2012 APPIC Internship Application Thread

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I'm curious about anyone that's ever been on the other end of this whole process (reviewing apps). How do applications "come in?" Are they queued up in a big list like an excel sheet or e-mail system? Also, would there be any reason it would be beneficial to send your applications in early, well before the sites deadlines? I'm assuming our applications aren't being e-mailed to training directors, like they probably have to log into the APPIC site to see them coming in, but maybe not?
 
I'm curious about anyone that's ever been on the other end of this whole process (reviewing apps). How do applications "come in?" Are they queued up in a big list like an excel sheet or e-mail system? Also, would there be any reason it would be beneficial to send your applications in early, well before the sites deadlines? I'm assuming our applications aren't being e-mailed to training directors, like they probably have to log into the APPIC site to see them coming in, but maybe not?


APPIC has an online interface for each site. They log in, see a big list of applicants. From there, they can search and/or refine applicants based on a number of criteria; for example, by accreditation, GPA, publications, hours etc.

There is not really a benefit of applying early because of the new system that allows the type of search and limitation of applications mentioned above.
 
Quick question: Are graduate transcripts that we have sent to APPIC automatically sent to each site we designate? Thanks.

And congrats psyunknown! I am still working on cover letters and waiting on a LOR... fun Saturday night!
 
Quick question: Are graduate transcripts that we have sent to APPIC automatically sent to each site we designate? Thanks.

And congrats psyunknown! I am still working on cover letters and waiting on a LOR... fun Saturday night!

That is my understanding - there is no way to designate them separately, and I think they all get sent (even if some sites just ask for your current transcript in their materials).

I'm on cover letters and awaiting one rec, too, a bit nerve-wracking but I hope he'll come through!
 
APPIC has an online interface for each site. They log in, see a big list of applicants. From there, they can search and/or refine applicants based on a number of criteria; for example, by accreditation, GPA, publications, hours etc.

There is not really a benefit of applying early because of the new system that allows the type of search and limitation of applications mentioned above.

Interesting. Thanks!
 
I'm shocked at how much my cover letters are having to change from site to site. I've heard people say that you get a good template down and start rolling them out. This certainly hasn't been the case for me yet. I've basically got one small intro and conclusion paragraph that stays the same, one paragraph outlining my background experience relevant to all the sites I'm applying to, and then 3 long paragraphs about my fit. I wish they weren't taking so long...🙁
 
I'm shocked at how much my cover letters are having to change from site to site. I've heard people say that you get a good template down and start rolling them out. This certainly hasn't been the case for me yet. I've basically got one small intro and conclusion paragraph that stays the same, one paragraph outlining my background experience relevant to all the sites I'm applying to, and then 3 long paragraphs about my fit. I wish they weren't taking so long...🙁
I hear you - same for me. I think the advice about the cover letter template must be something of a hold-over from when everyone had the option of essay 5 to talk about fit. As I get nearer the deadlines, though, I think my letters will start looking more similar, to save time. Good luck!
 
I hear you - same for me. I think the advice about the cover letter template must be something of a hold-over from when everyone had the option of essay 5 to talk about fit. As I get nearer the deadlines, though, I think my letters will start looking more similar, to save time. Good luck!

Mine from last year were all generally similar, although I did have two different "templates" (one for VAs and one for hospitals/academic medical centers). I believe beyond that, I had perhaps two paragraphs that changed from site to site, and two or three that were essentially the same.

A big part of it likely depends on how you describe your past experiences, and how the transitions between paragraphs are setup. My "static" paragraphs were fairly easy to tailor/transition into the site-specific paragraphs following them, but that took quite a bit of finagling.
 
Mine from last year were all generally similar, although I did have two different "templates" (one for VAs and one for hospitals/academic medical centers). I believe beyond that, I had perhaps two paragraphs that changed from site to site, and two or three that were essentially the same.

A big part of it likely depends on how you describe your past experiences, and how the transitions between paragraphs are setup. My "static" paragraphs were fairly easy to tailor/transition into the site-specific paragraphs following them, but that took quite a bit of finagling.

I hear you - same for me. I think the advice about the cover letter template must be something of a hold-over from when everyone had the option of essay 5 to talk about fit. As I get nearer the deadlines, though, I think my letters will start looking more similar, to save time. Good luck!

I'm shocked at how much my cover letters are having to change from site to site. I've heard people say that you get a good template down and start rolling them out. This certainly hasn't been the case for me yet. I've basically got one small intro and conclusion paragraph that stays the same, one paragraph outlining my background experience relevant to all the sites I'm applying to, and then 3 long paragraphs about my fit. I wish they weren't taking so long...🙁

yeah, 80% of my sites are children's hospitals and/or has community mental health center affiliates. All my paragraphs are essentially the same, I just emphasize different things depending on what the sites emphasize (i.e. If they emphasize autism, or anger management, in-school consult/therapy component, parenting training, RESEARCH - about 3 sites emphasize this).

I'm trying very hard to keep it about 1 1/4 pages long single spaced (would be one page without a 7-10 line address header). Some are a little longer, but none are longer than 1 and 1/2. I had to delete a lot things I wanted to mention b/c it would have been 2 pages, but being shorter is better for me.

One thing I debated was whether to mention MOST of what the training site offered, even if I was very interested. For instance, one site offered ambulatory/emergency evaluations, and that is interesting, but I ultimately took it out because one of my reviewers felt it was an excessively long list of interests and it is like I'm am just interested in EVERYTHING they are providing.

I ended up just focusing on 2-3 major components of the training they provide.
 
This is a question for people who applied last year. When scheduling interviews, will it be realistic to interview multiple days in a row if the sites are within a few hours driving distance? Many of the sites I applied to list potential interview dates within the first three weeks of January. I am trying to figure out how to schedule interviews if I receive offers. Also, would it be realistic to interview in one location on a Wednesday, fly across the country to a different geographic location on a Thursday, and interview at that location on a Friday? I am sure these types of arrangements would be exhausting, but if I receive interview offers, I would like to go. As T4C suggested, I have made a calendar of Dec and Jan with all of my sites' potential interview dates along with my top choices. It is possible that I could have 3 interviews the first week of January, 4 the second week of January, 4 the third week of January, and 2 the fourth week. Of course, it is very possible that I will have a lot less, which will make scheduling easier. One site I applied to offers a few dates in December, so I will certainly request a December date if I receive an offer. How did everyone manage scheduling interviews and planning travel last year? Thank you!
 
This is a question for people who applied last year. When scheduling interviews, will it be realistic to interview multiple days in a row if the sites are within a few hours driving distance? Many of the sites I applied to list potential interview dates within the first three weeks of January. I am trying to figure out how to schedule interviews if I receive offers. Also, would it be realistic to interview in one location on a Wednesday, fly across the country to a different geographic location on a Thursday, and interview at that location on a Friday? I am sure these types of arrangements would be exhausting, but if I receive interview offers, I would like to go. As T4C suggested, I have made a calendar of Dec and Jan with all of my sites' potential interview dates along with my top choices. It is possible that I could have 3 interviews the first week of January, 4 the second week of January, 4 the third week of January, and 2 the fourth week. Of course, it is very possible that I will have a lot less, which will make scheduling easier. One site I applied to offers a few dates in December, so I will certainly request a December date if I receive an offer. How did everyone manage scheduling interviews and planning travel last year? Thank you!

I did the match 2 years ago, and found that in some cases I unfortunately wasn't able to schedule things in a convenient way because of what was available/already filled at the sites, and when offers came in vs. when other sites wanted answers. It did work out in other cases, though.
 
This is a question for people who applied last year. When scheduling interviews, will it be realistic to interview multiple days in a row if the sites are within a few hours driving distance? Many of the sites I applied to list potential interview dates within the first three weeks of January. I am trying to figure out how to schedule interviews if I receive offers. Also, would it be realistic to interview in one location on a Wednesday, fly across the country to a different geographic location on a Thursday, and interview at that location on a Friday? I am sure these types of arrangements would be exhausting, but if I receive interview offers, I would like to go. As T4C suggested, I have made a calendar of Dec and Jan with all of my sites' potential interview dates along with my top choices. It is possible that I could have 3 interviews the first week of January, 4 the second week of January, 4 the third week of January, and 2 the fourth week. Of course, it is very possible that I will have a lot less, which will make scheduling easier. One site I applied to offers a few dates in December, so I will certainly request a December date if I receive an offer. How did everyone manage scheduling interviews and planning travel last year? Thank you!

This seems excessively complicated when you could simply wait and see how many interviews you get...but then again, maybe I'm just less confident that I will be receiving enough interviews for it to be a problem. 😉
 
I did the match 2 years ago, and found that in some cases I unfortunately wasn't able to schedule things in a convenient way because of what was available/already filled at the sites, and when offers came in vs. when other sites wanted answers. It did work out in other cases, though.

I'd echo this. Sometimes you may not get the choice to arrange things how you want based on what interview slots are available/already taken.

However, if it's an option, I'd say it's very realistic to schedule interviews on back-to-back days if the drive between sites is a few hours. It's also realistic to have an interview on one coast on a Wednesday, travel Thursday, and have an interview on the opposite coast that Friday. Of course it may be tiring, but if you have many interviews (which is great 👍), you will be very tired during interview season no matter what.

Best of luck to everyone! I went through this last year and can relate to the stress of it all.
 
Of course it may be tiring, but if you have many interviews (which is great 👍), you will be very tired during interview season no matter what.

Best of luck to everyone! I went through this last year and can relate to the stress of it all.

100% agree to this. Interview days are very tiring, especially at sites where you are there all day! Sometimes you may be able to swing a couple of them back to back if they are close but it will be draining. I think I had two that were one after the next last year and I had to fly to the second place and, naturally, flew into a blizzard. Got to bed at...4am I think? And interview day #2 started at 9am. I was completely wiped by the end of the 2nd interview! Depending on where your interviews are, you may want to try and schedule in some wiggle room in case of bad weather (Snowmaggedon anyone?).
 
Submitted my first batch of applications! I am exhausted... Had to resist the urge to keep checking everything. Eventually I guess we all have to just hit submit...

In the back of my mind I, too, keep wondering how I will manage the scheduling of interviews. Then I realize I HOPE I am in a position of having to juggle multiple sites and their interview dates because I even got an interview to begin with!!

Wonder how the folks on the eastcoast are doing with the random snowstorm. News is that a lot are without power. Can't imagine dealing with that on top of application deadlines looming.
 
So at one point today, >700k in CT, >600k in MA, >10k in RI, and >250k in NH were without power due to the snowstorm. Mine went out yesterday evening and just came back on in the past half hour. Lots of places are still out and the power companies around here are telling people to prepare for a "multi-day event."

I finished/submitted all my apps last week, except one that's due 12/1, so I wasn't worried for myself, but I was wondering how APPIC is going to handle this (in between playing handheld video games and making shadow puppets on the walls from my sleeping bag)... On one hand, people have had lots of time to get stuff in before the deadline and waiting til the last minute is always a bad idea... On the other hand, maybe some letter writers didn't upload their letters yet so the applicants' materials will show up as incomplete to sites (although the applicants finished their stuff) or people were getting ready to submit last night when the power went out...

I'm in the Northeast and applying only to sites in the Northeast, so I really wonder how this will go. If sites push back their deadlines, I may face more competition than I otherwise would have (people in all parts of the country will have more time to get their stuff in, I'd imagine).

There was actually just a question on the listserv about this. It sounded a bit overdramatic to me... It's not snowing anymore anywhere. Crews have been cleaning up all day. The email claimed that people aren't supposed to drive because of a state of emergency in their states... I know a bunch of my neighbors who have generators and local businesses/places with power. Yes, the power outage and road conditions complicate things and I'm not in their shoes but ... I don't know, I just really wonder what will happen with the deadlines, if anything.
 
Submitted my first batch of applications! I am exhausted... Had to resist the urge to keep checking everything. Eventually I guess we all have to just hit submit...

In the back of my mind I, too, keep wondering how I will manage the scheduling of interviews. Then I realize I HOPE I am in a position of having to juggle multiple sites and their interview dates because I even got an interview to begin with!!

Wonder how the folks on the eastcoast are doing with the random snowstorm. News is that a lot are without power. Can't imagine dealing with that on top of application deadlines looming.

Congrats on submitting! I am in a similar boat as you in regards to interviews, at one minute I'll be like "how will I schedule all of them" and than the next I am like "well you might not get any so why worry." Sigh. . .
 
I'd echo this. Sometimes you may not get the choice to arrange things how you want based on what interview slots are available/already taken.

However, if it's an option, I'd say it's very realistic to schedule interviews on back-to-back days if the drive between sites is a few hours. It's also realistic to have an interview on one coast on a Wednesday, travel Thursday, and have an interview on the opposite coast that Friday. Of course it may be tiring, but if you have many interviews (which is great 👍), you will be very tired during interview season no matter what.

Best of luck to everyone! I went through this last year and can relate to the stress of it all.

Agreed as well. The way the interview season is setup, it may be unavoidable that you'll have interviews on either back-to-back or nearly back-to-back days. My "best" weeks were those where I interviewed at one site Monday and another Friday, but I had a couple weeks where one interview was Thursday and the second (within a drivable or short flyable distance) was Friday.

It's definitely tiring, and you'll want to be sure to rest up when you can, but it's very doable.
 
I have a last-minute question to those who have submitted. If you are not sending all of your applications out at once, do you only do designations for those you want to send or do you designate all sites but somehow specify which ones you are actually submitting? Congratulations to all who are done..I still have a long way to go!
 
anyone else have trouble with the pay by credit card?
 
quick question:
I think this was already answered but I didnt see it explicitly.
My apps are done.. but 3 of my 4 LOR's arent in yet. WTF. Do I send them a nice reminder?
Also, I know Nov 1 is the deadline.. but does that mean by midnight monday, or by midnight tuesday?

Thanks so much!
 
I have a last-minute question to those who have submitted. If you are not sending all of your applications out at once, do you only do designations for those you want to send or do you designate all sites but somehow specify which ones you are actually submitting? Congratulations to all who are done..I still have a long way to go!

Hi 54321- I just designated the ones I was paying for/submitting at that time. You can designate the ones with later due dates at another time when you are ready to submit.

Pay by credit card was fine earlier this evening, but I am now trying to submit one more and the site is not loading as I go between designating and fixing a cover letter. Was wondering if this might happen if a lot of people are on at the same time?

bmedclinic- I believe that you can still attach those LORS to your applications. Your status for the sites that need those LORs will be "Submitted" not "Complete". As soon as they are uploaded they will be sent to those sites and the status will change to "Complete." This was on the listserv recently, so I think this is correct. I would definitely email those individuals, you can be polite but also be clear that you're a little nervous and ask them to be in touch if you can be of any assistance.
 
quynh, I am having trouble with it to. Actually with the whole site. It just keeps saying "page not found." Do you think this is because so many people are paying? I have an application due 10/31 and am worried that if the deadline is midnight, I won't make it. Let me know if you have any luck.
 
I have a last-minute question to those who have submitted. If you are not sending all of your applications out at once, do you only do designations for those you want to send or do you designate all sites but somehow specify which ones you are actually submitting? Congratulations to all who are done..I still have a long way to go!


Make sure that you've only designated ones you are ready to submit. -If it's under designations it will be submitted. You can add more later, but you can't undo the ones that have been submitted.
 
Make sure that you've only designated ones you are ready to submit. -If it's under designations it will be submitted. You can add more later, but you can't undo the ones that have been submitted.


The site's down. Awesome....and now back up. I'm guess in 5 minutes it will crash again...
 
quick question:
I think this was already answered but I didnt see it explicitly.
My apps are done.. but 3 of my 4 LOR's arent in yet. WTF. Do I send them a nice reminder?
Also, I know Nov 1 is the deadline.. but does that mean by midnight monday, or by midnight tuesday?

Thanks so much!

dunno if its okay on this forum to "bump" my own question.. but bump...
 
dunno if its okay on this forum to "bump" my own question.. but bump...

Depends on the site.

"We have asked sites to close on the day of the deadline-so midnight on the stated date-but each site makes this decision. So, as you noted it is best to get things there early so it is not an issue for anyone involved"
 
Hi 54321- I just designated the ones I was paying for/submitting at that time. You can designate the ones with later due dates at another time when you are ready to submit.

Pay by credit card was fine earlier this evening, but I am now trying to submit one more and the site is not loading as I go between designating and fixing a cover letter. Was wondering if this might happen if a lot of people are on at the same time?

bmedclinic- I believe that you can still attach those LORS to your applications. Your status for the sites that need those LORs will be "Submitted" not "Complete". As soon as they are uploaded they will be sent to those sites and the status will change to "Complete." This was on the listserv recently, so I think this is correct. I would definitely email those individuals, you can be polite but also be clear that you're a little nervous and ask them to be in touch if you can be of any assistance.

From the listserv a few days ago:

Question:

Sorry if this is a repeated question but I wanted to send out some apps this weekend but I only have 2/3 letters of rec. Is it still possible to send those apps out and then when the last letter is received to designate that to the site? Thank you!

Answer:

Yes, that is possible to do. The AAPI will be seen as "submitted" in their portal until the letter is received and then it will be seen as "complete". The letter will automatically be sent to the sites you designated once it is uploaded and the sites are able to see what is missing. Hope that helps, Jason
 
Depends on the site.

"We have asked sites to close on the day of the deadline-so midnight on the stated date-but each site makes this decision. So, as you noted it is best to get things there early so it is not an issue for anyone involved"

So to clarify (and because I fear I'm dense) I have until 11:59 on Tuesday?
Or "around" then?
Dont get me wrong, I'm aiming for Monday.
 
from the listserv a few days ago:

yes, that is possible to do. The aapi will be seen as “submitted” in their portal until the letter is received and then it will be seen as “complete”. The letter will automatically be sent to the sites you designated once it is uploaded and the sites are able to see what is missing. Hope that helps, jason




appic intern-network
---
sorry if this is a repeated question but i wanted to send out some apps this weekend but i only have 2/3 letters of rec. Is it still possible to send those apps out and then when the last letter is received to designate that to the site? Thank you!

thank you!
 
I just want to say good luck to everyone as they are submitting apps. Please remember to breath, there sounds like there is so much anxiety out there tonight and the website malfunctioning is not helping.

As for when to submit apps you have until the end of the day its due, therefore if the due date is Nov 1, most sites allow you send apps in till the end of that day (11:59). HOWEVER, some sites state in the information a specific time. So check each sites application procedure, if they say nothing, you have till the end of the day.
 
bmedclinic- You're welcome, and yes, that is how I interpreted it, till 11:59pm on the day they are due, so 11-1 at 11:59pm for example if the deadline says 11-1. Again, with the consistency of the portal, who knows what could happen as you are trying to upload so close to the deadline though. Good Luck!
 
hi everyone,

just wanted to make sure that the transcripts are automatically sent to the sites (since there is no option to add them on the internship designation page and they dont show up in the formatted version of the apps)

thanks!🙂
 
hi everyone,

just wanted to make sure that the transcripts are automatically sent to the sites (since there is no option to add them on the internship designation page and they dont show up in the formatted version of the apps)

thanks!🙂

Yes, they are sent to whichever sites you submit applications to.
 
Hi everyone. I have a quick question. If a site says they want 3 letters of recommendation and doesn't state that it is okay to send a 4th optional letter, do you think it's okay to still attach a 4th one? Or should we stick to what they say?
 
Hi everyone. I have a quick question. If a site says they want 3 letters of recommendation and doesn't state that it is okay to send a 4th optional letter, do you think it's okay to still attach a 4th one? Or should we stick to what they say?

This has been answered before on this forum and the intern network. You should only send what the site ask for. The applications are over 25 pages long a piece, if you send an extra letter, the site will not look at it and will assume you do not follow directions.
 
Hi everyone. I have a quick question. If a site says they want 3 letters of recommendation and doesn't state that it is okay to send a 4th optional letter, do you think it's okay to still attach a 4th one? Or should we stick to what they say?

If a site doesn't explicitly ask for 4 letters (and especially if they've said that you should send 3), then just send 3, as there's essentially nothing to be gained by the extra letter.
 
Do you have to submit all of your applications at once or can you submit them piecemeal across days? I'm starting to upload my documents and want to submit one to walk through the process. However, I'm worried that I need to do everything at once. Any guidance?

Clearly you can tell my obsessional anxieties are highly activated.
 
Do you have to submit all of your applications at once or can you submit them piecemeal across days? I'm starting to upload my documents and want to submit one to walk through the process. However, I'm worried that I need to do everything at once. Any guidance?

Clearly you can tell my obsessional anxieties are highly activated.

Short answer: Piecemeal. Long answer: Look back in this thread, maybe a page, as this has been asked and answered before on this forum and on the APPIC intern listserv.
 
Thanks for the response and pointing me to previous threads. Last minute breakdown in reality testing.
 
So, I already made a mistake in my submission, and it's a big one. Not sure if this site will still accept it.

Yesterday, I submitted my application without 2 LOR's. I allowed my LOR's until 5pm today to turn in their LOR (which they turned it in a couple minutes late) but no big deal right?? Wrong.

I was having trouble sorting out my LOR's, and was not sure which I had designated (why didn't I title it Advisor Child vs Advisor General, instead of Advisor 1 vs Advisor 2).

Long story short, I couldn't figure out why even though they had both submitted, that it was not completed. Well, I went back into the designation, and changed it to the correct LOR. but, I didn't. I actually changed my LOR 3 to be the exact same letter as LOR 1.

Too bad says APPIC, we are just going to complete your application, and not allow you to designate anymore sites until you resolve that issue (multiple copies of the same reference) and we will not let you fix it.

Now, it is an hour plus past the time they closed, and this site's deadline is today. I'm likely SOL with this site regarding this problem.

I'm sure APPIC can fix it tomorrow so that I can at least designate more sites, but not sure if this site will still accept my fixed application.

In all this, I'm usually good with details, but I guess all these drop-down boxes confused me, and I just made a mistake. Too bad APPIC didn't catch it until I couldn't do anything about it.
 
So, I already made a mistake in my submission, and it's a big one. Not sure if this site will still accept it.

Yesterday, I submitted my application without 2 LOR's. I allowed my LOR's until 5pm today to turn in their LOR (which they turned it in a couple minutes late) but no big deal right?? Wrong.

I was having trouble sorting out my LOR's, and was not sure which I had designated (why didn't I title it Advisor Child vs Advisor General, instead of Advisor 1 vs Advisor 2).

Long story short, I couldn't figure out why even though they had both submitted, that it was not completed. Well, I went back into the designation, and changed it to the correct LOR. but, I didn't. I actually changed my LOR 3 to be the exact same letter as LOR 1.

Too bad says APPIC, we are just going to complete your application, and not allow you to designate anymore sites until you resolve that issue (multiple copies of the same reference) and we will not let you fix it.

Now, it is an hour plus past the time they closed, and this site's deadline is today. I'm likely SOL with this site regarding this problem.

I'm sure APPIC can fix it tomorrow so that I can at least designate more sites, but not sure if this site will still accept my fixed application.

In all this, I'm usually good with details, but I guess all these drop-down boxes confused me, and I just made a mistake. Too bad APPIC didn't catch it until I couldn't do anything about it.

If I were you, I would probably contact the training director at the site and leave a voicemail (depending what time zone you're in) letting him/her know about the situation. What do you have to lose, right?
 
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