Official 2018-2019 Psychiatry Residency Application Thread

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Geraltofrivia said:
I'm being neurotic but I feel justified in my neuroticism. I would like an honest answer, please. I am a reapplicant. I graduated from medical school last year, am doing a PGY1 TY year and reapplying psychiatry this year. Last year, I had 10 interviews and did not match. This year, I have 11 interviews. Last year, each interview was an adventure. I did not prepare much for most of my interviews and put very little thought into my answers. I also never felt the "interview burn" and just looked forward to going to each place. This year I feel is extremely different. I prepare for each interview and treat it like it is the only one interview I have. I am feeling "interview burn" this cycle. I am extremely stressed out about matching and am terrified I will not match again. I have spent a lot of time introspecting on why I did not match last year and when people ask, I believe I have a well-thought answer (that I do not wish to share for anonymity purposes).

I understand there is very little I can do at this time except pray to god, but I am just hoping for some type of reassurance. I'm extremely stressed out.
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Without knowing the reasons why you (think you) didn't match last year, and how you addressed that this cycle, I imagine it would be hard for anyone to give you a realistic reply.
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Geraltofrivia said:
I'm being neurotic but I feel justified in my neuroticism. I would like an honest answer, please. I am a reapplicant. I graduated from medical school last year, am doing a PGY1 TY year and reapplying psychiatry this year. Last year, I had 10 interviews and did not match. This year, I have 11 interviews. Last year, each interview was an adventure. I did not prepare much for most of my interviews and put very little thought into my answers. I also never felt the "interview burn" and just looked forward to going to each place. This year I feel is extremely different. I prepare for each interview and treat it like it is the only one interview I have. I am feeling "interview burn" this cycle. I am extremely stressed out about matching and am terrified I will not match again. I have spent a lot of time introspecting on why I did not match last year and when people ask, I believe I have a well-thought answer (that I do not wish to share for anonymity purposes).

I understand there is very little I can do at this time except pray to god, but I am just hoping for some type of reassurance. I'm extremely stressed out.
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Hey man I've been rooting for you all cycle. It sounds like you made some solid steps this time and I really hope it pays off for you and you land high on your list. I'm just lamenting that I couldn't have gotten into med school 3-4 years earlier so psych wouldn't have been the way it is now to match. I'm entering the match with 5 lonely interviews, but 2 of them are at newer community places that I did auditions and I feel like went well, so I really hope to match somewhere.

Either way, best of luck to you.
 
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+1
Sounds like you've been real with yourself. Hopefully you were able to do a few things over the cycle to address any shortcomings in your application.

Good luck to you.
 
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Geraltofrivia said:
I'm being neurotic but I feel justified in my neuroticism. I would like an honest answer, please. I am a reapplicant. I graduated from medical school last year, am doing a PGY1 TY year and reapplying psychiatry this year. Last year, I had 10 interviews and did not match. This year, I have 11 interviews. Last year, each interview was an adventure. I did not prepare much for most of my interviews and put very little thought into my answers. I also never felt the "interview burn" and just looked forward to going to each place. This year I feel is extremely different. I prepare for each interview and treat it like it is the only one interview I have. I am feeling "interview burn" this cycle. I am extremely stressed out about matching and am terrified I will not match again. I have spent a lot of time introspecting on why I did not match last year and when people ask, I believe I have a well-thought answer (that I do not wish to share for anonymity purposes).

I understand there is very little I can do at this time except pray to god, but I am just hoping for some type of reassurance. I'm extremely stressed out.
Click to expand...
I am sorry you are freaking out. But hey, many of us are too. I have talked some of my friends who are also applying for psych and they are all in the same boat as I. 5-6 interviews only. Some have good scores others passing. None I know failed. I feel that I did ok on interviews, some better than others. I honestly hope to match and feel that 11 would have been enough. Not sure what happened last year but hope you match this year.

As for the burn, I have no idea how you did not burn. It got exhausting to go all the time to interviews and dinners. I did not prepare as much, I am not sure how much more to prepare. I knew my application and general info about the program. The rest I just talked about interests and things I liked about the program (found online). Sometimes even the little introduction talks would give you info about the program that was informative to talk about.

Psych has gotten so competitive
 
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I appreciate everybody's kind words. I will be keeping everybody in my thoughts. I am hoping we all match somewhere, ideally at our number 1.
 
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Geraltofrivia said:
I'm being neurotic but I feel justified in my neuroticism. I would like an honest answer, please. I am a reapplicant. I graduated from medical school last year, am doing a PGY1 TY year and reapplying psychiatry this year. Last year, I had 10 interviews and did not match. This year, I have 11 interviews. Last year, each interview was an adventure. I did not prepare much for most of my interviews and put very little thought into my answers. I also never felt the "interview burn" and just looked forward to going to each place. This year I feel is extremely different. I prepare for each interview and treat it like it is the only one interview I have. I am feeling "interview burn" this cycle. I am extremely stressed out about matching and am terrified I will not match again. I have spent a lot of time introspecting on why I did not match last year and when people ask, I believe I have a well-thought answer (that I do not wish to share for anonymity purposes).

I understand there is very little I can do at this time except pray to god, but I am just hoping for some type of reassurance. I'm extremely stressed out.
Click to expand...

Can you clarify if the programs you ranked last year were competitive or not? I guess I would define competitive as top 25 by doximity. The only reason why I am asking is that I am ranking about that many programs and am so scared I will not match.
 
kewlboy88 said:
Can you clarify if the programs you ranked last year were competitive or not? I guess I would define competitive as top 25 by doximity. The only reason why I am asking is that I am ranking about that many programs and am so scared I will not match.
Click to expand...

Sigh...

Doximity is not the be-all-end-all of competitiveness, nor is it any good indicator on how “competitive” a program is. I don’t know why applicants keep using something with no transparency on how it ranks programs as a measure of competitiveness.
 
motuza said:
Sigh...

Doximity is not the be-all-end-all of competitiveness, nor is it any good indicator on how “competitive” a program is. I don’t know why applicants keep using something with no transparency on how it ranks programs as a measure of competitiveness.
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Because it's the only ordinal list of residency programs out there.
 
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motuza said:
Sigh...

Doximity is not the be-all-end-all of competitiveness, nor is it any good indicator on how “competitive” a program is. I don’t know why applicants keep using something with no transparency on how it ranks programs as a measure of competitiveness.
Click to expand...
for all its limitations, I would say the doximity rankings are actually a pretty accurate assessment of the top 20 programs or so. not necessarily in that order.
 
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How much does post interview communication really matter? I feel like it's a bit contrived and artificial but I guess it couldn't hurt. I feel I've clearly shown my interest in programs during interviews. Many of my classmates have sent notes/letters/emails to each person they meet on interview day and pre ranking love letters to each program as well.
 
rikudo said:
How much does post interview communication really matter? I feel like it's a bit contrived and artificial but I guess it couldn't hurt. I feel I've clearly shown my interest in programs during interviews. Many of my classmates have sent notes/letters/emails to each person they meet on interview day and pre ranking love letters to each program as well.
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I feel like it probably is courtesy and doesn't affect much.
 
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mymembernames said:
Everybody happy/excited to be going into psych? :)


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Click to expand...

Giving a lot of thought to my ranking list. Don't know if I should rank higher a really prestigious program or one that isn't so much but where I know I will be happier in and living at. I know many of you will say that it will only be 4-5 years (fellowship included) but for me it's really important to feel at comfort with the place I will be moving into. Thoughts? Suggestions? I'll really appreciate them.
 
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rikudo said:
How much does post interview communication really matter? I feel like it's a bit contrived and artificial but I guess it couldn't hurt. I feel I've clearly shown my interest in programs during interviews. Many of my classmates have sent notes/letters/emails to each person they meet on interview day and pre ranking love letters to each program as well.
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Believe me PDs have way more important things to do than keep track of who sent thank you notes. If you want to do because your parents raised you to be courteous great, but it won't affect your rank.
 
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jsdcb said:
Giving a lot of thought to my ranking list. Don't know if I should rank higher a really prestigious program or one that isn't so much but where I know I will be happier in and living at. I know many of you will say that it will only be 4-5 years (fellowship included) but for me it's really important to feel at comfort with the place I will be moving into. Thoughts? Suggestions? I'll really appreciate them.
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Prioritize happiness. You have already given up on being a real doctor, why worry about being the Ivory Tower not a real doctor. ;)
 
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jsdcb said:
Giving a lot of thought to my ranking list. Don't know if I should rank higher a really prestigious program or one that isn't so much but where I know I will be happier in and living at. I know many of you will say that it will only be 4-5 years (fellowship included) but for me it's really important to feel at comfort with the place I will be moving into. Thoughts? Suggestions? I'll really appreciate them.
Click to expand...

Choose happiness.
 
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Hi everyone!


I would really appreciate your opinion about the programs that invited me for interviews.

I’m an IMG, and I don’t know much about the reputation of the programs, whether they’re malignant or not and so on.

I’m aware that my choices should be made based on my impressions about the program during the interview. I also have preferences regarding geographical location.

However, I don’t know much about the reputation of the programs and I don’t want to end up in a bad one (since the programs also present a facade during the interview day). I’ve also looked up rankings, but I didn’t get much from them.

Anyway, I’d extremely appreciate your help on this matter! Thanks in advance!


How would you rank them solely based on REPUTATION/QUALITY?


The (psychiatry) programs are:

  • Zucker- Staten Island
  • NYMC at Westchester
  • NYMC Metropolitan
  • Nassau
  • St Luke’s hospital - Anderson campus
  • Penn state M. Hershey
  • Mayo Clinic
  • University of Reno - Nevada
  • University of Virginia
  • Rutgers NJ

And: Mount Sinai - Elmhurst (IF offered a pre-match, should I accept it?).


Thank you so much everyone!
 
Mikracaz said:
Hi everyone!


I would really appreciate your opinion about the programs that invited me for interviews.

I’m an IMG, and I don’t know much about the reputation of the programs, whether they’re malignant or not and so on.

I’m aware that my choices should be made based on my impressions about the program during the interview. I also have preferences regarding geographical location.

However, I don’t know much about the reputation of the programs and I don’t want to end up in a bad one (since the programs also present a facade during the interview day). I’ve also looked up rankings, but I didn’t get much from them.

Anyway, I’d extremely appreciate your help on this matter! Thanks in advance!


How would you rank them solely based on REPUTATION/QUALITY?


The (psychiatry) programs are:

  • Zucker- Staten Island
  • NYMC at Westchester
  • NYMC Metropolitan
  • Nassau
  • St Luke’s hospital - Anderson campus
  • Penn state M. Hershey
  • Mayo Clinic
  • University of Reno - Nevada
  • University of Virginia
  • Rutgers NJ

And: Mount Sinai - Elmhurst (IF offered a pre-match, should I accept it?).


Thank you so much everyone!
Click to expand...
What is st Luke's anderson campus?
 
splik said:
for all its limitations, I would say the doximity rankings are actually a pretty accurate assessment of the top 20 programs or so. not necessarily in that order.
Click to expand...

What would you say are the top 20 programs in order then?
 
motuza said:
Sigh...

Doximity is not the be-all-end-all of competitiveness, nor is it any good indicator on how “competitive” a program is. I don’t know why applicants keep using something with no transparency on how it ranks programs as a measure of competitiveness.
Click to expand...

Agree with above about it being the only ordinal list. And just fyi, while I agree that they should be more transparent, applicants DEFINITELY use this list in helping with the rankings unfortunately. If something is ranked #3 vs. 23, it may sway one person away from the #23.

I realize this is very superficial, but it is reality.
 
Geraltofrivia said:
I'm being neurotic but I feel justified in my neuroticism. I would like an honest answer, please. I am a reapplicant. I graduated from medical school last year, am doing a PGY1 TY year and reapplying psychiatry this year. Last year, I had 10 interviews and did not match. This year, I have 11 interviews. Last year, each interview was an adventure. I did not prepare much for most of my interviews and put very little thought into my answers. I also never felt the "interview burn" and just looked forward to going to each place. This year I feel is extremely different. I prepare for each interview and treat it like it is the only one interview I have. I am feeling "interview burn" this cycle. I am extremely stressed out about matching and am terrified I will not match again. I have spent a lot of time introspecting on why I did not match last year and when people ask, I believe I have a well-thought answer (that I do not wish to share for anonymity purposes).

I understand there is very little I can do at this time except pray to god, but I am just hoping for some type of reassurance. I'm extremely stressed out.
Click to expand...
I was in your shoes. I have a few red flags on my application. I didn't apply to as many programs as you did the first time due to caring for a sick relative and moving wasn't an option, but I sat out a year, and was too scared to go totally unmatched a second year so I did a TRI The DO match was first so I had no chance of matching once I matched into my TRI. I matched at I think my #3 on my list the following year. Good luck. I recall the stress well. Easier said than done but stressing won't help one bit. Focus on your TRI, distract yourself. Things have a way of working themselves out for the best.
 
Is there any data/posts on programs with post interview communication? If it means anything or it’s something they do with all applicants lol


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
 
mymembernames said:
Is there any data/posts on programs with post interview communication? If it means anything or it’s something they do with all applicants lol


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
Click to expand...

The Psychiatry Reddit spreadsheet has a tab dedicated to post-interview communication.
 
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Back in my day (three years ago), I interviewed at a lot of programs (I did couples match, but even with that I interviewed at a relatively high number of programs).

I understand the financial and overall burnout reason for cancelling interviews. I also appreciate that people have altruistic impulses - but I also think, especially in this day and age of increasing competitiveness of psychiatry, that people should not feel pressured to cancel interviews because of the notion that it is selfish to take these interviews even if they theoretically have enough to feel confident they will match. Reason 1 is that psych is getting more and more competitive, and not matching is a really big, life-changing deal. And Reason 2 is that you didn't work this hard and spend this much money to not go on an interview because you feel guilty for taking that spot from someone else. If you genuinely have already decided you won't rank them - of course don't go on that interview. But if you're not sure - and you were invited to interview i.e. you earned that interview invitation - I personally don't think anyone should feel guilty for going on as many interviews as they want to and are able to.

I understand this mentality makes it harder for people who haven't gotten as many invitations and are relying on trickle down interviews and for that I apologize. But it's not like anyone is stealing interview invitations from anyone - they were chosen to interview for a reason, and it is based on their earned credentials.

This is just theoretical for me - I'm a resident, and to be honest, I matched at my top choice which weakens my argument, I think - because I definitely interviewed at "too many places." But at the time, I was truly afraid of not matching, and these fears are getting more and more justified. And hindsight is 20/20. We just don't know the number each individual needs to rank to avoid not matching. Some of us estimate that number to be higher than others.

I'm open to alternate viewpoints as well as the possibility that my mentality is akin to a greedy capitalist pig because in short, what I'm saying is ignore the "greater good" and feel free to go on any interview you are invited to. But - especially in this age of people increasingly going unmatched - it's hard to predict how many interviews one needs to rank in order to match at all, and also as someone said above, there is something to be said for giving this your best shot.
 
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couples matching is a whole other thing and I wouldn't judge anyone in a couples match for doing too many interviews.
 
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Sent a thank you email to APD and received a response saying that I'd be a "strong fit" to their program. How seriously should I take this? I went over the post-interview communication thread in the sheet posted above and saw a lot of faculty members reply this to thank you emails, don't know how serious they are.
 
Nothing you can do about it so might as well relax.
 
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jsdcb said:
Sent a thank you email to APD and received a response saying that I'd be a "strong fit" to their program. How seriously should I take this? I went over the post-interview communication thread in the sheet posted above and saw a lot of faculty members reply this to thank you emails, don't know how serious they are.
Click to expand...

I would believe them (that they think you’d be a good fit) but not read anything into it (there might be 50 people who they feel would be a good fit). Waiting sucks.
 
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