Well done on your great stats! Definitely consider applying at Yale - New Haven is probably closer to a small city but it has good public transport and the program is certainly very strong in terms of psychotherapy training and psychotherapy for residents (several residents are in therapy with local affiliate faculty that offer good discounts. There is also scope to enter analysis at WNEPI if that was an interest). There is good scope for minority interaction, and you could choose to spend a year or more in the Hispanic Clinic. I think I have a great lifestyle, average call q11, 45 to 50 hours per week, and the stipend is of the highest I have seen. The faculty are super friendly and I am certainly very happy 🙂
2013-2014 Pre-interview Thread
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Well done on your great stats! Definitely consider applying at Yale - New Haven is probably closer to a small city but it has good public transport and the program is certainly very strong in terms of psychotherapy training and psychotherapy for residents (several residents are in therapy with local affiliate faculty that offer good discounts. There is also scope to enter analysis at WNEPI if that was an interest). There is good scope for minority interaction, and you could choose to spend a year or more in the Hispanic Clinic. I think I have a great lifestyle, average call q11, 45 to 50 hours per week, and the stipend is of the highest I have seen. The faculty are super friendly and I am certainly very happy 🙂
Hello everyone! This thread has been helpful so far, and I have really appreciated the advice on this forum. I'm from US Allopathic School. I do have flags. I did take an LOA at the end of first semester second year, related to a family death. No failures but did repeat some courses by choice (low passes, worried about my knowledge). Step 1 200+, Step 2 CK 250+, Step 2 CS pass 1st attempt. Very good LORs, but I only have three.
I am interested in Geriatric and Community Psychiatry and women's health especially.
I received advice to pare down my list, but am having a really hard time. I want to make sure that there are no great programs I'm overlooking, or any programs on my list with which people have had bad experiences.
My list: Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Indiana, all of Kentucky, all of Michigan, all of Minnesota, all of Missouri, all of North Carolina, North Dakota, Creighton, Dartmouth, all of Ohio, Portland, all of South Carolina, all of Tennesse, Vermont, Seattle, all of Wisconsin
I am interested in Geriatric and Community Psychiatry and women's health especially.
I received advice to pare down my list, but am having a really hard time. I want to make sure that there are no great programs I'm overlooking, or any programs on my list with which people have had bad experiences.
My list: Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Indiana, all of Kentucky, all of Michigan, all of Minnesota, all of Missouri, all of North Carolina, North Dakota, Creighton, Dartmouth, all of Ohio, Portland, all of South Carolina, all of Tennesse, Vermont, Seattle, all of Wisconsin
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With all of the "all ofs" how many programs is that? 25? More?
You could do fine, with that mostly mid tier target list, applying to 15, interviewing at enough of them to rank say 10? That is my approach...I have cut my list down to around 15, and I am aiming at more or less the same tier program that you are, although with a different geographic focus (not interested in scraping ice off the windshield and shoveling snow, if you catch my drift).
Good luck.
It's a total of 45 programs - didn't want my post to be too long and list them all. I just wonder with my flags if it's wise to be applying this broadly, or if I should be applying even more broadly. My hope is to be invited for around 15 interviews.
Thank you for your reply, and best of luck to you too!
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As we approach out first interviews, I have some questions for any senior psych forum people graciously stopping by this thread and others:
1. The psychoanalytic interview: I've read here that occasionally interviewers will ask questions about your past and the like. Should we engage the interviewers questions or try to steer the interview back to our pursuit of getting a ranking and away from any of the potential issues from past relationships, experiences? Is it about maintaining boundaries? Or are they looking for useful information that we should give them straight away?
2. The what is your opinion about [BLANK] in psychiatry questions: I am unlike many who have studied psychology here, a newcomer to the field. I am confident I am choosing the right field. But I don't have strong or rather too many opinions at all about the field, in the same way that a 3 year old doesn't have a strong political ideology. How should I approach this deficiency in an interview? I have a self study reading list scheduled for later in the year, but for my interviews I will be fresh from step 2 ck studying and my only psych experience will have been my general rotation and an addiction psychiatry elective.
I appreciate any insight.
1. The psychoanalytic interview: I've read here that occasionally interviewers will ask questions about your past and the like. Should we engage the interviewers questions or try to steer the interview back to our pursuit of getting a ranking and away from any of the potential issues from past relationships, experiences? Is it about maintaining boundaries? Or are they looking for useful information that we should give them straight away?
2. The what is your opinion about [BLANK] in psychiatry questions: I am unlike many who have studied psychology here, a newcomer to the field. I am confident I am choosing the right field. But I don't have strong or rather too many opinions at all about the field, in the same way that a 3 year old doesn't have a strong political ideology. How should I approach this deficiency in an interview? I have a self study reading list scheduled for later in the year, but for my interviews I will be fresh from step 2 ck studying and my only psych experience will have been my general rotation and an addiction psychiatry elective.
I appreciate any insight.
I think that this is difficult, but that trying to prepare for this will only make you come off worse. Just be relaxed, and answer in a way that feels comfortable. Don't try and steer the interview. My thoughts anyway! 🙂
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Ok, thanks. I supposed "steered" was a poor word choice. I meant something more passive like not elaborating on personal information. Which is what I found confusing: some senior people here have indicated maintaining proper boundaries and not giving TMI. I'm not sure how that applies to personal questions of a psychoanalytic bent asked directly by someone who I could only presume asks because they want to know for specific reasons of which I couldn't speculate on.
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the programs where they confuse an interview for a therapy session are well known. you should go in expecting it and just go with the flow. obviously don't answer anything that makes you feel uncomfortable, but some people are interested to know you as a person, see how self-reflexive you are, able to describe your strengths, narrative coherence in describing your experiences, and your psychological mindedness. They will be just as interested (if not more) in how you tell your story, organize material and so on than in what you say.
Most psych applicants have not studied psychology (though high proportion of liberal arts type graduates). Most psych applicants have limited experience, but will still have formed opinions. Don't feel like you don't have the right to have or express an opinion. Personally it irritated me when applicants didn't feel able to express their opinions. You can acknowledge your experience is limited but you must have a sense of what you like or believe in. I have strong and somewhat controversial opinions about US healthcare and psychiatry in general that I was not shy in sharing, it gave me a good idea of where I wanted to end up and where I absolutely couldn't go!
Incidentally, I found more people who shared my sentiments than disagreed.
Most psych applicants have not studied psychology (though high proportion of liberal arts type graduates). Most psych applicants have limited experience, but will still have formed opinions. Don't feel like you don't have the right to have or express an opinion. Personally it irritated me when applicants didn't feel able to express their opinions. You can acknowledge your experience is limited but you must have a sense of what you like or believe in. I have strong and somewhat controversial opinions about US healthcare and psychiatry in general that I was not shy in sharing, it gave me a good idea of where I wanted to end up and where I absolutely couldn't go!
Incidentally, I found more people who shared my sentiments than disagreed.
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1) So anything you've brought up in your PS or volunteered is "fair game". That moving story about your grandmother's dementia, your brother's autism, your own adjustment issues, the medical issues that you stated were your reasons for poor Step I performance... We might want to ask the occasional question beyond that too, maybe see how reflective and psychologically minded you might be regarding your life experiences. But you always have the right to NOT disclose. We shouldn't be asking about your marital status, sexual orientation, etc...those are "illegal" questions from a discrimination standpoint. But if you did divulge those things, maybe we want to know about how your S.O. feels about you entering psych, or moving to our city, how you feel you'll fit in and how we can help with that etc. (I personally would really like to get to know each applicant a little bit better--what's important to you? Is my program a good fit for you and your life goals? Do I think you're going to be happy here? So, yeah, that takes some personal questions being asked. Think of it as our "first date"...I don't need to know all your family's crazy habits, but I might be on my alert for red flags in your interpersonal history, and I'm also looking for evidence that we might hit it off and move on to a second date, or even a long term relationship!)
Blatant psychoanalytic questions are just stupid in the context of residency interviews--but I know they still happen at some locations. But it will not be the norm.
2) We don't expect you to know everything. We do expect you to know what you do know. A simple "I'm not familiar with that, it just didn't come up on my rotations" is an honest and acceptable answer. But if you want to look engaged, you might want to be ready to talk about a "Big Picture" issue relating to what you DID find interesting in the psychiatry that you have been exposed to. Otherwise, we may have doubts about your motivation for the field and understanding of its realities.
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OK got it. That was very helpful. I'm trying to prepare only in the sense of not talking nervously with wide open questions. Giving TMI. Or being in deep water with things I know nothing about and being disappointing to someone who wants to measure my knowledge of the field.
I will try to get my thoughts together coherently about why the field, the program, etc but keep it non-rehearsed and honest.
Thanks again.
I will try to get my thoughts together coherently about why the field, the program, etc but keep it non-rehearsed and honest.
Thanks again.
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I think that is a great approach. I got the sense that interviewers appreciated that I seemed comfortable, confident, and open when asked personal (but not inappropriate) questions. As mentioned above, being self-reflective/aware is a very good quality in this field. Be able to answer how certain events, including childhood, have affected you (and its quite ok to say, "you know, that's something that I've thought about and I'm not sure. I've wondered if it has made me etc etc."). However, in preparation for interviews, I also thought about the potential red flags in my personal/family history (however silly...just things that could be interpreted as making me potentially unstable in some way...if you've experienced hardships try to find some believable, positive spin without being Polyannaish) that I would consciously avoid mentioning.
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So, exciting interviews will start soon! Yay! Best of luck to everyone.
In discussing with other residents and attendings, it seems that everyone has had an experience of being asked odd or quirky questions. In a way, handling this discomfort with grace and still managing to respond to the question will reflect positive on your candidacy.
That said, the vast majority of my interviews were quite conversational and felt akin to grabbing coffee with an acquaintance. I do recall a couple of odd moments, but certainly these did not reflect on the programs themselves. Rather, they illuminated my own discomfort with a particular subject, which I was able to reflect on later while I sat atop a Lilly pad on a serene pond and meditated ;-) seriously though do consider these awkward moments an opportunity to grow in understanding your own motivations and desires.
I hope that your interviews are enlightening, enjoyable and you all find the right program for you 🙂. PM with any questions
And of course, go Blue Devils!
In discussing with other residents and attendings, it seems that everyone has had an experience of being asked odd or quirky questions. In a way, handling this discomfort with grace and still managing to respond to the question will reflect positive on your candidacy.
That said, the vast majority of my interviews were quite conversational and felt akin to grabbing coffee with an acquaintance. I do recall a couple of odd moments, but certainly these did not reflect on the programs themselves. Rather, they illuminated my own discomfort with a particular subject, which I was able to reflect on later while I sat atop a Lilly pad on a serene pond and meditated ;-) seriously though do consider these awkward moments an opportunity to grow in understanding your own motivations and desires.
I hope that your interviews are enlightening, enjoyable and you all find the right program for you 🙂. PM with any questions
And of course, go Blue Devils!
