Internship Fit

[jadezomb]

Hi everyone!

I am interested in hearing your experiences about your perceived "fit" with your internship sites. I am applying for internship next year, and I have had some difficulty narrowing down sites that would be the best fit for me. I feel like I have too many interests, and not enough past experiences yet to justify applying to some sites (such as prisons and medical centers).

Did you only apply to sites that you felt were an excellent fit with both your past experiences and future goals?

Did you apply to sites that would not appear to be a perfect fit for you on paper, but you were able to communicate this somehow (cover letters/interviews)? What happened?

Did you match with your perfect fit? What was this like for you throughout the year? If you thought it was perfect on match day--> did it stay perfect? What about matching with a so-so fit --> did it get better?

Thank you

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[cara susanna]

A lot of sites that I thought were a perfect fit rejected me outright. I interviewed at some that I thought were a perfect fit and matched at (IMO) a so-so fit. I'm fairly happy at my internship but I do wonder what it'd be like at those other sites. Although as long as I get where I need to go, I'm not going to complain, so ask me after I've landed a post-doc that I want.

Honestly, I think that the idea of fit makes sense in theory, but it's gotten screwed up with the imbalance. If you look at the app thread right now, a lot of people are mystified by some of the interviews they've gotten and some that they've failed to get. I had the same experience and I know that others who applied in past years did as well.

FWIW, I had no medical center experience but got interviews at several and matched at one.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

What *I* thought was a fit on paper (prior to interview) ended up not being a fit in person. I've seen some applicants that were excellent internship candidates...though fit was much more hit and miss depending on the strengths/weaknesses of each site. Most sites are looking for students that fit their training strengths and training culture, as they want to be able to provide the student with training that rounds out their skillset. To my surprise, my 11th ranked site (prior to interviews) ended up being the best fit, a diamond in the rough, and where I matched. In retrospect I had a bias towards "name" programs, though many weren't a great fit for my actual training needs. While the imbalance throws a monkey wrench into many things, I actually ended up at the site that was best suited to round out my training.

 

[smalltownpsych]

The whole process is pretty mystifying. I thought that my solid year of experience at a VA would help but got no interviews. My inpatient experience landed me interviews at inpatient facilities. Or maybe it was all based on some other factor such as what type of neuropsych report did I write. Who knows? I think the best strategy is to apply broadly to maximize your chances. I had a rationale for applying to each type of site and think that's a good idea. In other words, I didn't apply to any forensic sites since I had no interest.

 

[cara susanna]

The whole process is pretty mystifying. I thought that my solid year of experience at a VA would help but got no interviews. My inpatient experience landed me interviews at inpatient facilities. Or maybe it was all based on some other factor such as what type of neuropsych report did I write. Who knows? I think the best strategy is to apply broadly to maximize your chances. I had a rationale for applying to each type of site and think that's a good idea. In other words, I didn't apply to any forensic sites since I had no interest.

And I got interviews at VAs and matched at one despite having no VA experience. What a weird process!

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

And I got interviews at VAs and matched at one despite having no VA experience. What a weird process!

Same. I found out later that my experience with severe mental illness, substance abuse, and psych assessment were all factors in my favorable ranking/matching.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Agreed with the others--it's a fairly obscure characteristic, and I think sometimes is possibly conflated (even by sites themselves) with just whether or not they actually liked the applicant personally. But some of the major areas in which I've seen/heard of fit coming into play:

-Research (e.g., are you "too researchy" or "not researchy enough")
-Specialty interests (e.g., are you obviously neuropsych-oriented but are applying to programs without much neuropsych available)
-Adults vs. kiddos (e.g., have you consistently worked with kids but are applying to very adult-heavy sites such as the VA)
-Theoretical orientation (e.g., are you very, very strongly psychodynamic but applying to a very, very CBT-oriented site)

I'm sure I'm leaving some out, but those are the issues regarding which I've seen the mysterious "fit" most consistently raised as a concern. And each can be addressed, and concerns potentially allayed via cover letters and essays.

 

[WisNeuro]

Fit is definitely a big problem for some. As AA said you'd be surprised how many applications for neuro interns spots from people will nearly all of their clinical and research experience happening in a peds population. That background and skill set doesn't really transfer all that well to the VA setting.

but, it at least gives us on the selection committee an easy job during the first round of cuts.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

It is important for the student to think about how their training needs can be met by the internship site, as sites will want students that they can offer something to in regard to training….not a student who already is strong in what they offer. A good approach would be to look at things where you have had some exposure…but want a more in-depth experience.