2010-2011 Internship Thread

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childpsych11 said:
How are you all handling interview offers that you are not 100% sure you want to take?

Here is the deal- I applied to 17 sites and only heard back from 1 so far -with an interview offer. The site that made the offer is not exactly my top choice (though I would be happy to be there). Given my finances, it is likely that I can only afford to go on about 5 interviews (because I will be flying to every single interview).

-How in the world do I tactfully avoid responding to the site for 11 days regarding the interview offer (it says let them know at my earliest convenience) without sending the impression that I am not interested?

-MANY of my sites have interview/open houses on Jan 6 - 8! Is this common? How are you all handling this?
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Last year, I could not afford to fly to all my interviews and I was worried that phone interviews would make me less competitive. A friend gave me a great solution: take an Amtrak. I ended up doing just that, going from Louisiana to North Carolina to Illinois and then to Detroit. It was GREAT and so cheap compared to flying. You should look into that.
 
Scarycat said:
Any news from UIC, Western Psych, or the Palo Alto VA?
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One of my classmates got an interview from UIC child, but heard through the grapevine that they haven't gone through all the files yet. She *also* heard that the adult people aren't done yet and haven't started interview invites.
 
Western Psych just started notifying people for interviews. I got one! 🙂
 
SAPsych said:
Western Psych just started notifying people for interviews. I got one! 🙂
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Congrats SAPsych! If you don't mind, was it for the adult or child track? And phone or email? Thanks!:xf:
 
BDLASS said:
Colleagues and I have heard from: UAB, OU, Brown, Salem Virginia VA, Univ of Mississippi/Jackson, Vanderbilt Counseling, Tampa VA, Bay Pines VA, Rush, Cincinnati VA... and that's all I can remember. 😀

And we, like so many people on the forum, seem to be going crazy from the waiting! :scared:
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Was it a rejection or invite from Mississippi?
 
PiperHen said:
Congrats SAPsych! If you don't mind, was it for the adult or child track? And phone or email? Thanks!:xf:
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It was an email for the adult track.

cmuhooligan: I've received an invite from Mississippi
 
Just now heard from West Haven VA (general track) as well!
 
Sunstroke2009 said:
UNC has sent out invites/rejections already? I haven't heard anything yet.
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If you are asking about the UNC School of Medicine, I got an email about the child track last night. Not sure if it's the same for other tracks.
 
I heard from Appalachian Rural Consortium today and got an interview.
 
UNC sent out invites today as well. Not entirely sure what specific track, but 2 classmates of mine who who adult people and do eating disorders research got invites today.

Also heard from UIC today as well.
 
SAPsych said:
UNC sent out invites today as well. Not entirely sure what specific track, but 2 classmates of mine who who adult people and do eating disorders research got invites today.

Also heard from UIC today as well.
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UIC adult or child?
 
childpsych11 said:
How are you all handling interview offers that you are not 100% sure you want to take?

Here is the deal- I applied to 17 sites and only heard back from 1 so far -with an interview offer. The site that made the offer is not exactly my top choice (though I would be happy to be there). Given my finances, it is likely that I can only afford to go on about 5 interviews (because I will be flying to every single interview).

-How in the world do I tactfully avoid responding to the site for 11 days regarding the interview offer (it says let them know at my earliest convenience) without sending the impression that I am not interested?

-MANY of my sites have interview/open houses on Jan 6 - 8! Is this common? How are you all handling this?
Click to expand...


Take the interview. A bird in hand is better than 2 in the bush.
 
Johnson42 said:
Yeah... denied by the Neuro track :bang:
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I got an interview from Emory neurotrack last year. My friend let me tell you that was the most unpleasant experience of all the places to which I had interviewed. Last year they put us through about 7 or 8 different interviewers. They all asked the same questions too.

Tell me about your research blah blah
Tell me about your hobbies blah blah
What was the most difficult case you ever had blah blah

During lunch the faculty seemed too busy talking about INS to talk about internship. When I asked a question, one faculty seemed peeved that I had interrupted her conversation about what types of sandwiches they were catering at INS. I'm sure others may have had a different experience, but that's just what I experienced.
 
manko7 said:
Take the interview. A bird in hand is better than 2 in the bush.
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I agree completely. When I went through this last year I got about 6 interviews rather early in the process (I'd applied to 13 sites). So I started to think I was going to have to turn sites down because I didn't want the expense. It turns out that was all I got and I'm thankful I took every invitation because some sites weren't good fits, even though I thought they looked good on paper. The interview is the critical deciding factor in this process. I wouldn't turn down anything.
 
manko7 said:
Take the interview. A bird in hand is better than 2 in the bush.
Click to expand...

I agree, what happens if you don't get as many interviews as you expect? There is no such thing as a sure thing in this process. And if you happen to be fortunate enough to get many interviews, although I wouldn't do it, I suppose you could always cancel this one.
 
so far i have heard from the child tracks at Dartmouth and MGH. I have received rejection emails for Brown and Boston Consortium and anticipating rejections (only based on previous posts) from McLean, BUMC-Multicultural Center, and UNC...though I am still holding out hope until I receive an official rejection.

Has anyone heard from the child tracks at Boston Children's, May Institute, South Shore, Cambridge Health Alliance, Franciscan Hospital, Institute of Living, Univ of Mass-Worcester, or UCSD?
 
So far I have invites from Brown, University of Mississippi Medical Center, and Southern Mississippi Internship Consortium and rejections from Greater Hartford Internship Consortium, Pittsburgh VA, and Bay Pines VA.

Still waiting and hoping on a few that colleagues have heard from (Duke Medical Center, Western Psych, West Haven VA) as well as Yale, SE Louisiana VA, Durham VA, and Atlanta VA.

I'm fully anticipating having to wait until close to the 15th before having a handle on my schedule....very stressful!
 
Has anyone received a rejection from UIC? I know that some have received invites, but I'm trying to figure out if there is still hope that an invite may come?
 
Has anyone heard from Primary Children's, Texas Children's, Phoenix Children's, Baylor College of Medicine, or Denver Health Medical Center?
 
childpsych1 said:
If you are asking about the UNC School of Medicine, I got an email about the child track last night. Not sure if it's the same for other tracks.
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would you mind sharing which child track at UNC you applied to? community, pediatric, Teacch, cdl ?
 
Heard from Rusk and The Children's Hospital in Denver
 
I just received my first interview offer from the San Francisco VA. I had already received 4 rejection emails and 4 probable rejections (since other people had heard and I hadn't). For the person who hasn't heard from the Center for Multicultural Studies, you may still hear... the reason why I know I didn't get an interview there is because I was contacted earlier and asked if I spoke Spanish... I don't, so I was immediately disqualified. They were really nice about it, though. 🙂

This whole process is very unpredictable. I have a strong research background but not a whole lot of hours, so I assumed I would be more competitive for the research-oriented sites. But they have been rejecting/ignoring me left and right. The SFVA is the least research oriented site I applied to. I really didn't think they would interview me, especially since I have very little neuropsych experience.

I have come to the conclusion that this whole process makes very little sense and it is almost impossible to predict anything. Really, it is crazy making. 😱

If I don't match, my "back-up" plan is pregnancy. What else am I going to do for another year (my 7th) of graduate school?
 
Scarycat said:
This whole process is very unpredictable. I have a strong research background but not a whole lot of hours, so I assumed I would be more competitive for the research-oriented sites. But they have been rejecting/ignoring me left and right. The SFVA is the least research oriented site I applied to. I really didn't think they would interview me, especially since I have very little neuropsych experience.
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This is exactly why this crap doesn't make sense to me. I got rejected by the SFVA, and I have three years of neuro experience, but I don't have a lot of research (although my dissertation is defended). They say they are a "Scholar-Practitioner" site but that doesn't really follow if they are looking for people with research background. I don't get it.
 
Scarycat said:
I just received my first interview offer from the San Francisco VA. I had already received 4 rejection emails and 4 probable rejections (since other people had heard and I hadn't). For the person who hasn't heard from the Center for Multicultural Studies, you may still hear... the reason why I know I didn't get an interview there is because I was contacted earlier and asked if I spoke Spanish... I don't, so I was immediately disqualified. They were really nice about it, though. 🙂

This whole process is very unpredictable. I have a strong research background but not a whole lot of hours, so I assumed I would be more competitive for the research-oriented sites. But they have been rejecting/ignoring me left and right. The SFVA is the least research oriented site I applied to. I really didn't think they would interview me, especially since I have very little neuropsych experience.

I have come to the conclusion that this whole process makes very little sense and it is almost impossible to predict anything. Really, it is crazy making. 😱

If I don't match, my "back-up" plan is pregnancy. What else am I going to do for another year (my 7th) of graduate school?
Click to expand...


I certainly empathize with your situation Scarycat. Next year will be my 8th year of graduate school if I don't match. 8...freakin'...years. And what is the result of this match process? Last year I blew my budget zipping across the US trying to interview. I have nothing to show for it except a free ticket for frequent flying. Well guess what, I couldn't even use it because I couldn't get any time off this year from work so that I could stockpile vacation days in order to do this exhausting process again.

My family thinks I am a joke. That the notable journal articles and awards are a sham. My collegues think I interview poorly because none can conceive that I would not match based on my credentials. In fact, no one nominates me for anything anymore in my department because I am considered a "risky" candidate. 6 years of prior work is tarnised because some stranger who meets me for 20 minutes can dismiss my work easily.

APA is now a puppet organization. APPIC dictates what constitutes a good graduate program.
 
manko7 said:
I certainly empathize with your situation Scarycat. Next year will be my 8th year of graduate school if I don't match. 8...freakin'...years. And what is the result of this match process? Last year I blew my budget zipping across the US trying to interview. I have nothing to show for it except a free ticket for frequent flying. Well guess what, I couldn't even use it because I couldn't get any time off this year from work so that I could stockpile vacation days in order to do this exhausting process again.

My family thinks I am a joke. That the notable journal articles and awards are a sham. My collegues think I interview poorly because none can conceive that I would not match based on my credentials. In fact, no one nominates me for anything anymore in my department because I am considered a "risky" candidate. 6 years of prior work is tarnised because some stranger who meets me for 20 minutes can dismiss my work easily.

APA is now a puppet organization. APPIC dictates what constitutes a good graduate program.
Click to expand...

You sound as defeated as I feel. I hope it works out for you this year, I'm in the same boat with not matching. A lot of us are it looks like. There are three non-matchers at my current prac site. This is super frustrating, and as much as I try to say that it isn't a reflection on me, it is hard not to take each rejection personally.

Good luck. I hope to hear that things go better for you.
 
You know, I think this process wouldn't be nearly as stressful if it weren't for other people around us... whenever someone doesn't match in my program (which seems to happen every year), they are picked apart by everyone else ("that person didn't match because... their publication record, their interviewing style, etc."). At least for the people who haven't applied yet, it helps them feel like it won't happen to them, or that the system makes a lot of sense/is fair, etc. One of my friends didn't match last year, and she was devastated. Not because she had to spend another year in grad school, but because everyone started talking about her and why they thought she didn't match, especially since she had so many interviews. But the truth is, there are so many qualified applicants and not enough spots... and if she had ranked differently, she could've matched. I think the culture of my department is slowly changing... people are realizing that it can happen to anyone, even the "best" applicants. Publications, a lot of hours, etc... there are no guarantees. I sometimes wonder if statistically speaking, having fewer interviews leads to a higher chance of matching. ???
 
Johnson42 said:
You sound as defeated as I feel. I hope it works out for you this year, I'm in the same boat with not matching. A lot of us are it looks like. There are three non-matchers at my current prac site. This is super frustrating, and as much as I try to say that it isn't a reflection on me, it is hard not to take each rejection personally.

Good luck. I hope to hear that things go better for you.
Click to expand...

It is SO hard not to take these rejections personally. My department had an interview prep meeting yesterday, and one professor said, "Since you are all talented, I'm sure you will have lots of interviews..." I had none at the time (just a lot of rejections), and I thought, "And if I don't have a lot of interviews, does this mean I'm not talented?" My classmates had between 4-7 interviews each (and were still waiting to hear back from 1/2 their sites) and were all really excited about interviewing (and most of the sites they got interviews from were sites that I had applied to, too). This whole process has brought out a lot of my insecurities, but I realized during the meeting that I would rather be rejected and graceful about it, then accomplished and obnoxious about it.

I'm glad I found this forum and other people who are struggling with this process, too. Thanks for all of the posts, and best of luck to everyone! :xf:
 
manko7 said:
I certainly empathize with your situation Scarycat. Next year will be my 8th year of graduate school if I don't match. 8...freakin'...years. And what is the result of this match process? Last year I blew my budget zipping across the US trying to interview. I have nothing to show for it except a free ticket for frequent flying. Well guess what, I couldn't even use it because I couldn't get any time off this year from work so that I could stockpile vacation days in order to do this exhausting process again.

My family thinks I am a joke. That the notable journal articles and awards are a sham. My collegues think I interview poorly because none can conceive that I would not match based on my credentials. In fact, no one nominates me for anything anymore in my department because I am considered a "risky" candidate. 6 years of prior work is tarnised because some stranger who meets me for 20 minutes can dismiss my work easily.

APA is now a puppet organization. APPIC dictates what constitutes a good graduate program.
Click to expand...

I think thats awful. I mean 8 years...that just silly for people to expect to put up with that. Just another example of a poor system that needs overhauling.

Is anyone finding that research productivity has helped them or bumped them up in this process? Either at research oriented or clinical oriented interships? I am in a known research school, but have been less productive in comparison to many here, but still have a few pubs and about 15 presentations at national confernces. For most of grad school I have done this to learn and become a good scientist, but lately (past 6 month or so) i have been trying to crank stuff out simply because im "suppose to" and because it might help. Does it really? Anyone?
 
BTW Scarycat - I wasn't trying to say anything about you as an applicant regarding the SFVA, it was just a case and point that it really isn't about "fit," or at least fit based on what these sites publish in their program brochures. I think it is more about school and reference reputation, and within neuropsych - publications. Something needs to change with this whole process. I'm starting to think that internship shouldn't be required for graduation, but maybe change total licensure hours or something. I don't know. This sucks.
 
Scarycat, Manko7, Johnson, I really empathize with your situations. I really hope this year goes better for all three! We had one student in our program who did not match about 2 years ago, and he was also feeling really upset. There were different "explanations" for why he did not do well on interviews, and some of those were really hurtful... I will keep my fingers crossed for you.

I don't understand this whole process. Got 3 interviews and 1 rejection thus far and I am really nervous. I have not heard from the "safe" schools yet where I thought I had a good chance, and instead, got interviews at top-tier programs.
 
jeannebean said:
not a peep..and they were one of the earlier deadlines.
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Yeah, my understanding was that they were interviewing in mid-December and early January, so I was hoping to hear from them this week... I am hearing a lot of things through the "grapevine." For example, Charleston has sent out only about 20% of their invitations because they have gotten a lot of applications this year. University of Washington is still in the process of reviewing the applications. I think it's interesting that San Francisco VA is still inviting candidates as I thought that they sent out their invitations/rejections already. It feels like a really random process...

Are people receiving notifications over the weekend?
 
Sunstroke2009 said:
I have not heard from the "safe" schools yet where I thought I had a good chance, and instead, got interviews at top-tier programs.
Click to expand...

is this good or bad? There's still time for you to here from the "safe" schools.
 
Well, I know that others have heard from those schools, and given that I have not, I incline to think that is bad.
 
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