Transitioning during Internship!

[4410]

Many of us were Matched about two weeks ago with an Internship site and for the majority of us it involves a move. For some this involves moving completely across the country and for others a move within their current geography region. A number of the posters on the APPIC Match thread have indicated geography restrictions on their application to sites nationwide in Phase I and Phase II. Our DCT mandated that we apply nationwide and most of the students in my program matched but many of us will be moving for a year to States such as New York, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Kansas, Louisiana, Florida and a select few were matched with sites in Texas but they will have to move as well.

The transition will be a major transition for me as I own a home, work a full-time job and own three cars. I sold one of my cars today to CarMax and made some money. I am getting ready to put my house on the market or rent out my house and I don't know how in the world I will survive on 1/3 of my current income.

What is everyone else doing during this transition? I guess I should be thankful that I have an internship beginning in July but the time seems so short to get everything done that I need to do before leaving for a year. I have credit card bills, car payments, and other assorted bills and I don't know how I can pay them up with a reduced salary. My internship site does not provide health insurance or other benefits, so I will be without insurance during this time period. I know that internship sites do not encourage outside work, but I think I will need to have an evening job or I may have to live in my car during this year.

I guess I will make it somehow...if I can't sell my house or rent my house I will really be in a world of hurt. I've been looking for housing and I noticed that on Craiglist that people exchange housing for a time period, so this may be an option.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[IT514]

Yep my move is going to suck. Moving from midwest to northeast, so its not as bad as some.

My question is - are people flying to look at prospective apartments? I would prefer to do that, but I've narrowed down a short list of places through forums, online tours, etc. Is the trip REALLY necessary?

 

[Doctor Eliza]

LOL...I seriously thought that this was going to be a post about being transgendered and transitioning during internship year!

Clearly I have had a long day and need to get to bed!

Dr. E

 

[PavlovWolf]

I moved across the country for my Internship- east coast to west coast. And, I did go out to look for/at apartments (I fortunately had a reason to be in the area for a wedding, so took extra days and found an apartment.). For those who are worried about surviving on a very low income, it's doable. Believe me. I managed to somehow live off a low stipend in an expensive area in California. I just really didn't have much of a life on weekends, because I couldn't afford it - although I did occasionally take a day trip or a weekend trip to visit friends. My social life was pretty much myself and another intern catching a movie and/or dinner on the weekend. Sounds depressing, but I made it work! Best of luck.

 

[paramour]

Many places require that they meet with you before they allow you to rent. Keep in mind that trip may be necessary. We've had students whose places were "being held" and then released to other potential renters right before they were to fly out or even when they arrived to check them out.

Hell, I even had to make the trip out-of-state to meet with the guy I was renting from when I moved for grad school.

So not uncommon. Be prepared.

 

[Pragma]

Our DCT mandated that we apply nationwide and most of the students in my program matched but many of us will be moving for a year to States such as New York, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Kansas, Louisiana, Florida and a select few were matched with sites in Texas but they will have to move as well.

Is this even legal? Is this a policy that is thoroughly explained up front before you accept admission?

I have read a couple of other comments about sites taking control over where you can and cannot apply to. I would have thrown a fit if I wasn't aware that these decisions would not be my own.

 

[paramour]

Is this even legal? Is this a policy that is thoroughly explained up front before you accept admission?

I have read a couple of other comments about sites taking control over where you can and cannot apply to. I would have thrown a fit if I wasn't aware that these decisions would not be my own.

+1. Our DCT and program encourage us not to limit ourselves geographically when applying for internship, but I can't say they mandate that we apply across the U.S. Especially as we have a few students who have restricted their applications to the immediate metropolitan or midwest area for family reasons. A few of those students did not match the first time around, so they were really encouraged to broaden their range of applications the next cycle; most did not have a problem with this because they wanted to verify that they matched (although some chose to skimp or be more open with their definition of "more broadly").

The only other semi-limitation or encouragement we receive is not to have everyone applying to the same sites. There doesn't tend to be too much overlap across students' interests in each cohort, however, so this usually isn't an issue--and most of our students are fairly stubborn and would likely apply to whatever sites they want regardless of what our program tells them.

If we were told where to apply and how we should apply, I suspect there would be a heck of a lot of issues . . . and then some.

 

[Pragma]

+1. Our DCT and program encourage us not to limit ourselves geographically when applying for internship, but I can't say they mandate that we apply across the U.S. Especially as we have a few students who have restricted their applications to the immediate metropolitan or midwest area for family reasons. A few of those students did not match the first time around, so they were really encouraged to broaden their range of applications the next cycle; most did not have a problem with this because they wanted to verify that they matched (although some chose to skimp or be more open with their definition of "more broadly").

The only other semi-limitation or encouragement we receive is not to have everyone applying to the same sites. There doesn't tend to be too much overlap across students' interests in each cohort, however, so this usually isn't an issue--and most of our students are fairly stubborn and would likely apply to whatever sites they want regardless of what our program tells them.

If we were told where to apply and how we should apply, I suspect there would be a heck of a lot of issues . . . and then some.

Yeah putting pressure on is one thing, since those statistics do reflect on the program. However, having an outright policy forcing someone to make a significant personal/financial decision (e.g., moving across the country) sounds absolutely unethical and coercive.

 

[erg923]

Yeah putting pressure on is one thing, since those statistics do reflect on the program. However, having an outright policy forcing someone to make a significant personal/financial decision (e.g., moving across the country) sounds absolutely unethical and coercive.

I doubt the person meant "mandate" as in there were concrete reprecussions for not doing so. Obviously, that would not be legal (or ethical).

I think all DCTs should obvioulsy encourage applicants to apply widely if they want to maximize their chances of match. But, obvioulsy, people have the right to choose were they would like to live. They just should be made aware of the possible consequences of that restriction.

 

[Pragma]

I doubt the person meant "mandate" as in there were concrete reprecussions for not doing so. Obviously, that would not be legal (or ethical).

I think all DCTs should obvioulsy encourage applicants to apply widely if they want to maximize their chances of match. But, obvioulsy, people have the right to choose were they would like to live. They just should be made aware of the possible consequences of that restriction.

In recent weeks, I have seen posters on this forum mention:
- Not being allowed to apply for certain internships (if better-qualified people in their program are already applying - how the heck does that discussion go?)
- Being told they HAVE TO apply nationwide
- Being required to apply for non-accredited internships (what if your professional goals require this accredidation?)

If there is somewhere where these practices ARE a strict policy (and not just pressure policies mentioned by the DCT), I'd be curious how up front the school was about these policies.

I agree about informing applicants about possible consequences, and programs should be working closely with their students through this process. But if my program ever told me that I couldn't apply someplace or that I had to apply somewhere that I did not want to, there would have been hell to pay (I probably would have sought legal counsel).

Fortunately, my program was supportive of whatever decisions I chose to make and provided excellent advice on being successful in the process.

 

[Pragma]

Many of us were Matched about two weeks ago with an Internship site and for the majority of us it involves a move. For some this involves moving completely across the country and for others a move within their current geography region. A number of the posters on the APPIC Match thread have indicated geography restrictions on their application to sites nationwide in Phase I and Phase II. Our DCT mandated that we apply nationwide and most of the students in my program matched but many of us will be moving for a year to States such as New York, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Kansas, Louisiana, Florida and a select few were matched with sites in Texas but they will have to move as well.

The transition will be a major transition for me as I own a home, work a full-time job and own three cars. I sold one of my cars today to CarMax and made some money. I am getting ready to put my house on the market or rent out my house and I don't know how in the world I will survive on 1/3 of my current income.

What is everyone else doing during this transition? I guess I should be thankful that I have an internship beginning in July but the time seems so short to get everything done that I need to do before leaving for a year. I have credit card bills, car payments, and other assorted bills and I don't know how I can pay them up with a reduced salary. My internship site does not provide health insurance or other benefits, so I will be without insurance during this time period. I know that internship sites do not encourage outside work, but I think I will need to have an evening job or I may have to live in my car during this year.

I guess I will make it somehow...if I can't sell my house or rent my house I will really be in a world of hurt. I've been looking for housing and I noticed that on Craiglist that people exchange housing for a time period, so this may be an option.

To the OP's question, I stayed in the same city but did move apartments to have a closer commute.

I am not sure how you are able to work full time and be a doctoral student, but this salary reduction is necessary if you want to get the degree. You should be able to take out loans to assist you in part during the internship year.

I am not sure what makes the most sense for selling or renting the house, but 3 cars? Must be rough...perhaps narrowing that down will help. I sold my car right when I started graduate school because it has been unnecessary and a waste of money.

Some internship sites will let you do some side work. I taught a night class during mine.

 

[psychwanabe]

What is everyone else doing during this transition?

I am also moving but am fortunate it is only about a 5 hour drive away. I'll be in a city that is very different culturally, I'm changing one time zone, and I too own a home and have to go through the MAJOR work of selling, sorting, storing and moving a lifetime of stuff. I am lucky that I've already rented our place to someone I know and I can leave some stuff here which makes the transition a lot easier. Still, now that the high of matching has worn off (too bad it doesn't stay around longer, it was fabulous!), reality has set in and I'm already feeling the pressure of all the work that needs to be done in preparation for moving.

I am hoping to find a place really close to my internship so that I could walk or it's less than a 10 minute drive. For the last 9 years I've been commuting a minimum of 25 minutes (45+ in rush hour) each way and am looking forward to reducing or eliminating that. Unfortunately, the places I'm looking at so far are a lot more expensive close to the office so I may have to suck it up and stay further out in order to get the kind of place we need at a price we can afford.

My hubby and I took a quick trip there last weekend to scope out some neighborhoods (again, lucky that we live so close) and now I'm searching online. I'm not brave enough to rent a place sight unseen, so we'll go again at the end of April to check out the options I've come up with while searching. I start 7/2, so I want to move in early June to give me time to unpack completely, learn the new city, and feel settled before I start.

So much to do and think about! Today I'm making lists of what I need to make lists for...

 

[4410]

Mandate or policy or rules is not what I meant but our DCT stressed nationwide applications. The DCT has to review where we are going to apply and endorse or sign off on where we may apply. They do not recommend that we all apply to the same ten sites in the same State, but they do allow us to apply to some sites in the same State within reason.

Many of us are married with children since my cohort has students ranging in age between 26 and 55. Some of the students moved here from the East Coast and now are returning to the East Coast to do their internship so they have family near their internship sites. However, I believe it is a major transition for many of us. I will have to get addtional Graduate Plus loans for this year. Regarding the three cars, one of my parents lives with me and it was her car that was sold as she cannot drive anymore. I have a car and my son has a car, so it is not like I had all three cars just for me. It was challenging to work full time during doctoral studies but when you have a family and children there are expenses. All things considered, it is would have been easier to work on a doctoral degree when before having additional family responsiblities, but many of us have worked and have families when we reach the point of going through a doctoral program. Furthermore, a large number of students started out in the program single but then married and started a family during their doctoral studies, since a doctoral degree may range in 4-8 years of study.

I have been trying to plan for this year and I am wanting to move on or transition to a new place. I did not want to move before my youngest son finished high school and he graduated in 2011. Housing market is improving where I live now, so I am hoping I may be able to sell my house and come out ahead or make some money to help live during my internship year.

Like someone else indicated, the ups and downs of the whole process are emotionally challenging. I was in shock and excited when I matched as I had resolved that I would be going to phase II or have to resort to find my own internship site locally. Now the excitement has worn down and reality settled in that this is going to be a major transition with not enough time left to get everything done.

 

[deleted176373]

Many of us were Matched about two weeks ago with an Internship site and for the majority of us it involves a move. For some this involves moving completely across the country and for others a move within their current geography region. A number of the posters on the APPIC Match thread have indicated geography restrictions on their application to sites nationwide in Phase I and Phase II. Our DCT mandated that we apply nationwide and most of the students in my program matched but many of us will be moving for a year to States such as New York, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Kansas, Louisiana, Florida and a select few were matched with sites in Texas but they will have to move as well.

The transition will be a major transition for me as I own a home, work a full-time job and own three cars. I sold one of my cars today to CarMax and made some money. I am getting ready to put my house on the market or rent out my house and I don't know how in the world I will survive on 1/3 of my current income.

What is everyone else doing during this transition? I guess I should be thankful that I have an internship beginning in July but the time seems so short to get everything done that I need to do before leaving for a year. I have credit card bills, car payments, and other assorted bills and I don't know how I can pay them up with a reduced salary. My internship site does not provide health insurance or other benefits, so I will be without insurance during this time period. I know that internship sites do not encourage outside work, but I think I will need to have an evening job or I may have to live in my car during this year.

I guess I will make it somehow...if I can't sell my house or rent my house I will really be in a world of hurt. I've been looking for housing and I noticed that on Craiglist that people exchange housing for a time period, so this may be an option.

I feel everyone's pain here. It's very similar to what we in the military have to deal with every couple of years. Last year I moved from Rockville, MD to Virginia Beach, VA (I know I won't hear any heart break over that short move) and now in August I will be moving again at the end of Internship to Guam. Yes, Guam... A third of the way around the world. Roughly 8066 miles.

Yes, I need to sell a house, possessions, and vehicles.

Good luck with all of your moves, making it fun by embracing your new communities can make all the difference in the world for your sanity/happiness.

 

[psychwanabe]

I feel everyone's pain here. It's very similar to what we in the military have to deal with every couple of years. Last year I moved from Rockville, MD to Virginia Beach, VA (I know I won't hear any heart break over that short move) and now in August I will be moving again at the end of Internship to Guam. Yes, Guam... A third of the way around the world. Roughly 8066 miles.

Yes, I need to sell a house, possessions, and vehicles.

Good luck with all of your moves, making it fun by embracing your new communities can make all the difference in the world for your sanity/happiness.

Wow. I'm grateful for my measly 5 hour move!!

I am totally with you on the last statement. My hubby and I plan to really immerse ourselves in the culture of our new town. We are also trying to find a very different area to live in than the suburbs that have been our life these last couple of decades. Would love a loft in the city, but $$ becomes an issue then. We're being very open about the move and trying to really have an interesting and different year. Exciting!

 

[KillerDiller]

Anyone else have to leave their spouse behind to move for internship year? I'm actually surprised by the number of people who are able to bring their families. My husband has a decent-paying job (quite a bit more than I will be making on internship), and can't just up and leave it. So, I will be moving halfway across the country without him. It feels like I'm regressing back to college--finding a low rent studio, getting a junker car, and living as cheaply as possible since we will have to maintain two homes. I guess it's probably back to Rolling Rock and generic boxed mac and cheese too.

 

[paramour]

I feel everyone's pain here. It's very similar to what we in the military have to deal with every couple of years. Last year I moved from Rockville, MD to Virginia Beach, VA (I know I won't hear any heart break over that short move) and now in August I will be moving again at the end of Internship to Guam. Yes, Guam... A third of the way around the world. Roughly 8066 miles.

Yes, I need to sell a house, possessions, and vehicles.

Good luck with all of your moves, making it fun by embracing your new communities can make all the difference in the world for your sanity/happiness.

I like this.

Best of wishes with your move and new transition, Markp! I must admit to some jealousy (perhaps that a bit bizarre, although not too much hopefully ).

Anyone else have to leave their spouse behind to move for internship year? I'm actually surprised by the number of people who are able to bring their families. My husband has a decent-paying job (quite a bit more than I will be making on internship), and can't just up and leave it. So, I will be moving halfway across the country without him. It feels like I'm regressing back to college--finding a low rent studio, getting a junker car, and living as cheaply as possible since we will have to maintain two homes. I guess it's probably back to Rolling Rock and generic boxed mac and cheese too.

I love mac & cheese!

G'luck, KD! Hope things work relatively stress free for you and your spouse.

 

[RGirl]

Anyone else have to leave their spouse behind to move for internship year? I'm actually surprised by the number of people who are able to bring their families. My husband has a decent-paying job (quite a bit more than I will be making on internship), and can't just up and leave it. So, I will be moving halfway across the country without him. It feels like I'm regressing back to college--finding a low rent studio, getting a junker car, and living as cheaply as possible since we will have to maintain two homes. I guess it's probably back to Rolling Rock and generic boxed mac and cheese too.

I'm currently on internship 1500 miles away from my fiance. It definitely feels like a regression- renting a room, no car, and all my spare money going to travelling. I'm, strangely, the only person in a long-distance relationship out of six interns. It's even scarier with UND for post-docs coming up- I'm hoping to end up back in the same city as him, as at 30, I am getting tired of living like I did at 20!

 

[Doctor Eliza]

Okay, so no one else expected this thread to be about transgender issues?! it is like some sort of projective test or something.

Lots of luck to all!

Dr. E

 

[KillerDiller]

Thanks for the good wishes, Paramour

I'm hoping to end up back in the same city as him, as at 30, I am getting tired of living like I did at 20!

Right there with you on this sentiment. Best of luck!

Okay, so no one else expected this thread to be about transgender issues?! it is like some sort of projective test or something.

Not until after you mentioned it. Although, much like a Rorschach blot, now I cannot *not* see it.

 

[paramour]

Okay, so no one else expected this thread to be about transgender issues?! it is like some sort of projective test or something.

Lots of luck to all!

Dr. E

Not until after you mentioned it. Although, much like a Rorschach blot, now I cannot *not* see it.

Nope.

But now I keep reading the title as "Transgendering during internship" rather than "Transitioning during internship."

 

[DUintern]

I matched to an internship fairly far from our house (not even attached to the US) so it had some unique challenges. We had a house, a 1 year old, dog, 3 cars, boat, my husband had a job, and not much extra money to spend on an expensive move. We rented the house through property manager. Make sure to check references on property manager! It took them 3 months to get it rented. Terminated with them a year later and got it rented it in 3 days. Exchanged a car (180k expedition) to a family friend for boat storage. Shipped both of our vehicle as fully loaded as possible on a barge and got on a plane and looked for a place to live. DO NOT take this approach. Find a place first before moving. We didn't realize that we were moving during "salmon season" so all of the prices were much higher (motel 6 $200. 00 per night).