2014-2015 APPIC (internship) interview thread

[Mk1000]

I can relate 100% to this. My husband is freaking out about us moving to a much more expensive city while earning half of what we were making.... and having to find a place that allows dogs and having to find a reasonably priced daycare for the baby.... ughhhhh

I am sorry you are feeling the same way, although it is normalizing for me to hear this! It is difficult to have a family (or even "just" a partner!!) because there are so many other factors to consider. Although I am thankful my family can come with me because they will keep me stable and provide social support, there are feelings of guilt that accompany this move and all of the expenses involved. We will also have to pay substantially more in living expenses. I definitely feel for you in trying to find a daycare for your baby, too! And that's right, I hadn't even thought about the dog yet....AGH! I expected to feel such relief at matching (which I do, don't get me wrong), but I was unprepared for all of these other stressors.

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[PsychPhDone]

Hi All - totally random question... I will be uprooting my family (husband, baby, and 2 dogs) to go move to the Boston area from Baltimore for internship. I've been looking at rentals in Boston and holy cow it's expensive. My husband suggested looking into "house swap" options. Anyone know websites for that? Or, even more random, anyone here moving down to the Baltimore/DC area for internship from the Boston/Providence area who'd want to house swap?!??!

I know people who have done a house swap! Here might be the most timely source of finding someone, but if I manage to speak to anyone I know who did that, I will ask them where they looked.

 

[healthpsych5]

I don't have a family (just future husband) but I feel mixed emotions about matching. I matched to my #3. It's because good I felt very strong positive visceral reactions to all the sites in my top 3, but my top 1 and 2 were in a much preferred geographical region for me. The area I'm moving is plenty fine with me, but I do feel guilt about uprooting my partner.

My biggest source of mixed emotion is the fact that it was #3 and not #1. I feel like a total douche expressing these feelings because I know that is the preferred option to not matching at all, or matching somewhere lower on the list. I was not surprised to not match at my #1, but my #2 was a bit of a surprise because I thought we had really connected during the interview day. I also somehow feel shameful or embarrassed because I swear to god there is literally a parade of people at my school who "matched to my #1! yayyyyy!!!!#$@#%@%!!!!" and I did not. Also I'm moving to an area where I'm probably going to pay double the rent of what I have now so that's extra stress one doesn't need during their internship year. So, yes, it's a great thing to be matched, but also there is remorse and then extra crappy feelings for feeling remorse when something great happened to me.

I can totally relate. I matched lower on my list than I expected to and find myself having some feelings of confusion and disappointment, and then feel like a jerk when I'm lucky to have been placed. Like you, I also feel like I nailed a couple of the interviews that were higher on my list and am left wondering what went wrong. I'm trying to remind myself that I interviewed at some highly competitive places (and matched at a highly competitive place) and that there are so many factors in this messed up system, so I don't necessarily need to take it personally or view it as a failure. Part of me wishes I could see what places ranked me and where I was on their lists. I feel like this would be helpful feedback to consider for the post-doc application process.

Anyway, I'm thankful to not be alone in having mixed emotions for these similar reasons. It's very normalizing to know that others are in the same spot as me, and I hope maybe others who will see these posts will be comforted, too. I even talked to a friend who matched at their number one spot, and they said they had similar feelings of disappointment. Even if you match higher on your list, you're still saying goodbye to the exciting opportunities that another site on your list could have offered you. I wonder if part of it is that sense of it "being decided for you," rather than having multiple offers and then getting the chance to choose for yourself.

 

[PhDToBe]

Thanks. However, I really can't imagine living apart from my daughter for a year so flying back and forth isn't much of an option for us.

I meant just in case you do need to fly back and forth, it is cheap.

 

[Tabooo]

I can totally relate. I matched lower on my list than I expected to and find myself having some feelings of confusion and disappointment, and then feel like a jerk when I'm lucky to have been placed. Like you, I also feel like I nailed a couple of the interviews that were higher on my list and am left wondering what went wrong. I'm trying to remind myself that I interviewed at some highly competitive places (and matched at a highly competitive place) and that there are so many factors in this messed up system, so I don't necessarily need to take it personally or view it as a failure. Part of me wishes I could see what places ranked me and where I was on their lists. I feel like this would be helpful feedback to consider for the post-doc application process.

Anyway, I'm thankful to not be alone in having mixed emotions for these similar reasons. It's very normalizing to know that others are in the same spot as me, and I hope maybe others who will see these posts will be comforted, too. I even talked to a friend who matched at their number one spot, and they said they had similar feelings of disappointment. Even if you match higher on your list, you're still saying goodbye to the exciting opportunities that another site on your list could have offered you. I wonder if part of it is that sense of it "being decided for you," rather than having multiple offers and then getting the chance to choose for yourself.

I can also relate to your post. It was actually really comforting. I too matched much lower on my list than I expected. I feel lucky to have even matched but also confused, disappointed, and embarrassed. It also feels like a failure. It was a bit of a shock because I expected to match much higher given the track record of most people in my program. I also thought that all of my interviews went really well. I received a lot of interviews (almost all) but they were also all at highly competitive places. I feel really lucky to have received all of those great interviews at highly competitive places (and I also matched at a competitive place) but it still feels like a slap in the fact to have matched much lower on my list. I think it's hard not to view it as a failure or disappointment to others when you've worked hard all of this time in order to get interviews at great places. It's harder knowing that almost everyone I know matched to their top choices and even harder reading that only a small percentage of people matched at the number that I did. Part of me also wants to know where places ranked me because I will probably be applying to many of the same places for post-doc. So thank you, healthpsych5, for your honest post. It's easy to feel alone in this process when you don't match at one of your top choices and also hard to be wrestling with mixed emotions.

 

[463951]

I don't have a family (just future husband) but I feel mixed emotions about matching. I matched to my #3. It's because good I felt very strong positive visceral reactions to all the sites in my top 3, but my top 1 and 2 were in a much preferred geographical region for me. The area I'm moving is plenty fine with me, but I do feel guilt about uprooting my partner.

My biggest source of mixed emotion is the fact that it was #3 and not #1. I feel like a total douche expressing these feelings because I know that is the preferred option to not matching at all, or matching somewhere lower on the list. I was not surprised to not match at my #1, but my #2 was a bit of a surprise because I thought we had really connected during the interview day. I also somehow feel shameful or embarrassed because I swear to god there is literally a parade of people at my school who "matched to my #1! yayyyyy!!!!#$@#%@%!!!!" and I did not. Also I'm moving to an area where I'm probably going to pay double the rent of what I have now so that's extra stress one doesn't need during their internship year. So, yes, it's a great thing to be matched, but also there is remorse and then extra crappy feelings for feeling remorse when something great happened to me.

I can absolutely relate to this. Last year, I matched to my #4, and while my top five sites were lumped relatively close together in terms of what I was looking for in an internship, I still had that feeling of "but my #2 has X, and #4 does not." I felt like a jerk for thinking like this because some people did not match. Or other people matched really low on their list (#12 for example), to places they had pretty much forgotten were even on their list because they thought there was no way they would end up there. So I kept these feelings to myself for the most part (my husband the exception). The whole parade of people at your school saying, "I matched to my #1 YAY" really jumped out at me, because I felt the same way last year! And worse, some of these people who matched to their #1 or even their #2, they knew I had matched but would ask me where exactly on my list I had matched (which is odd IMO), and after telling them, they would say, "I'm sorry." I was like, "you're sorry?" For what?! At first, I would get somewhat defensive and explain that there was no reason for them to be sorry, that I had ranked over ten sites, that this internship had everything I was looking for, etc. My defensiveness ended real quick though, because I simply didn't feel the need to defend myself to these people. Going through this process with everybody from your school can be irritating.

This process is so long, and so emotionally draining, it is normal to have a wide range of emotions after you match. I had friends who matched to their #1 say, "maybe I should have ranked my #2 as #1, oh crap, what have I done?!" I can't think of anybody last year that was 100% satisfied with their "match" at the time. It's just emotional overload.

Once these initial emotions subside, you will start looking for places to live, and will get excited about where you are relocating to. You will start your internship and discover additional things you are excited about, things that you couldn't have known about the site from the interview alone. The time on internship will fly by, and you most definitely won't be thinking, "but if I had matched to my #1 I would be so much happier." These feelings will subside, I promise.

 

[cara susanna]

I can absolutely relate to this. Last year, I matched to my #4, and while my top five sites were lumped relatively close together in terms of what I was looking for in an internship, I still had that feeling of "but my #2 has X, and #4 does not." I felt like a jerk for thinking like this because some people did not match. Or other people matched really low on their list (#12 for example), to places they had pretty much forgotten were even on their list because they thought there was no way they would end up there. So I kept these feelings to myself for the most part (my husband the exception). The whole parade of people at your school saying, "I matched to my #1 YAY" really jumped out at me, because I felt the same way last year! And worse, some of these people who matched to their #1 or even their #2, they knew I had matched but would ask me where exactly on my list I had matched (which is odd IMO), and after telling them, they would say, "I'm sorry." I was like, "you're sorry?" For what?! At first, I would get somewhat defensive and explain that there was no reason for them to be sorry, that I had ranked over ten sites, that this internship had everything I was looking for, etc. My defensiveness ended real quick though, because I simply didn't feel the need to defend myself to these people. Going through this process with everybody from your school can be irritating.

This process is so long, and so emotionally draining, it is normal to have a wide range of emotions after you match. I had friends who matched to their #1 say, "maybe I should have ranked my #2 as #1, oh crap, what have I done?!" I can't think of anybody last year that was 100% satisfied with their "match" at the time. It's just emotional overload.

Once these initial emotions subside, you will start looking for places to live, and will get excited about where you are relocating to. You will start your internship and discover additional things you are excited about, things that you couldn't have known about the site from the interview alone. The time on internship will fly by, and you most definitely won't be thinking, "but if I had matched to my #1 I would be so much happier." These feelings will subside, I promise.

Yeah, I especially found it awkward this year when internship applicants asked me why I ranked the site high, or even outright asked me where I'd ranked it.

 

[463951]

Yeah, I especially found it awkward this year when internship applicants asked me why I ranked the site high, or even outright asked me where I'd ranked it.

No applicants asked me that, but I'm not sure how I would have responded! What did you say?

 

[heartdignan]

I can absolutely relate to this. Last year, I matched to my #4, and while my top five sites were lumped relatively close together in terms of what I was looking for in an internship, I still had that feeling of "but my #2 has X, and #4 does not." I felt like a jerk for thinking like this because some people did not match. Or other people matched really low on their list (#12 for example), to places they had pretty much forgotten were even on their list because they thought there was no way they would end up there. So I kept these feelings to myself for the most part (my husband the exception). The whole parade of people at your school saying, "I matched to my #1 YAY" really jumped out at me, because I felt the same way last year! And worse, some of these people who matched to their #1 or even their #2, they knew I had matched but would ask me where exactly on my list I had matched (which is odd IMO), and after telling them, they would say, "I'm sorry." I was like, "you're sorry?" For what?! At first, I would get somewhat defensive and explain that there was no reason for them to be sorry, that I had ranked over ten sites, that this internship had everything I was looking for, etc. My defensiveness ended real quick though, because I simply didn't feel the need to defend myself to these people. Going through this process with everybody from your school can be irritating.

This process is so long, and so emotionally draining, it is normal to have a wide range of emotions after you match. I had friends who matched to their #1 say, "maybe I should have ranked my #2 as #1, oh crap, what have I done?!" I can't think of anybody last year that was 100% satisfied with their "match" at the time. It's just emotional overload.

Once these initial emotions subside, you will start looking for places to live, and will get excited about where you are relocating to. You will start your internship and discover additional things you are excited about, things that you couldn't have known about the site from the interview alone. The time on internship will fly by, and you most definitely won't be thinking, "but if I had matched to my #1 I would be so much happier." These feelings will subside, I promise.

Thanks for the response! I figured the feelings would subside once I'm there and settled. It's all so much of a shock at first. Honestly it's such an anticlimactic finish to an enormous buildup - months of preparing materials, painstakingly completing the AAPI and double-checking submissions, waiting to hear from sites, frantically checking emails, getting invites/rejections, 2 months of interviewing, travel travel travel, prepare rank list, and WAIT. Six months of intensity and nonchalantly it's an email that's like, "Oh hey, here's the site's name. The end." It's real but it doesn't feel real. With good news and with bad news, I think 99% of people had the reaction of "How did that happen?" And it's done and sealed and your life is changed. So bizarre. I imagine it's like hearing a verdict - innocent or guilty, it's a shock nonetheless.

 

[PhDToBe]

Yeah, I especially found it awkward this year when internship applicants asked me why I ranked the site high, or even outright asked me where I'd ranked it.

Just out of curiosity, how did you respond to that? Were you honest?

 

[heartdignan]

Yeah, I especially found it awkward this year when internship applicants asked me why I ranked the site high, or even outright asked me where I'd ranked it.

I tried not to ask that because I felt it really put the interns on the spot. I tried to phrase it as, "What made you pick this place?," leaving it up to interpretation by the folks who answered it/heard the answer. To ask how you ranked it could be so embarrassing I think!

 

[cara susanna]

No applicants asked me that, but I'm not sure how I would have responded! What did you say?

I tried to be honest. For the people who asked me why I ranked it high, I just listed the things I had liked about the site. If they outright asked me about my ranking I admitted that I didn't rank the site that high, but I said the reasons and how they were more related to the fit with my training goals as opposed to problems with the site itself.

 

[healthpsych5]

I'm also very surprised how many people have asked me, "Was that your top choice?" when I tell them where I matched. Almost everyone asks me that, and I find it to be insensitive and awkward. I feel this unnecessary pressure to explain myself. I did not anticipate that question at all because I never would have imagined asking someone that. And then they look sorry for you when you say it was lower on your list. Really? You're sorry that I matched to a highly competitive APA accredited internship site with absolutely incredible training opportunities? I'm also surprised how many people in my program are broadcasting that they got their top choice. I think even if I had matched with my #1, I would only tell that quietly to my closest friends and family. I certainly would not post it on Facebook or parade around the department about it.

I want to add that this isn't about bitterness, because I don't feel bitter about my result. I think I would have the same reaction to all of what I mentioned here even if I did get my #1 spot. There are so many factors that go into rankings, and additionally many implications that result from any given match for a person. I wish people were more sensitive to that.

 

[Mk1000]

I'm also very surprised how many people have asked me, "Was that your top choice?" when I tell them where I matched. Almost everyone asks me that, and I find it to be insensitive and awkward. I feel this unnecessary pressure to explain myself. I did not anticipate that question at all because I never would have imagined asking someone that. And then they look sorry for you when you say it was lower on your list. Really? You're sorry that I matched to a highly competitive APA accredited internship site with absolutely incredible training opportunities? I'm also surprised how many people in my program are broadcasting that they got their top choice. I think even if I had matched with my #1, I would only tell that quietly to my closest friends and family. I certainly would not post it on Facebook or parade around the department about it.

I want to add that this isn't about bitterness, because I don't feel bitter about my result. I think I would have the same reaction to all of what I mentioned here even if I did get my #1 spot. There are so many factors that go into rankings, and additionally many implications that result from any given match for a person. I wish people were more sensitive to that.

Agreed. I think people just don't realize that the odds are not really in our favor for BOTH matching and matching at a #1 site. Just like many incredible applicants don't match, many incredible applicants don't get their top site for reasons that have nothing to do with qualifications.

 

[cara susanna]

Agreed. I think people just don't realize that the odds are not really in our favor for BOTH matching and matching at a #1 site. Just like many incredible applicants don't match, many incredible applicants don't get their top site for reasons that have nothing to do with qualifications.

Well, I think the issue is that most people who match do get their first through third choice. You don't really think that you'll be part of the 15% or so that doesn't.

I was pretty upset about getting a lower-ranked site even after internship started, but now I think that I'm where I was meant to be. Of course, now I can say that because my internship helped me get an awesome post-doc. I still had my doubts earlier in the year.

 

[docma]

Ideally, I think individual's rankings would be protected information, just like site's rankings are and everyone would be charged with keeping that information private. I am not sure it is humanly possible and I think much about graduate school culture (or national culture) works against this idea...but it would actually be more realistic and kinder. There are statistical principles at work that mean some folks get their "first" choice but it is actually not because they are in some definitive, comparable way, relative to their graduate school cohort" , statistically "better". And while it is hard, if not impossible, to do comparisons of rankings, it isn't really valid social science

 

[RebelOwl]

Hey everyone! The last few days have been a whirlwind and then some much needed relaxation. I matched to my number one site and my partner matched to their number one, as well. We are both super excited about the upcoming training year, but like many others - not to excited about the distance. Someone in my program didn't match and I hate to see that. My heart goes out to all of you going through Phase II right now and. Remember it is a messed up system with that godforsaken imbalance. No amount of cookies can make it better, but y'all are awesome and I'm cheering for you!

 

[Nellie1234]

I don't have a family (just future husband) but I feel mixed emotions about matching. I matched to my #3. It's because good I felt very strong positive visceral reactions to all the sites in my top 3, but my top 1 and 2 were in a much preferred geographical region for me. The area I'm moving is plenty fine with me, but I do feel guilt about uprooting my partner.

My biggest source of mixed emotion is the fact that it was #3 and not #1. I feel like a total douche expressing these feelings because I know that is the preferred option to not matching at all, or matching somewhere lower on the list. I was not surprised to not match at my #1, but my #2 was a bit of a surprise because I thought we had really connected during the interview day. I also somehow feel shameful or embarrassed because I swear to god there is literally a parade of people at my school who "matched to my #1! yayyyyy!!!!#$@#%@%!!!!" and I did not. Also I'm moving to an area where I'm probably going to pay double the rent of what I have now so that's extra stress one doesn't need during their internship year. So, yes, it's a great thing to be matched, but also there is remorse and then extra crappy feelings for feeling remorse when something great happened to me.

I feel/felt the exact same way! There were 8 people who applied this year in my cohort and all but three matched to their #1 site; one person matched at their #2 and we're not sure about the other guy. I matched at my #3 spot and felt terrible- this was mostly because my #1 was the only site that would've moved me and my husband back to our home state, so I had to spend match day calling all our family to break the news that we wouldn't be coming home (my husband and I have been extremely homesick this past year, so this was super hard). Also, I had been feeling really confident about my #1 based on my interview and subsequent emails with that TD, so my results took a while to really sink in. But one of the crappiest feelings was when I realized that my closest peers matched to their #1 and, though I was genuinely overjoyed for all of them, it was difficult not to feel bitter/ be as excited as they were when they all wanted to get together to celebrate that night. And then, of course, I feel/felt like a complete dingus for feeling sorry for myself for even two seconds knowing there were around 700 people who did not match in Phase I. Thank you so much for normalizing this experience because I've been feeling like a douchebag across the board for the past three days.

I completely agree that this entire process has been a whirlwind of craziness and it makes sense that our reactions to the ever-anticipated "match day" would be all over the place emotionally, regardless of results. My husband and I are doing our best to get excited about our new adventure but I think it's okay that we're not completely thrilled, either. I truly believe that everything happens for a reason (maybe because I have to) and everything will work out the way it's meant to. I just wish my higher-power and I could be on the same page sometimes!

 

[Childdoconeday]

Hey all,

For those of you who applied to internships within a consortium- how DIFFERENT should the cover letters be? Of course i am personalizing all of my cover letters, but is it okay if i keep similar templates or should i try to make them very different. Thanks!


For those of you who did Phase II last year

How were your phone interviews? Did you receive similar questions to Phase I (aka. conceptualize a case, ethics..etc). I'd love to hear about your experiences with phone interviews

 

[ChiPhD99]

Hey all,

For those of you who applied to internships within a consortium- how DIFFERENT should the cover letters be? Of course i am personalizing all of my cover letters, but is it okay if i keep similar templates or should i try to make them very different. Thanks!


For those of you who did Phase II last year

How were your phone interviews? Did you receive similar questions to Phase I (aka. conceptualize a case, ethics..etc). I'd love to hear about your experiences with phone interviews

My phone interviews were primarily "getting to know you" type chats. A couple of the sites I interviewed with got a lot of applications, so I think by time they whittled down to their top 10ish they knew you'd be a good fit (probably). I had one where it was a conference call between myself and 6 staff members, which was EASILY my hardest one. It was difficult to know when to speak or wrap up a question without visual cues. Main questions I was asked were describe a time when you had a problem with a supervisor and how you addressed it, discuss your dissertation/progress with it, what made you apply to this program etc. Overall, similar questions to phase I. Wouldn't hurt to practice interview questions over the phone with someone.

 

[ChiPhD99]

Hey all,

For those of you who applied to internships within a consortium- how DIFFERENT should the cover letters be? Of course i am personalizing all of my cover letters, but is it okay if i keep similar templates or should i try to make them very different. Thanks!


For those of you who did Phase II last year

How were your phone interviews? Did you receive similar questions to Phase I (aka. conceptualize a case, ethics..etc). I'd love to hear about your experiences with phone interviews

My phone interviews were primarily "getting to know you" type chats. A couple of the sites I interviewed with got a lot of applications, so I think by time they whittled down to their top 10ish they knew you'd be a good fit (probably). I had one where it was a conference call between myself and 6 staff members, which was EASILY my hardest one. It was difficult to know when to speak or wrap up a question without visual cues. Main questions I was asked were describe a time when you had a problem with a supervisor and how you addressed it, discuss your dissertation/progress with it, what made you apply to this program etc. Overall, similar questions to phase I. Wouldn't hurt to practice interview questions over the phone with someone.

 

[klf52]

Hey, folks! Congrats to all who matched and future congrats to the phase II'ers who are going to match (because you will)! Struggling with having to move to the San Francisco area knowing how the rental rates will be. Any suggestions from you seasoned Bay Area folks? Or anyone willing to live with a girl who sleeps a lot and has two cats? any help would be appreciated!

 

[MetaMuse]

Hey, folks! Congrats to all who matched and future congrats to the phase II'ers who are going to match (because you will)! Struggling with having to move to the San Francisco area knowing how the rental rates will be. Any suggestions from you seasoned Bay Area folks? Or anyone willing to live with a girl who sleeps a lot and has two cats? any help would be appreciated!

A lot of this will depend on the location of your site/your willingness to commute, your budget, and in what kind of environment you want to live (city vs suburb). Feel free to PM me, happy to share my two cents!

 

[cpw1984]

Hi everyone, congratulations to all who matched! I was curious if any of you might have any insight in to what your program/faculty have done to help your schools match rates stay consistent and/or high? My schools match rates were lower this year than expected and I strongly believe it has a lot more to do with our faculty than it does with the quality of our students. I am very interested to know anything unique that your program does to help students with the internship application and interview process that makes your program successful. Thank you to anyone who shares!

 

[Quiche]

Hi everyone, congratulations to all who matched! I was curious if any of you might have any insight in to what your program/faculty have done to help your schools match rates stay consistent and/or high? My schools match rates were lower this year than expected and I strongly believe it has a lot more to do with our faculty than it does with the quality of our students. I am very interested to know anything unique that your program does to help students with the internship application and interview process that makes your program successful. Thank you to anyone who shares!

My DCT attended a conference geared toward helping students match which is where I think he developed his style. My DCT was really active in our process- purchased the green APAGS Workbook for my cohort, met with us individually to narrow down our site lists, set up meetings with local training directors to answer questions about their site and the application process from the internship side, conducted mock interviews (he actually studied each of our top choice sites and pretended to be that site) and provided feedback about our essays. It felt a little overbearing during the process, but I'm grateful now.

 

[adsekhon]

Hey, folks! Congrats to all who matched and future congrats to the phase II'ers who are going to match (because you will)! Struggling with having to move to the San Francisco area knowing how the rental rates will be. Any suggestions from you seasoned Bay Area folks? Or anyone willing to live with a girl who sleeps a lot and has two cats? any help would be appreciated!

If you don't mind a commute or BART, our subway system, you'll have some flexibility.

Feel free to PM I'm from the bay area.

 

[PhDToBe]

Hi everyone, congratulations to all who matched! I was curious if any of you might have any insight in to what your program/faculty have done to help your schools match rates stay consistent and/or high? My schools match rates were lower this year than expected and I strongly believe it has a lot more to do with our faculty than it does with the quality of our students. I am very interested to know anything unique that your program does to help students with the internship application and interview process that makes your program successful. Thank you to anyone who shares!

Just out of curiosity, what do you think it was about your faculty that caused some people not to match?

 

[erg923]

Hi everyone, congratulations to all who matched! I was curious if any of you might have any insight in to what your program/faculty have done to help your schools match rates stay consistent and/or high? My schools match rates were lower this year than expected and I strongly believe it has a lot more to do with our faculty than it does with the quality of our students. I am very interested to know anything unique that your program does to help students with the internship application and interview process that makes your program successful. Thank you to anyone who shares!

Faculty are really not ultimately responsible for this. You are. The program as a whole certainly has a duty/responsibility to prepare one for competent and ethical practice, bot no one is obligated to hold your hand hand through it, nor should they. You should be informed/educated on the process by faculty, i agree. And your DCT should be doing his or her job and have oversight of your training experiences in order to ensure quality training. What else do you feel they are obligated to do for you in this process?

 

[howdoesthatmakeyoufeel]

Hey, folks! Congrats to all who matched and future congrats to the phase II'ers who are going to match (because you will)! Struggling with having to move to the San Francisco area knowing how the rental rates will be. Any suggestions from you seasoned Bay Area folks? Or anyone willing to live with a girl who sleeps a lot and has two cats? any help would be appreciated!

I wanted so so much to move there but unfortunately there weren't any sites that really caught my interest. However, I did do some research and asked around in case and lots of people suggested Oakland, if you don't mind a little "edge" and given that the BART system is amazing. And someone I know that lived there for years said for a year it'd totally be worth sharing a house with a bunch of other people just for a year to be actually downtown. Good luck and ENJOY!

 

[cara susanna]

I wanted so so much to move there but unfortunately there weren't any sites that really caught my interest. However, I did do some research and asked around in case and lots of people suggested Oakland, if you don't mind a little "edge" and given that the BART system is amazing. And someone I know that lived there for years said for a year it'd totally be worth sharing a house with a bunch of other people just for a year to be actually downtown. Good luck and ENJOY!

My husband's friend lived in Oakland, and unless it's improved since then I think I'd avoid it.

 

[cpw1984]

Faculty are really not ultimately responsible for this. You are. The program as a whole certainly has a duty/responsibility to prepare one for competent and ethical practice, bot no one is obligated to hold your hand hand through it, nor should they. You should be informed/educated on the process by faculty, i agree. And your DCT should be doing his or her job and have oversight of your training experiences in order to ensure quality training. What else do you feel they are obligated to do for you in this process?

I'm not asking for hand holding from our faculty, and I do recognize that some students do not approach the internship process competently or in an organized manner and they suffer for it; however our dept faculty are notorious for taking on too many responsibilities and I think the students ultimately get the short end of the stick as a result. Our match stats have dropped consistently over the last 2 years and I know that its not the dept letting in poorer quality students. So I want to know what we can do as a whole to help our students further in order to see our stats go back up. What does your program do to help students succeed in the internship process?

 

[erg923]

I'm not asking for hand holding from our faculty, and I do recognize that some students do not approach the internship process competently or in an organized manner and they suffer for it; however our dept faculty are notorious for taking on too many responsibilities and I think the students ultimately get the short end of the stick as a result. Our match stats have dropped consistently over the last 2 years and I know that its not the dept letting in poorer quality students. So I want to know what we can do as a whole to help our students further in order to see our stats go back up. What does your program do to help students succeed in the internship process?

Each adviser/lab held mock interviews. That's about all.

I am really curious what else you feel they could/should do that's not already in the job description of a graduate faculty member?

 

[erg923]

My husband's friend lived in Oakland, and unless it's improved since then I think I'd avoid it.

There are parts of Berkeley that blend into parts of Oakland, so the border is porous and there are pockets of good and bad all around that area.

 

[PhDToBe]

My husband's friend lived in Oakland, and unless it's improved since then I think I'd avoid it.

I agree. From what I have heard, Oakland is about as desirable as Detroit or Flint...

 

[MetaMuse]

I agree. From what I have heard, Oakland is about as desirable as Detroit or Flint...

Given how ridiculous rent prices in SF have become, especially in formerly affordable areas like the Mission, many folks are moving to Oakland. There are definitely pockets to avoid, but overall, it's becoming a far more desirable place to live than it used to.. Rockridge is especially nice.

 

[adsekhon]

I agree. From what I have heard, Oakland is about as desirable as Detroit or Flint...

Oakland is going through gentrification. A lot of lower income individuals are getting priced out and being replaced by younger (hipsterish?) individuals. Downtown is slowly being rebuilt with a lot of good restaurants, breweries, and night life entertainment. East Oakland is probably where most crimes happen I would say.

Emeryville might be a good bet for folks to avoid uber high rent prices. If anyone wants PM me for further info lol, I live in the area and sorta have a feel for the rental market.

 

[PhDToBe]

http://www.forbes.com/pictures/mlj45jggj/3-oakland/

That took one click to find. I am sure parts are nice, but overall that city is dangerous. It is on every list of top 10 most dangerous/violent/etc. cities.

 

[cpw1984]

Just out of curiosity, what do you think it was about your faculty that caused some people not to match?

I don't necessarily think the faculty are at fault for ppl not matching, but I do think they are somewhat responsible for the match stats falling over the last 2 years. Mainly its their lack of availability in helping students prepare for the internship process, get them thinking about it from a strategic standpoint and possibly monitoring them over the program to make sure they are viable candidates for internship in general.

 

[cpw1984]

Each adviser/lab held mock interviews. That's about all.

I am really curious what else you feel they could/should do that's not already in the job description of a graduate faculty member?

You know, the reality of this question was that when students are spending upwards of $30,000 a year to complete a doctorate degree in our program the least the faculty could do is see hardworking students through the program from beginning to end with success even if it isn't in the "the job description of a graduate faculty member." Those are basic expectations all graduate students should have of any of their faculty. That if you work hard, the dept will have your back and support you through the process. Period.

 

[PhDToBe]

I don't necessarily think the faculty are at fault for ppl not matching, but I do think they are somewhat responsible for the match stats falling over the last 2 years. Mainly its their lack of availability in helping students prepare for the internship process, get them thinking about it from a strategic standpoint and possibly monitoring them over the program to make sure they are viable candidates for internship in general.

You know, the reality of this question was that when students are spending upwards of $30,000 a year to complete a doctorate degree in our program the least the faculty could do is see hardworking students through the program from beginning to end with success even if it isn't in the "the job description of a graduate faculty member." Those are basic expectations all graduate students should have of any of their faculty. That if you work hard, the dept will have your back and support you through the process. Period.

I see your point. It seems as though the amount of help faculty provide during this process varies by individual. I do think students should be able to determine on their own if they are viable candidates by talking to their peers and others from their program who have successfully matched, but faculty should provide guidance when asked. Perhaps students have not been reaching out for help? I didn't really have any guidance from my faculty, and instead, reached out to peers. You may have mentioned this, but do your faculty not even arrange for the internship applicants to have mock interviews?

 

[erg923]

You know, the reality of this question was that when students are spending upwards of $30,000 a year to complete a doctorate degree in our program the least the faculty could do is see hardworking students through the program from beginning to end with success even if it isn't in the "the job description of a graduate faculty member." Those are basic expectations all graduate students should have of any of their faculty. That if you work hard, the dept will have your back and support you through the process. Period.

Having previously been graduate faculty before my VA career, I can tell you that my job description included mentorship and advising. This is not something I took lightly, and I can't imagine your faculty do either. To me this would include activities such as proofing essays, general education about the process, and perhaps practice interviews. Beyond this, I am at a loss to come up with anything that would functionally impact an individual students success in this process.

At a larger, more systems level-the DCT relationship with prac sites, the department chair, and other faculty are integral to the training of "internship ready" applicants.

 

[heartdignan]

I think we've all tried to figure this whole "Why don't some people match?" thing, and it seems like we keep coming up with the same answer - this isn't just a simple answer. I have a hard time weighing on the role of faculty vs. match rates because there are so many other variables. Were students at least getting interviews? Were you provided access to helpful materials or mentored throughout your training (i.e., in your 1st year - were you educated on how competitive the internship process was and how you could get ahead early)? How many sites were students ranking and how did they rank them? What types of sites were applied for? Across the board, all the students in my program had access to the same monthly internship meetings that I was (which I didn't find to be terribly make-or-break to the process). However, I spent hours of time reviewing the APAGs workbook, analyzing sites on APPIC, grilling former intern applicants, and talking with you folks on here. I believe that my success was 99% based on the extra effort I put into it, and frankly felt like the faculty held me back in the process because I was so far ahead of the baby steps they'd outlined for us to take. I think we all know great students who don't match in the first round that are total head scratchers and then ones that do who don't seem like were "qualified." It's so much easier to make sense of if we have the "Ahh that's it" explanation but I think there's just too many dynamic variables interplaying that resulted in a bad outcome. This is the most complex and strategic, yet totally random, process.

 

[soccercat]

Oakland is going through gentrification. A lot of lower income individuals are getting priced out and being replaced by younger (hipsterish?) individuals. Downtown is slowly being rebuilt with a lot of good restaurants, breweries, and night life entertainment. East Oakland is probably where most crimes happen I would say.

Agreed. I left the area last year but spent the past 4 years there for school. Several of my friends lived in Oakland including a couple who started a family there. They loved the culture and only left the area because the prices were rising too high. So if you know where to look you can definitely find something nice and as safe as really any city can be.

 

[docma]

Agreed. I left the area last year but spent the past 4 years there for school. Several of my friends lived in Oakland including a couple who started a family there. They loved the culture and only left the area because the prices were rising too high. So if you know where to look you can definitely find something nice and as safe as really any city can be.

Also wise to ask interns currently at the site about commute paths and commute time and costs and figure that into Bay Area locations. For example, a commute from the north may be much worse than one from the south or vice versa. And sometimes it is worth to pay something more in rent in order to spend less time driving and money on gas/bridge tolls. You may be surprised at what a differential that can be and sometimes a bigger rent turns out to be less than rent plus transit & gas/parking costs and time. And look into public transit options if they can work for your site as this can also be a relevant differential in overall costs.

 

[rceb]

Did anyone get interviewed at Southwest behavioral consortium for phase 1? A good friend of mine received an invite for phase 2 and was wondering if anyone here can provide some insight into their interviews.

 

[futureapppsy2]

I think we've all tried to figure this whole "Why don't some people match?" thing, and it seems like we keep coming up with the same answer - this isn't just a simple answer. I have a hard time weighing on the role of faculty vs. match rates because there are so many other variables. Were students at least getting interviews? Were you provided access to helpful materials or mentored throughout your training (i.e., in your 1st year - were you educated on how competitive the internship process was and how you could get ahead early)? How many sites were students ranking and how did they rank them? What types of sites were applied for? Across the board, all the students in my program had access to the same monthly internship meetings that I was (which I didn't find to be terribly make-or-break to the process). However, I spent hours of time reviewing the APAGs workbook, analyzing sites on APPIC, grilling former intern applicants, and talking with you folks on here. I believe that my success was 99% based on the extra effort I put into it, and frankly felt like the faculty held me back in the process because I was so far ahead of the baby steps they'd outlined for us to take. I think we all know great students who don't match in the first round that are total head scratchers and then ones that do who don't seem like were "qualified." It's so much easier to make sense of if we have the "Ahh that's it" explanation but I think there's just too many dynamic variables interplaying that resulted in a bad outcome. This is the most complex and strategic, yet totally random, process.

Well, some people don't match because they can't--there's literally more applicants than positions.

 

[psychrat]

edited

 

[heartdignan]

Well, some people don't match because they can't--there's literally more applicants than positions.

Correct. I was more referencing the idea of why was it one particular student not matching versus another.

 

[AphFall63LLN]

Hi everyone, congratulations to all who matched! I was curious if any of you might have any insight in to what your program/faculty have done to help your schools match rates stay consistent and/or high? My schools match rates were lower this year than expected and I strongly believe it has a lot more to do with our faculty than it does with the quality of our students. I am very interested to know anything unique that your program does to help students with the internship application and interview process that makes your program successful. Thank you to anyone who shares!

To be fair, my program did absolutely nothing to help us with internship. Not the DCT, not the program chair, not the faculty. We were 100% on our own for the entire thing, and we had everyone match in Phase I but 1 person (93% match rate), most to their top 2, all to top 4. I agree 100% our programs should facilitate the process somewhat by at least giving us advice and providing us with information from past years, but in my experience its about applicants taking the initiative to reach out to those currently on internship, faculty, and other mentors to get advice and do their own research.

Each adviser/lab held mock interviews. That's about all.

I am really curious what else you feel they could/should do that's not already in the job description of a graduate faculty member?

Based on my experience, that would have been huge. I'm impressed they take the time to do that!

 

[baristablair]

If anyone matched in Ohio, PM me! I'd love to find my internship cohort!