2012 APPIC Internship Application Thread

[PerhapsMaybeOk]

Let's get this party started guys. How far along is everyone so far in applying this year?

Should be interesting!

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[RayneeDeigh]

Jeez they've sure changed the forum in the past two years.Took me forever to find whatever the heck a "quick reply" button is, haha.

Anyway, so far I've added up my total assessment/intervention hours, asked one person to be a reference, made a list of sites I'd like to apply to, and started filling out the easy bits of the APPI like my address, etc. Tonight I also did a bit of entering the tests and measures I've used. I feel like I should be further ahead but I've felt like that for the past four years so it's no biggie LOL

 

[psyunknown]

Jeez they've sure changed the forum in the past two years.Took me forever to find whatever the heck a "quick reply" button is, haha.

Anyway, so far I've added up my total assessment/intervention hours, asked one person to be a reference, made a list of sites I'd like to apply to, and started filling out the easy bits of the APPI like my address, etc. Tonight I also did a bit of entering the tests and measures I've used. I feel like I should be further ahead but I've felt like that for the past four years so it's no biggie LOL

I'm basically at the same place you are to with my application! I hope that's a good place to be right now. I have also started brainstorming my essays, but most of what I have written is not very good.

 

[erg923]

There is alot of debate about how important the essays are. Obviously, they should be grammatically perfect, but the content is much more subjective. No matter how many professors you show them to, at least one will always say that you should change this or that or that something doesn't sound right. Eventually, you have to just say "enough is enough" and just go with it. What one professor in my program cringed at and thought was "cheesy", a TD asked me about at interview with keen interest and praise. So who knows, really.

Some sites read them, some sites dont...at all. Only one person even mentioned them at my interviews last year. Frankly, I feel they are unnecessary and really create alot more work than they are worth...for both sides. The cover letter gets straight to the point and also demonstrates your writing skills. I don't see why this isn't sufficient enough.

 

[futureapppsy2]

Jeez they've sure changed the forum in the past two years.Took me forever to find whatever the heck a "quick reply" button is, haha.

Anyway, so far I've added up my total assessment/intervention hours, asked one person to be a reference, made a list of sites I'd like to apply to, and started filling out the easy bits of the APPI like my address, etc. Tonight I also did a bit of entering the tests and measures I've used. I feel like I should be further ahead but I've felt like that for the past four years so it's no biggie LOL

Hi, Raynee, good to see you again! Can't believe you're applying for internship now--good luck!

 

[TenaciousGirl]

When I got the email notification that the app was open I had one of those "is this really happening" moments. It's crazy how fast time flies ... and I'll never get tired of realizing that cliche sentiment I made a list of sites I'm interested in. I already have my hours logged on Time 2 Track but I also made a chart of which assessments/# of additional hours I hope to do before the application is finalized. I also made a list of sites that have taken students from my school before. I realize that knowing which sites have taken students from my school in the past isn't THAT important, but since I go to one of those horrible professional schools I wanted to know which sites were open to us.

 

[ADDICTED2STATS]

Just wanted to stop by and wish all of you good luck this year! I want to echo what erg said re: "at least one will always say that you should change this or that." I didn't even have faculty members read my essays, only friends. Didn't seem to matter as I matched at my 1st choice (which happens to also be the site that was my first choice before I even submitted applications, so it all worked out). Here is my not-quite-sage advice:

1) Be creative with essay 1. I had a lot of sites compliment me on this essay b/c it was outside the norm. I tried to pick an interesting theme (a suggestion of one of my friends), and then reiterate and expand upon the theme throughout the essay. It seemed to work well.

2) The other essays are straight forward, don't be artsy or creative. Tell your story, and hope they read it. You'll be asked multiple times what your orientation is, so just expect they haven't read past essay 1.

3) Follow the advice of #2 above for your cover letters. A straight forward cover letter earned me interviews, creative cover letters didn't.

4) If your applying for research focused sites find a person there that matches your interests and email them. Speak briefly about your interests in their research (one or two sentences). Leave your research interests out of it. If they're interested they'll look you up, if not, you're wasting their time (my thoughts anyway). Then ask if they plan to take an intern, just like you did when applying to grad school. My best interviews where when I did this (and incidentally I got interviews at every place I did this for). Feel free to PM me about this one if you like. I interviewed at several research places so I can speak about some of them more specifically if you want.

5) Get signed up for airline miles now if you haven't already. Try to use the same airline whenever possible. I racked up two free flights and got medallion status on Delta.

6) Get a membership/credit card for a specific hotel and try to stay at these as much as possible. I always tried to stay at La Quintas. They're cheap and always have internet so I could review info the night before my interview.

I suppose I could type forever, but I'll end it here. Good luck again!

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

Addicted2Stats's post is full of good information, so applicants make sure to read it again.

Good luck to everyone!

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Addicted2Stats's post is full of good information, so applicants make sure to read it again.

Good luck to everyone!

Agreed, great information in there.

I'm also going to third the notion that it's quite possible to have too many people review your essays. I had two professors look them over, and exactly as erg mentioned, one of the professors made minor editing/stylistic comments while the other didn't like the content at all. The second reviewer, though, gave much the same advice as erg--at some point, you just have to decide for yourself what you want to say with the essay; you can't let your professors, peers, or anyone else essentially write them for you.

Of the three essays, I personally feel as though the first was the most important, as it allowed you to convey a tiny portion of who you are as an actual person rather than just as a graduate student. And again like erg, the first is the only of the three essays that was ever brought up during my interviews. Whether or not that's actually the case, though, I don't know. I do know that I personally enjoyed writing it, but I'm an English geek, so my experience likely wasn't very typical.

Also, DEFINITELY proof-read your cover letters, especially if you're using the same one or two "templates" and then tailoring them for each site. Beyond the fact that the cover letter may be the only piece of your writing that the site reads, it's very easy to nearly send off a letter addressed to the wrong TD.

 

[Quynh2007]

Hi all, we are in for a tumultuous ride!

I'm applying this year, first time, 5th year Ph.D. student.

1) Opened 2 credit cards with Southwest (4 free flight vouchers and 50,000 Rapid Rewards Points = I'm prepared to travel). I also have $400 in volunteer compensation from my recent trip to San Diego, so I think I'm covered on travel.

2) I've already started the app, but like others, only did the easy stuff. Still working on my essays. I'm not even going to touch my cover letters until like 6 weeks before due dates.

3) my LOR's are lined up!

4) defending my dissertation proposal in early October, and hoping to defend my dissertation by the end of June.

 

[aagman01]

I definitely recommend using Southwest for your flights. I hope I don't sound like a commercial, but some benefits include:

--The credit card flight benefits that Quynh mentioned
--Flights everywhere and cheap ( I broke my interviews into quadrants, and flew night to night. Was able to interview in Oakland one afternoon, take the 45 minute flight to LAX for $40, and have an interview the next day in los angeles). Plus, they bought out Air Tran which will mean even more flights soon.
--Free bag check w/southwest
--full credit if you change/cancel a flight (which helped me to easily accomodate my schedule for a last minute interview i got last year).

Good luck!

Hi all, we are in for a tumultuous ride!

I'm applying this year, first time, 5th year Ph.D. student.

1) Opened 2 credit cards with Southwest (4 free flight vouchers and 50,000 Rapid Rewards Points = I'm prepared to travel). I also have $400 in volunteer compensation from my recent trip to San Diego, so I think I'm covered on travel.

2) I've already started the app, but like others, only did the easy stuff. Still working on my essays. I'm not even going to touch my cover letters until like 6 weeks before due dates.

3) my LOR's are lined up!

4) defending my dissertation proposal in early October, and hoping to defend my dissertation by the end of June.

 

[deleted106747]

Good luck everyone! Any advice I'd have to offer has been pretty much covered, but I'll add: don't check your bag if you can avoid it. I did manage to avoid it, and there were times when flights were canceled/changed etc. (one time I had to switch airlines: go out, cancel my ticket, buy another and go back through security) that would have for sure led to a painful separation between me and my suit.

 

[nononora]

Also look into Priceline's Name-Your-Own-Price for hotels and rental cars and bidding strategies! It's a great way to save money while staying at nice hotels

 

[PerhapsMaybeOk]

Do you guys think I'm crazy for getting my letters of recommendation now?

How many should I get? I was thinking 4 or 5 just in case I wanted to apply for research-oriented positions; so I could get a nonclinical letter

 

[TuTuPsychL]

I'm applying this year as well- can't believe it's here!

I have my LOR all lined up. I think it's better now because you are giving them plenty of time and are probably asking ahead of the crowd so they are less likely to be overwhelmed by requests. That's my thinking anyway...

I'm pretty much where everyone else is. Filled out the "easy" part of the APPI, have my sites narrowed down, and have started on my essays. I do have one professor proofreading my essays and will probably have a friend look them over as well. I have my hours on Time2Track so I'll input those as we get closer so I can count my hours from now until deadlines.

Thanks to those who continue to give us newbies application/internship advice- it is very helpful!

 

[RayneeDeigh]

Hi, Raynee, good to see you again! Can't believe you're applying for internship now--good luck!

I KNOW RIGHT! Hehe. It sometimes seemed like the day would never arrive!

It's lovely to see you again too! I've missed this place.

 

[Quynh2007]

What are the types of places people are applying to?

I've got 4 Children's hospitals, 8 Medical Centers (affiliated w/universities), and 2 VAs (these are purely location based and doubtful to get them since the match is not there).

 

[ClinApp]

Hi, everyone. Glad this thread is finally getting started! I was procrastinating on dissertation stuff this summer by looking at sites and thinking about the application process. What did you write to the people you asked to write your recommendations? I plan to give all the recommenders a set of useful documents and information for preparing the letter (eg, CV, info about what clinical work I did on their rotation, etc.), but I don't have anything prepared now. Did you simply ask for the letter and say more information to follow?

 

[erg923]

You should, ideally, be pretty close with the people who are writing these, so they really should know alot about your interests and goals already.

 

[PerhapsMaybeOk]

I definitely recommend using Southwest for your flights. I hope I don't sound like a commercial, but some benefits include:

--The credit card flight benefits that Quynh mentioned
--Flights everywhere and cheap ( I broke my interviews into quadrants, and flew night to night. Was able to interview in Oakland one afternoon, take the 45 minute flight to LAX for $40, and have an interview the next day in los angeles). Plus, they bought out Air Tran which will mean even more flights soon.
--Free bag check w/southwest
--full credit if you change/cancel a flight (which helped me to easily accomodate my schedule for a last minute interview i got last year).

Good luck!

thanks for the tips; i hear virgin air is also good

 

[Team Kakashi]

Hi all! Just wanted to say I'm glad to see this thread up and running and I'm looking forward to submitting applications (for the second time...). Good luck everyone!

 

[Quynh2007]

thanks for the tips; i hear virgin air is also good

yeah, jetblue also, but for me, it's SW b/c it flies where I need it. VA and JB are rarely where I need to be. And Frontier I heard is decent (you get one free checked bag too).

 

[PerhapsMaybeOk]

What are the types of places people are applying to?

I've got 4 Children's hospitals, 8 Medical Centers (affiliated w/universities), and 2 VAs (these are purely location based and doubtful to get them since the match is not there).

everyone keeps telling me that the VA positions are the way to go but I'd love some peds experience so i'm not sure what to except shoot for some consortiums

 

[Huxwell]

Wow, y'all are definitely farther along than me. I'm not too worried about the paperwork. It will be annoying, but it will get done. I'll try to save my stress for the interviews.

Also, it's criminal that registering for the match costs $100+

 

[TuTuPsychL]

Has anyone else run into sites that require specific LOR for their site? I feel so awkward having to go back to the people I asked for letters to now write a 2nd set for me..

Is this common?

 

[PerhapsMaybeOk]

Has anyone else run into sites that require specific LOR for their site? I feel so awkward having to go back to the people I asked for letters to now write a 2nd set for me..

Is this common?

I've only run across this with certain sites that have a heavy research component

 

[ClinApp]

Has anyone else run into sites that require specific LOR for their site? I feel so awkward having to go back to the people I asked for letters to now write a 2nd set for me..

Is this common?

Specific in what way? In other words, what are they requiring? I hadn't noticed that in the sites I reviewed earlier this summer but I will have to look more closely, I guess.

 

[TuTuPsychL]

One of the sites I am applying to stated that letters of recommendation needed to be "specific to our site." It's the only site I saw that had it and when I talked about with my advisor, she said sites are not supposed to do that..

However, just received an email response from the training director that the letters are the same letters as used for APPIC. Checked the website and they must have JUST updated their site because last time I checked (Friday) it still said "specific letters." I'm relieved though!

Well I suppose this is the drawback of being super on top of things...

 

[Team Kakashi]

Just curious about the number of sites everyone is applying to and whether people are selecting multiple types of sites or focusing predominantly on one type of site (e.g., VA's only). I could see only preparing 15 applications if I were to apply to a narrower range of sites, but I feel very tempted to bump that number up a bit since I'd like to apply to a range of settings. How are others approaching this?

 

[psyunknown]

Just curious about the number of sites everyone is applying to and whether people are selecting multiple types of sites or focusing predominantly on one type of site (e.g., VA's only). I could see only preparing 15 applications if I were to apply to a narrower range of sites, but I feel very tempted to bump that number up a bit since I'd like to apply to a range of settings. How are others approaching this?

I'm currently looking at 21 different college counseling centers, and I planning on only apply to about 15-18 of them that I feel are the best fit.

 

[RayneeDeigh]

Just curious about the number of sites everyone is applying to and whether people are selecting multiple types of sites or focusing predominantly on one type of site (e.g., VA's only). I could see only preparing 15 applications if I were to apply to a narrower range of sites, but I feel very tempted to bump that number up a bit since I'd like to apply to a range of settings. How are others approaching this?

I'm applying to a minimum of 25 sites, in Canada and the US. The majority of them will at least have a forensic rotation, but I have a lot of variety in my training so far so I'm spreading the net wide and letting the universe decide what kind of setting I should be in.

 

[erg923]

First of all, I cant blame anyone (given the current climate) for applying to 20 or 25 sites.

BUT, a big reason why sites have become so darn competitiveness is because they now have 150 applicants rather than 50 applicants as they did just 5 years ago. I realize the imbalance caused much of the anxiety that lead to this rise, but if we were all capped to applying to 10 sites, many sites numbers of applicants would go down significantly.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

Focus on fit and don't spread yourself too thin. Applying to 18 sites that line up well with your background will provide far better opportunities than 25-30 sites that aren't as good of a match. Essay #1 is the most important essay, as it is the only way for a reviewer to get a better feel for the applicant. Do no restate your CV!

 

[LMK]

I can't believe this thread is up already and so many have posted! I applied for the HPSP scholarship last year and will be using the same letter writers - so they're all lined up. I'm working on my essays and have pretty big chunks of the application done. I'm in data collection phase on my dissertation...

Good luck everyone, here's hoping to keep the stress at a minimum.

 

[RayneeDeigh]

Today I made a colour-coded list of the sites I'm applying to in Canada, complete with application deadlines, start date, stipend/benefits, major rotations I'm interested in, and any supplementary materials I need to organize or special requirements I have to look into.

Tomorrow I'll tackle the US sites.

 

[Team Kakashi]

I'm applying to a minimum of 25 sites, in Canada and the US. The majority of them will at least have a forensic rotation, but I have a lot of variety in my training so far so I'm spreading the net wide and letting the universe decide what kind of setting I should be in.

I'm with you on casting a wide net! I applied to 18 sites last year based on "goodness of fit" without any geographic restrictions, but I think I overestimated my chances at sites offering research opportunities. I was also surprised by the sites that did offer me interviews - they were all toward the low end based on "fit" and seemed more competitive than sites that did not select me for interviews. Still can't figure that out!

This year I'm in a bit of a different situation as my partner is just beginning a PhD program and I'd like stay within driving distance. My training experiences have been split pretty evenly across child and adult populations, I'm involved in several research labs, and I've worked in multiple settings (i.e., CMH, college counseling center, hospital, school, private practice, psychology department clinic). I honestly think I could be happy at a number of sites. I have a clear idea of things I would want to avoid (e.g., home visits, SMI, heavy psychodynamic orientation) but otherwise I'm really excited to learn and open to new training experiences. Makes it hard to narrow things down!

If anything, not matching last year has helped increase my flexibility and maybe even reduce anxiety related to being a control freak. We'll see what happens with that this year...

 

[PerhapsMaybeOk]

I can't believe this thread is up already and so many have posted! I applied for the HPSP scholarship last year and will be using the same letter writers - so they're all lined up. I'm working on my essays and have pretty big chunks of the application done. I'm in data collection phase on my dissertation...

Good luck everyone, here's hoping to keep the stress at a minimum.

The earlier the better; personally I hate time crunch + anxiety. I can deal with it better if I have all my materials all ready to go!

 

[psyunknown]

The earlier the better; personally I hate time crunch + anxiety. I can deal with it better if I have all my materials all ready to go!

I am the same way, I am trying to stay as organized as possible and finish things ahead of schedule. Although, I don't know how 'well' I'm dealing!

 

[Romy7126]

Just found this forum and I'm so glad I have found people going through this stressful process too. I'm a first time applicant and 7th year PhD student (took some time off to have children).

So far I have written 3 of the essays, documented all of my hours, contacted my LOR, made a list of my sites and have started contacting sites with questions or requests for information. My program sets us up with an advisor to review our applications and my advisor wants our full app due to him by Aug. 5th. I figure I still have a couple of days to fill in the gaps.

 

[Huxwell]

So, this is me wondering out loud about what sites are looking for in an applicant. This is not meant to be criticism.

A lot of people have posted so far about having worked in a bunch of different settings and having experience with very different populations (e.g. half experience with children, half with adults). I feel that this type of experience hurts you unless you plan on applying to a site where you will be expected to see all ages and types of people. This would especially apply at a VA, where they're not going to care at all if you've seen children or worked in a college counseling center, small clinic, etc. They want to see that you've worked in an interdisciplinary hospital setting, period (preferably the VA). They don't want to have to teach you everything. In a way, I think that people should be specializing before applying to internship. Based on that specialization, you should only be applying to sites that match it; applying to the VA (as one example) with significant child experience is a waste of your time and the site's in my view.

I also think applying to 25+ sites is very excessive, but that's for another post.

 

[PerhapsMaybeOk]

So, this is me wondering out loud about what sites are looking for in an applicant. This is not meant to be criticism.

A lot of people have posted so far about having worked in a bunch of different settings and having experience with very different populations (e.g. half experience with children, half with adults). I feel that this type of experience hurts you unless you plan on applying to a site where you will be expected to see all ages and types of people. This would especially apply at a VA, where they're not going to care at all if you've seen children or worked in a college counseling center, small clinic, etc. They want to see that you've worked in an interdisciplinary hospital setting, period (preferably the VA). They don't want to have to teach you everything. In a way, I think that people should be specializing before applying to internship. Based on that specialization, you should only be applying to sites that match it; applying to the VA (as one example) with significant child experience is a waste of your time and the site's in my view.

I also think applying to 25+ sites is very excessive, but that's for another post.

I couldn't agree less. You should remember that even if you want to specialize, internship is meant to be the last time you have to get a general clinical experience. Coming off as one who is specialized even before you intend to do an internship is a bad idea. Rather, one should focus on strengths and areas of further development when applying.

One area I think being specific matters is in regards to research: Having a focus with specific experience in one topic is a great idea.

 

[RayneeDeigh]

I couldn't agree less. You should remember that even if you want to specialize, internship is meant to be the last time you have to get a general clinical experience. Coming off as one who is specialized even before you intend to do an internship is a bad idea. Rather, one should focus on strengths and areas of further development when applying.

One area I think being specific matters is in regards to research: Having a focus with specific experience in one topic is a great idea.

I agree! I think there is a LOT to be said for getting a lot of breadth in clinical training before specializing. I have half kid half adult training, and although I don't intend to end up working with children, that experience REALLY comes in handy when I'm working with forensic adults who sometimes (let's be honest) act in a way that's reminiscent of a childhood tantrum. I also spent a year doing therapy in a hospital rehabilitation setting, and although health psych is far out of the zone of my professional goals, I feel like I would now know how to support a client in any setting who is suddenly diagnosed with a severe or terminal health issue.

 

[psyunknown]

So, this is me wondering out loud about what sites are looking for in an applicant. This is not meant to be criticism.

A lot of people have posted so far about having worked in a bunch of different settings and having experience with very different populations (e.g. half experience with children, half with adults). I feel that this type of experience hurts you unless you plan on applying to a site where you will be expected to see all ages and types of people. This would especially apply at a VA, where they're not going to care at all if you've seen children or worked in a college counseling center, small clinic, etc. They want to see that you've worked in an interdisciplinary hospital setting, period (preferably the VA). They don't want to have to teach you everything. In a way, I think that people should be specializing before applying to internship. Based on that specialization, you should only be applying to sites that match it; applying to the VA (as one example) with significant child experience is a waste of your time and the site's in my view.

I also think applying to 25+ sites is very excessive, but that's for another post.

In a way I agree with you, I have been working towards my professional goals since my first MA practicum, which meant seeking the training and experiences I would need to get the type of career I want. I think it is important not to be too general in your experience because then sites might not understanding how you fit in their areas of specialization.

That is my two cents on the topic, in the end the group of us that are applying this round already have completed our practicum trainings (for the most part) so what we've got is what we've got.

 

[PerhapsMaybeOk]

I agree! I think there is a LOT to be said for getting a lot of breadth in clinical training before specializing. I have half kid half adult training, and although I don't intend to end up working with children, that experience REALLY comes in handy when I'm working with forensic adults who sometimes (let's be honest) act in a way that's reminiscent of a childhood tantrum. I also spent a year doing therapy in a hospital rehabilitation setting, and although health psych is far out of the zone of my professional goals, I feel like I would now know how to support a client in any setting who is suddenly diagnosed with a severe or terminal health issue.

yes, I've been told by many training directors that the crucial time for specialization choices (i.e. the point of no return) is post doc.

 

[364462]

I'm currently an intern. I vividly remember what it was like this time last year. So, here is some notes that you might take as sage, but perhaps more like parsley:

1. Minimize your whining. Yes, this process will suck, and the whole "system" is atrocious. More applicants, less spots. Yes, we got that. Move on. The more you complain, the less time you have devoted to what you should be doing: applying.

2. While complaining may be a release, and there is some comfort in the company of misery with others, you are smart and deserve better. So, I suggest other things when you feel compelled to turn the whine gear in full throttle: ride your bike out on a sunny day, treat yourself to ice cream (on a cone, not a cup), eat something seriously dead (e.g., ribs or pulled pork), visit a farmer's market, or do as I did (and still do), watch hours and hours of Korean drama.

3. If you have the money, or even if you don't, stay a day or two in the city/town/village/watering hole you'll find yourself come December or January. While jumping from flight to flight may save you money, you run the risk of what also matters during your internship year: your personal life. I stayed 1 or 2 days in places where I interviewed. I wanted a sense of what it would be like living there. No, it's not "only" 12 months of internship. It's 12 months of making a place your own and calling it home.

4. I'll keep it short and sweet: APA-accredited.

5. "Tell me about a moment when you felt most human."

6. Lint rollers, essential.

7. If you can defend your dissertation proposal before the first deadline, your chances are exponentially better! Needless to say, if you've altogether completed your dissertation, all the better.

8. I encourage you to accept the inevitability of the horrendous next 6 months. Last year, when I was a 4th year, I had practicum and dissertation work, no more classes. But those 6 months were the busiest I had ever been. Ever.

9. When the cat's away, the mice will play. When on trips for interviews, enjoy yourself. I mean, how many chances are you going to get? It's hectic, your suit is probably wrinkled and on it's last threads, you're tired and jumpy as a girl in a prison rodeo, and you're bitter about being asked for the 1000th time to talk about a case. But make it fun, and only you can decide that.

10. Did I mention lint rollers?

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

3. If you have the money, or even if you don't, stay a day or two in the city/town/village/watering hole you'll find yourself come December or January. While jumping from flight to flight may save you money, you run the risk of what also matters during your internship year: your personal life. I stayed 1 or 2 days in places where I interviewed. I wanted a sense of what it would be like living there. No, it's not "only" 12 months of internship. It's 12 months of making a place your own and calling it home.

This is very good advice, but also for a more practical reason....it can be cheaper. If you can secure Wednesday interviews, you can piece together a M-W-F interview week.

9. When the cat's away, the mice will play. When on trips for interviews, enjoy yourself. I mean, how many chances are you going to get? It's hectic, your suit is probably wrinkled and on it's last threads, you're tired and jumpy as a girl in a prison rodeo, and you're bitter about being asked for the 1000th time to talk about a case. But make it fun, and only you can decide that.

I took a cooking class while down in New Orleans, went site seeing in Boston, caught up with friends in NYC, ate some great french food in Atlanta, etc. Missing accomplished!

 

[AcronymAllergy]

I couldn't agree less. You should remember that even if you want to specialize, internship is meant to be the last time you have to get a general clinical experience. Coming off as one who is specialized even before you intend to do an internship is a bad idea. Rather, one should focus on strengths and areas of further development when applying.

One area I think being specific matters is in regards to research: Having a focus with specific experience in one topic is a great idea.

Based on what I heard during interviews, from my own professors, and from peers, I'm going to agree with this statement. Most TDs I spoke with were looking for individuals with some breadth of training who hadn't "jumped the gun" in terms of specialization at the doctoral level. Also, most sites I visited--even the highly-neuropsych-oriented--were big on two things: 1) as mentioned above, internship is generally your last shot at obtaining formal, structured breadth of training, and 2) they honestly didn't want you coming in thinking that you knew too much, and they were happy (and actually expected) to teach specialized skills to those students with limited experience in a particular area of interest.

It definitely helps to have at least SOME experience at the doctoral level in the area in which you wish to specialize, but having pigeonholed yourself by foregoing other "unrelated" externship rotations definitely seems to hurt people when applying for internship.

Edit: And to provide a bit of progress-related information for those currently going through the process, the majority of my peers who are planning on applying this year have thus far narrowed down their site lists (ranging from 5-15 programs), identified and contacted LOR writers, setup their APPIC application account and begun filling in some of the easier details, and given some thought to (although not necessarily done any writing on) their essays. From what I remember, that's about the same place I was this time last year.

 

[2012PhD]

Edit: And to provide a bit of progress-related information for those currently going through the process, the majority of my peers who are planning on applying this year have thus far narrowed down their site lists (ranging from 5-15 programs), identified and contacted LOR writers, setup their APPIC application account and begun filling in some of the easier details, and given some thought to (although not necessarily done any writing on) their essays. From what I remember, that's about the same place I was this time last year.

I second this. By august, I already asked for LOR, although they didn't start writing them, and had my sites. I would recommend 15-18 sites, that seems to be a good number for many matched applicants i know. I also asked several friends who successfully matched to send me their essays and brainstormed mine by the beginning of august. Trust me, You will need september and october for cover letters, CV, and editing and getting feedback on essays. You will have to write 15-20 cover letters and tailor them to each site, although i would recommend a general template. If you get a rough draft of your essays completed by September 1, you are golden.

 

[psydtobe]

I'm nowhere near applying but I was wondering where people are finding their opportunities to gain experience. I know during school there are two practicums, but I have noticed some people appear to have more experience beyond that. Is that from independent research and pursuing a placement?

 

[erg923]

The amount of practicum placements varies by program and how long you are in said program. Obviously, most people who are applying in their 7th year (as opposed to their 4th) will have more than 2 prac placements.

When I applied last year, I had had 4 different placements (university clinic, VA med center, county psych hospital, academic medical center research clinic-which was part of my RA duties). I also got experience doing bariatric surgery evals in a research context at the medical school through my own networking. However, I wasnt able to count those hours since I didn't have formal supervision from a psychologist. Obviously, still looked good on my CV though, and I was able to describe that experience in the section they give you on the APPI for relevant clinical/research work experience.