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how does that work though?
APPIC Interview Invitation Thread (2021)
Started by psykhe
Essentially, the algorithm begins by trying to match students to sites in the order of the student's preferences, and students either match there or move down to the next site on their list based on whether they were ranked by the site and then the site's preferences. So in the example student A and B would match with their top choices because their first choice sites ranked them, so the algorithm would tentatively match them with their first choice, and the students who were rated higher by the sites tentatively matched elsewhere first. I found the explanation in NMS's video helpful.
APPIC Match | The Matching Algorithm
natmatch.com
yea I knew I saw it somewhere!Essentially, the algorithm begins by trying to match students to sites in the order of the student's preferences, and students either match there or move down to the next site on their list based on whether they were ranked by the site and then the site's preferences. So in the example student A and B would match with their top choices because their first choice sites ranked them, so the algorithm would tentatively match them with their first choice, and the students who were rated higher by the sites tentatively matched elsewhere first. I found the explanation in NMS's video helpful.
APPIC Match | The Matching Algorithm
Neurogeek91
Full Member
Can someone name the top 5ish neuro programs?
DietCokeSoda
Full Member
Pediatrics, adult, or lifespan?
neuro_is_the_werd
Doctoral Candidate
Interesting! I interviewed there and did NOT receive this email... May I ask what track you were applying to? I wonder if that makes a difference...
What are people's thoughts on BOP internships? Trying to decide how I should rank...
Depends on what you want to do in your career. If you want to work in those settings, rank highly. If you want to work in a VA/AMC, probably not.
What does this mean:Essentially, the algorithm begins by trying to match students to sites in the order of the student's preferences, and students either match there or move down to the next site on their list based on whether they were ranked by the site and then the site's preferences. So in the example student A and B would match with their top choices because their first choice sites ranked them, so the algorithm would tentatively match them with their first choice, and the students who were rated higher by the sites tentatively matched elsewhere first. I found the explanation in NMS's video helpful.
APPIC Match | The Matching Algorithm
"Furthermore, the matching algorithm can accommodate other special requirements, such as the matching of applicants as "couples", and the reversion of unfilled positions from one program to another in order to facilitate the filling of available positions."
And also, do most programs with multiple positions do this:
"If a program wishes to recruit a particular distribution of applicants based on specific applicant characteristics, the program can attempt to do this in the Match by dividing its available positions into separate types and submitting separate Rank Order Lists for each type of position."
Not that it will influence my ranking, just curious.
Why would a program, except in kind of extreme circumstances, not rank a candidate they interviewed? Is there a limit to how many they can rank?
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I am interested in both corrections and forensic, but not sure if I want to do a postdoc. Would doing an internship at a BOP affect my chances of getting a forensic postdoc fellowship?
If you are interested in forensic, I would plan on doing a postdoc. At the least, read up on requirements for ABPP. Best to make sure you meet training requirements early than have to scramble to make up later.
We don't rank applicants who we don't want coming to our program. These are individuals who we do not think have the training to succeed( sometimes applicants present themselves well in their essays, but it becomes clear from the interview that they do not have the clinical abilities to work with our patient population) or otherwise show bad judgment during the interview day (this has to be pretty outrageous behavior). Typically 1-2 applicants who interview are not ranked by my program each year (this is about 5% of those who interview).
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Almost every year, there are 1-2 applicants who absolutely bomb the interview. Either they are wildly inappropriate, tell our interns that they only applied to our site so they wouldn't have to leave the area, or they are so far out of their element trying to reason out a vignette that they should not be applying anywhere. Those are the people who get a DNR designation.
Neurogeek91
Full Member
Adult!
bostonfern
Full Member
I know many people who have done BOP internships and then formal forensic fellowships and I am hoping to follow a similar path myself. That said, all of those folks did forensic evaluation heavy tracks at BOP sites as opposed to strictly correctional/RDAP, so I would say it depends what tracks you are ranking to some extent.
DietCokeSoda
Full Member
Ah, I'm not familiar with Adult but I think @WisNeuro posted some sites earlier on the thread related to adult neuro training. Sorry I couldn't be any help!
So, I interviewed at one site. I really liked it because it had everything I am interested in and more. However, I received negative feedback about the TD from 4 people who completed their internship there. I met the individual at the virtual interview and he was definitely not warm and friendly. However, the other psychologists were very open and forthcoming. How would you make sense of this?
Would sites inform applicants who interviewed if they are no longer under consideration? That would be a common courtesy, as it would help the applicant make his or her decision about ranking.
How much contact would you have with/how much does training rely on the TD? If they aren’t someone you’ll have a lot of direct contact or supervision with and you liked the others, maybe it wouldn’t be too much of a drawback?
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We did not.
I've never heard of this happening and it sucks to not know in advance. However, if sites and applicants are both ranking according to their true preferences, even if your top site doesn't rank you (and vice versa), the algorithm would work through the rest of your options.
For me, it would really depend on the nature of the negative feedback. If it's limited to lack of warmth but the TD is still competent, fair, and responsive, I probably wouldn't put too much weight on it. But if they are having an outsized negative impact on the training year or negatively impacting people's future plans/success, that's a whole different story.
We do not. I know of no program that informs applicants of decision not to rank.
I was told that there isn’t really a way to avoid the TD. Apologies for being ambiguous, but I was basically told that the individual has a history of targeting the interns. Additionally, all of them said that the experiences were great but the TD significantly impacted the overall internship year. Complaints have been filed against the TD but nothing has been done as he is still in the position.
Do you have any idea about whether you would rather have to deal with this toxic TD for your internship year or go through the process again next year? That could affect if you rank this site or no sites and go to phase 2. I think different people are affected to different extents by this sort of thing.
Anyone else taking your last looks at the rank list?! 
Yes!!! I’m so nervous!Anyone else taking your last looks at the rank list?!
So I have gone back and forth about this. I’ve dealt with a ton of toxic professionals in different areas. However, I believe that support is extremely important for internship. It’s awful because everything else about the site is perfect except for the TD.
Bwahahaha was feeling super solid and good about my rank order for WEEKS and then suddenly this evening had a total freak out cold feet maybe I should change my mind about EVERYTHING moment. Now I've calmed down and am back to where I thought I was. Anybody else done this??
Yes!
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These two weeks are going to last forever!
I don't think it would -- I think, in theory, an applicant could rank every site in the APPIC directory and it wouldn't impact the outcome of the match (e.g., the applicant would still rank at the first site on their list that also ranked the applicant high enough to match). If a site has one position and that position is filled by someone else, then that site may as well have not ranked you. I think the logic of ranking our true preferences still holds true in this scenario.
healthpsychenthusiast
Full Member
Glad I am not the only one that experienced this...!
neuro_is_the_werd
Doctoral Candidate
Definitely! You are not alone 🙂 Finding myself stuck on the middle tier of my rank. I genuinely don't know if I'd rather be at site 7 versus 8 so it comes to splitting hairs at this point. Wishing you luck in the match!
Same. 6/7/8 are killing me!
Set it and forget it.
almostphdiva
Full Member
I'm curious when y'all plan to end your current placement/traineeship/practicum assuming your internship start date is july 1. just want to get a sense of what a realistic timeframe is
Depends on many things. Are you moving? If so, how far? How much time would you like in-between?
I didn't move for internship, but did move cross country for postdoc. I took a week in-between. But, I just wanted to get up and going. Got to do what's right for you.
You get to look forward to the famous Greg Keilin match news email which explains it!
In short, the match runs multiple times to ensure there are no errors or messed up rankings. The two weeks gives them time to troubleshoot, do any necessary follow up, and ensure the matches are correct.
But if you ask me, the computers run on applicant stress and fear.
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If we could find a way to harness the sheer power of irrational anxiety and fear of APPIC applicants, we could eliminate the need for fossil fuels for energy.
Pro Tip: Best way to keep your mind off any application wait time is by delving into a new project or learn a new subject completely outside your field.
13 days!
Neurogeek91
Full Member
@WisNeuro could you tell me the top adult sites for neuro nationwide in your opinion? Someone mentioned that you listed a few a while back, but I must have missed that post
I was the one who asked! It’s on page 84
So I’ve been told that internships with specialized tracks such as neuropsych and pediatric psych are among the most competitive. What makes them more difficult to obtain in comparison to others? There are some students in my cohort who applied to peds psych and my DCT told them that they should be prepared to go into phase 2.
Mainly that there are less sites/spots for those training experiences relative to the high number of applicants. One of my sites that has 8 positions across multiple tracks mentioned that of the ~180 applicants, 70 were for the neuro track, and only 15 of which were invited to interview.
SubCorNeuroGal
Full Member
Yes! Working on writing up my results section and manuscript revise and resubmit. The weeks are flying by almost too quickly!
electricopal
Full Member
How are you planning on receiving and opening your match email? With family? Alone? With partner? With cohort? With pets? With wine? oh wait.... it will be morning time ☕
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With maybe two hours of sleep behind me, in my room, alone. My partner will likely be awake (LDR) awaiting my call. My parents will likely be asleep. I will see the email notification on my iPhone and I will nervously scroll centimeter by centimeter.
If good news — morning champagne 🥂
If terrible news — I’m going back to bed.
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