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MS4 GUIDE TO APPLYING
PSYCHIATRY
Completed by the Class of 2021
UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA COLLEGE OF MEDICINE - PHOENIX
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DEAR STUDENTS INTERESTED IN PSYCHIATRY,
Congratulations on choosing one of the best specialties in medicine!!! We are excited to have
you join our wonderful community of psychiatrists.
As we have recently undergone the application and interview process, we all too well understand
the anxiety and stress that comes with applying for residency. Just know that you are not alone
in this process and please reach out for any questions while continuing to support each other
during this whole process! Also, please continue to remind yourself that you will all be wonderful
psychiatrists and that your worth is not defined by the number of interviews you receive or the
prestige of the residency program that decides to offer you a spot.
We hope this document helps relieve some of the anxiety associated with residency applications
and helps as a guide throughout this process. If you have any concerns about a specific program
either before applying or even throughout the interview process, feel free to reach out. We are
also willing to help you create a meaningful rank list before the match if you wish to have a
discussion about some of your choices (this can be a hard decision since there are many
wonderful programs!).
Always know that we are rooting for you and here to provide support!
Sincerely,
The Class of 2021
Rand M. Hanna, Alicia Leslie
P.S. This is not meant as a substitute for working with your advisor and/or specialty
mentor. Please use their insight and experience to guide you through this process.
Version 1.0
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
MATCH DATA...........................................................................................Page 4-5
VSAS.........................................................................................................Page 5-6
LETTERS OF REC (LOR).........................................................................Page 6
CV..............................................................................................................Page 7
APPLICATION/PERSONAL STATEMENT...............................................Page 7
CHOOSING PROGRAMS.........................................................................Page 9
INTERVIEWING........................................................................................Page 9-10
INTERVIEW PREP....................................................................................Page 10-11
POST INTERVIEW....................................................................................Page 11
4TH YEAR IS EXPENSIVE.......................................................................Page 11-12
RESOURCES............................................................................................Page 12
CONTACTS...............................................................................................Page 12
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I. THE DATA
Below is some of the most recent match data, just to give you an idea of where Psychiatry stands. The full
data can be accessed via the Main Residency Match data, with the link included below.
2021 Data:
Number of Positions Offered: 1,907
Total applicants (MD, DO, IMG): 2,948
*only one program went unfilled this year*
https://mk0nrmp3oyqui6wqfm.kinstacdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Advance-Data-Tables-
2021_Final.pdf
Applicants:
US-MD applicants: 1415
US-MD applicants matched: 1205 (85.2%)
US-DO applicants: 484
US-DO applicants matched: 332 (68.6%)
Charting the Outcomes of the Match for MD Seniors (2020):
https://mk0nrmp3oyqui6wqfm.kinstacdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Charting-Outcomes-in-the-
Match-2020_MD-Senior_final.pdf
***I would consider using this to gauge your competitiveness for psychiatry and for deciding whether or not
to apply to a backup specialty, with the guidance of your advisor of course.
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4. VSAS
WHEN SHOULD I APPLY FOR AWAY ROTATIONS?
As soon as the portal opens up! You can take a look at most available rotations and requirements
around early to mid-April. Most programs start to accept applications April 15th, however, check
the program’s page on VSAS to get more information on when applications are accepted, when
you’ll hear back, and what the different deadlines are. Also, if you’re applying to Valleywise,
remember that you need to apply three months in advance to your rotation start date.
WHERE SHOULD I CONSIDER APPLYING FOR AWAY ROTATIONS?
Apply to any programs you can consider yourself being part of. I considered both location and
program qualities in my decision to apply for an away rotation.
HOW MANY AWAY ROTATIONS DO I NEED TO DO?
For Psychiatry, there is no requirement for away rotations; however, if there is one particular
program you’re interested in, you should apply there. 1-2 away rotations should be sufficient!
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DO I EVEN NEED TO DO AN AWAY ROTATION IN ORDER TO APPLY?
For Psychiatry, there is no requirement for away rotations! However, getting facetime with a
program director, faculty, and residents increases your chances of matching at the program. So,
if there is one particular program you want to match with, please consider doing an away rotation.
Your advisor can also help guide you in this decision if there are any obstacles to doing an away
rotation.
CAN I APPLY TO AWAY ROTATIONS THAT ARE ON A DIFFERENT SCHEDULE THAN OUR
SCHOOL?
Our school will make every effort to move rotations in favor away rotations, but this is highly
dependent on the capacity of each rotation as some rotations are mandatory for graduation.
DO I NEED TO SET UP A MEETING WITH THE PROGRAM DIRECTOR DURING MY
ROTATION?
I don’t think there is a strict rule that indicates you should set up a meeting with the program
director, but it would be in your best interest to get to know the program director and oftentimes
setting up a one-on-one meeting can be very helpful to get meaningful time with the program
director. Make sure you have something to talk about when setting up this meeting (eg. questions
you want answered etc.) The more networking you do during your away rotation, the better your
chances of having individuals advocate for you at the time when rank lists are created.
III. LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION
WHEN DO I NEED TO START THINKING ABOUT GETTING LETTERS?
During your third and beginning of fourth year of medical school.
WHO SHOULD I ASK FOR A LETTER?
Whomever you have a strong relationship with and whom you think would write an excellent letter.
HOW DO I EVEN ASK FOR THAT?
Just ask them in person during downtime close to the end of your rotation! Most attendings expect
you to ask and are very nice about the process. Most attendings will ask for your CV and
sometimes a rough draft of your personal statements when you request a letter.
HOW MANY LETTERS DO I NEED?
3-4; 2 psychiatry and 1 from a different specialty (could be IM, FM, or Neurology). I would discuss
this further with your advisor who can help guide you in regards to what letters are best to include
in your application.
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IV. CURRICULUM VITAE
WHAT SHOULD I INCLUDE IN MY CV?
Education, Work Experiences, Research, and Extracurriculars. The advising website has a great
template/sample available for CVs and I used it when creating my own. Additionally, my advisor
reviewed my CV and provided me with feedback. I highly recommend getting their insight!
WHEN DOES IT NEED TO BE READY?
I would start it during your third year and update it throughout your third/fourth year of medical
school. You should have it ready by the time you ask for LORs as many attendings will ask you
for it.
WHAT WILL I ACTUALLY USE MY CV FOR?
LOR and ERAS (ERAS creates a CV for you after you put in all your info, but it’s nice to have a
template ready so you don’t forget to put in relevant information)
V. APPLICATION/ PERSONAL STATEMENT
WHEN SHOULD I HAVE MY PERSONAL STATEMENT READY?
I wrote mine close to the end of third year and had it reviewed/completed a couple months into
my fourth year. However, as long as you have it complete/reviewed it by the time ERAS is due,
you should be fine!
WHO CAN HELP ME WITH IT?
Friends, Family, Advisors.
WHAT THINGS DO I NEED TO CONSIDER ABOUT WRITING MY PERSONAL STATEMENT?
Share a personal and significant experience that led you to the chosen field in medicine. Also,
answer the question “why psychiatry?” close to the end of the personal statement. Sometimes it’s
helpful to include a patient experience that was monumental to your personal growth.
Some people changed the final paragraph of their personal statement to be unique to each
program, state, region, etc. I wanted to stay in Arizona so I had a general personal statement and
an Arizona-specific statement that I only sent to the 3 AZ programs.
DO PEOPLE ACTUALLY PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR HOBBIES/INTEREST SECTION?
Yes, a lot of times this section is used as an “ice-breaker” during the interview and can help you
connect with the interviewer.
OTHER GENERAL ADVICE ABOUT THE PERSONAL STATEMENT/APPLICATION:
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Just be honest and don’t neglect this aspect of your application! My personal statement was
brought up during almost every interview as a key strength of my application.
VI. CHOOSING PROGRAMS
HOW DO I DECIDE WHICH PROGRAMS TO APPLY TO? WHAT RESOURCES DID YOU
USE?
I used https://www.residencyexplorer.org to compare my scores to individuals who have applied
and matched in prior years. This helped me create a balanced list of programs with some “safety”
programs and some “reach” programs. I applied to programs based on location and where I could
see myself spending the next four years of residency. FREIDA and Texas Star are also good
options, though FREIDA is sometimes out of date.
HOW DO I KNOW HOW MANY PROGRAMS I SHOULD APPLY?
Your advisor can help with this as this highly depends on your board scores and overall strength
of application. Keep in mind that psychiatry is becoming more competitive, so there is nothing
wrong with applying to more programs to ensure you match. I believe our class applied to a range
of 45-85 programs per person. The only limiting factor here is how much money you’re willing to
spend (usually ranges anywhere from $2000-3000).
The average number of applications for a US MD applying to psychiatry was 54 programs in 2021.
The number of applications per person in this field has been increasing every year since at least
2016. ( https://www.aamc.org/data-reports/interactive-data/eras-statistics-data )
I AM BEING TOLD THAT I NEED TO MAKE SURE TO HAVE SOME SAFETY PROGRAMS.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
I don’t think there are “true” safety programs out there, but the term refers to programs who have
previously invited individuals to interview with similar applications (scores, research activities, and
extracurriculars, etc…). Realistically, those programs should offer you an interview if you fit into
this category. However, the application process is really unpredictable, so don’t be surprised if
you don’t get interviews at programs you thought were “safety” programs. Because of this
unpredictability, it is important to have a diverse range of programs as part of your application.
Your advisor can help guide you when choosing which programs to apply to.
HOW DO YOU KNOW WHICH PROGRAMS ARE MORE COMPETITIVE?
Most academic programs are more competitive in general. Otherwise, use Residency Explorer
and Texas Star to look at the match data.
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VII. INTERVIEWS: SCHEDULING
WHEN DO INTERVIEWS START COMING OUT FOR PSYCHIATRY?
First couple of weeks after applications are submitted!
HOW LATE DO INTERVIEW INVITES GET EXTENDED?
Late January; rarely into early/mid February.
DO I REALLY NEED TO RESPOND MY INVITE IMMEDIATELY?
Yes! Unfortunately, some programs send out more invites than available spots, so it’s often a first-
come-first-serve situation. Some programs do, it’s tough to know which, and even if they don’t
over-offer, you may end up missing out on the dates that work best for you
WHAT METHODS DID YOU USE TO MAKE SURE YOU GOT YOUR INTERVIEW INVITES?
WHAT DID YOU DO IF YOU WERE ON ROTATION?
I made sure I had constant access to my phone to check emails and schedule ASAP. I would let
my team know that I needed to step out to schedule an interview.
HOW EARLY DID INTERVIEWS START THIS PAST YEAR? HOW LATE WAS YOUR LAST
INTERVIEW?
The first Interview was in October; the last in mid-January. Some in our cohort had a few
interviews in February since COVID pushed the cycle back a bit.
I JUST GOT REJECTED FROM A PROGRAM WHERE I REALLY WANTED TO INTERVIEW.
IS THERE ANYTHING I CAN DO?
I personally don’t think there is anything you can do to get an interview! Try to let it go and focus
on the interviews you have gotten.
IS THERE SOMEWHERE TO CHECK WHAT PROGRAMS HAVE EXTENDED INTERVIEWS?
Reddit creates yearly spreadsheets for each specialty. There is a section where applicants can
indicate when/where they have received an interview. This can be very helpful throughout the
process, but I would still take it with a grain of salt!
I’M WAITING TO HEAR BACK FROM A PROGRAM. WHAT CAN I DO IN THE MEANTIME?
Do things you enjoy! If you haven’t heard back in 4 weeks, feel free to send them a letter of
interest. I emailed letters of interest directly to the program director (PD) of each residency. In
most cases, ERAS will have the email for each program director available. If it didn’t, I usually
looked at the program’s website which often included the program director and his/her contact
information. Most times, just googling the PDs name will guide you towards their contact
information.
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Your advisor can provide you with a template that indicates what to include in a letter of interest.
In most cases, a short introduction followed by why you are interested in the program and how
you fit into the program is sufficient. During the COVID pandemic, letters of interest were very
powerful since programs didn’t really know who was or wasn’t interested in their program without
communication! However, even outside the COVID pandemic, I believe letters of interest can be
very powerful and I would recommend putting in the effort to write a meaningful letter.
OKAY, SO I EMAILED THEM AND STILL HAVEN’T HEARD BACK BUT I ALSO HAVEN’T
BEEN REJECTED YET, WHAT NOW?
Definitely relax and focus on things you enjoy! [I watched a lot of reality TV during the waiting
period which was a good distraction :) ]
VIII. INTERVIEW PREP
HOW DID YOU PREP FOR YOUR INTERVIEWS?
I went through the interview Qbank provided by our school and practiced answers with my partner
and sister until I had a good answer ready for each question. In my experience, this Qbank was
incredibly comprehensive and even if had questions during interview day that were unexpected,
I was able to use some of my answers to the Qbank questions to answer them appropriately. I
felt very prepared for interview day going through this process. If you are doing virtual interviews,
do some technical check-ups such as making sure your video and microphone are working in
addition to ensure appropriate lighting of your room. I did a video chat with my sister the day
before the interview to make sure my eye contact was on point as this can be incredibly hard to
achieve during a video interview.
WHAT WERE SOME OF THE COMMON QUESTIONS YOU GOT?
Why psychiatry?
Why this program?
How will you contribute to our program?
Best/worst traits?
Tell me about [X] hobby.
Tell us about your scholarly project, [certain extracurricular], etc…
WHAT WERE SOME OF THE WEIRD/STRANGE QUESTIONS YOU GOT, OR STRANGE
THINGS THAT HAPPENED?
What’s your favorite color?
What’s your spirit animal?
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What are some of your pet-peeves?
Rank your top five favorite books. (I liked this one)
WHAT WAS THE GENERAL FEEL OF PSYCH INTERVIEWS?
Very laid-back and interviewers were more concerned about getting to know me on a personal
level than putting me on the spot.
WHAT KINDS OF QUESTIONS SHOULD I ASK PROGRAMS? DID YOU HAVE GO-TO
QUESTIONS FOR YOUR INTERVIEWERS?
I had a list of questions that I created for general use to give me standardized information about
each program. I also usually created a few extra program-specific questions the night before my
interview based on the program’s website and recruitment materials.
This website has some possible generic questions you may want to ask:
https://www.aafp.org/students-residents/medical-students/become-a-resident/applying-to-
residency/prepare-for-residency-interviews/questions.html
HOW IMPORTANT ARE PRE-INTERVIEW DINNERS?
No one knows, really! I would attend all of them. Sometimes during the interview with the program
director, he/she would ask if I had attended.
GENERAL ADVICE ABOUT INTERVIEW PREP:
Make sure you have an answer ready for the most common interview questions and go through
the list provided by our school. There is no need to memorize answers as this may come off as
too rehearsed. Go through your answers with other friends/family and ask for genuine feedback.
IX. POST INTERVIEW
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON HANDWRITTEN VS EMAIL THANK YOU NOTES?
I have written zero thank you emails! I doubt they make or break your chances. It’s a nice gesture
but definitely not a requirement to match at your desired program. Also, some programs
specifically discourage post-interview communication.
I personally wrote thank you emails to about half of my programs, especially the ones I loved.
Some people will say to write them, some will tell you not to. It’s really up to you!
I’VE HEARD THAT I NEED TO CONTINUE TO COMMUNICATE WITH PROGRAMS I’M
INTERESTED IN AFTER MY INTERVIEW. HOW DO I DO THAT?
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I have not communicated with programs after the interview unless they contacted me first. The
only post-interview communication I’ve had was my letter of intent to my #1 program.
I reached out to our home program one extra time between my interview and my letter of intent
to let them know how things were going. It would have felt awkward if it were anywhere other than
a home program.
WHAT OF LOVE LETTERS?
Letters of interest are sent in order to acquire an interview. Letters of intent are meant to tell a
program that you will be ranking them first.
I recommend writing letters of interest if you are either not at the desired # of interviews or there
is a particular program of interest that you have not heard back from. One of us wrote 13 letters
and the other wrote 10 letters, and each of us received four interviews as a result. We know
another applicant who wrote 20 letters of interest and received two extra interviews. It really
varies.
For letters of intent, it is strongly recommended you only write to your actual #1 program. It would
be awkward if you wrote a letter of intent to 5 programs and they somehow found out about it or
if they program ended up ranking you to match but you did not. It’s a small world in medicine and
you’re better of not playing a game with programs as this may affect future chances of getting
followships at that particular programs etc.
X. 4TH YEAR IS EXPENSIVE:
HOW DO I FINANCE AWAY ROTATIONS?
The financial aid department at our school is very helpful with providing additional funds in the
form of loans which is how most people finance away rotations and applications.
HOW EXPENSIVE IS INTERVIEW SEASON GOING TO BE?
The application alone did cost me around $2500. This was during the COVID pandemic when
interviews were virtual, so consider that traveling to interviews can add an additional 3-5K to this
amount.
I spent about $1500 on applications during this virtual cycle. I would imagine travel would really
add up in a normal cycle.
HOW DO I MAKE THIS WORK?
Talk to Lindsey and Gizella from Financial Aid
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XI. RESOURCES
NRMP data
ERAS data
FREIDA
Residency Explorer
Texas Star
XIII. CLASS OF 2021 CONTACT INFO
