2004 APPIC Match: Survey of Internship Applicants
Summary of Survey Results
March 15, 2004
This survey of applicants who were registered for the 2004 APPIC Match was conducted via the internet between February 23 and March 15, 2004. All 3,258 applicants who registered for the APPIC Match were sent an e-mail message (along with one reminder e-mail) about the availability of the survey at a specific internet address.
Results of the survey are presented below. A total of 1,515 internship applicants (47%) completed the survey. (Approximately 200-250 applicants were prevented from taking the survey due to a technical problem with the Zoomerang web site on March 3, 2004; it is unknown how many of these applicants successfully completed the survey at a later time, after the problem was fixed).
Some of the more interesting findings from this survey include:
1. This year, applicants reported fewer violations of APPIC Match
Policies by programs than in any other year since the Match was
first conducted in 1999 (see question 9a).
2. Ninety percent of applicants reported that they submitted a work
sample (e.g., testing report, psychotherapy summary) to at least
one site. Of these, 14% reported difficulty submitting this work
sample due to the new HIPAA law, with 9% being "unsure" (see
questions 12a and 12b).
3. Applicants generally supported the adoption of a "Centralized
Application Service" if there was no cost to applicants. However,
support for such a system dropped dramatically as the potential
cost to applicants increased (see question 16).
4. Applicants reported spending an average of $1,341.72 on the entire
application process, including application and travel expenses (see
question 15).
5. Approximately 5% of applicants indicated that the optimal
internship structure for them would be a two-year, half-time
internship (see question 14).
6. Applicants submitted an average of 12.4 internship applications,
compared to an average of 12.1 in the 2003 Match, 13.1 in the
2002 Match, and 13.8 in the 1999 Match (see question 18).
7. Applicants reported that approximately 87.9% of sites complied
with the Match Policy that required them to notify applicants
of their interview status (e.g., received an interview, no
longer under consideration) no later than the date listed in
sites' APPIC Directory listings. This compares to 87.6%
last year (the first year the policy was implemented).
8. Only a small percentage of applicants used the APPIC Travel
Discounts that were available (see question 17).
Missing data and "Not Applicable" responses were eliminated, and percentages do not necessarily total 100% due to rounding. Survey questions 10 and 24-29 requested open-ended comments and thus the results are not included below.
1. Type of Doctoral Program
Clinical 1142 76 %
Counseling 247 16 %
School 63 4 %
Combined 39 3 %
Other 21 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. 963 64 %
Psy.D. 540 36 %
Ed.D. 1 0 %
Other 8 1 %
3. Is your doctoral program APA- or CPA-accredited?
Yes 1414 94 %
No 94 6 %
4. Is your doctoral program:
University Affiliated or 1320 87%
University Based
Free-Standing 158 10%
Other 30 2%
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 1440 95%
participating in the Match
This is my SECOND time 63 4%
participating in the Match
Other 7 0%
NOTE: Three of the respondents who designated "other" indicated
that this was their third time participating in the Match.
6. Were you matched to an internship program by the APPIC Match?
(i.e., did your official notification from National Matching
Services indicate that you were successfully matched to an
internship program?)
Yes 1306 87%
No 185 12%
Withdrew / No rankings submitted 16 1%
INTERPRETATION NOTE: It appears that unmatched applicants may
have been underrepresented in this survey (2004 APPIC Match
statistics indicated that 20% of participating applicants were
not matched).
7a. The materials and instructions provided by National Matching
Services (NMS) were clear and comprehensive.
Strongly Agree 978 65 %
Agree 467 31 %
Neutral 24 2 %
Disagree 18 1 %
Strongly Disagree 25 2 %
7b. The registration process with NMS went smoothly.
Strongly Agree 1120 74 %
Agree 318 21 %
Neutral 28 2 %
Disagree 14 1 %
Strongly Disagree 31 2 %
7c. The submission of my Rank Order List to NMS went smoothly.
Strongly Agree 1183 79 %
Agree 265 18 %
Neutral 15 1 %
Disagree 7 0 %
Strongly Disagree 29 2 %
7d. NMS was responsive to my questions and concerns
(choose "N/A" if you never contacted NMS).
Strongly Agree 192 61 %
Agree 72 23 %
Neutral 29 9 %
Disagree 10 3 %
Strongly Disagree 11 4 %
7e. I am satisfied with the Match result that I received from
the Matching Program.
Strongly Agree 857 58 %
Agree 287 19 %
Neutral 92 6 %
Disagree 93 6 %
Strongly Disagree 151 10 %
7f. Overall, I am satisfied with the APPIC Matching Program.
Strongly Agree 726 48 %
Agree 433 29 %
Neutral 165 11 %
Disagree 107 7 %
Strongly Disagree 72 5 %
8. In December, NMS mailed a packet to each applicant registered for
the Match that contained the applicant's password and instructions
for submitting lists and obtaining Match results. The instructions
were also available on the NMS web site. For next year, NMS is
considering eliminating the mailing of packets in December, and
only providing this information to applicants via the internet.
a. Would it be acceptable to you to have the instructions
for submitting lists and obtaining results available for
viewing and/or printing ONLY from the NMS web site, and not
sent via regular mail?
Yes 906 60 %
No 481 32 %
Unsure 125 8 %
b. Based on security considerations, would you be comfortable
receiving your ROLIC (Rank Order List Input and Confirmation
system) password from NMS via e-mail only, instead of via
regular mail?
Yes 933 62 %
No 470 31 %
Unsure 109 7 %
9a. In your judgment, did you experience any violation(s) of
APPIC Match Policies by any site?
Yes 117 8 %
No 1296 86 %
Unsure 99 7 %
NOTE: This is the highest percentage of applicants responding
"No" than in any previous APPIC survey of applicants since the first
APPIC Match in 1999. Results to this question from previous surveys:
YES NO UNSURE
2003 11% 77% 12%
2002 11% 78% 12%
2001 10% 76% 14%
2000 15% 74% 12%
1999 12% 77% 11%
It should also be noted that Match Policy 3d was changed this year to
allow internship sites that offer more than one program in the Match to
ask applicants to designate their preferences regarding the programs at
the site for which they wished to be interviewed.
9b. Did you reveal any ranking information (e.g., "You are my
first choice") to any site?
Yes 15 1 %
No 1485 98 %
Unsure 11 1 %
9c. Did you experience inappropriate pressure from any site to
reveal your rankings?
Yes 28 2 %
No 1452 96 %
Unsure 28 2 %
9d. Did any site reveal ranking information to you (e.g., "You
are our first choice")?
Yes 34 2 %
No 1443 96 %
Unsure 29 2 %
10. (Open-ended question)
11a. In general, my doctoral program faculty provided a high level
of support for my internship application and interview experience.
Strongly Agree 500 33 %
Agree 531 35 %
Neutral 214 14 %
Disagree 181 12 %
Strongly Disagree 86 6 %
11b. I worked closely with other students in my program throughout
the process (e.g., sharing information, giving and receiving
support).
Strongly Agree 469 31 %
Agree 543 36 %
Neutral 208 14 %
Disagree 204 14 %
Strongly Disagree 86 6 %
11c. I took the selection process very seriously (i.e., I worked hard
on my application; invested much time and energy; etc.).
Strongly Agree 1214 80 %
Agree 253 17 %
Neutral 27 2 %
Disagree 5 0 %
Strongly Disagree 12 1 %
11d. I attended local or national workshops that focused on the
internship selection process.
Strongly Agree 163 11 %
Agree 218 15 %
Neutral 114 8 %
Disagree 342 23 %
Strongly Disagree 666 44 %
11e. I used reference materials (e.g., the APAGS workbook, other books)
to educate myself about the internship selection process.
Strongly Agree 551 36 %
Agree 440 29 %
Neutral 122 8 %
Disagree 183 12 %
Strongly Disagree 214 14 %
NOTE: A total of 65% responded "Strongly Agree" or "Agree" to this
item, compared to 54% who responded that way to a similar question
in last year's survey.
12a. AT LEAST ONE site to which I applied requested that I include a
"work sample" (e.g., testing report, psychotherapy summary) as part
of my application materials.
Yes 1356 90 %
No 145 10 %
Unsure 5 0 %
12b. (Please answer this next item ONLY if you WERE required to submit a
work sample to any site): The new federal HIPAA laws (Health
Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) made it difficult for
me to submit a work sample.
Yes 192 14 %
No 1070 77 %
Unsure 121 9 %
13. If you used the APPIC Online Directory, please answer the
questions below using the following scale:
a. The APPIC Online Directory was easy to navigate.
Strongly Agree 600 40 %
Agree 741 49 %
Neutral 100 7 %
Disagree 44 3 %
Strongly Disagree 15 1 %
b. The information provided in the APPIC Online Directory was
comprehensive enough for me to successfully locate internship
programs of interest.
Strongly Agree 550 37 %
Agree 737 49 %
Neutral 123 8 %
Disagree 73 5 %
Strongly Disagree 18 1 %
c. The information provided in the APPIC Online Directory was
accurate and up-to-date.
Strongly Agree 281 19 %
Agree 738 49 %
Neutral 272 18 %
Disagree 187 12 %
Strongly Disagree 22 1 %
d. In general, the Online Directory's links to programs' web
sites and e-mail addresses functioned properly.
Strongly Agree 453 30 %
Agree 826 55 %
Neutral 153 10 %
Disagree 58 4 %
Strongly Disagree 6 0 %
e. Overall, I am satisfied with the APPIC Online Directory.
Strongly Agree 482 32 %
Agree 848 57 %
Neutral 120 8 %
Disagree 33 2 %
Strongly Disagree 10 1 %
14. If you could have designated the optimal internship structure for
yourself, which of the following would you have preferred?
A one-year, full-time internship 1387 92%
A two-year, half-time internship 69 5%
Other 48 3%
15. APPIC would like to know how much 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.
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).
a. Application costs Mean = $218.44
SD = 150.24
Mode = $200.00
Median = $200.00
Range = $0 to $1,200.00
b. Travel costs Mean = $1049.47
SD = 1140.66
Mode = $2000.00
Median = $ 700.00
Range = $0 to $10,000.00
b. Other (e.g., phone calls) Mean = $ 73.80
SD = 190.27
Mode = $ 0.00
Median = $ 25.00
Range = $0 to $3,000.00
16. 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. Similarly, your transcripts, letters of recommendation,
verification form, etc. all would be uploaded to APPIC's web site and
transmitted electronically to sites. Applicants would maintain complete
control as to which internship sites would be permitted to view their
application materials.
Thus, you would not need to pay any mailing costs, and you would only
be required to purchase one copy of your transcript from your
university (since that single copy would be electronically transmitted
to all of your sites).
APPIC has been researching various options in providing this service,
and has found that costs and functionality vary widely. 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 1017 68 %
Agree 289 19 %
Neutral 109 7 %
Disagree 53 4 %
Strongly Disagree 29 2 %
b. APPIC should adopt this system if there was a cost of $100 to
each applicant.
Strongly Agree 333 22 %
Agree 502 33 %
Neutral 256 17 %
Disagree 228 15 %
Strongly Disagree 182 12 %
c. APPIC should adopt this system if there was a cost of $200 to
each applicant.
Strongly Agree 95 6 %
Agree 146 10 %
Neutral 228 15 %
Disagree 464 31 %
Strongly Disagree 560 38 %
d. APPIC should adopt this system if there was a cost of $300 to
each applicant.
Strongly Agree 44 3 %
Agree 48 3 %
Neutral 134 9 %
Disagree 330 22 %
Strongly Disagree 935 63 %
17. Did you use any of the APPIC travel discounts to purchase an
airline ticket, hotel room, and/or rental car?
Yes 89 6 %
No 1290 86 %
Didn't know about it 123 8 %
18. How many internship sites did you apply to (i.e., how many
separate internship applications did you submit)?
Mean = 12.4 Median = 12
SD = 5.1 Mode = 12
Range = 0 to 67
INTERPRETATION NOTE: Only one applicant reported applying to
more than 35 internship sites.
19. Considering ALL of the sites that you applied to, how many
notified 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? (Please estimate if you don't know the exact
number)
Mean = 10.9 Median = 11
SD = 5.0 Mode = 12
20. How many interviews (telephone or on-site) were you offered?
Mean = 6.7 Median = 6
SD = 3.6 Mode = 5
21. How many programs did you include on your final Rank Order List
(i.e., how many program code numbers were listed)?
Mean = 6.7 Median = 6
SD = 3.7 Mode = 5
NOTE: Use caution when comparing these numbers with the results
from questions 18-20, since some sites used multiple program code
numbers.
22. What was the rank of the program that you were matched to?
(Please see the 2004 APPIC Match Statistics for this information)
23. How many separate round-trip airline tickets did you purchase
in order to attend on-site interviews or open houses?
Mean = 1.6 Median = 1
SD = 2.1 Mode = 0
Range = 0 - 15
A total of 42.6% purchased no airline tickets, while 16.4%
purchased one ticket.