2011 APPIC Internship Application Thread

[cat22]

Another research friendly internship site is Cornell, or more specifically, NY Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Medical Center in Manhattan. They have a research elective to reserve time on the internship for research and many interns who were interested have received grants to stay on as post-docs.

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[LM02]

Another research friendly internship site is Cornell, or more specifically, NY Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Medical Center in Manhattan. They have a research elective to reserve time on the internship for research and many interns who were interested have received grants to stay on as post-docs.

When I interviewed there, albeit many years ago, I was shocked to hear that the first month or so of didactics was spent reading Judy Beck's "CBT Basics and Beyond." The book I read in my 2nd year grad school CBT practicum. When I asked what they did with people who had already received several years of CBT training, the current intern I was talking to looking at me with a dumbfounded expression and said, "I guess you don't go to school in the NY area, do you?"

Needless to say, they were last on my rank list.

 

[psychwanabe]

I remember getting great suggestions here for interview questions to expect when I was applying to grad school. Now that internship interviews are (hopefully) looming, I am wondering if there are any lists of questions you all are using to prep. Anyone have any they are willing to share from lists or past experience?

 

[O Gurl]

I remember getting great suggestions here for interview questions to expect when I was applying to grad school. Now that internship interviews are (hopefully) looming, I am wondering if there are any lists of questions you all are using to prep. Anyone have any they are willing to share from lists or past experience?

Here are few that my classmates and I compiled to practice last year. The * denotes questions that were actually asked during our interviews.

Personal/Professional/Recruiting
*What would you be doing if you were not in psychology?
*How did you become interested in (specific interest area)?
*Personal strengths and weaknesses? How do they influence your work? What have you done to deal with your shortcomings?
*What do you do in your spare time? To relax? Hobbies?
*What are your goals during internship? After internship? In 5 years?
*How do you see our training program fitting with your goals?
*Why did you choose your training program? Why did you apply to this particular internship program? Why do you think you are a "fit" with our program?
*Which of your interests are or are not addressed by our program?
*What attracts you most to our internship?
What have you heard about this site?
*Tell me about your interest in this area (geography).
What are the advantages to you about this program? Disadvantages?
*What do you think of this program now that you have heard more about it?
*Where else have you applied? (yes, I was asked this!)
*What kind of training experiences do you need to round out your clinical skills?
*How are you to work with as a staff person in a group setting?

Research
*Dissertation topic? How is it progressing? What stage are you in/when will you be done?
*Clinical relevance of research?
Masters Thesis
Relation of research to clinical practice

Assessment
*Familiarity with particular assessment instruments
*What do psychologists contribute to multidisciplinary treatment teams?
Opinion of projective testing
Opinion of MMPI-2 or other specific instrument
*How do you conduct a thorough suicide assessment?
What further assessment training or experience do you need?
*Two sites (Patton State Hospital, CA; Utah State Hospital) provided testing for interpretation, diagnosis, & recommendations

Treatment
*What are your strengths as a therapist? What do you perceive are your areas to further develop or weaknesses?
*Type of client most difficult to work with? Why? How does it impact your work? How do you handle it?
*Orientation in therapy? What do you think of _____ approach?
How do you see the process of therapy?
How do you see yourself as a therapist?
Challenges you expect to face as a therapist?
*Experience with family/group/inpatient/treatment/etc.
What is your experience and thoughts about time-limited therapy?
*Talk about a therapy case you had. How did you conceptualize the case? What was most effective? Describe a case in which your primary orientation did not work. (mini case presentation)
*Talk about the most difficult/challenging case you had. Why was it difficult? How did you handle it? What did you learn from it? What do you wish you had done differently? (or the most rewarding case...)
What would you do if a client threatened harm to self/others?
*What further therapy training or experience do you need?
What impact does your person have in therapy, or in what ways do you use your person in therapy?
Some sites provide a case background and ask you to conceptualize and provide a treatment plan

Supervision
*What sort of supervisors have you had? What type of supervision is best for you? What is most challenging? Why?
*What were the orientations of the supervisors you've had?
*Describe the best and worst supervision experiences you have had.
What is your style in providing supervision?
*What would you like to get out of supervision?
What do you need in supervision now for your theoretical development?

Diversity
*What multicultural or diverse populations have you worked with?
What are your strengths and weaknesses in working with minorities?
What variables/issues are of concern to you in working with specific populations?
What didactic experiences influence the way you think about diverse populations?
*What is your approach to therapy or assessment with someone different from you?

Ethics
*Describe an ethical dilemma you had with (client, supervisor, peer) and how you attempted to resolve it.
Some provide scenario and ask you to a) identify the ethical dilemma and b) outline steps and factors to consider in addressing it

Other
*What else would you like me to know that isn't apparent from your application?
*What is the one question you would like me to ask you? Or what questions would you have liked me to ask?
What do you see the role of the counseling center in a university?
Describe a critical incident which influenced you during your training. Why was that incident critical and how did it influence you?
How is the field of _______ (e.g., forensic, gero, neuropsych, child) different from more generalist clinical work?

Questions for the applicant to ask
After interview/reading my application/going over my goals, how can this internship site prepare me for meeting my long-term goals?
What is the most valuable experience/aspect of your training program?
What qualities tend to make an intern happier/more successful at your site? (this can tell you alot about how much you would fit in or enjoy being there)
What qualities differentiate your internship site from others that offer ____ (forensic/gero/neuro/experience with certain pops/etc)?
What type of positions are available after internship? What are last year's interns doing? (postdocs, history of hiring previous interns)
What is a typical day for an intern like?
What type of assessment/treatment experience will I receive?
What types of groups/individual therapeutic experiences are available to interns?
Cost of living/quality of life
I would like to learn more about the didactic training offered. What is the format? Topics? Are they applied/theoretical? Interdisciplinary?
How are the rotations assigned? (IMPORTANT!) Also, ask interns how many of their preferred rotations they got.
What is the typical case load?
What resources are available to interns (offices, computers, libraries)?
What is your supervision style?
Who provides supervision (licensed psychologists, postdocs, etc.)? also good to find out how much time you will spend with "big names"
How might your rotation build on my training interests and background?

 

[irish80122]

Thank you for posting these questions, they are very very helpful!

 

[Lanfeare]

I've heard anecdotally that some people will remove their wedding ring or avoid mentioning their spouse/child(ren)/family plans at internship interviews. What have you heard and how much would you disclose about your family situation (i.e., current children)?

 

[ADDICTED2STATS]

I've heard about this too. I'm not going to volunteer talking about my family, but I'm not going to avoid the topic either (especially since I mentioned my family in essay 1).

 

[psychmama]

I've heard anecdotally that some people will remove their wedding ring or avoid mentioning their spouse/child(ren)/family plans at internship interviews. What have you heard and how much would you disclose about your family situation (i.e., current children)?

My feeling is that any place where I'd need to remove my wedding ring or avoid mention of my family is not the place for me. I understand that programs differ in terms of their culture, but I'd have been very unhappy at a program where I had to deny my reality -- that I have a husband and children. i think for the vast majority of programs there is a way to be yourself (whatever that is) and at the same time keep the focus on your professional goals and academic interests. I think if you can find that balance you are actually at an advantage -- it shows you know how to integrate various aspects of your life without neglecting your responsibilities. Just my $.02...

 

[erg923]

Frankly, I feel that is very disrespectful to your spouse. My wedding band does NOT leave my finger, ever. Period. Any place with a mentality like that is place where a person with a family (like myself) would not be happy anyway...

 

[aagman01]

Yeah, thanks for posting this. Hopefully I'll have a few interviews & get the opportunity to examine this list in December/January

Thanks

Here are few that my classmates and I compiled to practice last year. The * denotes questions that were actually asked during our interviews.

Personal/Professional/Recruiting
*What would you be doing if you were not in psychology?
*How did you become interested in (specific interest area)?
*Personal strengths and weaknesses? How do they influence your work? What have you done to deal with your shortcomings?
*What do you do in your spare time? To relax? Hobbies?
*What are your goals during internship? After internship? In 5 years?
*How do you see our training program fitting with your goals?
*Why did you choose your training program? Why did you apply to this particular internship program? Why do you think you are a "fit" with our program?
*Which of your interests are or are not addressed by our program?
*What attracts you most to our internship?
What have you heard about this site?
*Tell me about your interest in this area (geography).
What are the advantages to you about this program? Disadvantages?
*What do you think of this program now that you have heard more about it?
*Where else have you applied? (yes, I was asked this!)
*What kind of training experiences do you need to round out your clinical skills?
*How are you to work with as a staff person in a group setting?

Research
*Dissertation topic? How is it progressing? What stage are you in/when will you be done?
*Clinical relevance of research?
Masters Thesis
Relation of research to clinical practice

Assessment
*Familiarity with particular assessment instruments
*What do psychologists contribute to multidisciplinary treatment teams?
Opinion of projective testing
Opinion of MMPI-2 or other specific instrument
*How do you conduct a thorough suicide assessment?
What further assessment training or experience do you need?
*Two sites (Patton State Hospital, CA; Utah State Hospital) provided testing for interpretation, diagnosis, & recommendations

Treatment
*What are your strengths as a therapist? What do you perceive are your areas to further develop or weaknesses?
*Type of client most difficult to work with? Why? How does it impact your work? How do you handle it?
*Orientation in therapy? What do you think of _____ approach?
How do you see the process of therapy?
How do you see yourself as a therapist?
Challenges you expect to face as a therapist?
*Experience with family/group/inpatient/treatment/etc.
What is your experience and thoughts about time-limited therapy?
*Talk about a therapy case you had. How did you conceptualize the case? What was most effective? Describe a case in which your primary orientation did not work. (mini case presentation)
*Talk about the most difficult/challenging case you had. Why was it difficult? How did you handle it? What did you learn from it? What do you wish you had done differently? (or the most rewarding case...)
What would you do if a client threatened harm to self/others?
*What further therapy training or experience do you need?
What impact does your person have in therapy, or in what ways do you use your person in therapy?
Some sites provide a case background and ask you to conceptualize and provide a treatment plan

Supervision
*What sort of supervisors have you had? What type of supervision is best for you? What is most challenging? Why?
*What were the orientations of the supervisors you've had?
*Describe the best and worst supervision experiences you have had.
What is your style in providing supervision?
*What would you like to get out of supervision?
What do you need in supervision now for your theoretical development?

Diversity
*What multicultural or diverse populations have you worked with?
What are your strengths and weaknesses in working with minorities?
What variables/issues are of concern to you in working with specific populations?
What didactic experiences influence the way you think about diverse populations?
*What is your approach to therapy or assessment with someone different from you?

Ethics
*Describe an ethical dilemma you had with (client, supervisor, peer) and how you attempted to resolve it.
Some provide scenario and ask you to a) identify the ethical dilemma and b) outline steps and factors to consider in addressing it

Other
*What else would you like me to know that isn't apparent from your application?
*What is the one question you would like me to ask you? Or what questions would you have liked me to ask?
What do you see the role of the counseling center in a university?
Describe a critical incident which influenced you during your training. Why was that incident critical and how did it influence you?
How is the field of _______ (e.g., forensic, gero, neuropsych, child) different from more generalist clinical work?

Questions for the applicant to ask
After interview/reading my application/going over my goals, how can this internship site prepare me for meeting my long-term goals?
What is the most valuable experience/aspect of your training program?
What qualities tend to make an intern happier/more successful at your site? (this can tell you alot about how much you would fit in or enjoy being there)
What qualities differentiate your internship site from others that offer ____ (forensic/gero/neuro/experience with certain pops/etc)?
What type of positions are available after internship? What are last year's interns doing? (postdocs, history of hiring previous interns)
What is a typical day for an intern like?
What type of assessment/treatment experience will I receive?
What types of groups/individual therapeutic experiences are available to interns?
Cost of living/quality of life
I would like to learn more about the didactic training offered. What is the format? Topics? Are they applied/theoretical? Interdisciplinary?
How are the rotations assigned? (IMPORTANT!) Also, ask interns how many of their preferred rotations they got.
What is the typical case load?
What resources are available to interns (offices, computers, libraries)?
What is your supervision style?
Who provides supervision (licensed psychologists, postdocs, etc.)? also good to find out how much time you will spend with "big names"
How might your rotation build on my training interests and background?

 

[JockNerd]

Paradoxically, my cohortmate who is in an LTR was told by my TD that she should mention her relationship and play up that her spousal unit is able to move to the internship city.

I agree with others that hiding it seems weird to me and I wouldn't do it.

 

[erg923]

"spousal unit" Did somebody just discover the Codneheads....?

 

[JockNerd]

uuuuuuugh cover letters

uuuggghh this is almost as annoying as grad schools applications was

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

uuuuuuugh cover letters

uuuggghh this is almost as annoying as grad schools applications was

You need a system! When I applied I had a general opening paragraph where I'd add the name/rotation, a middle section that highlighted my skills, another paragraph that highlights what I want and how I'd fit, and then a closing paragraph reviewing my awesomeness in case they missed it the first time. I was somewhat lucky in that I only applied to two types of sites (VAs and consortiums with academic medical centers), but it shouldn't be too bad once you have the guts of your letter flushed out.

 

[ClinPsyD917]

I'm surprised this thread has been quiet for a while... hope everyone is doing alright with these apps!

Today, as I sat down to write some cover letters, I got really stressed out for the first time. Arg!! It is my second time going through this process, and I think I have a much better (more laid back, for sure!) attitude about it this year. As such, I really haven't been stressed... just chugging along, staying on top of the process, and mostly, staying very calm.

But today, I realized that I only have 3 weeks until my first deadline (10/25--so early!!), and my school has not/can not send in my transcripts because my supervisor has not submitted my practicum evaluation from last year! That started the stress cycle, since I haven't heard from said supervisor in a while. I suppose it doesn't help that I have my dissertation defense coming up this Friday--really exciting, but also stressful! I guess the time crunch, in spite of my starting very early, is just starting to catch up with me.

If my transcripts go out, I think I will feel like I have an okay handle on everything... sites are picked, essays are done--or possibly getting one last set of revisions--the nuts and bolts of the AAPI are filled in, and letters of rec have been requested (though none uploaded yet...). I'd love to hear about everyone else's progress and if anyone else is stressed out too! My goal is to have everything done and turned in by that first 10/25 deadline, so I will have all of November to (hopefully...maybe) not think about this process...

 

[Salsybabe]

Wow, ClinPsyD917 10/25 is a really early deadline! I didn't know they had deadlines that early. I thought the earliest was 11/1. As for my progress: cover letters are done, transcripts are up, essays are done (but I'm still getting feedback on them), LOR are requested with one up, AAPI is just about done. I'm not letting myself getting stressed out by this process. I got started with everything very early and I've just taken things one day at a time when it comes to getting everything done. I think that's all you can do, and know that it'll be done by the time your deadline comes.

 

[erg923]

Two things:

1. Lets talk about site elimination some. I have a list of 25 sites, and yes, I want to go to ALL of them. Locations are good (I think) and all have what sounds to be great rotations. Once the sites pass this test, how do you start trimming the list. Hopefully back to 15 or so.

2. How big a role does the internship play in your attractiveness as a job candidate down the line? For example, do VA's prefer people who had been a VA intern? Would it be impossible to be get hired in a college counselling center if your internship was academic med center with SMI and medical populations? There is a prevailing attitude amongst our faculty that as long as its APA approved, you really can't go wrong, and you'll be just fine on the clinical job market no matter where you were for internship. But frankly, I dont know what my specific goals and job will be after internship, at least not anymore. I used to, but that desire has faded. So this is why its hard for me to eliminate sites. I could be possibly be happy at VA and building a practice on the side. I might be happy with the money, job security, and nontraditional clinical work within the BOP? I could possibly be happy joining a group practice? I would be happy not doing hardly any clinical work and doing mental health admin or business consulting (I/O type stuff), frankly. I just dont know anymore...

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

One of these years I'm going to write a book about applying, between here and the listservs, I know there is a market!

Two things:

1. Lets talk about site elimination some. I have a list of 25 sites, and yes, I want to go to ALL of them. Locations are good (I think) and all have what sounds to be great rotations. Once the sites pass this test, how do you start trimming the list. Hopefully back to 15 or so.

I tried to dig into the sites and see what *extra* things they offered. I looked at a number of VAs, most of which had the same types of rotations, so I had to find out what they did differently. For me it also came down to which sites I found myself working on harder, and which sites I started to care less about as the deadlines approached. I cut 3-4 sites that were on the fringe for me just because I had other apps I wanted to make sure got out.

2. How big a role does the internship play in your attractiveness as a job candidate down the line? For example, do VA's prefer people who had been a VA intern?

It really depends on what you want to do for a career. For me a VA internship was great because I was able to work with more severe pathology, receive a great deal of supervision and mentorship (varies by VA), and learn a great deal about how the VA system works and what it takes to get a job. We were trained with VA careers in mind. For example, we received training in cognitive behavioral therapy, cognitive processing therapy, prolonged exposure therapy, compensation & pension evaluations, etc. While I'm not a fan of therapy, I think a VA internship should prepare a person for a range of experiences.

It isn't all great though, and training can be hit and miss. I think the VA route is more popular because it offers stability, but a person working outside of the VA for a few years and then coming back in will be able to maximize their paygrade (enter as a GS-13 instead of GS-12). I'm considering the VA after I spend some more time in academic medicine because the schedule seems a lot more stable.

Would it be impossible to be get hired in a college counselling center if your internship was academic med center with SMI and medical populations?

I have been told that some counseling centers actually favor applicants who have experience with more serious Dxs because they are starting to see more of them in the college counseling setting. I don't know much about college counseling so I'll defer to others, but I think having a breadth of training experiences can be good.

I just dont know anymore...

Neither do the rest of us. I started my internship leaning more towards the VA setting and rehab. I then swung back to academic medicine and more neuro, and I ended up in academic medicine with a rehab slant. Go figure.

I think what will help the most will be to talk to as many different professionals and see what they think. I talked to my mentors and got their 2 cents. I talked to people at conferences. I spoke to some hospital administrators about their view of psychology. I looked up various job openings to see what kind of jobs were available. I still am somewhat dependent on availability (if I want to stay in academic medicine), but at least I feel a bit more informed about my options.

 

[erg923]

The following is from Vandy's consortium (the VA sites) and really irked me. Anyone else found that to be a turn off? Or is it just me? And no compensation for the travel during the internship? If anyone has experiences or knowledge of this program, can they please PM me.

Interviewing: Since all interns accepted at the VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System will work at both VA campuses, faculty at both campuses will be involved in the interview process. Thus, if you are invited for an interview, you will spend the morning at one campus and the afternoon at the other. Please note that this will involve travel between the campuses. Arrangements for this will be your responsibility.

Travel: The Campuses are located approximately forty miles apart, and the internship will require a substantial amount of travel between campuses. Travel time from campus to campus varies from 50 to 60 minutes with the time of day and direction of travel.

 

[O Gurl]

The following is from Vandy's consortium (the VA sites) and really irked me. Anyone else found that to be a turn off? Or is it just me? And no compensation for the travel during the internship? If anyone has experiences or knowledge of this program, can they please PM me.

Interviewing: Since all interns accepted at the VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System will work at both VA campuses, faculty at both campuses will be involved in the interview process. Thus, if you are invited for an interview, you will spend the morning at one campus and the afternoon at the other. Please note that this will involve travel between the campuses. Arrangements for this will be your responsibility.

Travel: The Campuses are located approximately forty miles apart, and the internship will require a substantial amount of travel between campuses. Travel time from campus to campus varies from 50 to 60 minutes with the time of day and direction of travel.

That is how that site got dropped from my list last year. But hey, at least they are honest about it.

 

[erg923]

Compared that to this, from WV-Charleston:

After your application is complete, you may wish to schedule a visit. It is important to note that a visit is not necessary. The last time we checked, graduate students were pinched for time and not independently wealthy. As such, we find it ethically questionable to require applicants in some cases to spend vast sums of money and time to travel here, when many of our past interns were accepted solely on the basis of application materials and phone interviews.to this:

 

[JockNerd]

Compared that to this, from WV-Charleston:

After your application is complete, you may wish to schedule a visit. It is important to note that a visit is not necessary. The last time we checked, graduate students were pinched for time and not independently wealthy. As such, we find it ethically questionable to require applicants in some cases to spend vast sums of money and time to travel here, when many of our past interns were accepted solely on the basis of application materials and phone interviews.to this:

haha

Nearly every single university counseling center does phone interviews for this very reason.

 

[erg923]

I'm not a counseling center guy, but now im jealous. I couldnt agree more...

I will have funds for maybe 3 different flights and hotels. I do not understand what people who get 6, 7, 8 interviews do???

 

[erg923]

Anyone have insight into why University of Utah Neuropsychiatric Institute overall numbers are so low compared to pretty every other site? Only 32 applications last year. Almost unheard of for an adult clinical APA site. Did they just get accredited or something?

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

I'm not a counseling center guy, but now im jealous. I couldnt agree more...

I will have funds for maybe 3 different flights and hotels. I do not understand what people who get 6, 7, 8 interviews do???

FF miles, priceline for hotels, and good scheduling (so I could fly site to site because it was cheaper to stay in a hotel than book another RT ticket). I was on the road for a week, back for a few days of work, and back out for a week and a half, etc.

 

[O Gurl]

Compared that to this, from WV-Charleston:

After your application is complete, you may wish to schedule a visit. It is important to note that a visit is not necessary. The last time we checked, graduate students were pinched for time and not independently wealthy. As such, we find it ethically questionable to require applicants in some cases to spend vast sums of money and time to travel here, when many of our past interns were accepted solely on the basis of application materials and phone interviews.to this:

I think it is awesome that counseling centers are sincere in their stance on phone interviews. The time and expense is a major headache. However, there is a lot to be said for getting a first hand view and feel of a program- to see the facility, space, and get a chance to observe the interactions among trainees and faculty. So I'd certainly recommend making it to all of your other sites that: 1) you have a strong interest in and 2) are not as emphatic about the fact that a phone interview will not hurt your chances. As for how to do that, like T4C mentioned, planning is key. Interview invites tend to run altogether, but try as much as feasible to lump interviews together by region.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

It is really helpful to take notes about the cities/towns of each internship site and your general feelings about the experience, staff members, etc. By the end of my interviews everything seemed to run together, so I was thankful I had written everything down.

 

[erg923]

Hmmm...there must be only a handful of SDNers applying this year, maybe this why the thread is so slow?

I'd welcome more discussion of cover letters and sites especially...

 

[aagman01]

Never mind....

 

[ADDICTED2STATS]

I would guess that most people are so busy preparing that they aren't spending much time on SDN (or at least that's been the case for me). I finally finished everything today (everything I could anyway, Boston consortium still has supplementary material to submit, but they haven't added it to the website yet). Just waiting for two more LORs and my transcripts to arrive at APPIC. I thought the essays would be the hardest part, but I wrote them (and rewrote and rewrote and... you get the idea) over the summer, so it seemed there was plenty of time fro that. The cover letters are what killed me. I applied to a variety of places, which meant I was writing different cover letters for each place...ugh! I had 10 places that wanted supplementary info, and most of them wanted things that were completely different, so this took a lot of time as well. Anyway, time to breath a little. Good luck to everyone!

 

[erg923]

I have it down to 22. Will end up applying to 17 or 18 I suppose. Still think thats too many, but I simply cant eliminate any at this point. Esaays done. Psych assessment reports and case conceptualization/tx plan uploaded to supplemental section. 2 of 4 LORs uploaded. Transcript uploaded. Cover letter skelton done. Simply have to tailor sections to each site. That is gonna suck! Will start that next week sometime. I have an abstract deadline, then I'm going to the beach!

 

[krisrox]

I have it down to 22. Will end up applying to 17 or 18 I suppose. Still think thats too many, but I simply cant eliminate any at this point. Esaays done. Psych assessment reports and case conceptualization/tx plan uploaded to supplemental section. 2 of 4 LORs uploaded. Transcript uploaded. Cover letter skelton done. Simply have to tailor sections to each site. That is gonna suck! Will start that next week sometime. I have an abstract deadline, then I'm going to the beach!

You're doing well, erg! I'm going to come to you for advice in four years when I'm applying

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

I have it down to 22. Will end up applying to 17 or 18 I suppose. Still think thats too many, but I simply cant eliminate any at this point. Esaays done. Psych assessment reports and case conceptualization/tx plan uploaded to supplemental section. 2 of 4 LORs uploaded. Transcript uploaded. Cover letter skelton done. Simply have to tailor sections to each site. That is gonna suck! Will start that next week sometime. I have an abstract deadline, then I'm going to the beach!

Nice job on your timing, as you are probably ahead of most people applying.

 

[africadreaming]

Hello Everyone,

I just tried to cut and paste my essays and coverletters into the text boxes on the APPI but no matter what I try they do not end up formatted properly - either in the text box itself (directly after cutting and pasting or after they've been saved) or on the application view page (which does indicate that it's "unformatted"). I saved my word file as plain text first but that did not work. I also tried writing them into the text box from scratch, and that didn't work either. I also tried manually adding indent spaces at the beginning of paragraphs once I cut and pasted the text in the text box, but that did not end up maintaining its proper spacing once saved. The end result is that my essays and coverletters look like one big run-on paragraph. I imagine that I'm not the only one who is dealing with this problem? Did anyone figure out how to do it properly, or did it work for anyone perfectly from the get-go? If so, what kind of word processing program did you use? Thank you so much!

AD

 

[erg923]

On the application view its all one big paragraph, but i assume thats not the way internships sites will see it when they get it, right?
I have not had this problem with saving in the text box though. It saves formatted in that view just fine. It is well know that the APPI online portal is browser sensitive. I am using google's Chrome browser and things have formatted just fine.

 

[Salsybabe]

On the application view its all one big paragraph, but i assume thats not the way internships sites will see it when they get it, right?
I have not had this problem with saving in the text box though. It saves formatted in that view just fine. It is well know that the APPI online portal is browser sensitive. I am using google's Chrome browser and things have formatted just fine.

That's what I'm hoping. I haven't had any formatting problems as far as weird symbols or anything or trouble copying and pasting and with it showing up in the letter form that I have it in, but all the letters show up as one big paragraph in the unformatted application view. I was hoping I wasn't the only one. I've tried it in Internet explorer, Chrome Browser and Firefox, and there was no difference in the browers that I've found. I emailed to ask about it.

 

[erg923]

Anyone have any speculation regarding 1.) Do most sites actually take the time to read these essays (that we have worked so hard on) thoroughly? How many people read them? 2.) If one essay is more influential or carries more weight than the others?

I ask because I feel mine vary in power and quality. I am enormously pleased with my essay 1 and 4 . The others, eh, I'm fine with, but don't think they will wow anyone. My hypothesizes is that the first essay (the autobiographical one) might carry more weight since it supposedly the first one that gets read and the one where you wont be saying anythign similar to another applicant. What do you think?

I would assume cover letters carry the most weight however, so I better really focus on these in next couple weeks.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

Anyone have any speculation regarding 1.) Do most sites actually take the time to read these essays (that we have worked so hard on) thoroughly? How many people read them? 2.) If one essay is more influential or carries more weight than the others?

I ask because I feel mine vary in power and quality. I am enormously pleased with my essay 1 and 4 . The others, eh, I'm fine with, but don't think they will wow anyone. My hypothesizes is that the first essay (the autobiographical one) might carry more weight since it supposedly the first one that gets read and the one where you wont be saying anythign similar to another applicant. What do you think?

I would assume cover letters carry the most weight however, so I better really focus on these in next couple weeks.

Every reviewer is different, but I paid the most attention to Essay #1, the CV, and the LORs. I read everything, though if the person didn't seem like a good fit after those first three areas, they usually didn't make the cut.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Nice job on your timing, as you are probably ahead of most people applying.

Definitely ahead of me. Currently working on polishing up my essays, and will then crank out the ~14 individual cover letters I'll apparently be needing. Good times ahead.

At least my DCT has already ok'd my reported clinical and supervision hours. One less thing to worry about.

 

[O Gurl]

Hello Everyone,

I just tried to cut and paste my essays and coverletters into the text boxes on the APPI but no matter what I try they do not end up formatted properly - either in the text box itself (directly after cutting and pasting or after they've been saved) or on the application view page (which does indicate that it's "unformatted"). I saved my word file as plain text first but that did not work. I also tried writing them into the text box from scratch, and that didn't work either. I also tried manually adding indent spaces at the beginning of paragraphs once I cut and pasted the text in the text box, but that did not end up maintaining its proper spacing once saved. The end result is that my essays and coverletters look like one big run-on paragraph. I imagine that I'm not the only one who is dealing with this problem? Did anyone figure out how to do it properly, or did it work for anyone perfectly from the get-go? If so, what kind of word processing program did you use? Thank you so much!

AD

That is not the way the sites will see them. I freaked out about that when I applied last year. It turned out fine. As long as the document that you cut from is formatted the way you want it then it will appear correctly on the reviewer's side.

It is highly annoying and I was hoping they would have either fixed that or added a disclaimer this year.

 

[Salsybabe]

That is not the way the sites will see them. I freaked out about that when I applied last year. It turned out fine. As long as the document that you cut from is formatted the way you want it then it will appear correctly on the reviewer's side.

It is highly annoying and I was hoping they would have either fixed that or added a disclaimer this year.

A disclaimer would have been nice. I heard back just now from APPIC about it and they said it will show up to the reviewers the way you have it formatted in the textbox.

 

[SAPsych]

Anyone have any speculation regarding 1.) Do most sites actually take the time to read these essays (that we have worked so hard on) thoroughly? How many people read them? 2.) If one essay is more influential or carries more weight than the others?

I ask because I feel mine vary in power and quality. I am enormously pleased with my essay 1 and 4 . The others, eh, I'm fine with, but don't think they will wow anyone. My hypothesizes is that the first essay (the autobiographical one) might carry more weight since it supposedly the first one that gets read and the one where you wont be saying anythign similar to another applicant. What do you think?

I would assume cover letters carry the most weight however, so I better really focus on these in next couple weeks.

If I had to guess I would say that essay 1 carries the most weight. I know that a few of my classmates got asked about specific things they had written in their essays, and it always seemed to come from essay 1. My essays were never brought up to me during interviews, but just about every place I interviewed mentioned one of my letters of rec, so I can definitely say they read those!

 

[africadreaming]

I spoke to the APPI support staff and they said that the key is to make it look like you want it to look in the text box, regardless of what it looked like before you cut and pasted it. You shouldn't just cut and paste a properly formatted document and assume that the reviewers will see the right version after you submit your application. I ended up taking out all my paragraph indents (because they weren't transferring after the cut and paste and I didn't trust that adding five blank spaces before each paragraph would end up looking decent in the end) and just having block paragraphs with a blank line between paragraphs.

I'm assuming this info is correct!

Thanks,
AD

 

[erg923]

Well obviously you adjust formatting as necessary after you paste it in the box, you can plainly see how it turns out after you hit paste. Whatever though, if it ends up looking weird on their end, Im sure I wont be the only one.

 

[psychstudent201]

Hi,

Does anyone has the sample resume found at Rutgers for APPIC application. The site is asking for a log in to access that resume...

 

[erg923]

I think you would need to provide the link, but if needs a log in, I don't know how we could help anyway. Besides, CVs come in a million different formats. There truly is no "right" or "wrong", or even a "best" way to arrange it.

 

[ClinPsyD917]

Hmmm...there must be only a handful of SDNers applying this year, maybe this why the thread is so slow?

I'd welcome more discussion of cover letters and sites especially...

I'm surprised too at how quiet the thread is... I seem to remember it being much more active last year. Then again, I was much more anxious about this last year, so maybe I was just checking SDN more obsessively . I, too, think it will pick up, especially once people start to hear about interviews.

I still have to write almost all of my cover letters, and finish tweaking my essays (for the umpteenth time!), but everything else is mostly done. The cover letters have been a challenge for me this year. I obviously have a method and cover letter template I have been using (with upgrades/edits, of course) throughout grad school. But when I looked them over this year, I felt like they focused too much on my qualifications, which are clearly listed in my CV. I tried a new technique in focusing almost nothing on my past experience, and really focusing on my interests in the site, hoping to convey fit. What happened was it sounded repetitive and it felt disjointed. At this point, I'm trying a style that melds these together. I feel like once I get one good cover letter, it will be a good model for all the others, but I'm really struggling to get even this one to satisfy me. If anyone has thoughts on what is important to include (in terms of discussing fit/interests versus your own experience, and finding that balance), I'd be interested to hear it.

Also, does anyone have any idea what length a "case summary" should be... or what components should be included? I have three sites requesting this as a supplemental material and I've never had to prepare one of these so I don't know how brief/complex to make it. One site is specific and states that it should include a thorough conceptualization, etc, so I am sending them a comprehensive (12 page) case summary I prepared last year. But, do you know if that is what is typically desired? The other two sites simply state that they want a case summary. I know I could email them to ask, but I already emailed each of them another question about the supplemental materials, and I feel dumb emailing them again--should have included it all in the first email, but I didn't think that far ahead. Just wondering if there's a typical length for this...

 

[Markro311]

I need to do final tweaking with my essay #1 and #2 (like others, for the umpteenth time!!), final tweaking with my supplemental materials (assessment report and case conceptualization - I may be done tweaking already, but just want to check over them again), and I need to do all my individual cover letters (although I like my template, and am applying to almost all university counseling centers, so at least they'll be fairly consistent). MY DCT is approved (and online application is all done), 2 of my 3 letters are up (third one by this friday), and my transcript is up.

If only my cover letters could magically write themselves...

 

[AcronymAllergy]

I'm surprised too at how quiet the thread is... I seem to remember it being much more active last year. Then again, I was much more anxious about this last year, so maybe I was just checking SDN more obsessively . I, too, think it will pick up, especially once people start to hear about interviews.

I still have to write almost all of my cover letters, and finish tweaking my essays (for the umpteenth time!), but everything else is mostly done. The cover letters have been a challenge for me this year. I obviously have a method and cover letter template I have been using (with upgrades/edits, of course) throughout grad school. But when I looked them over this year, I felt like they focused too much on my qualifications, which are clearly listed in my CV. I tried a new technique in focusing almost nothing on my past experience, and really focusing on my interests in the site, hoping to convey fit. What happened was it sounded repetitive and it felt disjointed. At this point, I'm trying a style that melds these together. I feel like once I get one good cover letter, it will be a good model for all the others, but I'm really struggling to get even this one to satisfy me. If anyone has thoughts on what is important to include (in terms of discussing fit/interests versus your own experience, and finding that balance), I'd be interested to hear it.

Also, does anyone have any idea what length a "case summary" should be... or what components should be included? I have three sites requesting this as a supplemental material and I've never had to prepare one of these so I don't know how brief/complex to make it. One site is specific and states that it should include a thorough conceptualization, etc, so I am sending them a comprehensive (12 page) case summary I prepared last year. But, do you know if that is what is typically desired? The other two sites simply state that they want a case summary. I know I could email them to ask, but I already emailed each of them another question about the supplemental materials, and I feel dumb emailing them again--should have included it all in the first email, but I didn't think that far ahead. Just wondering if there's a typical length for this...

I don't have a definitive answer for your question, but can give my opinion/take on it--unless the site explicitly asked for a comprehensive/thorough conceptualization, I would likely send a largely-unedited (although deidentified, of course) integrative report. For my psychological assessments, those tend to run two pages (all are in a medical setting, and thus brevity is paramount). For neuropsychological evaluations, they range from three to twelve pages, depending on the specifics of the assessment, the referral reason, and the intended audience.

 

[Teacher07]

I'd really love to get your thoughts on this...

I'm a school psych person, in case that matters (are there other school psych people applying for APPIC here?), and I'm really into the Kennedy Krieger Institute. They ask for one piece of supplementary material. I was planning on sending in a psych eval, but I just realized that I don't have any psych evals that include both IQ tests, ed assessments and behavior observations. The eval I was going to send includes the BASC, but otherwise its a pretty standard evaluation. I do have ADHD evaluations that include rating scales, systematic observations and naturalistic observations. Do you think it would be better to send a more general eval or an ADHD specific evaluation?

Thanks!