2006 APPIC Match: Survey of Internship Applicants
May 20, 2006
This survey of applicants who were registered for the 2006 APPIC Match was conducted via the internet between February 27 and March 29, 2006. All 3,479 applicants who registered for the APPIC Match were sent an e-mail message (along with two reminder e-mails) about the availability of the survey at a specific internet address. A total of 2,337 internship applicants (67%) completed some or all of the survey.
Results of the survey are presented below. Missing data and "Not Applicable" responses were eliminated, and percentages do not necessarily total 100% due to rounding. Some survey items requested open-ended comments that were not included below.
Some of the more interesting findings from this survey include:
1. Approximately 78% of internship applicants in the 2006 Match
were female (see question 25). Questions 20-28 provide
additional demographic information.
2. Applicants submitted an average of 12.9 internship applications
(see question 9). The means reported by applicants in previous
years were:
2005 Match 12.4 applications
2004 Match 12.4 applications
2003 Match 12.1 applications
2002 Match 13.1 applications
1999 Match 13.8 applications
3. Twelve percent of applicants reported being unable to participate
in one or more interviews because of scheduling conflicts (see
question 12).
4. Despite APPIC's instructions that applicants should use only
their true preferences when developing their Rank Order Lists,
5% of applicants reported doing otherwise (see question 16).
5. Fifteen percent of applicants reported completing an online
version of the AAPI for at least one site (see question 17).
6. Applicants endorsed the adoption of a "Centralized Application
Service," but only if the cost is kept to a minimum (see
question 19a-e).
7. The cost of participating in the selection process varied
dramatically across applicants. While the average applicant
spent $1,508 (median = $1,120, SD = $1,348), many applicants
spent considerably less while many spent considerably more
(see question 18).
8. A total of 377 applicants (16.1%) believed that they experienced
some form of discrimination during the selection process (see
question 29).
9. Questions 34 and 35 provide the median numbers of practicum
hours reported by applicants. APPIC recommends that
applicants interpret these numbers cautiously. Applicants
should NOT assume that the numbers of practicum hours
reported are necessary to successfully obtain an internship,
as many Training Directors have told us that they consider
these raw numbers to be one of the less important aspects
of an application.
10. Fifty-five percent of applicants had at least one publication
at the time of submitting their applications, while 77% had at
least one professional presentation (see questions 38 and 39).
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1. Type of Doctoral Program
Clinical 1793 77 %
Counseling 328 14 %
School 107 5 %
Combined 80 3 %
Other 23 1 %
INTERPRETATION NOTE: A "combined" program could mean: (a) a doctoral
program that defines itself as a "combined" program (e.g., clinical-
school), or (b) an arrangement negotiated by a student in which he/she
integrates the curricula of two separate doctoral programs at his/her
school.
2. Degree Sought
Ph.D. 1407 60 %
Psy.D. 913 39 %
Ed.D. 4 0 %
Other 5 0 %
3. Is your doctoral program APA- or CPA-accredited?
Yes 2158 93 %
No 158 7 %
4. Is your program housed within a religiously-affiliated institution?
Yes 321 14 %
No 1999 86 %
5. Please check the item that applies to you (please respond even if
you withdrew from the Match or did not submit a Rank Order List):
This is my FIRST time 2182 94%
participating in the Match
This is my SECOND time 135 6%
participating in the Match
This is my THIRD time 7 0%
participating in the Match
Other 4 0%
6. Were you matched to an internship program by the APPIC Match?
(i.e., did your official notification from National Matching
Services [NMS] indicate that you were successfully matched to
an internship program?)
Yes 1849 80%
No 406 17%
Withdrew / No rankings submitted 70 3%
7a. The materials and instructions provided by National Matching
Services (NMS) were clear and comprehensive.
Strongly Agree 1376 59 %
Agree 820 35 %
Neutral 52 2 %
Disagree 26 1 %
Strongly Disagree 52 2 %
7b. The registration process with NMS went smoothly.
Strongly Agree 1623 70 %
Agree 580 25 %
Neutral 44 2 %
Disagree 22 1 %
Strongly Disagree 49 2 %
7c. The submission of my Rank Order List to NMS went smoothly.
Strongly Agree 1711 76 %
Agree 456 20 %
Neutral 28 1 %
Disagree 14 1 %
Strongly Disagree 46 2 %
7d. NMS was responsive to my questions and concerns
(choose "N/A" if you never contacted NMS).
Strongly Agree 262 55 %
Agree 140 29 %
Neutral 43 9 %
Disagree 14 3 %
Strongly Disagree 18 4 %
7e. I am satisfied with the Match result that I received from
the Matching Program.
Strongly Agree 1137 51 %
Agree 444 20 %
Neutral 173 8 %
Disagree 151 7 %
Strongly Disagree 321 14 %
7f. Overall, I am satisfied with the APPIC Matching Program.
Strongly Agree 860 37 %
Agree 740 32 %
Neutral 303 13 %
Disagree 215 9 %
Strongly Disagree 177 8 %
8a. In your judgment, did you experience any violation(s) of
APPIC Match Policies by any site?
Yes 199 9 %
No 1923 83 %
Unsure 203 9 %
NOTE: Results to this question from previous years:
YES NO UNSURE
2005 8% 85% 7%
2004 8% 86% 7%
2003 11% 77% 12%
2002 11% 78% 12%
2001 10% 76% 14%
2000 15% 74% 12%
1999 12% 77% 11%
It should be noted that Match Policy changes over the years
may have influenced responses to this item.
8b. Did you reveal any ranking information (e.g., "You are my
first choice") to any site?
Yes 17 1 %
No 2293 99 %
Unsure 13 1 %
8c. Did you experience inappropriate pressure from any site to
reveal your rankings?
Yes 57 2 %
No 2214 96 %
Unsure 45 2 %
8d. Did any site reveal ranking information to you (e.g., "You
are our first choice")?
Yes 62 3 %
No 2210 95 %
Unsure 44 2 %
9. To how many internship sites did you apply (i.e., how many
separate internship applications did you submit)?
Mean = 12.9 Median = 13
SD = 5.2 Mode = 15
10. Considering ALL of the sites to which you applied, how many
did NOT notify you of your interview status (e.g., received an
interview, no longer under consideration) on or before the
"interview notification date" listed in their APPIC Directory
information? For example, if all of your sites notified you
in a timely manner, choose "0".
Mean = 1.2 Median = 1
SD = 1.8 Mode = 0
11. How many interviews (telephone or on-site) were you offered?
Mean = 6.4 Median = 6
SD = 3.6 Mode = 4
12. At how many sites were you offered an interview, but no
interview took place (either via telephone or in-person)
solely due to scheduling conflicts?
None 2026 88 %
1 site 210 9 %
2 sites 49 2 %
3 sites 16 1 %
4 sites 2 0 %
5 or more sites 3 0 %
13. How many programs did you include on your final Rank Order List
(i.e., how many program code numbers were listed)?
Mean = 6.8 Median = 6
SD = 4.1 Mode = 8
NOTE: Use caution when comparing these numbers with the results
from questions 9-11, since some sites used multiple program code
numbers.
14. What was the rank of the program that you were matched to?
(Please see the 2006 APPIC Match Statistics for this information)
15. Did you participate in the Match with another person as a
"couple" (i.e., by using special Match procedures to submit
pairs of rankings)?
Yes 33 1 %
No 2288 99 %
16. For the Match, applicants were instructed to construct their
Rank Order Lists based only on their TRUE preferences, and to
ignore such things as how they thought they were ranked by
programs, programs' popularity, number of positions offered
by programs, etc.
Did the Rank Order List that you submitted to NMS reflect ONLY
your TRUE preferences? (Please skip this question if you did
not submit a Rank Order List)
Yes 2161 95 %
No 107 5 %
17. How many sites asked you to complete an online version of the AAPI
(APPIC Application for Psychology Internships) via the internet?
For example, a site might have asked you to enter some information
from your AAPI into an online form. (Please do NOT include times
in which you sent your AAPI to a site as an e-mail attachment)
None 1957 85 %
1 site 214 9 %
2 sites 44 2 %
3 sites 21 1 %
4 sites 9 0 %
5 or more sites 65 3 %
18. APPIC would like to know how much money you spent on various
aspects of the application and selection process.
APPLICATION COSTS involve preparing and submitting applications
to sites, and may include such items as obtaining official copies
of transcripts, printing, copying, regular and overnight mailing,
etc. TRAVEL COSTS may include such items as air or train fare,
car rental, taxi, gasoline, hotel, etc. OTHER COSTS may include
such items as your Match registration fee ($110 or $140),
clothing costs, phone calls, etc.
Please enter your BEST ESTIMATE of the dollar amount spent, digits
only, in each of the following areas (e.g., one hundred dollars
would be entered as simply 100):
TOTAL COSTS: Mean = $1508 SD = 1348
Median = $1120 Range = $0-10,500
APPLICATION COSTS: Mean = $ 205 SD = 181
Median = $ 180 Range = $0-3,500
TRAVEL COSTS: Mean = $1070 SD = 1166
Median = $ 700 Range = $0-10,000
OTHER COSTS: Mean = $ 235 SD = 263
Median = $ 200 Range = $0-4,640
19. APPIC is considering the adoption of a "Centralized Application
Service" that would allow you to create and update your AAPI
entirely through the internet. In other words, instead of using
your word processor, you would enter your application information
into APPIC's web site and, when ready to submit your applications,
you would have them transmitted directly to selected internship
sites via the internet.
We imagine that many sites would be excited at the option of
receiving your AAPI online. There may continue to be some sites
that would prefer to receive your AAPI by regular mail, and for
those sites you would be able to print a copy and mail it to them.
Keeping in mind how much you spent this year in preparing and
submitting your applications, please let us know whether or not
you believe that APPIC should adopt such a system, based on the
various cost options listed below.
a. APPIC should adopt this system if there was NO COST to the
applicant.
Strongly Agree 1710 74 %
Agree 409 18 %
Neutral 128 6 %
Disagree 44 2 %
Strongly Disagree 29 1 %
b. APPIC should adopt this system if there was a cost of $25 to
the applicant.
Strongly Agree 741 32 %
Agree 833 36 %
Neutral 282 12 %
Disagree 203 9 %
Strongly Disagree 251 11 %
c. APPIC should adopt this system if there was a cost of $50 to
the applicant.
Strongly Agree 361 16 %
Agree 508 22 %
Neutral 454 20 %
Disagree 439 19 %
Strongly Disagree 541 23 %
d. APPIC should adopt this system if there was a cost of $75 to
the applicant.
Strongly Agree 170 7 %
Agree 272 12 %
Neutral 386 17 %
Disagree 587 26 %
Strongly Disagree 883 38 %
e. APPIC should adopt this system if there was a cost of $100 to
the applicant.
Strongly Agree 137 6 %
Agree 147 6 %
Neutral 319 14 %
Disagree 481 21 %
Strongly Disagree 1218 53 %
DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION
20. What is your age?
Mean = 30.6 Median = 29
SD = 6.2 Mode = 28
Range = 23 to 65 N = 2272
21. How many dependent children are living with you?
None 1905 84%
1 212 9%
2 104 5%
3 36 2%
4 8 0%
5 3 0%
6 1 0%
7 1 0%
22. How many adult dependents are currently living with you, or for
whom you are responsible? (DO include other relatives or
individuals, i.e., mother, father, grandparent, ward. DO NOT
include an able-bodied spouse/partner).
None 2149 95%
1 95 4%
2 7 0%
3 0 0%
4 1 0%
5 1 0%
23. What is your current marital or relationship status?
Married / Partnered 1258 55 %
Not Married or Partnered 1013 45 %
24. What is your country of citizenship?
U.S. 2040 90 %
Canada 104 5 %
Other 129 6 %
25. What is your gender?
Male 489 22 %
Female 1773 78 %
Other (e.g., trans, intersex) 3 0 %
26. What is your racial/ethnic identification? (Check all that
apply)
African-American / Black 115 5 %
American Indian / Alaskan Native 22 1 %
Asian / Pacific Islander 147 6 %
Hispanic / Latino 141 6 %
White (Non-Hispanic) 1826 81 %
Other 78 3 %
27. What is your sexual orientation?
Heterosexual 2114 94 %
Gay Male 37 2 %
Lesbian 40 2 %
Bisexual 58 3 %
Other 9 0 %
28. What types of disability(ies) do you have? Check all that apply.
(If none, please skip this question)
Blind / Visually Impaired 9 0 %
Deaf / Hard of Hearing 6 0 %
Physical / Orthopedic Disability 25 1 %
Learning Disability / Cognitive 36 2 %
Chronic Health Condition 59 3 %
Mental Illness 36 2 %
Other 22 1 %
NOTE: Percentages were calculated based on the entire subject
pool of 2,337 applicants.
29. If you believe that you have experienced some form of
discrimination during the selection process, please designate
the category(ies) for which this occurred (if you did not
experience discrimination, please skip this question).
Age 89 23 %
Gender 47 12 %
Race / Ethnicity 84 22 %
Sexual Orientation 14 4 %
Religion 45 12 %
Disability 12 3 %
Marital / Relationship Status 34 9 %
Parental Status (i.e., having or 61 16 %
expecting children)
Other 116 31 %
NOTE: A total of 377 applicants (16.1%) responded
affirmatively to one or more categories.
30. (Open-Ended Question)
31. Did you have any geographic restrictions on your internship
search that EITHER (a) reduced the number of sites to which
you applied, OR (b) kept you from applying to sites in which
you were interested?
Yes 1295 57 %
No 970 43 %
32. IF YOU ANSWERED "YES" TO QUESTION 31: Which of the following
best describes the reason for your geographic restriction:
I could only apply in a particular 579 44 %
geographic area because of
significant family, financial,
and/or health considerations
I chose to restrict my search to 689 52 %
particular geographic area(s) due
to personal preference (e.g.,
preferred place to live, to be
near family or friends)
Other 49 4 %
33. IF YOU ANSWERED "YES" TO QUESTION 31: Which of the following
best describes your geographic restriction?
A single city or town, or within 447 34 %
a 100-mile radius of a city/town
State / Province 156 12 %
Region of the Country 546 41 %
Other 169 13 %
QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR AAPI
34. We would like to know the TOTAL NUMBER OF PRACTICUM HOURS that you
reported on your AAPI. This includes ALL of your practicum
hours, including hours from a terminal masters program and
doctoral hours both before and after November 1.
In Section 3, Item 4, "Summary of Practicum Hours," please look
in the right-most column, TOTAL HOURS INCLUDING ESTIMATED HOURS,
and enter the hours listed for:
a. Intervention and Assessment: Median = 928 n = 1638
b. Support: Median = 846 n = 1632
c. Supervision: Median = 412 n = 1631
TOTAL HOURS Median = 2274 n = 1631
INTERPRETATION NOTE: These hours INCLUDE "Estimated" hours
to be completed after November 1. "Total Hours" were
calculated by summing the hours provided by each respondent.
The "Total Hours" reported reflects a 4% increase as
compared to the 2005 applicant survey.
APPIC advises applicants to interpret these numbers cautiously.
Applicants should NOT assume that the numbers of practicum hours
listed above are necessary to successfully obtain an internship,
as many Training Directors have told us that they consider these
numbers to be one of the less important aspects of an application.
35. Now, looking at the same table on your AAPI, please provide us
with the numbers in the center column, under TOTAL COMPLETED
HOURS. These are your practicum hours completed through
November 1, excluding estimated hours.
a. Intervention and Assessment: Median = 759 n = 1624
b. Support: Median = 717 n = 1619
c. Supervision: Median = 352 n = 1619
TOTAL HOURS Median = 1911 n = 1619
INTERPRETATION NOTE: These hours EXCLUDE "Estimated" hours
to be completed after November 1.
36. For each of the following populations, what was the total number
of supervised integrated psychological reports that you reported
on your AAPI? This information can be found in Section 4 of the
AAPI ("Test Administration"), item 3.
a. Adults Median = 7 n = 1659
b. Children / Adolescents Median = 5 n = 1623
NOTE: Only medians were reported, as means and standard deviations
were greatly affected by a few applicants who reported an extremely
large number of reports.
37. Please provide the MONTH and YEAR that you designated on your AAPI
that you completed or expected to complete each stage of your
dissertation or doctoral research project.
(Results for this question are not included in this report)
38. 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).
None 839 45 %
1 310 17 %
2 207 11 %
3 135 7 %
4 119 6 %
5 to 9 202 11 %
10 to 14 26 1 %
15 to 19 6 0 %
20 or more 8 0 %
39. 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).
None 427 23 %
1 200 11 %
2 182 10 %
3 172 9 %
4 135 7 %
5 to 9 410 22 %
10 to 14 185 10 %
15 to 19 81 4 %
20 or more 72 4 %
40. Upon conclusion of your internship, do you currently plan to
apply to formal postdoctoral training programs?
Yes 943 49 %
No 136 7 %
Unsure 830 43 %