Internship Interviews!

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Some posters mentioned they heard from Hudson River Psychiatric-- did that site send email or snail mail for rejects and accepts?
 
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I'm still waiting on three places. One of them already sent out rejections earlier this week, so I'm cautiously optimistic that I'll get an invite tomorrow. *fingers crossed!* It is my #3 choice at the moment.

-t
 
edieb said:
Some posters mentioned they heard from Hudson River Psychiatric-- did that site send email or snail mail for rejects and accepts?
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Rejection via e-mail on 12/6. It seems, though, that both rejections and accepts come in waves, at least from some sites.
 
ARG!!!

I just had a phone interview (I hate them), and the first part of it was a mess. I know it didn't go as badly as I feel it went, but I am typically on top of my game, but between not being able to hear very well, the long pauses between my answers and their follow-up (they were discussing with me on mute I think), and my fumbling in the beginning of the case presentation....I didn't feel great about my interview. I've only had one other phone interview to compare it to, and that was seamless and felt much more natural and comfortable. The former interview seemed genuinely interested in my work and how I could fit into their program.....with this interview being much more: Here are questions 1-12, now what are your questions, etc.

I really like the site and I think the training will be excellent, but I definitely left not knowing if it was a good enough interview to get one of the few spots. Blah.

-t
 
Therapist4Chnge said:
ARG!!!

I just had a phone interview (I hate them), and the first part of it was a mess. I know it didn't go as badly as I feel it went, but I am typically on top of my game, but between not being able to hear very well, the long pauses between my answers and their follow-up (they were discussing with me on mute I think), and my fumbling in the beginning of the case presentation....I didn't feel great about my interview. I've only had one other phone interview to compare it to, and that was seamless and felt much more natural and comfortable. The former interview seemed genuinely interested in my work and how I could fit into their program.....with this interview being much more: Here are questions 1-12, now what are your questions, etc.

I really like the site and I think the training will be excellent, but I definitely left not knowing if it was a good enough interview to get one of the few spots. Blah.

-t
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Well I'm so excited to see where you go.

Phone interviews are excessively awkward and I'm sure they know that. I'm also sure you did way better than you feel like you did 'cause we're always our harshest critic.
 
RayneeDeigh said:
Well I'm so excited to see where you go.

Phone interviews are excessively awkward and I'm sure they know that. I'm also sure you did way better than you feel like you did 'cause we're always our harshest critic.
Click to expand...

I sure hope so. The maintenance guys are also around the house with leaf blowers (not right here, but close), so that was a low humming noise for an hour, which stopped 5 minutes after my interview. I couldn't tell them to stop because the site was calling.

I guess what irks me is that I messed up because I decided to present a case from a different orientation than I presented it last week (for another interview), and I wasn't nearly as fluid....even though it was my preferred orientation, and I know it cold. It had more to do with changing terminology on the fly, etc. The reason I did this is that the interviewers were of my preferred orientation, and I when I first had the case I did it from both perspectives, so it wasn't as if I haven't done it already. I know I didn't bomb it or anything, but I rarely if ever mess up a presentation....heck, I use to teach presenting and speaking skills, blah.

-t
 
I had a few questions that I could not clarify through the APPIC website, and I was wondering if anyone on here knew the answers:

1 - All else held constant, how many interviews (not applications sent out), give someone the highest chance of matching?

2 - What is the average # of interviews to which students go?

3 - Do sites have to rank everybody whom they interview? (A lot of ppl told me that they do...

Thanks
 
If you look on the APPIC site for Match Statistics you will find some useful data there to answer your questions about number of interviews (or at least number of sites ranked). Sites do not have to rank everyone they interview (nor do students need to rank sites where they interview). Being able to rank 6-8 sites (or programs) optimizes your chance of matching.
 
edieb said:
I had a few questions that I could not clarify through the APPIC website, and I was wondering if anyone on here knew the answers:

1 - All else held constant, how many interviews (not applications sent out), give someone the highest chance of matching?

2 - What is the average # of interviews to which students go?

3 - Do sites have to rank everybody whom they interview? (A lot of ppl told me that they do...

Thanks
Click to expand...

Are you on their listserv....it tends to be a great resource for questions like these.

As for your questions.....I'm not sure if they looked at the # of interviews to match, only the % of people who matched to their 1st or 2nd choice. As for the average # of interviews.....no idea, I'd guess maybe 6-8? I guess it depends on what kind of programs you apply to.....I only applied to competitive places that I could see myself going, and I didn't apply to safety programs, so my interview # is lower than some people I know, but they interviewed at places they weren't that interested in. As for the sites ranking....no, not all sites rank everyone they interview. You can still rank them, but if they don't rank you....it won't matter.

-t
 
Does anybody look back at any of their interviews and wish they had answered questions differently or felt some of the interviews did not go as well as you hoped? It seems some of the questions that the interviewers ask are very hard!!! I only have 11 interviews and so I am very nervous about not matching!!!
 
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edieb said:
Does anybody look back at any of their interviews and wish they had answered questions differently or felt some of the interviews did not go as well as you hoped? It seems some of the questions that the interviewers ask are very hard!!! I only have 11 interviews and so I am very nervous about not matching!!!
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See above.......(I combined a couple random internship threads above).

btw....11 is a lot of interviews! I have much less than that (though I admittedly only applied to competitive programs with good post doc options and in places I'd want to settle).

In retrospect I probably should have applied to a few safety programs, but in the end I didn't because I couldn't see myself there, even if for a year.

-t
 
I'm flying out tomorrow for another interview, and then I have one at the end of the month.... a very LONG month!

I hope everyone is doing well on their interviews (as long as they aren't at places I'm interviewing at. ;) ).

-t
 
I am pretty sure I bombed the Walter Reed Army Medical Center interview a few days ago (by phone). Here was the exchange:

Interviewer-"So tell me, lieutenant, what are you stong on as far as assessments go?"

Me-"Well, I think I pretty solid on MMPI and Rorschach."

Int-"Really? How many have you administered?"

Me-"About 8-10"

Int-"Well, you know, I am the Rorschach expert here at WRAMC and I have administered about 300 of them, and I would not say I am pretty solid at it just yet."

Whoops.
 
73BARMYPgsp said:
Int-"Well, you know, I am the Rorschach expert here at WRAMC and I have administered about 300 of them, and I would not say I am pretty solid at it just yet."

Whoops.
Click to expand...


:laugh:

That's not surprising. When I was learning the Rorschach my professor (who loves it) would say something to the effect of, "it takes a few hundred to get comfortable, and after some years you can get the hang of it.

-t
 
I have a question -- that same girl from Yale was at one of my group interviews. Somehow it came up that her plane had been delayed 9 hours the night before and she only got to the site one hour before interview day and had not slept more than an hour... Anyway, the interviewer was downright hostile to some of the applicants but after the Yale girl's interview, the interviewer looked right at her and said (in a very kind voice), "If you interview this well with one hour of sleep, I can't imagine how well you would do with 8 hours of sleep."

Isn't that an inappropriate comment???
 
Inappropriate how?

Like, I see it mildly inappropriate that it was said where other applicants could hear, but not at all a big deal. Other than that I see it as just "nice", not inappropriate.
 
It is inappropriate in the sense that she is giving this applicant feedback -- in essence saying "we really like you" , at the same time, not giving anybody else any feedback. In short, she is telling this applicant that she is one of their favorites. Matter of fact, I would venture to say, if she told this applicant this and nobody else, "you're our favorite, and rank us high because you know we are ranking you high..."
 
yeah, on top of all else, this applicant said she put in 19 apps and got 19 interviews, so if anybody needs any re-assurance, it's definitely not her... Other applicants interviewing at this site noticed that staff were gushing over her, too
 
edieb said:
yeah, on top of all else, this applicant said she put in 19 apps and got 19 interviews, so if anybody needs any re-assurance, it's definitely not her... Other applicants interviewing at this site noticed that staff were gushing over her, too
Click to expand...

Was she polished when talking to people? I use to interview people for my firm and some people would look amazing on paper, but were much less impressive in person. Of course, there were those people who were great on paper and even better during the interview....but they were few and far between. I think clinical is definitely a best of the best, but much like finding the right program....internship sites are just as much about "fit". I'm banking on "fit"....as the alternative is just depressing. :laugh:

How many interviews do people have left? I'm down to my last one (next week), and I'm just hoping the next few weeks fly by so we don't have to worry as much about ranking!

I'm really split on my top 2, and I think my last one will be up in that group too. According to APPIC, 80% of people get 1 of their top 3 choices....so here is to hoping I fall in that group!

-t
 
Nope, have two more -- Springfield Hospital and Arkansas State.

BTW, anybody heard anything on Springfield Hospital -- I have heard some pretty bad things about its sister site, Springrove...
 
Has anyone heard any good or bad things about Wayne State University's Clinical Internship Program?
 
A friend went there and did not like it -- she said that there was NO help finding a job or post-doc, no supervision, and that she was just doing social-work case management for persons with early psychosis. She also said that Detroit was very expensive and very unpleasant...

Did you interview at Wayne -- what did you think?
 
no supervision
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Really? How can this internship be APPIC/APA approved, then? Isn't supervision kind of the cornerstone of internship?
 
I didn't interview there, so I don't know. However, a lot of internships use their interns as workhorses, so the quantity, and, more importantly, the quantity, of supervision you get varies greatly from site-to-site.

Where are you interviewing?
 
I went there and interviewed.

The current interns suggested living in Dearborn or Royal Oak. The director made it appear as if they really help you get a post-doc position afterwards.

So your friend had interned there previously? If that is the case, your information has been extremely helpful
 
She interned there 2006-07. Schizophrenia was also an interest for her. She was drawn there for the chance to do research on prodromal psychosis. When she got there, however, she found that she was forced to do case management for these people so the professors and psychiatry residents could do their research. She said that she should have known that there was little research opportunity because the intern class before her had no new pubs after going there...
 
When making my choices for internship, I applied to a variety of settings, VA's, medical schools and state hospitals. Unfortunately, I do not know the prestige of state hospitals. I know that they are not as pretigious as medical schools, but I am not sure how "low" they are considered on the totem pole.........Do you have any information about that edieb?
 
Psychmeout said:
When making my choices for internship, I applied to a variety of settings, VA's, medical schools and state hospitals. Unfortunately, I do not know the prestige of state hospitals. I know that they are not as pretigious as medical schools, but I am not sure how "low" they are considered on the totem pole.........Do you have any information about that edieb?
Click to expand...


I think each program is different, so it is hard to generalize which would be better. I think it is REALLY important to talk as much as you can with the current interns, and ask them a lot of questions. Some places will tell you exactly what they think, and other places will be a bit more subtle about it. I made sure to ask a lot of questions and find out as much objective data as I could (types of post-doc placements, # of publications, # of hours accrued over the year, etc).

-t
 
I'm still at the applying to programs stage but looking ahead while I'm waiting to hear. I looked at the APPIC database the other day and noticed that several places that sounded interesting to me are not APA accredited. What would be the disadvantages of interning at an unaccredited site? Woudl I be at a disadvantage in the job market? I'm interested in working at university counseling centers.
 
From my understanding, if you want to work in a university, VA, hospital, or federal government setting, then interning at a site that is APA accredited is really important. You would be at a disadvantage in that type of job market if you did not intern at an APA accredited site. I hope this helps.
 
Psychmeout said:
From my understanding, if you want to work in a university, VA, hospital, or federal government setting, then interning at a site that is APA accredited is really important. You would be at a disadvantage in that type of job market if you did not intern at an APA accredited site. I hope this helps.
Click to expand...

Agreed. It really can close doors for later down the line. If at all possible, you really should go to an approved site, because you'll be jumping through hoops for licensure and will be the first tossed for many/most competitive positions.
 
Therapist4Chnge said:
<2 weeks until we find out....good luck all!
Click to expand...

T4C,

Why don't you blackmail the internship sites by telling them that you will close all of their threads and create havoc with their SDN posts if they do not accept you?

Actually, did you tell them that you are an SDN moderator?
 
GiantSteps said:
T4C,

Why don't you blackmail the internship sites by telling them that you will close all of their threads and create havoc with their SDN posts if they do not accept you?
Click to expand...

I should do that....:laugh:

GiantSteps said:
Actually, did you tell them that you are an SDN moderator?
Click to expand...

It didn't actually come up, though it is an interesting question. With the power of Google, it is pretty easy to find me (staff profile article and all....:laugh: ), and I've been interviewed and contributed to a number of articles and whatnot outside of SDN, so I'm not that anonymous out there.
 
Hey all,

Do y'all have any idea what the average # of pubs needed to get into one of the top-tier research based internships (e.g., Brown, UIC, Duke)?
 
cmuhooligan said:
Hey all,

Do y'all have any idea what the average # of pubs needed to get into one of the top-tier research based internships (e.g., Brown, UIC, Duke)?
Click to expand...

Great question, though I'm not sure if that information is available, as I don't believe it is part of the APPIC info that is released. I think it probably has as much to do with WHERE you published as much as HOW MUCH you published, as there is definitely a pecking order amongst the various journals.
 
I've actually asked this before and its pretty much a combo. 20 publications in a sketchy 15th tier journal that publishes anything that comes their way obviously won't do much.

I basically heard > 6 "real" publications, not just CV padding, with at least a few first authored. Though obviously if you can crank out more, it certainly won't hurt your chances:) I think 6 is a pretty reasonable goal and I'm shooting for quite a bit more than that though with the review process there's no real way to tell how long it will be before things are actually published. Obviously not everything has to be in Abnormal, but high-tier specialty journals, APA division journals, etc. Seems like alot of the faculty I know who attended one of those internships had their master's published in abnormal, which scares me, but its a biased sample so I'm not sure if that's a requirement or not:)
 
Ollie123 said:
I've actually asked this before and its pretty much a combo. 20 publications in a sketchy 15th tier journal that publishes anything that comes their way obviously won't do much.

I basically heard > 6 "real" publications, not just CV padding, with at least a few first authored. Though obviously if you can crank out more, it certainly won't hurt your chances:) I think 6 is a pretty reasonable goal and I'm shooting for quite a bit more than that though with the review process there's no real way to tell how long it will be before things are actually published. Obviously not everything has to be in Abnormal, but high-tier specialty journals, APA division journals, etc. Seems like alot of the faculty I know who attended one of those internships had their master's published in abnormal, which scares me, but its a biased sample so I'm not sure if that's a requirement or not:)
Click to expand...

Yeah, that would scare me too, haha. I have two first authored articles under review currently, and hope to have at least 2 additional ones out this summer, and I'll be applying for internships next fall. So, I don't think I'm going to get to the magic # of 6, but maybe 4 first authored articles wouldn't look too shabby? Although, simply submitting does not guarantee acceptance, at all! :)
 
I don't think there is any magic number. First authored peer-reviewed papers are a lot more important than later authored papers. If you have two or three first author papers in solid journals and no other publications (but some evidence that you were being a productive researcher, like grants or works under review), you will be in a very good position. By solid journals, I don't necessarily mean APA journals-- ones with citation indexes of at least 1, I'd say, and preferably higher. If you have one first authored pub in J Abnormal or that tier, you are sitting pretty even if you don't have a ton else. One of my friends has a first author paper at JAb and while she has other pubs, I think that's the only first author thing that's been accepted, and she got interviews pretty much everywhere she applied (Brown, UIC, Western Psych, etc.). Then again, I know other people who had first or sole authors in publications like JAb, JCCP, Psych Bull, and American Psychologist who didn't get a ton of interviews. So I think that the lesson is that there are no hard or fast rules to guarantee you a top placement, but I don't think you necessarily need a jillion awesome pubs to get interviews at top places. It sounds like you're in a reasonable position.

I'm applying for internship in the fall also, btw. I'm mainly looking at the top research sites, although I'll probably apply to a few others in locations that I like. How about you?

PS-- I think your number of pubs sounds reasonable, particularly if the two that are under review get accepted before you apply (so they are at least in press), and if they're in reasonably good journals.
 
psychanon said:
I'm applying for internship in the fall also, btw. I'm mainly looking at the top research sites, although I'll probably apply to a few others in locations that I like. How about you?
.
Click to expand...

Nothing like starting the process early eh? :) I'm kinda geeked about it. I'm also looking at top research sites (although I will apply to some counseling centers as well probably). Some of the sites that I really like are:

UIC
Brown
Harvard/Mass Gen
Harvard/Mclean
UCLA Semel Institute
Albert Einstein
U of Washington Med school
San Fran VA
NYU/Bellevue
 
Wow, that's good to know. Maybe I was just polling a biased sample:)

I should have at least 2-3 first authored pubs by the time I finish - trying to get one out by the end of my first year and if nothing else, every master's thesis in my lab has gotten published so I'm hoping not to be the one to be the one to break that trend, which should give me 2 by internship unless we seriously spend a long time in the review process.

Sounds like its very similar to grad school apps though where its very hit or miss and whether they think your CV "fits" their program as much as it is about overall credentials.
 
cmuhooligan said:
Nothing like starting the process early eh? :) I'm kinda geeked about it. I'm also looking at top research sites (although I will apply to some counseling centers as well probably). Some of the sites that I really like are:

UIC
Brown
Harvard/Mass Gen
Harvard/Mclean
UCLA Semel Institute
Albert Einstein
U of Washington Med school
San Fran VA
NYU/Bellevue
Click to expand...

It sounds like we'll be applying to many of the same places. I am definitely interested in UIC, Brown, Mass Gen, McLean, Montifiore (Albert Einstein), & UW (both Wisconsin & Washington, actually). I don't know anything about UCLA or San Fran VA, and I'm not so interested in Bellevue (too stressful from what I hear). I'm also interested in Boston Consortium, MUSC, Palo Alto, Cornell, Western Psych, etc. Location is going to weigh in heavily for me, though, so some of these may be stuck from list based on that. It's kind of exciting to think about it at this stage-- we're not at the point where it's scary or intimidating yet, so it's kind of like a fantasy (hmm, in a year and a half I could be living in Seattle! or Boston! or Charleston!). I'll start thinking more seriously about it sometime in the beginning in the summer.

Ollie123 said:
Sounds like its very similar to grad school apps though where its very hit or miss and whether they think your CV "fits" their program as much as it is about overall credentials.
Click to expand...

You're definitely right about fit. Research interest fit plays an important role-- and it's definitely important given that for many people internship turns into a research post-doc. And some sites value certain credentials over others. But I don't think it's quite as random as grad school admissions. For grad school, it's totally possible to do everything right and not get any interviews, whereas I think for internship if you play your cards right and apply to good matches, you're bound to get some good interviews (although generally not everywhere you apply). But this is just my sense. Ask me again in 6 months when I'm fully immersed in the process. :)
 
Anyone losing sleep yet?
 
cmuhooligan said:
Hey all,

Do y'all have any idea what the average # of pubs needed to get into one of the top-tier research based internships (e.g., Brown, UIC, Duke)?
Click to expand...

I found these stats on APPIC's website regarding 2007 applicants:


How many publications were listed on the Curriculum Vitae that you submitted to internship sites? (Please estimate if you don't know the exact number)

0: 1031 46 %
1: 343 15 %
2: 248 11 %
3: 193 9 %
4: 144 6 %
5-9: 248 11 %
10-14: 45 2 %
15-19: 6 0 %
20+ 6 0 %

41. How many presentations were listed on the Curriculum Vitae that you submitted to internship sites? (Please estimate if you don't know the exact number)

0: 550 24 %
1: 197 9 %
2: 232 10 %
3: 184 8 %
4: 159 7 %
5-9: 519 23 %
10-14: 232 10 %
15-19: 108 5 %
20+..........?
 
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