2014-2015 Psychiatry Interview Reviews

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Anonymous Review: SUNY Downstate

1. Communication: Eras
2. Accommodation & Food: OK
3. Interview Day (Schedule, Type Of Interview, Unusual Questions, Experiences): Very unusual questions. Very personal questions to the point of excessive (I don’t care if you are an analyst, it doesn’t give you the right to ask me why I would be a poor resident).
4. Program Overview: I liked the program, but was somewhat thrown off by the interviews being overly intrusive.
5. Faculty: Strong research opps. Residents seemed happy.
6. Location & Lifestyle: Not the best location, but you can live nearby in Brooklyn (cool areas) and commute. I have heard mixed things about the program being overly demanding and at the same time, not so much. I think the fact it is a community hospital contributes to poor help for nursing.
7. Salary & Benefits:
8. Program Strengths: Decent research, diverse population, Brooklyn (if you like that)
9. Potential Weaknesses: poor auxiliary staff, possible overwork?

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Anonymous Review: Maimonides

1. Communication: great
2. Accommodation & Food: Food provided, no accommodation
3. Interview Day (Schedule, Type Of Interview, Unusual Questions, Experiences): Interview day was very easygoing, faculty was approachable and no questions out of the ordinary.
4. Program Overview: It is greately an IMG program, but it still felt like a quality education, good training. I don’t’ think I have seen happier residents anywhere else. Great opportunities to go in to child psychiatry and also research opps.
5. Faculty: Approchable, young.
6. Location & Lifestyle: I particularly like Brooklyn and found it to be a plus. It is in a Jewish Hassidic neighbourhood. Very safe, but not very exciting. Move a few subway stops away and you will be fine. Or stay in their inexpensive subsidized housing until you find something better. So much cheaper than Manhtattan.
7. Salary & Benefits:
8. Program Strengths: Happy Residents, Some research opps, strong child fellowships from the graduate residents.
9. Potential Weaknesses: It is a community hospital, mostly IMGs. Clinical focus with limited research.
 
Anonymous Review: NYMC

1. Communication: Very sweet Program coordinator
2. Accommodation & Food: Breakfast, Lunch (no hotel)
3. Interview Day (Schedule, Type Of Interview, Unusual Questions, Experiences): Morning and afternoon group
4. Program Overview: Some research opportunities. Program is somewhat isolated from NY. Residents seemed to match in to mid tier residencies at most.
5. Faculty: Did not get the chance to interact.
6. Location & Lifestyle: You have to like the suburbs… Although some time can be spent at Lennox Hill in Manhattan it is somewhat of a logistical nightmare. If you want a suburban atmosphere it is very pleasant. Very nice residents who seem happy.
7. Salary & Benefits:
8. Program Strengths: Lennox Hill is a great hospital in Manhattan. Child inpatient rotation.
9. Potential Weaknesses: Clinical focus, a lot of changes going on recently (who will be the next PD?), not amazing fellowship opportunities.
 
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Anonymous Review: Creedmor

1. Communication: OK
2. Accommodation & Food: Food in the cafeteria.
3. Interview Day (Schedule, Type Of Interview, Unusual Questions, Experiences): No unusual questions. Felt somewhat like a prision.
4. Program Overview: Columbia affiliate. Other than that, apparently most of the time is spent with very long term patients. Not a ton of research opportunities. Mostly IMGs. I personally did not feel comfortable.
5. Faculty: Access to Columbia Faculty is probably their biggest asset.
6. Location & Lifestyle: very far from NY. Don’t’ know where you would live as so much traveling is involved. Would need a car
7. Salary & Benefits:
8. Program Strengths: Columbia affiliation
9. Potential Weaknesses: Prohibits fast track in to Child and Adolescent Fellowship.
 
Anonymous Review: Metropolitan

1. Communication: Bad
2. Accommodation & Food: The program coordinator was eating lunch in front of me, while I had nothing.
3. Interview Day (Schedule, Type Of Interview, Unusual Questions, Experiences): It was an unusual circumstance. Weather was extremely bad and I was the only interviewee. The program was pre match only, although I had asked the PC beforehand who assured me it was not the case.
4. Program Overview: Community hospital:
6. Location & Lifestyle: No provided housing, but it is located in the UES which is not a bad area of Manhattan.
7. Salary & Benefits:
8. Program Strengths: Diverse patient population
9. Potential Weaknesses: Large outpatient load, poor fellowships.
 
Anonymous Review: Albert Einstein Montefiore

1. Communication: Good
2. Accommodation & Food: Great breakfast, Keurig machine throughout.
3. Interview Day (Schedule, Type Of Interview, Unusual Questions, Experiences): Perhaps a tiny bit on the analytic site, but I found it welcoming overall.
4. Program Overview: With a therapy tinge to it, strong opportunities for international clerkships (Switzerland, Africa). Very Very happy residents! So welcoming! Well balanced program with opportunities for research and clinical practice.
5. Faculty: Great. Most faculty appeared to be Monti Graduates. True love for the institution by people who stayed on after graduation. Good research opps.
6. Location & Lifestyle: North Bronx. Not my favorite location. Residents described living in the upper east side of Manhattan (although there are no subsidized living facilities there). Pay was just a bit lower than Manhattan progs. Overall, the happiest residents I have seen in New York, would consider this program very highly.
7. Salary & Benefits: 15$ every day for food (it is all healthy!), housing is very very cheap, but not guaranteed.
8. Program Strengths: Great network, supportive community, very good psychodynamic resources, happy residents (not overworked)
9. Potential Weaknesses: North Bronx is pretty much isolated… and I’m not sure, but I can imagine patient population being of lower socioeconomical status.
 
Anonymous Review: Tufts

1. Communication: Good
2. Accommodation & Food: Dinner before interview was very nice.
3. Interview Day (Schedule, Type Of Interview, Unusual Questions, Experiences): Nothing out of the ordinary, perhaps a bit on the psychoanalytic side.
4. Program Overview: The Tufts unit per se is a little small. There is a lot of travelling involved. The hospital is large, compared to the size of the psych program. Good research opportunities.
5. Faculty: Friendly
6. Location & Lifestyle: Great location in Boston, close to China town (mmm… Banh Mi sandwiches galore). Residents really liked it. A bit of traveling between sites for certain rotations. No guaranteed housing.
7. Salary & Benefits:
8. Program Strengths: Good child. Boston is a great intellectual city and this hospital is centrally located.
9. Potential Weaknesses: Somewhat of a small psych floor.
 
Anonymous Review: University of Chicago

1. Communication: I tried to go back for a second look but it was impossible to coordinate.
2. Accommodation & Food: OK
3. Interview Day (Schedule, Type Of Interview, Unusual Questions, Experiences): Faculty seemed more focused on selling the program than asking questions per se.
4. Program Overview: Strong program. Quite a bit of traveling.
5. Faculty: Good research opportunities
6. Location & Lifestyle: Chicago is a large city with good lifestyle.
7. Salary & Benefits:
8. Program Strengths: Research, decent pay.
9. Potential Weaknesses: A lot of travel.
 
Anonymous Review: Rutgers (Newark)

1. Communication: OK
2. Accommodation & Food: OK
3. Interview Day (Schedule, Type Of Interview, Unusual Questions, Experiences): Nothing unusual
4. Program Overview: This program is really restructurizing itself with the new PD interested in LGBT isssues.
5. Faculty:
6. Location & Lifestyle: I am not particularly a fan of NJ, but I understand other people might be.
7. Salary & Benefits:
8. Program Strengths: decent research opps.
9. Potential Weaknesses: residents may have felt a little overworked? Newark?
 
Anonymous Review: Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson

1. Communication: Good
2. Accommodation & Food: Good
3. Interview Day (Schedule, Type Of Interview, Unusual Questions, Experiences): One of the interviewers was extremely interested in what were my artistic incentives (particularly film).
4. Program Overview: Residents were very nice. I have to say it felt very welcoming, I liked it. There seemed to be research going on.
5. Faculty: Warm. I atteneded a lecture where insightful orientation was given to residents.
6. Location & Lifestyle: Many residents commute from NYC, others from different parts of NJ. Not sure I would want to live there if I were single as it is mostly a college town, but I did like the prog very much.
 
Anonymous Review: UNC

1. Communication: At first, my invitation was lost, but they were very accommodating and find a spot for me at a later time once I had inquired.
2. Accommodation & Food: I arrived for the gran finally. It was great, parties, second looks, (no accommodations) but a lot of socializing. Even went to the PDs house.
3. Interview Day (Schedule, Type Of Interview, Unusual Questions, Experiences): Very customized.
4. Program Overview: Very solid program. Salient for their interest in womens mental health. Residents seemed very well rounded and happy (more than at Duke perhaps)
5. Faculty: Very approachable. Had fun interacting with them.
6. Location & Lifestyle: Great for families, felt maybe just a bit out of place as a single gal.
7. Salary & Benefits:
8. Program Strengths: Strong program. Good Womens Mental Health. Happy group of residents.
 
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Anonymous Review: Duke

1. Communication: Great. Throughout the entire interview process the PD as well as the chief resident (and even the Chair) were in constant communication.
2. Accommodation & Food:
3. Interview Day (Schedule, Type Of Interview, Unusual Questions, Experiences): Academic day, as well as normal interview day.
4. Program Overview: Strong program, great research opps.
5. Faculty: Great PD. A bit strong on IM vs Pscy (psychiatric issues seen as medical)
6. Location & Lifestyle: I f you like Durham (I actually liked it more than I thought)
7. Salary & Benefits:
8. Program Strengths: Strong research, great internal opportunities. Good child program.9. Potential Weaknesses: For me, it was all the VA work as it is not my interest. Also, residents seemed a bit less… social?... But I am basing my opinion on just one day.
 
Anonymous Review: U Maryland

1. Communication: Great
2. Accommodation & Food: Good (not just sandwiches and wraps!)
3. Interview Day (Schedule, Type Of Interview, Unusual Questions, Experiences): Very easygoing. Chief resident preps everything really well. View of Sheppard and Pratt (awesome).
4. Program Overview: It feels like a psych playground. It is a huge facility with the feeling that anything is possible. Great fellowships opportunities (and residents stay on! And then go on to be attending).
5. Faculty: Very approachable, diverse, research opportunities.
6. Location & Lifestyle: No guaranteed housing. I actually did not expect to like Baltimore as much as I did.
7. Salary & Benefits:
8. Program Strengths: Good fellowship opportunities. Large program (16 residents) if you like that kind of style. Close to DC. 2 psychoanalytic institutes within research. Lots of shellfish!
9. Potential Weaknesses: Residents may work a bit harder than elsewhere….
 
Anonymous Review: Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson

1. Communication: Good
2. Accommodation & Food: Good
3. Interview Day (Schedule, Type Of Interview, Unusual Questions, Experiences): One of the interviewers was extremely interested in what were my artistic incentives (particularly film).
4. Program Overview: Residents were very nice. I have to say it felt very welcoming, I liked it. There seemed to be research going on.
5. Faculty: Warm. I atteneded a lecture where insightful orientation was given to residents.
6. Location & Lifestyle: Many residents commute from NYC, others from different parts of NJ. Not sure I would want to live there if I were single as it is mostly a college town, but I did like the prog very much.
FYI For those not from the area, do know that commuting from NYC isn't exactly an easy feat. NYC and RWJ are not very close in proximity, not to mention the other sites you will rotate at being even further away. Commute will cost a nice chunk of change and time on NJ Transit as well.
 
FYI For those not from the area, do know that commuting from NYC isn't exactly an easy feat. NYC and RWJ are not very close in proximity, not to mention the other sites you will rotate at being even further away. Commute will cost a nice chunk of change and time on NJ Transit as well.

I went to Rutgers, New Brunswick. NYC is an hour and a half train ride if nothing gets delayed (which it does quite often). The only good news is RWJ is right next to the train station. I can't even imagine commuting that...
 
Hey catch a live Q&A about the life of a psychiatry resident on periscope. Follow me to learn more-- @stefanilane
 
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