2014-2015 APPIC (internship) interview thread

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I'm very jealous of everyone getting a massage on Match Day. 🙂 But speaking of, I really need to schedule one for myself and that's a good reminder!

I remain cautiously optimistic about my chances of matching...so for the past week I've been looking forward to finding out who my intern cohort will be. I wonder if a fellow SDN'er will be in my cohort? 😉
 
I'm wondering if anyone else has done something similar to this:

Yesterday I was getting pretty emotional thinking about not matching to my top site (the only site that would bring my husband and I closer to our family), so I decided to write myself a letter that I will read if I don't match to that site, or don't match at all. In the letter, I included all of the things I know I will forget if Match day doesn't go well- how hard I worked and that I did my best, the extreme flaws of the Match system, that I should not be embarrassed to tell my friends and family what happened, it's only a year, etc. I think I might print it out and have my friend (who will be with me the morning of Match day) read it out loud to me in the event that I don't match at my top site/at all.

This actually made me feel much better, so I thought I'd share. Personally, it helped to rationally think through the worst-case scenarios, forgive myself (which is the part I seem to be struggling with) ahead of time, and also gave me a task to complete that allows me to feel some sense of control over what will happen on Match day.
 
How much do you think current interns' feedback plays into intern selection? I saw everything from a site saying multiple times in bold and underline that they would not solicit feedback from interns during the private Q&A time to having a current intern do one of my interviews. Most was just Q&A and casual downtime while waiting for our individual interviews. I feel like they probably met so many of us no one could really remember all that, on top of all their internship duties. I'm guessing unless you were really bad you probably weren't mentioned?
 
Just curious - did anyone get emails from APPIC match about their list? I heard they would email you if there were any problems/mismatches in the sites you ranked and the ones that ranked you. I hope that not hearing anything means that my list was complete and correct.

Also - was there a consensus on what the earliest they might email on Friday? Do they stagger by timezone?!
 
I didn't receive any emails from APPIC or National Matching Service about my list. So, I think that is typical.

I'm assuming they don't stagger by time zone (especially if emails computer generated?), but I am not sure.

Four sleeps to go!
 
I had a dream last night that the TD from my top choice (who happens to have a very unusual and difficult name) left me a grainy voicemail where she told me that I hadn't matched. It was horrible! I'm trying to relax as much as possible this week. I pray i don't have to go through Phase II but if I do I want to at least have my full energy to work hard on the applications. My brother's birthday party is on Saturday and I kept saying "i dont know if i can go it depends on whether or not I match" but i've decided today that no matter what happens, I can take a few hours to enjoy my family and celebrate my brother. I keep reminding myself, and my husband keeps remining me that no matter what happens, in a few years this will all be a long distant memory. Good luck everyone.
 
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heartdignan said:
How much do you think current interns' feedback plays into intern selection? I saw everything from a site saying multiple times in bold and underline that they would not solicit feedback from interns during the private Q&A time to having a current intern do one of my interviews. Most was just Q&A and casual downtime while waiting for our individual interviews. I feel like they probably met so many of us no one could really remember all that, on top of all their internship duties. I'm guessing unless you were really bad you probably weren't mentioned?
Click to expand...


This is another one of those "it depends" questions. For itnerviews I just assumed every intern had a deciding voice in it, regardless of what the brochure said. I was told my many current and past interns that they have more say than the sites generally let on.
 
Childdoconeday said:
I had a dream last night that the TD from my top choice (who happens to have a very unusual and difficult name) left me a grainy voicemail where she told me that I hadn't matched. It was horrible! I'm trying to relax as much as possible this week. I pray i don't have to go through Phase II but if I do I want to at least have my full energy to work hard on the applications. My brother's birthday party is on Saturday and I kept saying "i dont know if i can go it depends on whether or not I match" but i've decided today that no matter what happens, I can take a few hours to enjoy my family and celebrate my brother. I keep reminding myself, and my husband keeps remining me that no matter what happens, in a few years this will all be a long distant memory. Good luck everyone.
Click to expand...

i have also been telling people that i don't want to make any plans set in stone, but this makes me think I should not plan on hiding out again this year. god knows it didn't help in the past years I did not match. I should know more than anyone that life goes on, though my anger towards this system grows.
 
timshel14 said:
Just curious - did anyone get emails from APPIC match about their list? I heard they would email you if there were any problems/mismatches in the sites you ranked and the ones that ranked you. I hope that not hearing anything means that my list was complete and correct.

Also - was there a consensus on what the earliest they might email on Friday? Do they stagger by timezone?!
Click to expand...

I got my email at around 7:30 AM CST.
 
jgg323 said:
So did most people send thank you notes? I did not, mostly because several sites said not to send them. I'm wondering if maybe I should have...
Click to expand...
I absolutely sent them everywhere, even places I didn't rank. I felt really grateful for the opportunies and for the sites I was interested in, it gave me an opportunity to share what I took away and why I was still interested. If that bothered any of the sites I applied to - then I *hope* I don't match there. That's me and I ain't changing those kind of things.

-my two cents
 
howdoesthatmakeyoufeel said:
I absolutely sent them everywhere, even places I didn't rank. I felt really grateful for the opportunies and for the sites I was interested in, it gave me an opportunity to share what I took away and why I was still interested. If that bothered any of the sites I applied to - then I *hope* I don't match there. That's me and I ain't changing those kind of things.

-my two cents
Click to expand...
PS - and YOU NEVER KNOW about what the future brings - it is a small, small world… even when it's not… There are people at every site I visited that I could see myself having a question for or wanting to brainstorm with, etc. etc. in the future.

-more of my two cents
 
DoctorWorry said:
i have also been telling people that i don't want to make any plans set in stone, but this makes me think I should not plan on hiding out again this year. god knows it didn't help in the past years I did not match. I should know more than anyone that life goes on, though my anger towards this system grows.
Click to expand...
I have an outing planned with my friends on Saturday night that I have already decided I will not back out of no matter what. That gives me Friday to be upset and something on Saturday that will cheer me up and get me to snap out of it if things don't go well. Of course I'm hoping it'll just be a continuation of the celebration. 🙂
 
DoctorWorry said:
This is another one of those "it depends" questions. For itnerviews I just assumed every intern had a deciding voice in it, regardless of what the brochure said. I was told my many current and past interns that they have more say than the sites generally let on.
Click to expand...

I talked to several of my friends who are current interns and was told that they do not have a say and just to report extreme cases.
 
DoctorWorry said:
i have also been telling people that i don't want to make any plans set in stone, but this makes me think I should not plan on hiding out again this year. god knows it didn't help in the past years I did not match. I should know more than anyone that life goes on, though my anger towards this system grows.
Click to expand...

Did you not match twice? I am so nervous that is going to happen to me. It stung last year, but I bounced back ok, if it happens again I think I am going to get sick to my stomach.
 
psychrat said:
I talked to several of my friends who are current interns and was told that they do not have a say and just to report extreme cases.
Click to expand...

Depends on the site. The places I have been at did indeed solicit intern impressions. It's a much smaller voice in the selection process, but still there in many places.
 
WisNeuro said:
Depends on the site. The places I have been at did indeed solicit intern impressions. It's a much smaller voice in the selection process, but still there in many places.
Click to expand...

At these sites, was intern feedback made clear to the applicants? At the vast majority of my interviews, the TD or other faculty said explicitly that interns were not evaluating us. Although I still acted professionally with interns at those places, it would strike me as very misleading if interns were doing anything beyond reporting extreme cases at those places.
 
DoctorWorry said:
i have also been telling people that i don't want to make any plans set in stone, but this makes me think I should not plan on hiding out again this year. god knows it didn't help in the past years I did not match. I should know more than anyone that life goes on, though my anger towards this system grows.
Click to expand...

Back in January, a party got scheduled for the 21st and I had immediately responded as a maybe, depending on how things turn out Friday. However, this past weekend I decided to change it to a Yes regardless...in a way, by not going it's like punishing yourself further. Also, these are loved ones that are there to support and distract-who better to be around? I too am hopeful things will turn out well Friday and hope to celebrate, but if the worse case scenario happens, I still plan to go out. We did are absolute best and got so far, we have nothing to be ashamed of if any of us don't match (and I hope we all do). It's the system that is broken, not us.
 
People have been talking about the broken system. Aside from the imbalance (availability of placements and number of candidates), what are other system issues that exist?
 
psychrat said:
I talked to several of my friends who are current interns and was told that they do not have a say and just to report extreme cases.
Click to expand...

Anecdotal experience of both of us aside, it boils down to it depends on the site and probably the intern as well.


And yes, I did not match technically 3 times (see my avatar description). Though I do not count the first time bc i had no right to apply for internship that year and didn't interview anywhere that year.
 
guys… here's something i want to know.

do you think NMS tries to maximize the match as much as possible and maybe doesn't actually follow the rule… for example, I rank program A as my number one and program B as my number two. Program A ranks me number one BUT the matching service sees that Program B also ranked me so, knowing I'd match at Program B, they give Program A someone else so that they have a higher matching ratio during this "crisis" ?

we should be able to do the audits ourselves - after matching we should compare how we ranked to how our site ranked us… shouldn't a third party be the auditor?

Too paranoid? …or possible : / …this is what happens in the waiting gap.
 
howdoesthatmakeyoufeel said:
guys… here's something i want to know.

do you think NMS tries to maximize the match as much as possible and maybe doesn't actually follow the rule… for example, I rank program A as my number one and program B as my number two. Program A ranks me number one BUT the matching service sees that Program B also ranked me so, knowing I'd match at Program B, they give Program A someone else so that they have a higher matching ratio during this "crisis" ?

we should be able to do the audits ourselves - after matching we should compare how we ranked to how our site ranked us… shouldn't a third party be the auditor?

Too paranoid? …or possible : / …this is what happens in the waiting gap.
Click to expand...

I don't think NMS has any bias towards matching more people- someone else likely has info on this, but I think they basically are the third party auditor. My understanding is they work as the match system for multiple professions, and have no other affiliation with APA.

Greg Keilin sent out an email a while ago addressing your first question, if that helps. I'll copy/paste:

QUESTION: I heard a rumor that the Match algorithm attempts to place the greatest number of applicants into positions, even if it means placing some applicants at less-preferred programs, and thus I should rank only a few programs. Is this true?

ANSWER: This is absolutely FALSE. The Match algorithm is designed to give each individual applicant and program the best possible outcome based on the rankings they submit. It does NOT in any way attempt to maximize the number of applicants placed. It will NOT place an applicant into a less-preferred position in order to permit other applicants to be matched. Similarly, it will NOT place a less preferred applicant into a program in order to permit more positions to be filled in other programs. As noted above, we strongly encourage you to rank ALL programs that are considering you and that you find acceptable. Doing otherwise will not get you a better position, but may reduce your chances of matching.
 
Madkrisjazz said:
People have been talking about the broken system. Aside from the imbalance (availability of placements and number of candidates), what are other system issues that exist?
Click to expand...

The imbalance is the big one. I think another issue is that internship lasts one year, so after the horrible internship match process is over you have to go through this crap all over again less than one year later. Which is where I'm currently at, and why I'm complaining about it. 😉
 
DoctorWorry said:
Anecdotal experience of both of us aside, it boils down to it depends on the site and probably the intern as well.


And yes, I did not match technically 3 times (see my avatar description). Though I do not count the first time bc i had no right to apply for internship that year and didn't interview anywhere that year.
Click to expand...

So this is your fourth time in the match? You have so much willpower. I am impressed. Does your program also require an APA accredited site?
 
Madkrisjazz said:
People have been talking about the broken system. Aside from the imbalance (availability of placements and number of candidates), what are other system issues that exist?
Click to expand...
The system is broken because they let too many students into doctoral programs. Look at medical students, dental, OT's, PT's, or other health professions. The toughest part of those careers is getting in to the schools and then they move through to their internships smoothly. We on the other get in then spend tremendous amounts of money and study time only to find out towards the end that we may not get an internship. A broken system for sure
 
psychrat said:
So this is your fourth time in the match? You have so much willpower. I am impressed. Does your program also require an APA accredited site?
Click to expand...

It's not willpower. You just do what you have to do and keep moving. Every year it's something different and every year I have thought of quitting, but have come 2 far and spend 2 much money at this time. My program does not require an APA site but I do personally require one for my career goals. My program does not have a good reputation, which I now agree with, as it is a FSPS so this will already limit my options.
 
Madkrisjazz said:
People have been talking about the broken system. Aside from the imbalance (availability of placements and number of candidates), what are other system issues that exist?
Click to expand...


Free standing professional schools, which take too many students and provide inconsistent training is one big reason for the imbalance. The expense of accrediting internship sites is huge- many good sites who can't afford the accreditation process are out there but can't take the next step bc of the fees. Similarly, students who cannot afford travel fees are often not considered or at least are not preferential to those who can afford to spend huge expenses on travel. I could go on and on.
 
I wish that the field of psychology emulated medical schools. I would much rather say "I tried to get into psych school but couldn't get in" instead of trying to explain to family and friends "well I passed all my classes and did a dissertation but I might not graduate because I didn't get an internship"
 
whatWAISithinking said:
I wish that the field of psychology emulated medical schools. I would much rather say "I tried to get into psych school but couldn't get in" instead of trying to explain to family and friends "well I passed all my classes and did a dissertation but I might not graduate because I didn't get an internship"
Click to expand...

There are still some docs that do not get placed for residency, although it is much more rare than our match rates
 
psychrat said:
There are still some docs that do not get placed for residency, although it is much more rare than our match rates
Click to expand...
The match rate for residency for a graduate of a U.S. medical school is over 90% last I checked. That is much, much, much better than ours.
 
AppsAintNoThang said:
I don't think NMS has any bias towards matching more people- someone else likely has info on this, but I think they basically are the third party auditor. My understanding is they work as the match system for multiple professions, and have no other affiliation with APA.

Greg Keilin sent out an email a while ago addressing your first question, if that helps. I'll copy/paste:

QUESTION: I heard a rumor that the Match algorithm attempts to place the greatest number of applicants into positions, even if it means placing some applicants at less-preferred programs, and thus I should rank only a few programs. Is this true?

ANSWER: This is absolutely FALSE. The Match algorithm is designed to give each individual applicant and program the best possible outcome based on the rankings they submit. It does NOT in any way attempt to maximize the number of applicants placed. It will NOT place an applicant into a less-preferred position in order to permit other applicants to be matched. Similarly, it will NOT place a less preferred applicant into a program in order to permit more positions to be filled in other programs. As noted above, we strongly encourage you to rank ALL programs that are considering you and that you find acceptable. Doing otherwise will not get you a better position, but may reduce your chances of matching.
Click to expand...
THANK YOU!
 
I am taking off Friday as well. And by off, I mean I will be getting out of dodge right after I get the results and will be hiding out in the desert with my husband for the weekend. I figured that regardless of whether I match or not, I need to get away and relax away from city craziness after 6 months of anxiety.

Hopefully I get to come home to just focus on dissertation. Otherwise, at least I'll be recharged to tackle Phase II.
 
I am definitely taking off Friday and Monday (just in case I need to do phase II cover letters)...really hope that isn't the case though.
 
weeblewobble said:
At these sites, was intern feedback made clear to the applicants? At the vast majority of my interviews, the TD or other faculty said explicitly that interns were not evaluating us. Although I still acted professionally with interns at those places, it would strike me as very misleading if interns were doing anything beyond reporting extreme cases at those places.
Click to expand...

The sites I was at did not state that interns would have no evaluatory impact. Even so, the TD at those sites may still be technically correct. A current intern letting a TD know about an applicant making a huge faux pas is not the same as formal evaluation. I would assume that the statement that interns are not evaluating the applicants means that they are not rating applicant files and are not part of the committee, they are still free to offer feedback for consideration.

That being said, as long as you don't plan in being inappropriate or blatantly arrogant in your interactions with current interns, I wouldn't worry too much.
 
WisNeuro said:
The sites I was at did not state that interns would have no evaluatory impact. Even so, the TD at those sites may still be technically correct. A current intern letting a TD know about an applicant making a huge faux pas is not the same as formal evaluation. I would assume that the statement that interns are not evaluating the applicants means that they are not rating applicant files and are not part of the committee, they are still free to offer feedback for consideration.

That being said, as long as you don't plan in being inappropriate or blatantly arrogant in your interactions with current interns, I wouldn't worry too much.
Click to expand...
Some sites have current interns read and rate applications. It's wise, I think. They are the ones doing the internship and know what it takes.
 
healthpsych5 said:
Some sites have current interns read and rate applications. It's wise, I think. They are the ones doing the internship and know what it takes.
Click to expand...


(I realize I keep mentioning my practicum, but I've been hearing first hand what they do and they get close to 300 apps a year.)
BUT- at my current practicum the interns review a certain amount of apps each, interview applicants, and participate in the ranking meeting. At no point (other than I guess the fact that one interviews you) do they clearly state how involved they are in the process. I lean towards the idea that you should assume everyone is very involved, interns included, regardless of what they say.
 
I've entered the realm of anxious insomnia! So hard to fall asleep last night and today I feel 😴 , which is making this day go by even sloooooower. Hope everyone is hanging in there!
 
I tried to make these next few days busy ones, but I'm regretting it a bit now since I can't concentrate on all the things I have scheduled!
 
tumblr_masvr2XHyl1qcdac2o3_500.gif
 
DontDissTheDiss said:
I'm very jealous of everyone getting a massage on Match Day. 🙂 But speaking of, I really need to schedule one for myself and that's a good reminder!

I remain cautiously optimistic about my chances of matching...so for the past week I've been looking forward to finding out who my intern cohort will be. I wonder if a fellow SDN'er will be in my cohort? 😉
Click to expand...


I have been thinking the same! What places did you rank if you dont mind?
 
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