Average number of internship sites?

[psychedforpsych20]

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I was told to apply to 25 sites. When I pointed out an internship prep manual I purchased, I was told "those estimates are for phd students." Do I really have to apply to more sites because I'm a PsyD student? And what really is the "average" amount of sites? I was also told that since I am applying to competitive sites that I need to apply to more (state hospitals and prisons). For instance, the students aiming for university counseling sites were told to apply to 10-15. Thanks!

 

[psych.meout]

Others can speak to more about the general guidelines and intricacies, but part of this may depend on you as an individual student.

What are your specific stats compared to what the internship sites are looking for, what other students who have matched at those sites have had, the match survey data, etc?

What are your F2F hours like?

What kind of practicum experiences do you have? Do they match up with the experiences you would get at these internship sites?

How many publications and posters do you have?

Does your program have a good reputation and a good track record of matching students to accredited internships (e.g., high match rate, matching to those sites or kinds of sites in particular)?

The less competitive your CV is, the more sites you need to apply to.

 

[psychedforpsych20]

Others can speak to more about the general guidelines and intricacies, but part of this may depend on you as an individual student.

What are your specific stats compared to what the internship sites are looking for, what other students who have matched at those sites have had, the match survey data, etc?

What are your F2F hours like?

What kind of practicum experiences do you have? Do they match up with the experiences you would get at these internship sites?

How many publications and posters do you have?

Does your program have a good reputation and a good track record of matching students to accredited internships (e.g., high match rate, matching to those sites or kinds of sites in particular)?

The less competitive your CV is, the more sites you need to apply to.

I have the same experiences for state hospitals but not for prisons which is why I'm only applying to two prisons (have forensic evaluation/report writing experience but not prison experience) and above average F2F hours. I have one textbook chapter publication and three posters. The program overall has a good match rate (usually only one student does not match but then matches in the second round). However, the DCT told me forensics is the one area that is "half and half" which makes me nervous...

 

[madeincanada]

There is good data from APPIC that essentially says after 15 sites, there are diminishing returns. Essentially, many people applying to 25+ sites are those who recognize they are not very competitive and choose quantity to hopefully get a match.

 

[AbnormalPsych]

12-15. As pointed out above, the data say that if you don't match in those first 15, its highly unlikely any more apps will do anything. This was also during the internship crisis quite a few years ago. Now that there are fewer applicants for those spots the number is probably less, although I have not seen any data on that yet. Focus on fit and spend a good amount of time on those 12-15 apps. Think quality over quantity.

 

[foreverbull]

There is good data from APPIC that essentially says after 15 sites, there are diminishing returns. Essentially, many people applying to 25+ sites are those who recognize they are not very competitive and choose quantity to hopefully get a match.

12-15. As pointed out above, the data say that if you don't match in those first 15, its highly unlikely any more apps will do anything. This was also during the internship crisis quite a few years ago. Now that there are fewer applicants for those spots the number is probably less, although I have not seen any data on that yet. Focus on fit and spend a good amount of time on those 12-15 apps. Think quality over quantity.

Agreed. I've been told the same thing from internship experts at at a seminar on internship at APA several years back. They discouraged flooding the match system with too many apps, given that 15 was the threshold for decent returns statistically, and this was even during the internship squeeze in which we had many more applicants than positions.

Twenty-five apps would be overdoing it, in my opinion, but there are always folks who continue to believe that more is better, even when it's not. You might check to see if the data has changed to suggest >15 apps is better from APPIC; if not, there's no need to waste time/money on extras.

But do keep in mind, the type of sites you apply to matters: apply to a range of sites, some more competitive, some less, and don't restrict yourself geographically too much. If you follow those guidelines, the 15 app limit should be fine.

 

[szymk1sm]

Keep in mind too that applying to 25 sites means that you could get interviews at 25 sites.

I interviewed at 11 sites and found it extremely exhausting and costly (even with staying with friends, Air BnBs, trains, driving to sites, etc.).

But do keep in mind, the type of sites you apply to matters: apply to a range of sites, some more competitive, some less, and don't restrict yourself geographically too much. If you follow those guidelines, the 15 app limit should be fine.

This is great advice to follow!

 

[Justanothergrad]

I would only consider increasing the number of sites beyond 12-15 of potential intern slots at your sites are more limited (1-2 versus 3-4+ as is typical). I'm not sure how much more I would go even then. It would depend on you and would probably advise to spend your time to applying to better fitted sites instead (in terms of hours, research, experience) if that is off.

 

[deleted760483]

Everyone's program and background will have different requirements. Our minimum was 12, and 50% had to be out of state. Also, 50% had to be APA accredited vs APPIC. I applied to 15, interviewed at 6, and match with my second choice, for whatever that's worth.

I think, generally speaking, the average ratio is interviewing at about 1/3 of the sites you apply to. Would you be able to attend 8, 9, possibly 10 interviews? Travel expenses and arrangements fall to you until you are licensed.

 

[temppsych123]

APPIC disincentivizes applying to more than 15 sites by charging more per application for those applications beyond 15. Research suggests that those folks have worse or the same outcomes as those who apply to fewer sites. The more sites you apply to, the less time you will ahve to tailor your application materials to the specific site, which could end up making you less competitive for the sites you really want because you wasted time on applications for places that are not your top picks. If you end up feeling like you need to apply to more, I would DEFINITELY start with the applications for sites higher on your list, leaving those last handful of sites to the end, so that if you run out of time, it only impacts the sites that were at the bottom of your list anyway, rather than trying to spend time early on at a range of sites and spreading yourself too thin. Internship directors can tell from your cover letters whether you're phoning it in, or whether you're actually interested in their site, and they don't want to waste your time or theirs by interviewing folks who aren't actually interested in the site or for whom the site would be a poor fit.

 

[psychedforpsych20]

Is the APPIC data for PsyD applicants as well?

 

[Kadhir]

Obviously, your personal funds will restrict you some. I applied to 22 or 23, around there. I'd probably do at least 20 again. I applied to a competitive specialty without the most competitive credentials (in my view), so I had a bit of a complex. Even if I didn't want to go to a site, I learned about different types of training environments, met some great people, and retained some of those connections... which came in handy for post-doc.

 

[psychedforpsych20]

Obviously, your personal funds will restrict you some. I applied to 22 or 23, around there. I'd probably do at least 20 again. I applied to a competitive specialty without the most competitive credentials (in my view), so I had a bit of a complex. Even if I didn't want to go to a site, I learned about different types of training environments, met some great people, and retained some of those connections... which came in handy for post-doc.

May I ask how many interviews you received?

 

[Kadhir]

I think 14, which included sites in my "highly competitive," "competitive," and "less competitive" tiers.

 

[temppsych123]

Yes, the APPIC data is applicable to both PhD and PsyD applicants.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

And to add to temppsych's post, yes, APPIC data includes Psy.D. applicants.

 

[mypointlesspov]

I think it depends on the kind of program you're in as well. I am in a school psyd program, which traditionally has the lowest match rate across both phases. My internship coordinator suggested that I apply to 25 sites, but I will probably end up applying to around 20. My poor wallet 🙁