PhD/PsyD APPIC Internship Interview Invitation Thread (2019)

[attitudelikeasunrise]

Ranking is really hard and I keep changing the order of my sites. Any opinions on how to rank the following three would be greatly appreciated. They all have their pros and cons. UCSF (pro: guaranteed awesome neuro post doc after, con: cost of living, not sure where id get the extra funds, less heavy neuro internship). Brown (pro: good reputation, good balance of clinical and research, con: really didn't love providence), Emory (pro: most excited about the clinical training here, affordable to live, con: no post doc options after but also know I would not want to settle there). I don't have ties to anywhere. help!

While UCSF is certainly a great training site, the cost of living in that area is definitely something to really consider. It would be *almost* impossible to live there for a year just on an internship stipend alone. The hard part is that if you choose to live in the city close enough to walk to the campus (or bike), the housing prices are astronomical and you will likely be living in a room the size of a big closet, while still having to live with multiple other people. If you decided to move further outside of SF (E.g., Daly City, San Mateo, Burlingame, Menlo Park, Palo Alto, Mountain View, Sunnyvale etc.) you would likely still have to live with other people (but might get a little more space) and would have to deal with commuting every day. It might be different for interns, but I know that there is no free parking for the practicum students on site, and they have to pay around $20 per day to park in the garage on campus if they want to drive, plus traffic into the city is terrible. You can commute via CalTrain, BART, Muni, or buses, but they also cost money obviously, as well as time and energy. Also take into consideration that virtually everything (E.g., gas, food, clothing, entertainment) costs on average $1.00-3.00 more than other parts of the country. If these are stressors that you feel like you can handle then, by all means, I think you would get excellent training, however financial distress is highly likely.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Taber]

Ranking is really hard and I keep changing the order of my sites. Any opinions on how to rank the following three would be greatly appreciated. They all have their pros and cons. UCSF (pro: guaranteed awesome neuro post doc after, con: cost of living, not sure where id get the extra funds, less heavy neuro internship). Brown (pro: good reputation, good balance of clinical and research, con: really didn't love providence), Emory (pro: most excited about the clinical training here, affordable to live, con: no post doc options after but also know I would not want to settle there). I don't have ties to anywhere. help!

From the information you provided, this is what I would decide (opinion below is based on my own values):

1. Emory because you are the most excited about their clinical training. You'll likely be able to get a great post - doc afterward and are able to move away for your post-doc (since you don't want to stay in the area anyways).

2. Brown because they have a good reputation and a good balance of research and clinical work. However, you aren't as excited about their training as you are about Emory's training. Similarly to Emory, you'll likely be able to get a great post-doc and move away after internship since you don't like the city.

3. UCSF because the city is too expensive for me personally. I've also been told numerous times that applying for post - docs is much less stressful than applying for internships. Since you liked the training at the other sites better, I'd rank the other sites higher and then apply to awesome post-docs that you are excited about.

 

[neuropsych99]

While UCSF is certainly a great training site, the cost of living in that area is definitely something to really consider. It would be *almost* impossible to live there for a year just on an internship stipend alone. The hard part is that if you choose to live in the city close enough to walk to the campus (or bike), the housing prices are astronomical and you will likely be living in a room the size of a big closet, while still having to live with multiple other people. If you decided to move further outside of SF (E.g., Daly City, San Mateo, Burlingame, Menlo Park, Palo Alto, Mountain View, Sunnyvale etc.) you would likely still have to live with other people (but might get a little more space) and would have to deal with commuting every day. It might be different for interns, but I know that there is no free parking for the practicum students on site, and they have to pay around $20 per day to park in the garage on campus if they want to drive, plus traffic into the city is terrible. You can commute via CalTrain, BART, Muni, or buses, but they also cost money obviously, as well as time and energy. Also take into consideration that virtually everything (E.g., gas, food, clothing, entertainment) costs on average $1.00-3.00 more than other parts of the country. If these are stressors that you feel like you can handle then, by all means, I think you would get excellent training, however financial distress is highly likely.

Thanks for your response. I know I would definitely need to take a big loan out. I guess I'm trying to decide whether letting money get in the way of what is best long term is a valid reason not to rank it higher. Glad to hear from someone who is familiar with San Fran and the reality of the cost of living.

 

[neuropsych99]

From the information you provided, this is what I would decide (opinion below is based on my own values):

1. Emory because you are the most excited about their clinical training. You'll likely be able to get a great post - doc afterward and are able to move away for your post-doc (since you don't want to stay in the area anyways).

2. Brown because they have a good reputation and a good balance of research and clinical work. However, you aren't as excited about their training as you are about Emory's training. Similarly to Emory, you'll likely be able to get a great post-doc and move away after internship since you don't like the city.

3. UCSF because the city is too expensive for me personally. I've also been told numerous times that applying for post - docs is much less stressful than applying for internships. Since you liked the training at the other sites better, I'd rank the other sites higher and then apply to awesome post-docs that you are excited about.

Thank you, I think I had this order at one point and completely changed it. Of course, I'm grateful to have these options but the experiences would be so different so difficult to know what matters most!

 

[Seven_Costanza]

Thanks for your response. I know I would definitely need to take a big loan out. I guess I'm trying to decide whether letting money get in the way of what is best long term is a valid reason not to rank it higher. Glad to hear from someone who is familiar with San Fran and the reality of the cost of living.

I don’t think that any of these sites will limit your chances when applying for postdocs at all, as long as they all align well with the type of postdoc you want. They’re all awesome sites, so congrats! Given that, I’d definitely go with the site you were most excited about.

 

[ToneTone]

Thanks for your response. I know I would definitely need to take a big loan out. I guess I'm trying to decide whether letting money get in the way of what is best long term is a valid reason not to rank it higher. Glad to hear from someone who is familiar with San Fran and the reality of the cost of living.

I think the rent down in the South Bay is even more prohibitive if I remember correctly than parts of SF due to the close proximity to Silicon Valley and better schools. Even if you find a place in SF, the commute can still take a long time within the city whether you're driving or taking public transportation. Happy to talk to anyone via private message who is considering the Bay Area. There's no way one can survive on internship salary without loans unless it's like 40k maybe....and if you have pets or need a parking spot, it's even harder to find housing!

 

[slaney]

To whoever recommended this bad boy - thank you! I would have never thought of it but this thing was clutch on the interview rounds.

View attachment 249271

You're very welcome!! Glad it worked out so well for you, and congrats on making it to the end of the interview trail!!

 

[Jegg]

That animated GIF is sort of creepy... lol

 

[MAClinician]

Can’t speak to any of the training experiences but even though Providence isn’t a “great” city, it’s about an hour to Boston and under 3 to NYC. You are also not far from beaches in Southern RI, Cape Cod MA, or the mountains in NH OR VT. If you are in a good place with your dissertation and looking for weekend “getaways “ to cope with internship, Providence has many options. And there are lots of towns/cities within reasonable commute if you don’t want to live IN Providence. Especially if it’s only for a year. Just something to think about

 

[Seven_Costanza]

Can’t speak to any of the training experiences but even though Providence isn’t a “great” city, it’s about an hour to Boston and under 3 to NYC. You are also not far from beaches in Southern RI, Cape Cod MA, or the mountains in NH OR VT. If you are in a good place with your dissertation and looking for weekend “getaways “ to cope with internship, Providence has many options. And there are lots of towns/cities within reasonable commute if you don’t want to live IN Providence. Especially if it’s only for a year. Just something to think about

And an hour from New Haven pizza...mmm...<drool>

 

[Seven_Costanza]

That animated GIF is sort of creepy... lol

How dare you? Amy Poehler and Slaney are Queen!

 

[Jegg]

How dare you? Amy Poehler and Slaney are Queen!

 

[slaney]

How dare you? Amy Poehler and Slaney are Queen!

3. UCSF because the city is too expensive for me personally. I've also been told numerous times that applying for post - docs is much less stressful than applying for internships. Since you liked the training at the other sites better, I'd rank the other sites higher and then apply to awesome post-docs that you are excited about.

I'd like to speak to all the people who told you this and introduce them to me and everyone else I know going through this process right now.

 

[Taber]

I'd like to speak to all the people who told you this and introduce them to me and everyone else I know going through this process right now.

You want to speak to people from my program who are going through this process right now (and who have gone through that process in the past 2 years) to tell them that they are wrong in their opinion and perception of the post - doc vs internship application process?

 

[slaney]

You want to speak to people from my program who are going through this process right now (and who have gone through that process in the past 2 years) to tell them that they are wrong in their opinion and perception of the post - doc vs internship application process?

Nope, that was just a joke, friend . While both internship and postdoc are stressful, I and several others have been struck by the added stress caused by the lack of structure (despite APPIC's attempts at making things more structured with the UND and UPPD) in the postdoc process. Some of us have even been lamenting about our missing the Match, which I deffffff didn't think would ever happen! I'm also totally open to the possibility that the postdoc process feels more stressful because that's the one I'm currently in the midst of. Either way, both are inherently stressful, if for different reasons and in different inensities for different folks. Isn't this whole psychology degree thing fun, y'all?

 

[Taber]

Nope, that was just a joke, friend . While both internship and postdoc are stressful, I and several others have been struck by the added stress caused by the lack of structure (despite APPIC's attempts at making things more structured with the UND and UPPD) in the postdoc process. Some of us have even been lamenting about our missing the Match, which I deffffff didn't think would ever happen! I'm also totally open to the possibility that the postdoc process feels more stressful because that's the one I'm currently in the midst of. Either way, both are inherently stressful, if for different reasons and in different inensities for different folks. Isn't this whole psychology degree thing fun, y'all?

Thank you for clarifying. Sorry if my comment came accross as snarky. I haven't been having the best today...

The whole Psych degree thing is definitely super fun. Haha

 

[slaney]

Thank you for clarifying. Sorry if my comment came accross as snarky. I haven't been having the best today...

The whole Psych degree thing is definitely super fun. Haha

You asked a question, and I clarified. No need to apologize . Hope your day (and the days to come as you head into Match Day) get a little less sucky!

 

[fallen625]

All that we need to do now that interviews are done is to enter our rankings and certify them, right?

 

[GradStudent2020]

All that we need to do now that interviews are done is to enter our rankings and certify them, right?

Yep! If you change your mind between now and rank day you can update and re-certify your new list.

 

[CatLover&PsychEnthusiast]

I just realized I spent more on internship interviews and applications than I did on my wedding. It is incredible how expensive this process is. I just wanted to take a min and acknowledge that. This is especially a barrier for those who are lower SES. I think it’s up to our generation to make a change with this process for future trainees. There has to be a better way. And to think many of us will be doing this all over again for postdoc (but on a smaller scale) :sigh:

 

[psydstudent2020]

Similar to what another user asked, could you guys help me rank my top 3 sites? I want to go into forensic evaluation.
Colorado MH Institute at Pueblo
Florida State Hospital
Fulton State Hospital

 

[psyche27]

I just realized I spent more on internship interviews and applications than I did on my wedding. It is incredible how expensive this process is. I just wanted to take a min and acknowledge that. This is especially a barrier for those who are lower SES. I think it’s up to our generation to make a change with this process for future trainees. There has to be a better way. And to think many of us will be doing this all over again for postdoc (but on a smaller scale) :sigh:

This is the main reason my site (and many UCC sites) don’t do in person interviews. The cost of flying out doesn’t outweigh the benefits to the site or the applicant in my opinion.

 

[WisNeuro]

This is the main reason my site (and many UCC sites) don’t do in person interviews. The cost of flying out doesn’t outweigh the benefits to the site or the applicant in my opinion.

Flying out and seeing things in person was invaluable to me. My ranking changed considerably between my top 5 and bottom 5 after seeing things in person. Well worth it IMO. That being said, we still understand if someone cannot fly out, we still had someone ranked very highly this year who could not do an in person interview.

 

[attitudelikeasunrise]

Flying out and seeing things in person was invaluable to me. My ranking changed considerably between my top 5 and bottom 5 after seeing things in person. Well worth it IMO. That being said, we still understand if someone cannot fly out, we still had someone ranked very highly this year who could not do an in person interview.

I agree that getting to interview in person is highly beneficial for the applicant in particular. One of the sites I visited had a great program, but the city itself felt extremely unsafe and not somewhere I could picture myself living for even one year. I would have never known that was the case without going there myself and having that experience. Also, people's tolerance for certain things (E.g., city vs. rural, regional differences, weather etc.) is very different, so you can't really just take another person's word for it unless you know that you both have very similar dispositions. But yes, it's very expensive, so it seems like it should just be a personal decision whether the expenses are worth it to you or not.

 

[GradStudent2020]

I just realized I spent more on internship interviews and applications than I did on my wedding. It is incredible how expensive this process is. I just wanted to take a min and acknowledge that. This is especially a barrier for those who are lower SES. I think it’s up to our generation to make a change with this process for future trainees. There has to be a better way. And to think many of us will be doing this all over again for postdoc (but on a smaller scale) :sigh:

Yes! This field is pay-to-play, you either have the resources or you don’t get access. I think it’s a huge problem that is largely unrecognized and often minimized. The cost of the internship application process, with travel and fees, is uneccessary and extreme. I really appreciate the trend of sites offering Skype or phone interviews in order to reduce the impact on students that cannot afford that expense. Of all the sites I interviewed with nothing shocking came up in person that significantly swayed my opinion.

I’ve seen statements like yours responded to in ridiculously patronizing ways, with undertones of “if you can’t commit the (time, money, etc.) you don’t really deserve to practice in this field.”


ETA: comments like “Worth it to you” or “invaluable” really ignore the reality of some students.... People aren’t likely choosing between attending an internship interview and some non-necessity. Students are choosing between in-person interviews and rent, childcare, healthcare, car payment, etc.

 

[GradStudent2020]

Similar to what another user asked, could you guys help me rank my top 3 sites? I want to go into forensic evaluation.
Colorado MH Institute at Pueblo
Florida State Hospital
Fulton State Hospital

I know a current intern at Fulton has raved about how great it is. I wasn’t listening to the details because it’s not anywhere near my personal training goals. I don’t know if that’s helpful but my top picks are all sites where the current interns seemed happy with their placement and training opportunities.

 

[psyche27]

Flying out and seeing things in person was invaluable to me. My ranking changed considerably between my top 5 and bottom 5 after seeing things in person. Well worth it IMO. That being said, we still understand if someone cannot fly out, we still had someone ranked very highly this year who could not do an in person interview.

We let applicants come see the site and the city if they choose. We just don’t make it an obligation or requirement and set it up to be fair to all applicants so that it doesn’t influence our rank order decisions. The purpose truly is so that people don’t have to choose between rent and internship.

 

[GradStudent2020]

We let applicants come see the site and the city if they choose. We just don’t make it an obligation or requirement and set it up to be fair to all applicants so that it doesn’t influence our rank order decisions. The purpose truly is so that people don’t have to choose between rent and internship.

I really want to thank you for this. It speaks to your placement as a whole that this is considered.

 

[CatLover&PsychEnthusiast]

Yes, I am thankful to sites like @psyche27’s and @WisNeuro’s that do not require in-person interviews. Unfortunately most on my list did require them. I agree there can be benefits of visiting in person, but also want to acknowledge what a barrier this can be. I also think about how the cost impacted my savings (aka financial safety net). I like that many neuropsych postdocs interview at INS. I think moving towards a model like this for internship, or even combining internship and postdoc into a single training step (2-yr or 3-yr postdocs in lieu of internship), could be an alternative for our field to consider in the future. Just throwing out ideas about how to make the process more equitable.

 

[WisNeuro]

We let applicants come see the site and the city if they choose. We just don’t make it an obligation or requirement and set it up to be fair to all applicants so that it doesn’t influence our rank order decisions. The purpose truly is so that people don’t have to choose between rent and internship.

Our post-interview rankings are usually pretty close to pre-internship rankings. The top people on paper are almost universally the top after it's all said and done. But, for those people who are clustered together, the interviews have moved some people up when they absolutely impress everyone. So, not coming to the interview day won't negatively affect you, but it can theoretically limit your ability to interact with as many adcom members and impress them above and beyond your CV. Definitely a decision people have to make, for better or worse.

 

[GradStudent2020]

Yes, I am thankful to sites like @psyche27’s and @WisNeuro’s that do not require in-person interviews. Unfortunately most on my list did require them. I agree there can be benefits of visiting in person, but also want to acknowledge what a barrier this can be. I’m lucky to have a spouse, so two incomes made it possible for me, but I think about others with less resources. I also think about how the cost impacted my savings (aka financial safety net). I like that many neuropsych postdocs interview at INS. I think moving towards a model like this for internship, or even combining internship and postdoc into a single training step (2-yr or 3-yr postdocs in lieu of internship), could be an alternative for our field to consider in the future. Just throwing out ideas about how to make the process more equitable.

I know of at least one site that does not do any in-person interviews, to keep the playing field as level as possible for applicants. They do offer the option to tour the site and meet current interns, but only conduct Skype/phone interviews.

 

[WisNeuro]

Yes, I am thankful to sites like @psyche27’s and @WisNeuro’s that do not require in-person interviews. Unfortunately most on my list did require them. I agree there can be benefits of visiting in person, but also want to acknowledge what a barrier this can be. I’m lucky to have a spouse, so two incomes made it possible for me, but I think about others with less resources. I also think about how the cost impacted my savings (aka financial safety net). I like that many neuropsych postdocs interview at INS. I think moving towards a model like this for internship, or even combining internship and postdoc into a single training step (2-yr or 3-yr postdocs in lieu of internship), could be an alternative for our field to consider in the future. Just throwing out ideas about how to make the process more equitable.

You'd get a lot of pushback on this one. As someone who has been on both sides, I would never agree to this for our site for various reasons. Interesting concepts, but a lot of pragmatic limitations. Feel free to open a separate thread if it's something you want to discuss more fully.

 

[CatLover&PsychEnthusiast]

Yeah, just thinking creatively here, not boasting that idea. But mainly interested in equity.

 

[GradStudent2020]

Yeah, just thinking creatively here, not boasting that idea. But mainly interested in equity.

Several states have done away with the post-doc requirement in lieu of a total supervised hours requirement. At least in those states the (expensive) expectation to move several times over the course of training is reduced.

 

[attitudelikeasunrise]

ETA: comments like “Worth it to you” or “invaluable” really ignore the reality of some students.... People aren’t likely choosing between attending an internship interview and some non-necessity. Students are choosing between in-person interviews and rent, childcare, healthcare, car payment, etc.

My intention was not to ignore the financial difficulties of certain people, it was to point out the benefit of attending an interview in person as opposed to doing a remote interview. It is both true that the whole process is very expensive (and possibly limiting to some applicants) and that it is helpful to attend interviews in person.

 

[WisNeuro]

I would strongly caution against the no postdoc route. Many states do still require it, and portability would be difficult. Additionally, required for board certification for some specialties, which in some areas is becoming requirement for hiring.

 

[GradStudent2020]

My intention was not to ignore the financial difficulties of certain people, it was to point out the benefit of attending an interview in person as opposed to doing a remote interview. It is both true that the whole process is very expensive (and possibly limiting to some applicants) and that it is helpful to attend interviews in person.

I really appreciated your comments on how in-person interviews can provide beneficial information that may be hard to get otherwise. I was with you until your last sentence! And I don’t mean to pick apart your advice, I just think how we use our words matter. In this particular context, saying “worth it” really highlights the literal value/expense. It’s worth being mindful of how that comes off to people that literally cannot afford this particular aspect of our field. The reality is that not being able to afford the travel makes them less competitive to sites that have bias towards in-person applicants. Or worse, not an option to sites that insist on in-person interviews.

 

[GradStudent2020]

I would strongly caution against the no postdoc route. Many states do still require it, and portability would be difficult. Additionally, required for board certification for some specialties, which in some areas is becoming requirement for hiring.

I live in one of those states currently and intend to pursue post-doc for exactly those reasons. I think all the credentialing bodies that assist with portability across states require a post-doc.

 

[GradStudent2020]

I would strongly caution against the no postdoc route. Many states do still require it, and portability would be difficult. Additionally, required for board certification for some specialties, which in some areas is becoming requirement for hiring.

However, I hope that the trend of not requiring a post-doc continues. Our field has shifted significantly in pre-doc supervised hours requirement and licensure bodies should update their policies to reflect that.

I do think post-docs and/or additional requirements for specialties or board certification should remain.

 

[WisNeuro]

However, I hope that the trend of not requiring a post-doc continues. Our field has shifted significantly in pre-doc supervised hours requirement and licensure bodies should update their policies to reflect that.

I do think post-docs and/or additional requirements for specialties or board certification should remain.

Considering that board certification is becoming more of a requirement in other areas besides npsych, many of which require specialized supervised postdoc experiences. I don't see that happening any time soon.

 

[GradStudent2020]

Considering that board certification is becoming more of a requirement in other areas besides npsych, many of which require specialized supervised postdoc experiences. I don't see that happening any time soon.

You don’t see what happening? More state licensure boards doing away with post-docs as a licensure requirement? About 1/3 of the states have done it already, and there are additional states where it is in the works to update the licensure standards in the near future.

 

[WisNeuro]

You don’t see what happening? More state licensure boards doing away with post-docs as a licensure requirement? About 1/3 of the states have done it already, and there are additional states where it is in the works to update the licensure standards in the near future.

I don't see the need to not have a postdoc happening. Also, that 1/3 of states estimate may be a bit high, none of the states I am licensed in or live near have adopted such rules. And, for my state, no one is even talking about it at the board level.

And, even in the states that may not require postdoc, the required numbers of supervised hours almost ensure you will need one, or accept some predatory position initially to get those hours.

 

[GradStudent2020]

I don't see the need to not have a postdoc happening. Also, that 1/3 of states estimate may be a bit high, none of the states I am licensed in or live near have adopted such rules. And, for my state, no one is even talking about it at the board level.

And, even in the states that may not require postdoc, the required numbers of supervised hours almost ensure you will need one, or accept some predatory position initially to get those hours.

1/3 isn’t an “estimate”, it’s 18 states at the moment so actually slightly more than 1/3.

I’m not sure the hours required will ensure students will need to get those post-degree. Probably depends on the expectations of their degree program. As an example, Missouri requires an internship (1500) plus 2000 more hours. Myself and everyone in my cohort will have that at graduation. (I’m not in Missouri, just an example).

Then there are states that may never consider that, of course. I don’t know what state you are in and don’t follow the board updates for EVERY state, just the ones I’m likely to be in over the next few years.

 

[WisNeuro]

Make sure you're reading the fine lines, some states specify that pre-doctoral hours do not count towards licensure. For anyone reading, make sure that you closely read the requirements of the states that you think you may want to get licensed when you are all said and done as an ECP. Or, make sure if you will be seeking specialty board certification that you know what you will need with internship and postdoc before making a rash move.

 

[GradStudent2020]

Make sure you're reading the fine lines, some states specify that pre-doctoral hours do not count towards licensure. For anyone reading, make sure that you closely read the requirements of the states that you think you may want to get licensed when you are all said and done as an ECP. Or, make sure if you will be seeking specialty board certification that you know what you will need with internship and postdoc before making a rash move.

Lol, have a LITTLE faith that those of us at the internship match phase actually know how to get factual information about licensure requirements outside of this board.

 

[GradStudent2020]

Here’s some more info about those state-level changes if anyone is interested!

State Psychology Licensure Toolkit

 

[WisNeuro]

Lol, have a LITTLE faith that those of us at the internship match phase actually know how to get factual information about licensure requirements outside of this board.

Experience on this board and the sheer number of threads people create at the time that they are going for licensure is exactly the reason for my lack of faith

 

[attitudelikeasunrise]

I really appreciated your comments on how in-person interviews can provide beneficial information that may be hard to get otherwise. I was with you until your last sentence! And I don’t mean to pick apart your advice, I just think how we use our words matter. In this particular context, saying “worth it” really highlights the literal value/expense. It’s worth being mindful of how that comes off to people that literally cannot afford this particular aspect of our field. The reality is that not being able to afford the travel makes them less competitive to sites that have bias towards in-person applicants. Or worse, not an option to sites that insist on in-person interviews.

You are certainly entitled to your own interpretations about the nature of certain terminology. My comment was specifically geared toward people who are in a position to decide whether they want to go to interviews in-person or not and if that cost is "worth" the potential benefit. Not all statements are going to pertain to all groups of people at all times, and in my opinion, that's okay.

 

[GradStudent2020]

You are certainly entitled to your own interpretations about the nature of certain terminology. My comment was specifically geared toward people who are in a position to decide whether they want to go to interviews in-person or not and if that cost is "worth" the potential benefit. Not all statements are going to pertain to all groups of people at all times, and in my opinion, that's okay.

My mistake! I thought we were part of the same convo about how the process is problematic due to cost. I don’t know any students that could afford the travel but decided the in-person interview wasn’t “worth it”.

 

[laughingasong]

I went on one interview where none of the current interns were applying for formal post docs. Is this a red flag or more of just a weird coincidence? The supervisors I interviewed with assured me that in the past, plenty of interns have obtained post docs in their preferred fields.