so who's applying this year?

[dynamite]

i thought it might be a good idea to start a thread for all of us who are currently applying for psych. (well, i've started thinking about it, but have yet to actually do anything...but i'm very excited!) anyway, it'd be nice to support each other through the process. where does everyone want to go? i'm thinking east coast. love the snow

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[Anasazi23]

Is it that time of year again already?

I think this forum provided a tremendous amount of great information on how to apply, where to apply, how to go about interviewing, what types of programs are best suited for you, and much more last year during the "application season."

We look forward to providing lots of good advice again this year. Feel free to ask away. There's lots of good and knowledgable folks with lots of levels of experience on this forum. Use them.

Best of luck to all of you!

 

[nortomaso]

Good idea, dynamite. It is about the right time for the discussion to get going.

I too am partial to the East Coast, mostly for family reasons, though I do intend to apply to the two major bay area programs (Stanford and UCSF). From what I've seen on their web sights, heard on the street and from SDN, these are the programs that I find most appealing so far:

Duke, Penn, Stanford

My reasons are threefold. Firstly, I would like a program with sufficient research opportunities (and that means time too, not just resources) and flexibility. From what I gathered that isn't the case with MGH or UCSF.

Secondly,I do not want psychotherapy training to be totally neglected. This might be so at Washington University from what I've heard.

Finally, I do not want to spend four years discussing arcane, circular psychoanalytic concepts with dogmatic kooks who have it in for psychotherapy research. So I am wary of Columbia and UCSF.

Please note that I plan on applying to all these programs. I'm just throwing up my preliminary impressions of the top programs, hoping that others will refute or confirm them and that we will all come away with a more realistic idea of what they have to offer.

Good luck to everyone.

i thought it might be a good idea to start a thread for all of us who are currently applying for psych. (well, i've started thinking about it, but have yet to actually do anything...but i'm very excited!) anyway, it'd be nice to support each other through the process. where does everyone want to go? i'm thinking east coast. love the snow

 

[MDgonnabe]

after 4 yrs of earning a bs in psychology and 3 long, hard, painful years of med school i am FINALLY applying to psych this year! my top choice is my med school's program, mainly because i want to stay near my family/friends, but also because i've gotten to love the faculty and staff here.

in terms of how far along i am: i just asked/begged two physicians for lor's- a gyn-onc chairman at a community hospital and a family practitioner who got to know me extremely well. will get another letter from my preceptor during my sub-i next month. my dean's letter is in the works from what i hear. one question i've had is if i should just send my eras in now even without the dean's letter? can i add more programs to the list once i submit eras, or is it a done deal once it's sent?

also, while i've heard that getting applications in earlier helps land interviews, does interviewing early help land spots? ... and what type of questions should i ask at interviews later this year? ... during which months does psych interview its applicants, anyway?

sorry this was so scatterbrained. am cramming for a shelf exam right now. much to the other applicants!

 

[BCS_001]

Not completely decided yet, but leaning in the direction of applying in psych this year. My top choices would be my home school, for the same reasons MDgonnabe mentioned above, then maybe in South Florida or California as a bit of a lifestyle choice.

I am also curious when the programs tend to interview? I haven't really started the whole application process yet (as I haven't made any final decisions yet), but figured it would be ok to be a little "late," given that we aren't trying to become neurosurgeons or dermatologists or anything

Best of luck to everyone!!!

 

[dynamite]

Hold up a moment!! I'm already late in the app process? Is that even possible? hmmm.... What is the recommended early date to submit the app? I'm in the midst of studying for Step 2 right now and I wasn't going to start my app till after that's over with, in about 2 weeks. So, give myself two weeks to finish my statement and get everything submitted. So I'm looking at end of August submittal. Is this late? Is this not early enough?

 

[atsai3]

Finally, I do not want to spend four years discussing arcane, circular psychoanalytic concepts with dogmatic kooks who have it in for psychotherapy research. So I am wary of Columbia and UCSF.

nortomaso,

I was hoping you might elaborate on your above comment about Columbia and UCSF. are those programs that heavily weighted towards psychoanalysis? how have you gotten a feel for that?

for the rest of the thread --

I'm not completely decided yet. will probably apply to psych programs and 1 or 2 med/psych programs. at the starting gate, UCSF, Yale, George Washington, and Duke are looking pretty good. we'll see how that changes over the next few months...

Cheers
-AT.

 

[Anasazi23]

Relax folks.... check the ERAS website for the timetable. Residencies start interviewing late October and last until early February. I didn't submit my ERAS for at least a couple weeks into the process and had plenty of interviews.

 

[BCS_001]

Hey Dynamite . . . I did not mean to imply it was "late" already; I was talking more about my own plans. I am doing an elective in another field for the month of August and am hoping to make a final decision by mid to late August, with applications going out sometime in September or October. My Dean's Office doesn't send letters until November 1st anyway, so definitely not late for me until after that point I believe the deadline from ERAS is December 1st.

Good luck studying for Step 2!!! I haven't even thought about when that will happen yet . . .

Hold up a moment!! I'm already late in the app process? Is that even possible? hmmm.... What is the recommended early date to submit the app? I'm in the midst of studying for Step 2 right now and I wasn't going to start my app till after that's over with, in about 2 weeks. So, give myself two weeks to finish my statement and get everything submitted. So I'm looking at end of August submittal. Is this late? Is this not early enough?

 

[nortomaso]

nortomaso,

I was hoping you might elaborate on your above comment about Columbia and UCSF. are those programs that heavily weighted towards psychoanalysis? how have you gotten a feel for that?

for the rest of the thread --

I'm not completely decided yet. will probably apply to psych programs and 1 or 2 med/psych programs. at the starting gate, UCSF, Yale, George Washington, and Duke are looking pretty good. we'll see how that changes over the next few months...

Cheers
-AT.

I'll just sum up some things I noticed on the departments' own websites rather than spread hearsay. Columbia's website says that residents begin their psychotherapy experience in PGY2... with 2 psychoanalysis cases. Out of 13 months of didactics devoted to psychotherapy, 8 are devoted to psychodynamics. The residency director has instituted an in-house exam for psychodynamic competency. Now none of this is in itself bad, and there seems to be a ton of great biological psychiatry going on at Columbia, but its seems to me that the time and effort put into the psychodynamic curriculum is disproportionate to its place in the psychotherapy literature and at the expense of an evidence-based approach to patient care.

My impression of UCSF is similar. They have a six month outpatient rotation in the PGY2, the brochure mentions that during this rotation they will be trained in "time-limited individual psychodynamic therapy, group therapy, and family therapy." Then the didactics have a course in psychoanalysis in PGY1 with no mention of CBT until PGY3.

Check it out for yourself and let me know if you get the same impression. Take Care.
n

 

[dynamite]

Thanx BCS and anasazi for talking me down . And thanx for the best wishes for the Step 2. It sucks, but I just wanna get it over with.

Anyway, I've read some of the Columbia wesite but I guess I didn't read it with a very critical eye. I certainly appreciate the analysis. I am partial to the more psychotherapy oriented programs. So maybe its right up my alley. But I guess I need to know more about the specific psychotherapy disciplines (CBT vs. psychodynamic).

Nortomaso, why Penn? I've heard that it's a pretty balanced program, and it's in Philly so that's a plus, but are there any specifics about it that draw you? I'm trying to get a better idea of the East coast programs and Penn comes up a lot but I'm not sure about the specifics of their reputation.

 

[hopeseekr]

Im also applying this year but it all depends when im gonna get us visa to give ck

 

[nortomaso]

Thanx BCS and anasazi for talking me down . And thanx for the best wishes for the Step 2. It sucks, but I just wanna get it over with.

Anyway, I've read some of the Columbia wesite but I guess I didn't read it with a very critical eye. I certainly appreciate the analysis. I am partial to the more psychotherapy oriented programs. So maybe its right up my alley. But I guess I need to know more about the specific psychotherapy disciplines (CBT vs. psychodynamic).

Nortomaso, why Penn? I've heard that it's a pretty balanced program, and it's in Philly so that's a plus, but are there any specifics about it that draw you? I'm trying to get a better idea of the East coast programs and Penn comes up a lot but I'm not sure about the specifics of their reputation.

dynamite,

Going again by the website, like the other two programs, psychotherapy practice at Penn begins at the end of the second year. They do not, however, mention the type of psychotherapy. That to me is a good sign as it reflects either an open mind or a balance of power. The psychotherapy didactics seem about equally distributed between CBT and psychoanalysis. CBT is a tradition at Penn, much like psychoanalysis is elsewhere. Aaron Beck, the founder of Cognitive therapy, is a psychiatrist at Penn, and his daughter runs the didactics there. While this could be another "church" in a different color, the redeeming value of the CBT people is that they are into validating their techniques experimentally as well as dismantling them to determine which elements are truly essential.

The other factors that draws me to Penn are that it is strong biologically, devotes time to ECT and TMS training, and has a research track that you don't have to apply to until PGY2.

Hope that helps. Good luck with the studying and let's keep the discussion board churning! Hopefullly some residents with 1st hand experience of these programs will chime in.

n

 

[psych2b]

I'm finally a 4th year as well. *laugh* I've been reading these forums with interest. It's too bad the search feature is gone, so now we can't easily go back in history to see what other folks wrote, regarding impressions of programs. *sigh* I tried that new google feature at the bottom of the page, but I'm too computer-illiterate to make it work for me as well as the old search feature. *struggle*

Anyway, now I'm playing with the fun font things, so pardon the flightiness of my response. Anyway, I'm looking for a program that stresses psychoanalytic training in addition to being on the cutting edge of research - I'm not sure such a place exists, so we'll see... I want to be on the west coast, or up in Boston b/c I'm currently in the South, and if one more person says "Gee, you're english sure is good" then I may explode.

Places I'm considering:
MGH
Hahvahd-Longwood (not South Shore)
Cambridge
UNC-CH - not my fave location, but has strong program
Duke - big name, lovely director, not my fave location & has hardly any inpatient facilities - people go to UNC to do child inpatient... weird, but lovely program director and big name...
Hopkins (but only b/c I like the research - I'm not a fan of its location & don't really know how much they encourage psychoanalytical didactics, so...)
Mayo (also not sure how I feel about this location; heard very mixed things about this program - does anyone know how their psychoanalytic training is these days?)
UC-Irvine (I love the sound of this program, from their website - but I can't find any reviews or anything about it. Does anyone know anything about it? What is this place like to live in? Is this a respectable program? Help! Does it fill every year?)
UCSD
UCSF
Stanford
San Mateo
OHSU- um, I've heard mumblings of unhappiness from some people regarding this program - anyone know anything?
UW (have family near here)

So yup, that's my list. I doubt I'll get interviews at all those places, but I've been fantasizing about applying to some of the programs for years. *grin* Where all are you considering?

-psych2b

 

[nortomaso]

Psych2b,

sounds like columbia and UCSF would be good fits for you for the sme reason they are not good for me (strong emphasis on psychoanalysis and philosophical split between evidence-based pharmacotherapy and a non-evidence-based psychotherapy). You might want to check out Baylor too. The Menninger clinic and Glen Gabbard are there, so its very psychoanalytic.

I worked with an attending who graduated from the UC Irvine program not too long ago. He was very happy with the program and felt that there was good psychotherapy training (though he didn't say what kind) and that while you were exposed to both biological psych and psychotherapy there was a good amount of self-determination allowed as to how much you wanted to invest in each. Sorry I can't be more specific than that.

 

[mosche]

I'll post here that I'm beginning to look at Psych. as well. However, if anyone here has been reading the Path. forums, then you'll probably realize that just a month ago I was seriously considering Path.. Unfortunately, I just finished my first Path. rotation and am now considering Psych.!

At present, I'm still considering the same schools that I had considered for Path. -- primarily schools in the Midwest:
University of Michigan,
University of Minnesota,
University of Wisconsin Madison,
Mayo.,
University of Chicago,
Wash. U. Barnes Jewish Hospital,
Northwestern,
MGH (had not considered this school for Path.),
Duke,
UNC Chapel Hill,
and University of Arkansas.

Again, I'm really in a state of flux--I entered med. school expecting to do Path.--so, I know little about most of these Psych. programs! Any insight into these or other programs will be very appreciated.

 

[detroitdoc]

Hi All,
I am so glad this thread is up and running.
I have been all about psych since beginning medical school and I am having secing thoughs (getting nervous). I like neuro a lot and I am caught between the two. I am thinking about applying to both and then deciding later. My issue is that i really like procedures and think I will miss not working with my hands at all. Does anyone know of any procedures that psychiatrists can do? I guess i am not very knowledgeable in that area. I really want to do psych...any suggestions?
Thanks

 

[dynamite]

hi detroitdc,

have you thought about applying to the triple board programs (psych, child-psych, and neurology)? that way you could do psych and neuro. although i'm not sure how that would actually work once you graduate residency. but perhaps that will give you even more time to decide to do either one. you can look up these programs on freida.

In terms of procedures, I am only aware of ECT in psychiatry. Does anyone know of any other procedures? The ECT I have been exposed to involves mainly a machine causing a "controlled" seizure. Anesthesia takes care of sedation. So, really, the procedure doesn't involve to much hands on activity (just press a button).

 

[Anasazi23]

I had similar thoughts when I was applying. I loved to restore old cars and play sports prior to medical school, and I enjoyed my surgery rotations because of the "hands on." Unfortunately, psychiatry doesn't have much procedures. ECT, VNS, TMS, and the like aren't really procedures either. Lots of my friends in medical school said I should apply to ortho so that I could continue to do what I loved - working with tools and my hands.

But ya know what? Dropping an engine in a 71 RoadRunner is much more satisfying than putting a screw in some old lady's hip.

If you are dead set on procedures, you might get your fill after internship year, after you draw 1000 bloods, put in 250 IVs, do 10-15 LPs, put in a couple centrals, and the like.

If you still insist on working with your hands after that, get yourself a nice RoadRunner.
Good luck.

 

[OldPsychDoc]

If you are dead set on procedures, you might get your fill after internship year, after you draw 1000 bloods, put in 250 IVs, do 10-15 LPs, put in a couple centrals, and the like.

If you still insist on working with your hands after that, get yourself a nice RoadRunner.
Good luck.

Amen.

(Or buy yourself a fixer-upper house...)

 

[detroitdoc]

Amen.

(Or buy yourself a fixer-upper house...)

Thank you fellow psychers! I think psych is the right choice...I think my vice will be an old haunted house. Then I could use my psych and my procedural skills. Thank you for all of the great advice!

Have you all finished your personal statements?

 

[dynamite]

Thank you fellow psychers! I think psych is the right choice...I think my vice will be an old haunted house. Then I could use my psych and my procedural skills. Thank you for all of the great advice!

Have you all finished your personal statements?

Perhaps after I get STARTED on it, I'll be closer to finishing it!!

 

[coop]

Greetings,
I've been lurking here for a while... I was formerly a devout future-Neurologist, but 3rd year has a way of changing even the most closed-minded of us. So i'll be applying for psych this season. I come to psych from strong neuroscience roots and am looking for programs with good overall training, but would be less inclined to psychdynamic heavy programs.

I'll be looking a lot in california (family in so cal), but a little all over the map because I'll be couples matching, which necessitates a broadening of the list.

I second the curiosity about UC Irvine. They do have a very captivating website...

Also curious for more info on UCSD (whose website is very nice as well).

Good luck to all on the upcoming interview season.

 

[dynamite]

Don't know too many specifics about UCSD, but I've heard they are more biologically oriented (psychopharm, research, etc.)

Anyone know about the University of Washington program? I never thought about it before, but it's starting to be more enticing. Seems to fit what I want. The search is disabled, so anyone care to share?

 

[Hurricane]

Hi everybody,

I've lurked on and off for a while, and now I'm finally registering so I can join this thread. I'm an MD/PhD student, so naturally I am interested in programs with strong research. Lack of snow would be nice too, as I think both my husband and I have seasonal affective disorder

So my preliminary list is UCSF, Stanford, UNC, Duke, Emory, MUSC, UTSW, Baylor, UW, Wash U, and Cincinnati (where I am currently).

I finally finished a draft of my personal statement, and entered all of the fascinating details of my life into ERAS, so now I'm in the acquiring letters of recommendation phase. Yay.

Some of you have mentioned that certain programs favor one theory over another... how do you find out this kind of information?

 

[atsai3]

Don't know too many specifics about UCSD, but I've heard they are more biologically oriented (psychopharm, research, etc.)

Anyone know about the University of Washington program? I never thought about it before, but it's starting to be more enticing. Seems to fit what I want. The search is disabled, so anyone care to share?

You can read all about the life of one of the UW psych residents at: http://intueri.org/. If you have the time to sift through it all, I'd say there's probably information in there on what the UW program is like.

-AT.

 

[psych2b]

Some of you have mentioned that certain programs favor one theory over another... how do you find out this kind of information?

Well, I'm not sure how others are approaching this, but I'm asking all the residents at my school, talking to various faculty, combing through all the past years of posts here, and going to all the program sites in the states where I want to be - reading all the material they have posted and seeing how much time they spend training for therapy and what are the requirements/supports for research [$$/time/advisors/etc].

 

[dynamite]

WOOOHOOO!!! Just took the Step 2 yesterday. Now, the fun begins....

 

[dynamite]

About the personal statement: Only one page? Any character limit? Single-spaced?

 

[Anasazi23]

Generally about a page. Single spaced. A paragraph under or over isn't a big deal. Quality over quantity.

 

[psych2b]

I've been getting conflicting feedback on my personal statement from various residents/faculty/friends... Do you guys think the personal statement should focus on 1) why we would be good at psychiatry, 2) why we like psychiatry, 3) what we want from a program, or 4) an interesting case...?
Or who we are?
Or...something else entirely.

some people love it, others say it "doesn't grab them." uh oh... should i just hope that the programs who like it are also the ones i should be at, and the ones i fail to "grab" are the ones i shouldn't be at?

confuzzled,
psych2b

 

[jennyklm]

I'm no authority, but I was told that my personal statement should address: 1) why psychiatry 2)what i'm looking for in a program and 3)why I would be a good psychiatrist. Personally, I didn't include any anecdotal cases because that would have meant infringing upon that one page rule.

By the way, how many programs are people applying to? Right now, I'm looking at 20, but don't know if i should be adding a couple extra or could afford to drop a few and only apply to fifteen or so...

 

[psych2b]

By the way, how many programs are people applying to? Right now, I'm looking at 20, but don't know if i should be adding a couple extra or could afford to drop a few and only apply to fifteen or so...

I'm applying to 19. My school dean said 20 would be plenty for psych, and only suggested I needed so many b/c I'm wanting to go to California, but I'm not from there (and they tend not to take non-Californians) AND my step I score was sub-par. Also, I didn't honor in many 3rd year clerkships... *sigh*. So, I'm not the optimal candidate - hence why I need to apply to so many. If you've got decent scores and grades, 15 should be plenty. Other people here who have decent scores and grades, and aren't trying to get into California are being advised to do 8-10.

HTH,
psych2b

 

[osiris3]

I was just curious if anyone had any information about LSU and Tulane, will they be accepting residency applications this year. With all the devastation in the area I would be surprised.

To all those who make there homes or have family in NO or the Gulfcoast my prayers are with you.

 

[ORBITAL BEBOP]

I am applying to Psychiatry. I am switching after one year in a different residency field. I am applying in the Midwest and East Coast.

 

[Hurricane]

I've been getting conflicting feedback on my personal statement from various residents/faculty/friends... Do you guys think the personal statement should focus on 1) why we would be good at psychiatry, 2) why we like psychiatry, 3) what we want from a program, or 4) an interesting case...?
Or who we are?
Or...something else entirely.

The psychiatry residency director at my med school says he likes reading statements about who we are. He says he hates the ones about an interesting case, especially if it involves something about how you were the only person who was able to effectively get through to the patient.

 

[psych2b]

The psychiatry residency director at my med school says he likes reading statements about who we are. He says he hates the ones about an interesting case, especially if it involves something about how you were the only person who was able to effectively get through to the patient.

That's a relief, since that's what I wrote - *laugh*

Good luck, everybody!