Internship Rankings

[mypointlesspov]

Hi All,

Sorry for another internship post, but I'm looking for some guidance on ranking sites. I have talked to my three supervisors so far and I am still lost on what to do.

I interviewed at 8 sites and have 9 positions to rank. This time last year, I thought that I would be happy to have an internship anywhere as long as I matched. However, as I get closer to the ranking deadline, I realize that I would prefer to be in one geographic region (or at the very least, a medium to large city). Unfortunately, I only got one interview in my preferred region. That being said, there is another site across the country that I am very interested in. These two positions are ranked one and two on my list. The other seven positions aren't as appealing to me anymore for a variety of reasons (ranging from location to opportunities to intern time committment, etc.) and I am struggling with whether or not to even rank them. I am not sure if I am more afraid of going to an internship I'm unhappy with or not matching. I don't think I would be completely miserable at any of the other seven sites, but I wouldn't be as happy as I could be.

Supervisors 1 and 3 didn't offer me much advice and mostly served as listening ears while I tried to get my thoughts togehter.
Supervisor 2 stated that they went through Phase II and if I don't match in either phase, to get a job with my master's degree and apply again next year (she stated that she did this while deciding whether or not to finish their PhD).

So I guess what I'm asking is, would it be better to rank all of the sites for a better chance of matching in Phase I or only rank my top two sites and possibly end up in Phase II? Phase II also scares me because what if the positions available this year are even less appealing to me? I know some good sites have made it into Phase II in the past, but one never really knows. Additionally, has anyone not matched and gotten a paid position while reapplying? In the event I don't match (and can't get anything in the Post Vacancy) I can't afford another year of unpaid externships.

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[futureapppsy2]

IMO, rank all your sites, unless any of them just seem insufferably aversive. Even though the match numbers are much improved from what they used to be, there’s still actually a shortage of accredited sites, and there’s no guarantee that a site in your preferred geographic area will be in Phase II, will be a good fit, or will match with you. In this better match environment, being a strong reapplicant could potentially look odd, especially if you spend the year doing things that don’t directly better your APPIC application, and it’s also a year of delayed salary.

 

[A Blue Duck]

My initial reaction to your post is that not ranking 7 positions is extremely irregular. When the equation essentially comes down to, "Would I rather not be matched than do my internship here," you should be leaving off one or maybe two sites, at most. Are you applying to non-accredited sites? If so, it could be a different story.

Another thing to keep in mind is that for the vast majority of people, internship should be viewed more as another (albeit important) hurdle to graduation, as compared to a make or break year that needs to be perfect. Think about the expense, time consumption, and stress of this process and having to to it again; I'd advise you reflect on this and shorten the list of sites you are leaving off your list to zero, one, or two that you absolutely could not tolerate for one year.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[mypointlesspov]

My initial reaction to your post is that not ranking 7 positions is extremely irregular. When the equation essentially comes down to, "Would I rather not be matched than do my internship here," you should be leaving off one or maybe two sites, at most. Are you applying to non-accredited sites? If so, it could be a different story.

Another thing to keep in mind is that for the vast majority of people, internship should be viewed more as another (albeit important) hurdle to graduation, as compared to a make or break year that needs to be perfect. Think about the expense, time consumption, and stress of this process and having to to it again; I'd advise you reflect on this and shorten the list of sites you are leaving off your list to zero, one, or two that you absolutely could not tolerate for one year.

Just my 2 cents.

I only applied to accredited sites. But I think you and futureapppsy2 are right, I'm going to go over my rankings again.

 

[boomshakalaka]

Hi All,

Sorry for another internship post, but I'm looking for some guidance on ranking sites. I have talked to my three supervisors so far and I am still lost on what to do.

I interviewed at 8 sites and have 9 positions to rank. This time last year, I thought that I would be happy to have an internship anywhere as long as I matched. However, as I get closer to the ranking deadline, I realize that I would prefer to be in one geographic region (or at the very least, a medium to large city). Unfortunately, I only got one interview in my preferred region. That being said, there is another site across the country that I am very interested in. These two positions are ranked one and two on my list. The other seven positions aren't as appealing to me anymore for a variety of reasons (ranging from location to opportunities to intern time committment, etc.) and I am struggling with whether or not to even rank them. I am not sure if I am more afraid of going to an internship I'm unhappy with or not matching. I don't think I would be completely miserable at any of the other seven sites, but I wouldn't be as happy as I could be.

Supervisors 1 and 3 didn't offer me much advice and mostly served as listening ears while I tried to get my thoughts togehter.
Supervisor 2 stated that they went through Phase II and if I don't match in either phase, to get a job with my master's degree and apply again next year (she stated that she did this while deciding whether or not to finish their PhD).

So I guess what I'm asking is, would it be better to rank all of the sites for a better chance of matching in Phase I or only rank my top two sites and possibly end up in Phase II? Phase II also scares me because what if the positions available this year are even less appealing to me? I know some good sites have made it into Phase II in the past, but one never really knows. Additionally, has anyone not matched and gotten a paid position while reapplying? In the event I don't match (and can't get anything in the Post Vacancy) I can't afford another year of unpaid externships.

To echo Future, unless these sites are absolutely unbearable, you need to rank most of them. At the risk of sounding jaded, there really isn't a site where you're going to be 100%, undeniably happy. The reality is we work in large, bureaucratic agencies where optimal happiness comes and goes. I think there can be this tendency during the internship application process to idealize sites and training experiences and to lose focus of the fact that this is one year. I always recommend that students use internship as a year to bolster their clinical skills and perhaps more importantly, to learn how to navigate the red tape and administrative hang ups that are a daily annoyance to many psychologists.

 

[mypointlesspov]

I think part of what I'm afraid of is that four of the seven sites would require a BIG move. Like cross-ocean move because they're in Hawaii. I was excited about that possibility at first, but I got spooked when talking to some of the current interns because of how logistically difficult it seems to live over there.

 

[Seven_Costanza]

I think part of what I'm afraid of is that four of the seven sites would require a BIG move. Like cross-ocean move because they're in Hawaii. I was excited about that possibility at first, but I got spooked when talking to some of the current interns because of how logistically difficult it seems to live over there.

Keep in mind that it is only a year. Although inconvenient, I imagine Hawaii would be a wonderful place to live for a year. Then you can come back for postdoc.

Either way - good luck! I hope you end up with your top choice!

 

[eeor1006]

I interviewed at 7 sites and I only ranked 6 of them. The one site I did not rank was not a bad fit per se. However, the current interns told me they were working 55-ish hours every week. For me, that is not okay. I would rather take my shot in phase two than working till 8 for the whole year.

Ranking only two sites seems VERY risky for me. Like others have said, there is no guarantee that you can match a site that does not require a big move in phase two, or the next year, for that matter.