Okay, so today was “Match Day” for clinical psychology internships. Let me tell you, the whole process is a rollercoaster. I’m going to walk you through what my experience was like, from the very beginning to the (hopefully) happy ending.
The Lead-Up (Months of Anxiety)
First, you gotta understand, this isn’t just some casual job application. We’re talking about a year-long, full-time, supervised internship that’s required to get your doctorate in clinical psychology. So, yeah, the stakes are pretty high.
The months leading up to Match Day were filled with:
- Endless Application Tweaking: I spent hours, days even, perfecting my application materials. My CV, my cover letters, essays… you name it, I revised it like a million times.
- Interviews, Interviews, Interviews: Then came the interview stage. Some were virtual, some were in-person, and each one felt like a mini-dissertation defense. Lots of prepping, practicing answers to potential questions, and trying to appear both competent and like someone they’d want to spend 40+ hours a week with.
- Ranking Sites: After all the interviews, you have to rank the sites you interviewed at in order of preference. And they rank you. It’s this whole complicated algorithm that’s supposed to magically match you with your ideal internship. The stress of trying to figure out the “right” order was intense!
Match Day Itself (The Agony and the Ecstasy)
So, Match Day arrives. You get an email at a specific time (for me, it was 9 am EST sharp!), telling you whether or not you matched. Not where you matched, just if. Talk about a nail-biter!
I swear, my heart was pounding out of my chest. I logged into the system, clicked the button… and saw the words “Congratulations! You have matched to an internship site.” Biggest. Relief. Ever.
But then, the waiting game started again. You don’t find out which site you matched to until a couple of hours later. So, it was two more hours of pacing, checking my email every five seconds, and trying not to freak out.
The Big Reveal
Finally, the email came. I opened it with trembling hands and saw the name of the site… It was my top choice! I literally jumped up and down, screamed a little (okay, a lot), and called my family and friends to share the good news.
After the initial excitement, there was paperwork, getting things for the big move, making connections with mentors, and so many other things. But I did it! Now I can say I’m a matched intern, the first step to becoming a clinical psychologist!
The whole Match Day process is definitely a marathon, not a sprint. But crossing that finish line makes all the stress and anxiety worth it. If you’re going through it right now, hang in there! Your hard work will pay off.
