2013-2014 APPIC (internship) interview thread

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anybody have any clue how long the open house at Canandaigua VA will last? trying to decide if i should book a hotel for 1 night or 2....
 
Finally heard from all my sites today. It's kind of a relief. Phew! I can live with 8 interviews. Good luck everyone! Be safe
 
Hi all. I've got a question about how to convey additions to CVs now that the application period has passed.

I have several manuscripts that were under review with revise and resubmits at the time I submitted my applications, but none of them had been accepted, so I had to fill in "0" on the question that asks about number of publications. This was less than ideal because many of the sites I'm applying to value a strong research record. Even for the sites where research is not valued as strongly, I feel like a lack of research production from my very research-oriented program looks odd. Anyway, over the winter break, I had a first-author paper accepted. I've had two interviews thus far where there REALLY haven't been easy opportunities to mention this -- trust me, I would have tried had the questions lent themselves to it -- and it would have felt very forced and unnatural. I'm wondering if you think there is any value in emailing training directors with updated CVs to reflect the change in my record. On the one hand, I feel like this might be unwelcome, since presumably everyone has continued accomplishments after the application deadline passes, the paper WAS on my CV as a revise and resubmit, and training directors probably don't want to receive an additional 50 emails with updated CVs. On the other hand, I know that a first-author publication in a good journal could be an asset that perhaps sites might care about taking into consideration. I wonder if the best strategy might be to assume that if a site doesn't ask a question where it's easy to mention this update, I shouldn't worry about it. Thoughts?
 
I can't make it to my first 2 interviews because of my flights being cancelled. This week is definitely not off to a good start.
 
Rejection from Central Texas Internship in Clinical and Forensic Psych. Oh well. 6 interviews isn't too shabby!
 
BoilerBoy said:
Hi all. I've got a question about how to convey additions to CVs now that the application period has passed.

I have several manuscripts that were under review with revise and resubmits at the time I submitted my applications, but none of them had been accepted, so I had to fill in "0" on the question that asks about number of publications. This was less than ideal because many of the sites I'm applying to value a strong research record. Even for the sites where research is not valued as strongly, I feel like a lack of research production from my very research-oriented program looks odd. Anyway, over the winter break, I had a first-author paper accepted. I've had two interviews thus far where there REALLY haven't been easy opportunities to mention this -- trust me, I would have tried had the questions lent themselves to it -- and it would have felt very forced and unnatural. I'm wondering if you think there is any value in emailing training directors with updated CVs to reflect the change in my record. On the one hand, I feel like this might be unwelcome, since presumably everyone has continued accomplishments after the application deadline passes, the paper WAS on my CV as a revise and resubmit, and training directors probably don't want to receive an additional 50 emails with updated CVs. On the other hand, I know that a first-author publication in a good journal could be an asset that perhaps sites might care about taking into consideration. I wonder if the best strategy might be to assume that if a site doesn't ask a question where it's easy to mention this update, I shouldn't worry about it. Thoughts?
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I had a post about this earlier in this thread. In short, I was in a similar situation. At the beginning of each interview I made sure to offer the interviewer a copy of my CV. I gently mentioned that I wanted them to have the most up-to-date copy, as some things had changed since I submitted my APPI. They would then generally say, "O...what has changed?" and I would mention the accepted publication and other progress I had made on other things. I would try to come up with a couple of 'updates' if you can. I agree that this doesn't easily come up in interviews and I hope this will help you create an opportunity to mention the accepted pub. Congrats btw!
 
Is anyone else surprised by the number of student some sites are interviewing? A few of the sites I am very interested in interview between 10-12 applicant for each spot. This is a bit disheartening. :uhno:
 
psychrat said:
Is anyone else surprised by the number of student some sites are interviewing? A few of the sites I am very interested in interview between 10-12 applicant for each spot. This is a bit disheartening. :uhno:
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But remember that sites know that you may not rank them first and their job is to fill positions with good candidates (of which there are many). After a certain amount of time, sites learn how many they need to interview/rank in order to try to fill all positions in Match I. As applicants apply to more sites, sites may be interviewing more as well, to ensure a full match. I think that the prior stats show that sites that filled in the match ranked an average of 8 per position so those numbers you cite don't surprise me.
 
psychrat said:
Is anyone else surprised by the number of student some sites are interviewing? A few of the sites I am very interested in interview between 10-12 applicant for each spot. This is a bit disheartening. :uhno:
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Some sites have done the math and have the experience to know how many applicants they need to interview and ultimately rank in order to fill all their spots. I can easily imagine a site needing to rank 7-10 applicants per slot to ensure that they fill all their positions. Remember, its a competition on the program end as well and they are competing for the applicants. This can help ensure that a site doesn't have to go through the rigamarole of Phase II.
 
Question about site rankings: Say you interview at a site that has 2 health slots and interview 20 people for the health slots (I am making this up). Do sites have 1 list of health psych rankings (and the 1st two would be considered the top picks) or are there 2 lists with 10 people? This might not make sense, but essentially I am asking how the rankings work for THEM. I didn't see that in any of the books. Sorry if this has been answered.
 
FionaGoode said:
Question about site rankings: Say you interview at a site that has 2 health slots and interview 20 people for the health slots (I am making this up). Do sites have 1 list of health psych rankings (and the 1st two would be considered the top picks) or are there 2 lists with 10 people? This might not make sense, but essentially I am asking how the rankings work for THEM. I didn't see that in any of the books. Sorry if this has been answered.
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good question. I do not know the definite answer, but just always assumed there was one list. Anybody please correct me if I am wrong?
 
It's one list, but some places have separate lists for each track. So, for example, I technically ranked the VA where I did my internship as my first three choices (#1 = Track A, #2 = Track B, etc) although I obviously only matched to one. This is also another example of why they interview so many per slot - the tracks at my VA often are competing against each other in a way. Say hypothetically they have an applicant who they rank as #1 for three separate tracks: at minimum two of those tracks will have to go farther down their lists for a match.
 
So if a site has 3 health psych positions, person 1, 2, and 3 are all top choices? Then say person 1 matches to the slot (because they put that site as number 1) but 2 and 3 don't (because they ranked someplace higher/matched at that place), the computer then matches person 4 and 5 on the list to the 2nd and 3rd slot (and so on?)
 
FionaGoode said:
Question about site rankings: Say you interview at a site that has 2 health slots and interview 20 people for the health slots (I am making this up). Do sites have 1 list of health psych rankings (and the 1st two would be considered the top picks) or are there 2 lists with 10 people? This might not make sense, but essentially I am asking how the rankings work for THEM. I didn't see that in any of the books. Sorry if this has been answered.
Click to expand...
My understanding after reading this: (https://www.natmatch.com/psychint/aboutalg.html) is that there is only one list per track/match number.
 
psychrat said:
Is anyone else surprised by the number of student some sites are interviewing? A few of the sites I am very interested in interview between 10-12 applicant for each spot. This is a bit disheartening. :uhno:
Click to expand...

I've looked at stats from previous years and it seems that 10 candidates per spot is about average… so that's not TECHNICALLY competitive.. although it is disheartening. But as long as you interview, you have a good chance of matching. I've heard TD say that at the point where they interview applicants, it's because ANY applicant would be a great fit. It's just for the applicant to get to know the program better and for the department to be able to make the most informed decisions as well.

Good luck to all of us as we go through interviews! The ranking deadline is fast approaching!
 
FionaGoode said:
So if a site has 3 health psych positions, person 1, 2, and 3 are all top choices?
Click to expand...

Sort of. If they have one list with three slots for that track (one match number), then they will rank their top 3 choices as 1, 2, and 3. So there is a relative ranking, but it doesn't matter, because the site is guaranteed to get all three IF the applicants also rank the site first. Put another way, 1, 2 and 3 cannot fail to match at that site unless they ranked another site higher.

FionaGoode said:
Then say person 1 matches to the slot (because they put that site as number 1) but 2 and 3 don't (because they ranked someplace higher/matched at that place), the computer then matches person 4 and 5 on the list to the 2nd and 3rd slot (and so on?)
Click to expand...

Yes, and if #4 and #5 also ranked the site first, then they match in the 2nd and 3rd slots. If #4 and #5 did not rank the site first, it depends on whether the other sites they ranked higher also ranked them higher. #4 and #5 could still end up matching to the site, but the algorithm might have to go to #6 and perhaps #7, rinse and repeat.
 
Contrary to appearances 😉, I do plan to go through and add in all the late season invites and rejections for posterity--I managed to come down with a bad case of bronchitis, so it kind of foiled any winter break productivity. I have my second half of comps tomorrow, so it will be after that, but hopefully not too much after. Good luck and safe travels to you all!
 
aly cat said:
My understanding after reading this: (https://www.natmatch.com/psychint/aboutalg.html) is that there is only one list per track/match number.
Click to expand...
Typically there is one list per track. There are a some exceptions too complicated to explain here but Greg Keilin does a good job of explaining on the APPIC and/or Match website. The system does work to place each candidate in their highest rank where a position is available. So rank your true preferences.
 
futureapppsy2 said:
Contrary to appearances 😉, I do plan to go through and add in all the late season invites and rejections for posterity--I managed to come down with a bad case of bronchitis, so it kind of foiled any winter break productivity. I have my second half of comps tomorrow, so it will be after that, but hopefully not too much after. Good luck and safe travels to you all!
Click to expand...

Yikes! Take care of yourself, and thanks again for all your work on this thread!
 
WeDoItOnTheCouch said:
Rejection from Central Texas Internship in Clinical and Forensic Psych. Oh well. 6 interviews isn't too shabby!
Click to expand...

+2. I am not sure how I did not get this one, it seemed like a great fit. On a bright note, I got 9/15 interviews. I was surprised I did not get an interview at three of the remaining six sites. The others sites' denial was not a shock, since I applied to them primarily due to their location (which must have been evident in my essays). The waiting is over for me! I wish everyone the best of luck in interviews!
 
futureapppsy2 said:
Contrary to appearances 😉, I do plan to go through and add in all the late season invites and rejections for posterity--I managed to come down with a bad case of bronchitis, so it kind of foiled any winter break productivity. I have my second half of comps tomorrow, so it will be after that, but hopefully not too much after. Good luck and safe travels to you all!
Click to expand...

good luck on the second half of comps
 
So I live in upstate New York and am in the middle of this "Polar Vortex." Just saw my flight for tomorrow is already canceled and I'm so bummed! I was supposed to fly into NC but it looks like I'm going to need to reschedule that interview. Ugh, weather, why can't you just work with me???
 
WeDoItOnTheCouch said:
I've looked at stats from previous years and it seems that 10 candidates per spot is about average… so that's not TECHNICALLY competitive.. although it is disheartening. But as long as you interview, you have a good chance of matching. I've heard TD say that at the point where they interview applicants, it's because ANY applicant would be a great fit. It's just for the applicant to get to know the program better and for the department to be able to make the most informed decisions as well.

Good luck to all of us as we go through interviews! The ranking deadline is fast approaching!
Click to expand...

Definitely agree with this, now that I have gone on 4 interviews and seen what it is like to interview for an internship position. At an interview yesterday, a psychologist interviewing me straight up said that if invited to an interview at their site, you meet the minimum qualifications, you have what they are looking for, and that they have already determined that you would be a good fit for their site. Obviously when talking with you, they assess just how well the fit is beyond the minimum requirements, and how much they like you in person of course! 😉 The sites I have interviewed at have differed in how they conduct interviews, but 2 places where I have interviewed (including the one yesterday) were extremely laidback and it was more ME that was asking all the questions! The sites really go out of their way to provide you with tons of information about their site via various methods (e.g., tour, presentations, Q & A sessions with both staff and interns).

Good luck to you WeDoItOnTheCouch and everybody else! 🙂
 
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futureapppsy2 said:
Contrary to appearances 😉, I do plan to go through and add in all the late season invites and rejections for posterity--I managed to come down with a bad case of bronchitis, so it kind of foiled any winter break productivity. I have my second half of comps tomorrow, so it will be after that, but hopefully not too much after. Good luck and safe travels to you all!
Click to expand...

Oh no!! Feel better!! Thank you for doing the list for us, and good luck on your comps!
 
siamesekitten said:
Definitely agree with this, now that I have gone on 4 interviews and seen what it is like to interview for an internship position. At an interview yesterday, a psychologist interviewing me straight up said that if invited to an interview at their site, you meet the minimum qualifications, you have what they are looking for, and that they have already determined that you would be a good fit for their site. Obviously when talking with you, they assess just how well the fit is beyond the minimum requirements, and how much they like you in person of course! 😉 The sites I have interviewed at have differed in how they conduct interviews, but 2 places where I have interviewed (including the one yesterday) were extremely laidback and it was more ME that was asking all the questions! The sites really go out of their way to provide you with tons of information about their site via various methods (e.g., tour, presentations, Q & A sessions with both staff and interns).

Good luck to you WeDoItOnTheCouch and everybody else! 🙂
Click to expand...

I completely agree I have had similar experiences.
 
WeDoItOnTheCouch said:
I've looked at stats from previous years and it seems that 10 candidates per spot is about average… so that's not TECHNICALLY competitive.. although it is disheartening. But as long as you interview, you have a good chance of matching. I've heard TD say that at the point where they interview applicants, it's because ANY applicant would be a great fit. It's just for the applicant to get to know the program better and for the department to be able to make the most informed decisions as well.

Good luck to all of us as we go through interviews! The ranking deadline is fast approaching!
Click to expand...

I agree, but since there were so many of us and we all seemed interested in the site, I hope I get put somewhere high up on the list since it is my top choice. All of the other applicant seemed wonderful as well🙂.

HezCoz524 said:
So I live in upstate New York and am in the middle of this "Polar Vortex." Just saw my flight for tomorrow is already canceled and I'm so bummed! I was supposed to fly into NC but it looks like I'm going to need to reschedule that interview. Ugh, weather, why can't you just work with me???
Click to expand...

Good luck and stay warm :flame:
 
Looks like I will make it to my second interview this week but I missed the first one. Flights got cancelled 3 times. They were able to offer me 2 different alternate dates. Unfortunately, I already had interviews scheduled on those days. I have been trying to see if they can offer me a skype/phone interview but so far they seem very hesitant about that and are trying to possibly work out a different day that I can come for an on-site interview. But if its not a skype/phone interview, I will have to skip this one. I can't afford to travel there again. If it was close or even within maybe a 10 hour drive, sure but that's not the case and I am already down too much $$ this month on expenses. The good news is that it's not one of my top sites. 🙂 But I wanted to get a few interviews in as practice before getting to the interviews for my top sites next week. 😉
dasherva13 said:
Oh no! Are sites being reasonable about it? I've had to do some rescheduling due to the storm, and everyone's been great so far. Here's hoping things smooth out soon!
Click to expand...
 
cara susanna said:
Is anyone else already worried about ranking? I have a general idea but I also have some genuine ambivalence.
Click to expand...
I am. It tough to rank sit, especially when there are a few you really like. You start thinking about which one "you think" will rank you high as well. Or when you have sites that interviewed you for different tracks with say like 1 or 2 slot per/track. It feels like a game of chances. LOL
 
cara susanna said:
Is anyone else already worried about ranking? I have a general idea but I also have some genuine ambivalence.
Click to expand...
The other night I woke up at 4AM and it took me over an hour to get back to sleep as I obsessed over how to rank sites I have not even interviewed at yet. So, um...that's a yes. I'm actually trying to make a rank list after each interview, including the ones I've gone to only. It feels easier than doing all the interviews and then trying to organize all that information. I find that as I attend more interviews the rankings become more clear, but I'm only half-way through right now, so there may still be upsets. I'm trying *really* hard not to worry about where they'll rank me (because honestly, it is a futile hope, I can never know and will never know) and just focusing on where I felt most comfortable, what training seems best and most true to me, etc. I was talking to my sister about the site I interviewed at yesterday and I was practically gushing on the phone, so it's a good bet it'll be pretty high on my list, I think. 😉
 
The top and bottom of my list are very clear to me so far, but the middle is already getting pretty murky and I'm only about halfway done. I've tried to keep decent track going along, but despite my empiricist nature this isn't something I'm terribly comfortable quantifying so am relying a lot on "gut feeling' about places. One place I thought I'd love I just had a "meh" feeling about after the interview. To further complicate matters, the nature of the sites I'm at means I am basically trying to rank post-doc positions as much as I am internships themselves...despite the fact that my interviews obviously didn't discuss too much detail regarding the post-doc. The post-doc opportunities at the "meh" site are fantastic, but the internship was not.

I have a clear first choice and a clear (dead) last choice right now, but everything else is up for grabs with 6 sites left to decide about.
 
Curious if anyone who has sent thank you emails to TDs after the interview has received a response back.

On the one hand, I can understand that TDs might not have time to function if they had to respond to 60 thank you emails, but it also seems like if they're interested in "hooking you," a short warm reply might be warranted.

In this ridiculous process, I'm trying not to let these little details affect my anxiety level. I've just had 2 interviews thus far with no response back, and if this becomes a pattern, I don't want it to start messing with my head!
 
BoilerBoy said:
Curious if anyone who has sent thank you emails to TDs after the interview has received a response back.

On the one hand, I can understand that TDs might not have time to function if they had to respond to 60 thank you emails, but it also seems like if they're interested in "hooking you," a short warm reply might be warranted.

In this ridiculous process, I'm trying not to let these little details affect my anxiety level. I've just had 2 interviews thus far with no response back, and if this becomes a pattern, I don't want it to start messing with my head!
Click to expand...


? A thank you note/email doesn't require a response, as it should be an expression of the writer's appreciation, not an attempt to solicit additional communication. Also, even if someone wanted to respond, at many places there are definitely restrictions on unofficial communication with applicants (e.g., any written communication that might be completely innocuous but somehow could be misconstrued as providing any information about status, etc). The interview day was the site's chance to "hook you".
 
docma said:
After a certain amount of time, sites learn how many they need to interview/rank in order to try to fill all positions in Match I. As applicants apply to more sites, sites may be interviewing more as well, to ensure a full match. I think that the prior stats show that sites that filled in the match ranked an average of 8 per position so those numbers you cite don't surprise me.
Click to expand...

I think that as applicants increase the number of applications they submit, it ultimately makes the process less efficient for everyone. Sites have to spend time (and money, indirectly) interviewing more applicants, and applicants have to spend time and money traveling to more sites where they have less of a chance of matching. It doesn't change the ratio of applicants to internship slots, but it increases the costs (in time, energy, and money) for everyone involved.
 
psychRA said:
I think that as applicants increase the number of applications they submit, it ultimately makes the process less efficient for everyone. Sites have to spend time (and money, indirectly) interviewing more applicants, and applicants have to spend time and money traveling to more sites where they have less of a chance of matching. It doesn't change the ratio of applicants to internship slots, but it increases the costs (in time, energy, and money) for everyone involved.
Click to expand...
:prof: Sarcasm begins....Yep, those scummy students who are doing all they can to try to give themseleves the best shot possible in an ineffective system are the clear culprits to be blamed. :wow: :diebanana::barf:+pity+ Students should more accurately predict which 15 sites out of over 700 would like to train them for a year. 😆 ....Sarcasm ends.

Many students did not receive an invitation from their "safety" sites. :welcome::corny: This might indicate that expecting the applicant to predict a match is an extremely inexact process.

The argument does not make sense in light of the information we have received from many sites that suggests that the sites limit the number of students that they will interview regardless of the number of applications that they receive. :poke:

Additionally, only having experience that would make one a "good fit" for a limited number of sites might indicate a deficit in training. It would be hoped that even a beginning professional might be able to competently address a number of concerns in a variety of settings. :hello::thinking: Otherwise, are we saying as a profession that the person will gain enough experience in one year of internship to become a competent generalist after having proclaimed them to be so limited in skill during the match process and after 3-5 years of graduate school and practicum? :caution::soexcited: The very idea is ludicrous.

The entire system needs to be reformed. :=|:-):
 
LightBulb said:
:prof: Sarcasm begins....Yep, those scummy students who are doing all they can to try to give themseleves the best shot possible in an ineffective system are the clear culprits to be blamed.
Click to expand...

At no point did I blame students for the current imbalance, nor did I blame students for systemic issues. You are making a lot of assumptions.

While students did not create these problems, on a broad level, everyone applying to more and more sites will certainly not fix these them, and in fact creates more work for everyone involved. It takes more time for a site to review 200 applications than it does to review 150. Or worse - it doesn't take more time because staff are already maxed out, and so they end up devoting less time to reading each application. It's hard for us to predict which sites would like to train us, and it's also hard for sites to predict which applicants are truly interested in their program and will rank them highly, versus students who are applying widely because they're afraid they won't match.
 
cara susanna said:
Is anyone else already worried about ranking? I have a general idea but I also have some genuine ambivalence.
Click to expand...

Totally.

I can imagine myself in these offices and see myself as a former intern (from that particular site), and truly benefiting from some comprehensive training out there! I can also appreciate that some sites will fare better than others in a practical sense - so that's a huge factor for me. No doubt I see myself doing well at my prospective sites, but some may be more feasible due to some limitation or other at each site (like too much of one thing and not enough of another)...and then there's the INC anxiety associated with truly respecting a site, their principles, and training regime plus whatever else they have to offer ("the perks" + vacation, pay, hours, type of supervision, setting, population) and LOVING it! Not knowing if the site(s) LOVE(s) you as much!? :nod: This is an insane (pun perhaps intended), heavy-hearted, intense interview process though, i.e., "Please tell me about yourself, your life, and the path of your clinical training...:wideyed: oh, and we have 15 minutes remaining," & in need of allowing enough time at the end for questions. Ha! I imagine it's what speed dating would be like, although something I've never experienced (and feel free, anyone, to shout out if you have & agree!).

I know my top three...but I'm not done interviewing yet...and I really grow to love a site once I visit it and assess the satisfaction & QOL of the current interns. Virtual high five on the genuine ambivalence, Cara Susanna.
 
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