PhD/PsyD Got incredibly sick while on an interview... hoping for some thoughts

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Euskaltel

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I feel like I just lived out a worst fear. I arrived to one of my top internship interviews (VA on the east coast) and felt okay. I've been dealing with a cold but nothing that was impacting my energy or ability to think. Just sniffles! Over the course of the first hour however... I felt as if I was deteriorating. I got extremely feverish and achy and felt like I could barely hold my head up. I attempted to grit my teeth and power through but eventually just couldn't. I pulled the training director aside, apologized profusely, explained what was happening and that the last thing I wanted was to get everyone sick. She was very understanding and even said this will not impact my chances as long as we have a chance for a phone interview. With that, I left and curled up into a ball in my hotel room.

The response was great from the TD, but of course I feel like I just blew my shot at a really great training opportunity. For all the TDs out there, would this situation cause a candidate to plummet in your rankings? Any other thoughts would be welcome as my own thoughts run wild.
 
Everything I heard points to no. You showed up, I'm sure they saw you were sick, and you got confirmation from the TD to leave. Most of the rankings are in place before you even arrive. Provided you didn't do any "red flag" behavior, you're fine. IF (big IF) on the off chance that you being sick and leaving did impact your ranking (which I HIGHLY, HIGHLY doubt), this would not be a place I would want to be at anyway.
 
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RejectClinical said:
Everything I heard points to no. You showed up, I'm sure they saw you were sick, and you got confirmation from the TD to leave. Most of the rankings are in place before you even arrive. Provided you didn't do any "red flag" behavior, you're fine. IF (big IF) on the off chance that you being sick and leaving did impact your ranking (which I HIGHLY, HIGHLY doubt), this would not be a place I would want to be at anyway.
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Thank you for this. I'm sure every site is different, but the possibility that this is true is enormously comforting.
 
Every site is different, but if the TD gave you the go ahead, no worries needed. Prepare for the phone interview and you'll be fine.
 
WisNeuro said:
Most places will have a rank order list based on the applications alone. Interviews don't really move the needle that much, unless someone has an extraordinarily good interview, or an extraordinarily bad one.
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Well that's incredibly disheartening, given the significant amount of time and money required to do these interviews.
 
Remembering said:
Well that's incredibly disheartening, given the significant amount of time and money required to do these interviews.
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I view it as a necessary part of the process. If you have an interview then they already like you and your education/ training/ experience isn't going to change much before you meet each other. Remember, interviewing is also a chance for you to get a sense of what the program is really like.
 
Remembering said:
Well that's incredibly disheartening, given the significant amount of time and money required to do these interviews.
Click to expand...

It benefits you. You want to see the sites before you rank them. I still have yet to talk to someone who didn't change their rank lists dramatically after the interview process.
 
Euskaltel said:
I feel like I just lived out a worst fear. I arrived to one of my top internship interviews (VA on the east coast) and felt okay. I've been dealing with a cold but nothing that was impacting my energy or ability to think. Just sniffles! Over the course of the first hour however... I felt as if I was deteriorating. I got extremely feverish and achy and felt like I could barely hold my head up. I attempted to grit my teeth and power through but eventually just couldn't. I pulled the training director aside, apologized profusely, explained what was happening and that the last thing I wanted was to get everyone sick. She was very understanding and even said this will not impact my chances as long as we have a chance for a phone interview. With that, I left and curled up into a ball in my hotel room.

The response was great from the TD, but of course I feel like I just blew my shot at a really great training opportunity. For all the TDs out there, would this situation cause a candidate to plummet in your rankings? Any other thoughts would be welcome as my own thoughts run wild.
Click to expand...
Feel better! It happens. I know of/have witnessed multiple people get sick or have an emergency during interviews. Sounds like the TD was very understanding and will be happy to accommodate you.

I think interviews are mutually beneficial for applicant and site, but probably even more important to the applicant. My "mental ranking" changed post-interview tour. A couple of sites I ranked had "open houses" and stated that visits wouldn't impact ranking. It still felt pretty evaluative.
 
Don't worry about it! As Oprah says, "relaaaax!" I had a horrible cold at one of my internship interviews. So bad that I couldn't shake anyone's hand , was constantly blowing my nose, and coughing into my elbow quite frequently. I went through the whole interview, but everyone was polite and didn't seem turned off by it because I explained the situation. I didn't intern there, but I doubt it had anything to do with being sick.
 
WisNeuro said:
Most places will have a rank order list based on the applications alone. Interviews don't really move the needle that much, unless someone has an extraordinarily good interview, or an extraordinarily bad one.
Click to expand...

I'm very involved in admissions and training at our internship site, and I can say this is absolutely not true for our site. There is no pre-ranking of any kind, formal or informal, and most faculty have not even read the applications until just before the interviews. Rankings are only completed after an extensive faculty meeting post-interview. Can't speak for others, but want to provide some evidence that this is not true across the board.

Also wanted to add to the original poster - it sounds like you handled the situation in a professional manner, and the TD's response suggests that she fully understood. The timing of admissions is incredibly challenging with weather delays, cold and flu season, etc. These kinds of issues come up a lot, and most programs (esp East Coast programs) are used to dealing with similar circumstances. I hope you feel better soon!
 
LM02 said:
I'm very involved in admissions and training at our internship site, and I can say this is absolutely not true for our site. There is no pre-ranking of any kind, formal or informal, and most faculty have not even read the applications until just before the interviews. Rankings are only completed after an extensive faculty meeting post-interview. Can't speak for others, but want to provide some evidence that this is not true across the board.
Click to expand...

Knowing what we do about certain biases and I/O psychology, I'd wager it's far more fair to the applicants to get ranked prior to the interview, with some slight movement afterward. But, to each their own.
 
WisNeuro said:
Knowing what we do about certain biases and I/O psychology, I'd wager it's far more fair to the applicants to get ranked prior to the interview, with some slight movement afterward. But, to each their own.
Click to expand...

From an alternative perspective, things can change quite a bit between Sept/Oct and Jan, and applicants can have new insights about what they're looking for with respect to their training goals once they are on the interview trail. So relying heavily on information (from the written application) that may not be entirely accurate at the time of ranking can potentially lead to missed opportunities to identify the elusive "fit" between applicants and training opportunities at a particular site.

Depending upon a program's size, from a practical standpoint, it may also be difficult to coordinate any kind of "pre-ranking" in advance of interviews, especially when everyone is already committing so much of their time to the interviews themselves.

One can make an argument to handling admissions in a variety of ways, but I do think it's important to highlight that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to the process.
 
modestmousktr said:
I don't mean to be a bummer, but just presenting an alternate argument which has "pros" and "cons" so to speak. Just anecdotal, but the week of interviews I was in the hospital about three times. I was diagnosed by a cardiologist with POTS and IST (chronic autonomic nervous system disorders), and the symptoms were truly awful- no digestive regulation, no temperature regulation, fainting, dizzy spells, and tachycardia (resting heart rate about 130 bpm). I was symptomatic for probably about a month. Luckily, interviews were almost over and I only had one left!

I e-mailed my POI and the DCT at the program explaining what happened, and asked if a Skype interview may be set up to accommodate me. I found out from a current student that the DCT had actually e-mailed all the students asking about myself and my reputation. They offered me a phone interview and even tried to guilt me in the e-mail... saying that I was one of the top candidates and they really wishes I could have made it in person- when I tried to schedule the phone interview, the DCT said, "just keep 15 minutes open". I couldn't imagine how an entire weekend I had been previously invited to had turned into 15 minutes.

So, I didn't even get to speak to the POI I had applied to (we had sent about 10 e-mails back and forth and they were pretty enthusiastic about me as a candidate). When I interviewed with the DCT, he was very critical of me, and asked questions with this phrasing (I'll never forget because it was so weird!"): "well have you ever even X, Y, Z".

I cried afterward realizing it was definitely a rejection, but I soon realized that that is not the type of environment I'd want to be in. Especially as a student with a newly diagnosed chronic illness. So, I think however they treat you based on your decision is a good indicator of how the program may go.

I ended up being accepted to my top choice school and am having a blast there. I feel like it's a blessing in disguise, because they were two vastly different Ph.D. programs (I didn't care what type of Ph.D. I got, as long as it was the correct research), my goals and values definitely align better with the program I am currently in 🙂

Best of luck <3
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That's TERRIBLE that it happened to you. With that said, I agree in that it sounds like it was indicative of the type of environment for that program and better to find out ahead of time than after you're accepted and you're stuck.
 
OP,
I cant say if it'll work out with this particular site, but it sounds like you handled it well..
For amusement only, I'll share a story.

I got incredibly sick during interviews. Showed up to my first interview early in January (had gotten sick from nephews the week prior) and coughed out of my mind. Fast forward a week, and my house floods and I have to deal with that. When I showed up to my last interview a few weeks later, I was still pretty sick. It's kinda funny now. My wife went with me- dropped me off and picked me up. I was delirious (thankfully I didnt really want that site). Anyways, I can barely keep my head up during the interviews, not sure if my sentences even were making sense. 3 interviews with psychologists there. Progressively I'm getting worse and can feel it. I'm running a fever. Wife picks me up, look of panic on her face, and drops me off at the hotel- where I proceed to strip down and was so sick I accidentally left the door open while she went to get lunch. She comes back, door open- I'm not wearing much in the way of clothes, passed out on the bed with a pretty good fever.

I didnt match there, and I'm pretty okay with that in retrospect. But I did match successfully, graduated, passed the EPPP, got licensed and now have an awesome PP gig that I love.
And that's what matters.
 
I got sick as hell the night before a predoctoral interview. I could barely function. I strongly considering trying to reschedule the interview that morning, but I know how hard that is so I decided to tough it out. I was a wreck. I had a stash of Kleenex in my pocket. My eyes were barely open. I refused to shake anyone's hand and explained how sick I was every time. I almost fell asleep in the two minutes I was alone while my interviewer took a bathroom break.

I ended up matching with that site. I literally do not remember my interview beyond what I just shared. My supervisor referenced being impressed by one of my answers when she called to congratulate me, and I didn't even remember saying it. Obviously this is anecdotal, but you would hope they would factor in your acute illness into your performance. If not, it's maybe not the healthiest place to work for a year anyway.
 
modestmousktr said:
I don't mean to be a bummer, but just presenting an alternate argument which has "pros" and "cons" so to speak. Just anecdotal, but the week of interviews I was in the hospital about three times. I was diagnosed by a cardiologist with POTS and IST (chronic autonomic nervous system disorders), and the symptoms were truly awful- no digestive regulation, no temperature regulation, fainting, dizzy spells, and tachycardia (resting heart rate about 130 bpm). I was symptomatic for probably about a month. Luckily, interviews were almost over and I only had one left!

I e-mailed my POI and the DCT at the program explaining what happened, and asked if a Skype interview may be set up to accommodate me. I found out from a current student that the DCT had actually e-mailed all the students asking about myself and my reputation. They offered me a phone interview and even tried to guilt me in the e-mail... saying that I was one of the top candidates and they really wishes I could have made it in person- when I tried to schedule the phone interview, the DCT said, "just keep 15 minutes open". I couldn't imagine how an entire weekend I had been previously invited to had turned into 15 minutes.

So, I didn't even get to speak to the POI I had applied to (we had sent about 10 e-mails back and forth and they were pretty enthusiastic about me as a candidate). When I interviewed with the DCT, he was very critical of me, and asked questions with this phrasing (I'll never forget because it was so weird!"): "well have you ever even X, Y, Z".

I cried afterward realizing it was definitely a rejection, but I soon realized that that is not the type of environment I'd want to be in. Especially as a student with a newly diagnosed chronic illness. So, I think however they treat you based on your decision is a good indicator of how the program may go.

I ended up being accepted to my top choice school and am having a blast there. I feel like it's a blessing in disguise, because they were two vastly different Ph.D. programs (I didn't care what type of Ph.D. I got, as long as it was the correct research), my goals and values definitely align better with the program I am currently in 🙂

Best of luck <3
Click to expand...
You avoided going to a toxic work environment. Good.
 
Thanks everyone for thoughts and feedback! I e-mailed the TD the same day I left the interview and offered to stop by a few days later since I was still in the area. She agreed and set me up with an hour with 2 of the members of the training committee. I was feeling way better and the meeting went great. Naturally, it was probably one of my better interviews. The cynical part of me has a hard time thinking that I'll be ranked as if I never got sick, but I'm happy overall with how it ended up and know its now out of my hands. At least if I match there, it'll be a great story! Thanks again everyone.
 
Euskaltel said:
For those curious, I matched at this site :laugh: thank you for everyone's feedback and well wishes. Hope future applicants in similar situations stumble on this thread and get a needed dose of hope!
Click to expand...
Great update! Congrats, and best of luck for a great internship experience! 🙂
 
Euskaltel said:
For those curious, I matched at this site :laugh: thank you for everyone's feedback and well wishes. Hope future applicants in similar situations stumble on this thread and get a needed dose of hope!
Click to expand...
It'll make for a great story years from now...maybe even when you are on a training committee/DCT!

FWIW...I interviewed during a blizzard at the site where I matched. The DCT joked that she knew I was serious to go through all of that. I admittedly grew up driving in snow, but it was still an adventure!

ps. Thanks for updating, I always appreciate when ppl provide closure (good or bad).
 
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