Interviews vary widely in approach. Some shuttle you all over the city. At those, sometimes the shuttle takes off without you, totally empty, for no reason at all. HUGE respect for my fellow interviewee (to work with the same mentor), who kept her cool even though her interview with him was the first agendum after the shuttle ride. Also, thanks, Uber!

Other sites will put you in a room and send faculty to speed-date you. Sometimes 15 different mini-presentations, in addition to personal interviews that include case vignettes. Those sites are super-busy. If you match there, you will have to be comfortable doing work in 10-15 minute chunks, missing some of your planned breaks, and still being personable in one-on-one interactions. Sort of a perfect interview approach if you think about it.

(5) If you plan to stay with a friend, and that friend wants to celebrate after your interview, keep in mind your home time zone. And your age. And how new your leather dress boots are.

(6) Get a travel steamer. If your hotel has no iron, rest assured that it will also have those theft-deterrent hangers that have nail-heads instead of hooks and hang on a special ring. When you go to try the bathroom-sauna suit-steaming trick, you will find yourself MacGyvering those nail-heads into the plastic bathroom cups to allow you to hang your suit from the metals slat shelving. You will be tired. But it will work!

(7) During an interview, the psychologists do not want you to ask a bunch of questions just to show how conscientious you are. I gather this is a common behavior because one interviewer said to me: "Do you have any questions that are really make-or-break for whether this site fits? Don't do that thing where you ask a lot of questions just to show you are conscientious. We know that already. Just saving us time." It was funny and a relief to hear.

(8) The site invited you because they are pretty sure you are a good fit. What matters most in the match process is whether you think the site is a good fit for you. So focus on eliciting information rather than demonstrating your fitness. Seriously. Have conversations. Watch the current interns and supervisors for signs of their stress level and overall happiness.

(9) I hear these things can be energizing for extroverts. Well, I'm sort of an extrovert, and maybe one would be energizing, but jet lag is rough, and it really is hard to stay super-enthusiastic all day long. Hang in there. Treat yourself to nice food afterward. Yes you're spending a lot of money, but if you try to save money by cutting out your comforts, you will drain yourself and burn out. Plus, you will have to spend that money checking your carry-on anyway no matter how careful you have been.

(10) Feel free to get to the site and identify the room super-early, but if you go into the room super-early, you may to reintroduce yourself every time someone walks in. Can interfere with your pre-interview zen moment, or can be helpful for meeting new people or for distracting you from the interview worry train. Your call.

That's it for now. I'll think of more, and post them in batches. I hope it's going well for you all!

Baggy

This is a great & humorous post.

I will add, become accustomed to awkwardly eating alone (my least favorite!). If you are the outgoing/social type, consider sitting at the bar instead of a table by yourself, lest you abuse the waitress into talking to you because you're lonely.

 

[howdoesthatmakeyoufeel]

Flat iron and hair dryer in carry on yes or no?

 

[psychinnola]

Flat iron and hair dryer in carry on yes or no?

I think you can do that. Most hotels have sufficient hair dryers, I've found, so I'm not bringing that.

 

[howdoesthatmakeyoufeel]

anyone brought their luggage to an interview? i have no choice in one city - it's straight to the airport after the interview.

 

[AppsAintNoThang]

anyone brought their luggage to an interview? i have no

I stored another interviewee's in my rental car's trunk during this past interview. I think you could easily bring it- maybe ask to store it in someone's office during the interview so you know it's safe?

I think you can do that. Most hotels have sufficient hair dryers, I've found, so I'm not bringing that.

I always bring my flat iron in my carry on, and always check to make sure the hotel has a hair dryer- so far, they always have!

 

[aurisha7]

anyone brought their luggage to an interview? i have no choice in one city - it's straight to the airport after the interview.

During my interviews two years ago I saw people at several interviews with their suitcases and nobody at the sites seemed to have a problem with it.

 

[cara susanna]

Feel free to get to the site and identify the room super-early, but if you go into the room super-early, you may to reintroduce yourself every time someone walks in. Can interfere with your pre-interview zen moment, or can be helpful for meeting new people or for distracting you from the interview worry train. Your call.

That's funny because it relates to one of the own observations I made during my experience: no matter how early you think you'll be, you'll never be the first applicant there.

 

[PhDToBe]

Was not able to reschedule interviews that sorta conflicted

will fly to Kansas on the 14th and interview on 15th

will fly to Salt Lake on the 15th and interview on the 16th

At least hotels are cheap (thank you mom for being employed by marriott)

Can I borrow your mom?

 

[LanaPotato]

This is probably an awkward request but, is anyone interviewing at UCLA on 1/16 and is interested in sharing a hotel room on 1/15? Feel free to PM me if so. All this travel is adding up quick fast

 

[psychrat]

American Lake's open house doesn't seem critical to attend.... I am going for the cookies though.

I heard they make their ranking list before the open house, but I am just wondering if they are going to rank all 110 of us who were invited. I think I will email them w some questions

 

[psychhopeful101]

Still waiting on three but two have sent out invites already, does anyone know if the following are still considering applications/ sending invitations?
1. Kings County- Adult Track
2. Larned State Hospital

Congrats to everyone who is done!!

 

[buss723]

If your site is having an "Open House" but then says mentions "interviews" what exactly does that mean?

 

[t boo ted marshall]

Is there anyone on here besides me who has not heard anything from the Salt Lake VA? People got rejections and invitations last week and I have not heard from them. Want to see if I'm not alone!

 

[mantra56]

Has anyone not heard from any of the Kaisers? I applied to San Diego, Fresno, and Walnut Creek and have not heard a thing from any of them.

 

[EEpsychstudent]

This is probably an awkward request but, is anyone interviewing at UCLA on 1/16 and is interested in sharing a hotel room on 1/15? Feel free to PM me if so. All this travel is adding up quick fast

I can't help with your specific request but another idea is to use AirBnB. It is a formalized rental process but is in someone's home and is WAYYY more affordable and can be more convenient. As examples: less than a mile to the Washington DC VA and is $70 a night or less than a mile from EVMS and is $55 a night. Both prices include wireless internet, cable, parking, washer/dryer, and kitchen to name a few amenities.

If you (or anyone) decide to use it, PM me and I'll give you my referral code bc it'll give you $25 off (and credit me $25 for my next trip).

 

[Featheredwyngs]

For those of you who haven't heard from sites that were supposed to notify by a certain date, worth emailing them. I emailed a site yesterday I hadn't heard from on Monday (that others did), and they replied today that I had an interview invite (indicated they thought they had sent out all emails on Monday, so they wouldn't have known had I not emailed them).

 

[mantra56]

For those of you who haven't heard from sites that were supposed to notify by a certain date, worth emailing them. I emailed a site yesterday I hadn't heard from on Monday (that others did), and they replied today that I had an interview invite (indicated they thought they had sent out all emails on Monday, so they wouldn't have known had I not emailed them).

how did you word the email?

 

[PsyD2be1477]

For those of you who haven't heard from sites that were supposed to notify by a certain date, worth emailing them. I emailed a site yesterday I hadn't heard from on Monday (that others did), and they replied today that I had an interview invite (indicated they thought they had sent out all emails on Monday, so they wouldn't have known had I not emailed them).

I had a similar experience not hearing from a site and sent an email this morning. - I hope I get a similar response!

 

[Featheredwyngs]

how did you word the email?

I kept it very straightforward; I PM'D you a copy (if anyone else wants to see it just let me know). I was expecting a rejection, so wanted to keep it short and respectful. The gist of it was: I applied to their program and read on their brochure that they intended to notify of interviews by Dec. 15 but that I had not received a notification either way (indicated I checked my spam folder); I then asked if they could update me on my status, and thanked them for their time/consideration of my application. When I sent the email, I figured that saying how enthusiastic I was about the site wouldn't 1) change my status at that point and 2) be potentially more awkward when receiving a reply from the training director (the person I emailed) if I was not invited. I think I maybe would have made it a little bit warmer (maybe sound more excited?) if I had expected differently though.

 

[psychhopeful101]

I kept it very straightforward; I PM'D you a copy (if anyone else wants to see it just let me know). I was expecting a rejection, so wanted to keep it short and respectful. Note: I emailed the training director. The gist of it was: I applied to their program and read on their brochure that they intended to notify of interviews by Dec. 15 but that I had not received a notification either way (indicated I checked my spam folder); I then asked if they could update me on my status, and thanked them for their time/consideration of my application. When I sent the email, I figured that saying how enthusiastic I was about the site wouldn't 1) change my status at that point and 2) be potentially more awkward when receiving a reply from the training director (the person I emailed) if I was not invited. I think I maybe would have made it a little bit warmer (maybe sound more excited?) if I had expected differently though.

I'd appreciate an idea of what to say as well!

 

[Featheredwyngs]

Does anyone know what interview dates Manhattan Psychiatric Center has given in previous years? I could not find it on previous threads. Their notification deadline is later (listed as 12/30, which is consistent with previous years).

 

[howdoesthatmakeyoufeel]

anyone receive rejections from Northwestern LGBT Health Psych OR U of Kansas Medical Center? I'm not even gonna bother asking about WVU.

 

[RebelOwl]

anyone receive rejections from Northwestern LGBT Health Psych OR U of Kansas Medical Center? I'm not even gonna bother asking about WVU.

I received a rejection from Northwestern LGBT Health track via SNAIL MAIL. Still waiting on UKMC.