2020-2021 APPIC Match

[PhDenial]

How many suits do others have/ are they planning to buy? I have one but I'm considering buying another as backup. I could see myself spilling coffee on it or something while I was away for a couple interviews in a row...

I was given the advice of having a few different shirts with me. I think shirts (especially white shirts) are more prone to accidents like coffee spills. I plan to have a couple dress pants/skirts, jackets, and about 3-4 shirts.

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[szymk1sm]

This may seem like a silly suggestion, but it helped me out immensely on internship and postdoc interviews. If you're someone who sweats a lot while nervous, invest in some panty liners and place them in the armpits of your suit jacket. I obviously changed my shirt with each interview, but only had to get my suit dry cleaned once during my round of 10+ internship interviews. You may want to be discreet with taking your jacket off in public or else you may end up with a panty liner on the floor (hahah!).

 

[prisonpsych2020]

No problem. Now, just don't do what I did on one of my trips out for an internship interview, I had dry cleaned my suit and forgot to put the pants back with the suit coat and left them at home. I had to make a trip to JCPenney which was near the place I was interviewing and find a pair of pants that matched the exact shade of the suit top. Not fun.

I got to one interview and realized the morning of that I forgot shoes. Thankfully, it was in a town with a target and I picked up some black flats on the way.

 

[occamsrzr]

Is there a forum for internship interviews/rejections? I have received one of each so far. I noticed that another member said they created one but I have not found a link.

 

[TennRunner]

Is there a forum for internship interviews/rejections? I have received one of each so far. I noticed that another member said they created one but I have not found a link.

APPIC Internship Interview Invitation Thread (2020)

APPIC Internship Interview Invitation Thread (2020)

I'm checking SDN enough I may as well put it to good use. I'll do my best to track and update as invites come in. You can either make a post in this thread or PM me. If you PM me I will not share your username with anyone. Either way, please use the following format: Official Site Name: Date...

forums.studentdoctor.net

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[Mountain Climber]

How many suits do others have/ are they planning to buy? I have one but I'm considering buying another as backup. I could see myself spilling coffee on it or something while I was away for a couple interviews in a row...

I only have one and can not afford a second. I have some other dress pants that I will bring as a back up. Do people who work at sites have any thoughts about masculine folks wearing dress pants, shirt, tie, sweater or vest but no suit jacket?

 

[AbnormalPsych]

Definitely think it is worth it to have 2 sets. Dry cleaning is tough to make time for in the madness of all the travel. I know some people that did 12+ interviews with one set of everything and they did not enjoy it towards the end...

 

[dcpsychdoc]

I only have one and can not afford a second. I have some other dress pants that I will bring as a back up. Do people who work at sites have any thoughts about masculine folks wearing dress pants, shirt, tie, sweater or vest but no suit jacket?

Hi there. At our site we (psychologists) typically dress “business casual.” And, due to the fluctuations in temperature in our interview spaces, we often encourage applicants to feel free to take off any jackets that are too hot. (Most of our applicants do show up
in suits with jackets). At our site we would be fine with an applicant dressed as you describe, but you may want to err on the side of caution. Best of luck with this process!

 

[Mountain Climber]

Hi there. At our site we (psychologists) typically dress “business casual.” And, due to the fluctuations in temperature in our interview spaces, we often encourage applicants to feel free to take off any jackets that are too hot. (Most of our applicants do show up
in suits with jackets). At our site we would be fine with an applicant dressed as you describe, but you may want to err on the side of caution. Best of luck with this process!

Thank you so much.

 

[psychlife19]

If you had to pick, which is better to apply to? Looking for a last minute place to apply to:

-site that fits your clinical interests but is NOT APA accredited (working with correctional oinpatient kids/adolescents)
- site that is APA accredited but does not fit your clinical interests (ex. It’s in a inpatient setting but with adults)
-neither and save your money!

my goal is to work with TEENS, not younger kids. I am thinking adults are more similar to older teens, instead of little kids being closer to the teen population...but how would a post doc director look at this?

 

[PhDenial]

If you had to pick, which is better to apply to? Looking for a last minute place to apply to:

-site that fits your clinical interests but is NOT APA accredited (working with inpatient kids/adolescents)
- site that is APA accredited but does not fit your clinical interests (ex. It’s in a inpatient setting but with adults)
-neither and save your money!

If you have interest in working with children/adolescents (and you have experience in that area), I wouldn't do an internship with adults. I would say a good in-between for you would be to work with children and adolescents at an outpatient setting. It's a bit of an easier sell to work with kids in an outpatient setting for internship and then work with kids in an inpatient setting post-internship than to work with adults for internship and then try to switch to working with kids post-internship. Anecdotally, I hear it's easier to move from working with kids to working with adults than vice-versa. Just my two cents.

 

[child_psych123]

If you had to pick, which is better to apply to? Looking for a last minute place to apply to:

-site that fits your clinical interests but is NOT APA accredited (working with inpatient kids/adolescents)
- site that is APA accredited but does not fit your clinical interests (ex. It’s in a inpatient setting but with adults)
-neither and save your money!

I know that you didn't list this as an option, but I would consider looking at sites that are "accredited-on-contingency" that may match your clinical interests, if possible. Although not the case for all sites that are "accredited-on-contingency," many are just newer programs that have not yet been able to produce the outcome measures (because they are new) that APA requires...not necessarily because they did something "wrong" that led to a change in their accreditation status.

 

[psychlife19]

I know that you didn't list this as an option, but I would consider looking at sites that are "accredited-on-contingency" that may match your clinical interests, if possible. Although not the case for all sites that are "accredited-on-contingency," many are just newer programs that have not yet been able to produce the outcome measures (because they are new) that APA requires...not necessarily because they did something "wrong" that led to a change in their accreditation status.

Good point!

 

[GradStudent2020]

Hi there. At our site we (psychologists) typically dress “business casual.” And, due to the fluctuations in temperature in our interview spaces, we often encourage applicants to feel free to take off any jackets that are too hot. (Most of our applicants do show up
in suits with jackets). At our site we would be fine with an applicant dressed as you describe, but you may want to err on the side of caution. Best of luck with this process!

Thank you for sharing!

Like many students, buying multiple suits was not a sound financial decision for me. I bought one and invested in a small travel steamer. Worked beautifully.

I find the suit expectation so interesting. I have experience at a range of mental health settings and rarely see LP’s in full suits. Really only the ones headed to court or some other out of the ordinary meeting. I wore my suit jacket a few times the first month of internship (business casual dress code), but mostly wear nice cardigans or blazers with slacks.

 

[dcpsychdoc]

Thank you for sharing!

Like many students, buying multiple suits was not a sound financial decision for me. I bought one and invested in a small travel steamer. Worked beautifully.

I find the suit expectation so interesting. I have experience at a range of mental health settings and rarely see LP’s in full suits. Really only the ones headed to court or some other out of the ordinary meeting. I wore my suit jacket a few times the first month of internship (business casual dress code), but mostly wear nice cardigans or blazers with slacks.

Travel steamers are a wonder! And, I like to pack a wrinkle release spray if I am checking a bag somewhere. Most of them not only help with wrinkles, but also serve to “freshen up” jackets and suits.

 

[WisNeuro]

Travel steamers are a wonder! And, I like to pack a wrinkle release spray if I am checking a bag somewhere. Most of them not only help with wrinkles, but also serve to “freshen up” jackets and suits.

Travel steamers can work, but save the time and packing space and just hang up your suit in the bathroom when taking a hot shower the night before and you'll be fine, at least with most suit and shirt fabrics. Touch up with an iron, and you're golden.

 

[GradStudent2020]

Hanging your clothes in the bathroom during a shower is great advice for very high end fabrics and/or clothing made to be wrinkle resistant. Seems to do the trick for my husband’s wardrobe but the steamer was a necessary edition for the women’s suiting/tops I own. Hanging in a steamy bathroom will do jack **** for smells, if you are wearing multiple times between interviews.

 

[Seven_Costanza]

Hanging your clothes in the bathroom during a shower is great advice for very high end fabrics and/or clothing made to be wrinkle resistant. Seems to do the trick for my husband’s wardrobe but the steamer was a necessary edition for the women’s suiting/tops I own. Hanging in a steamy bathroom will do jack **** for smells, if you are wearing multiple times between interviews.

Completely agree. I definitely needed a steamer for certain tops, as well as for the suit skirt I wore which got those dastardly wrinkles in the front from sitting down.

 

[WisNeuro]

As for the smells, dryer sheets work way better than a steamer.

 

[Mountain Climber]

Does anyone have inside knowledge on the acceptability of bringing a backpack to interviews?

 

[Seven_Costanza]

Does anyone have inside knowledge on the acceptability of bringing a backpack to interviews?

Completely acceptable. Lots of people bring backpacks, luggage, etc.


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[dcpsychdoc]

Completely acceptable. Lots of people bring backpacks, luggage, etc.


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Agree! We know you are traveling. And, many of us use backpacks as well

 

[psychlife19]

Agree! We know you are traveling. And, many of us use backpacks as well

Okay serious question- the only backpack I own is white with pink polkadots. Will this be seen as unprofessional or should I get a new backpack for the interview?

i imagine sites will offer a space to drop luggage off, so it’s not like I will be carrying it around...

other option is my wife’s old army backpack lol

 

[Seven_Costanza]

Okay serious question- the only backpack I own is white with pink polkadots. Will this be seen as unprofessional or should I get a new backpack for the interview?

i imagine sites will offer a space to drop luggage off, so it’s not like I will be carrying it around...

other option is my wife’s old army backpack lol

I saw backpacks of all kinds last year, including red with white polka dots. I don’t think any of the interviewers paid attention to which bag belonged to whom. Most sites had you drop them off in a room so you’re not carrying them around as you said.

 

[prisonpsych2020]

Okay serious question- the only backpack I own is white with pink polkadots. Will this be seen as unprofessional or should I get a new backpack for the interview?

i imagine sites will offer a space to drop luggage off, so it’s not like I will be carrying it around...

other option is my wife’s old army backpack lol

While it is probably not a dealbreaker, I always encourage folks to consider your audience (type of site). If it is a more conservative setting, or one where staff dress up more, I would err on the side of caution. When I was going through this process last year, thinking of things in that manner was helpful for me.

 

[deleted1003601]

Perhaps for Christmas, people can ask their family, significant others, etc. for a nice satchel, briefcase, etc.? Tons of deals going on with Black Friday weekend and Cyber Monday.

 

[str63]

Okay serious question- the only backpack I own is white with pink polkadots. Will this be seen as unprofessional or should I get a new backpack for the interview?

i imagine sites will offer a space to drop luggage off, so it’s not like I will be carrying it around...

other option is my wife’s old army backpack lol

Honestly, I have no idea what luggage/backpacks people bring with them. Our site does have a place to hold your things, so most interviewers probably wouldn't see it at my site. If you don't need a new backpack, I don't know that I would buy a new one. Now, if your clothing was white with pink polka dots, I'd probably encourage you to buy something new.