2013 APPIC Internship Application Thread

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Heder said:
This might be a silly question, but I'm having trouble finding the information online. How long should the essays be?
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Again, I haven't logged onto or signed up for anything this year. But, the information I *seem to recall* from reading last year's said 500 words or less?
 
Frak. I'm so screwed. This whole process is going to make me croak. It may be best if I don't apply. I despise limits.
 
I wanted to wish everyone the best of luck, the best of caffeine intake, the best of sleep needed, and the best patience hoped for!

I will start my post-doctoral fellowship this August. I was in your position two years ago - the aches and pains, the hopes and wishes. I was selected as 1 of 8 for an internship that reviewed nearly 400 applications. I am quite fortunate indeed, and as you all know, the "internship crises" is very much on everyone's minds. YOU. WILL. GET. THERE.

Everyone and their mother will be submitting applications up to the varied deadlines of the programs. However, if there are a few things I can impart to ease the process, here they are:

1. START NOW. Do the things that are in your control (e.g., essays, CV, etc.).
2. Research if and how you can earn mileage points on all the traveling you will inevitably be doing. Does your credit card offer mileage points? I know some colleagues who earned "executive class" status by the end of the application cycle.
3. Tailor your answers to interview questions with the internship site in mind. Obviously, it goes without saying for the cover letters, as well.
4. This is not "just" one year of your life. It is ONE YEAR OF YOUR LIFE - and it is important that you enjoy it, that it has particular meaning to you, and that you take pride in it. If you are able and can afford, spend a day or two outside of the interview day to check out the local environment. You may love the site, but will you tolerate a less than ideal home?
5. With that, I also advise giving serious consideration in the day-to-day, outside of internship. Are you applying to the site because it is a "safety" site, but will you be accepting and ultimately happy with living in a place less than ideal to you? Because there is a very real possibility you might just be ranked high on their list.

Again, best of luck! 🙂
 
paramour said:
Frak. I'm so screwed. This whole process is going to make me croak. It may be best if I don't apply. I despise limits.
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I felt the same way starting out. What helped me was time and going in phases. Starting with essays, getting sick of them, coming back to them after a month (hence why its best to start now). At the end of the a couple months, you'll be amazed at how short you can get them.
 
LETSGONYR said:
Keep in mind that I don't really have any real data to back up what I'm saying, but I think sites really want PhD level psychologist letter writers. If a site says, "We require three LoR, but you may send a fourth if you'd like" I would think it would be okay to add the letter from the MSW as the fourth (even though everyone else on this board seems to be against adding LoR). If they only want three, though, I'd try to stick to three PhD's, especially if one letter doesn't speak to your clinical qualifications.

While I personally don't think there is a huge difference between what a therapist with an MSW does vs. a therapist with a PhD, the argument is that an MSW doesn't know what is required to complete an internship in psychology and as such, cannot vouch for your qualifications.

Is it possible to have the two supervisors collaborate on one letter? I'm sure it's unorthodox, but then you can have your cake and eat it too. 🙂.
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I disagree with some sentiments around letter writers who hold "only" a MSW. As someone whose recommendation letters included one each from holders of a PhD, PsyD, and LCSW, I believe the letter is almost entirely about his/her ability to accurately present in ways that are not only positive - that is what recommendation letters are, after all - but also honestly and forthright, commenting on your potential for success at internship. Many masters-level folks, particularly supervisors, DO know what doctoral internship is like by virtue of having worked with colleagues and students who go through the experience.

At the end I got into my top choice, later learning I was 1 of 8 out of nearly 400 who applied to the site. Now, I am about to start postdoc fellowship. So, I say if you have someone who can write a strong letter on your behalf, then go for it! Good luck with the process!
 
Thanks for that feedback. Still haven't made a final decision about that 3rd person but I'm glad to hear your experience.
 
Just so I'm clear there are only 4 essays (I read the previous post about what those were) and not 5? I have the old internship book and it mentions a 5th essay that is about "the fit". Did they get rid of the 5th essay so it wasn't redundant with the cover letter?
 
Yes, there are only four essays. You are supposed to address fit in your cover letters.
 
What I find particular odd about the "fit factor" is that when I applied for a REAL job this year, both clinical and academic, this was not really an issue. Of course, I'm sure folks evaluated whether I would be happy doing such and such, as well as my general interpersonal pleasantness...but this elusive "fit" was not stressed AT ALL. In fact, I landed a faculty position (small college) and a part-time clinical thing without this issue ever coming up or being explicitly addressed by me. I worked hard to get a job after internship, but I was amazed and how much less "dog and pony" I had to do. I just find it odd that for a one year position, one would need to fit in so much. More internship BS if you ask me...
 
erg923 said:
What I find particular odd about the "fit factor" is that when I applied for REAL job, both clinical and academic, this was not really an issue. Of course, I'm sure folks evaluateD whether I would be happy doing such and such, as well as my general interpersonal pleasantness...but this elusive "fit" was not stressed AT ALL. In fact, I landed a faculty position (small college) without this issue every coming up or being explicitly addressed by me.I just find it odd that for one position, once needs to fit in so much. More internship BS if you ask me...
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While I tend to agree that it probably is not so relevant for most jobs, I'd disagree with regard to academic jobs. It was precisely an excellent fit (with research interests, teaching background, mentality towards certain theories) that landed me a faculty job. I think a less-than-stellar fit may have explained being the runner-up in some cases. Of course, I also may have totally bombed the interview 🙂
 
I wonder if part of the "fit" issue not coming up as often during job hunting (as per erg's experience) has to do with the change in professional capacity that's occurred--that is, you're no longer a student having to explain/justify your training and fit, but are instead (theoretically) a peer who's successfully navigated all or nearly all the hurdles required for competent individual practice (again, theoretically)?

I wouldn't at all be surprised if it varied from site to site, or across employment settings, although it seems that both you (erg) and Pragma interviewed for faculty spots. I know it was definitely still a factor for me during postdoc interviews, although that's still much more of a formal match process than is job hunting. Then again, it wasn't nearly to the same degree as during internship interviews. Additionally, I felt that there was a bit of a role reversal, in that with postdoc interviews, the sites made significantly greater efforts to sell themselves to me rather than the other way around.

Take home messages for this year's internship applicants: 1) whether it's fair/justified or not, fit plays a significant role in the whole matching process, and 2) things get better (or are at least different) once you're finished.
 
Pragma said:
While I tend to agree that it probably is not so relevant for most jobs, I'd disagree with regard to academic jobs. It was precisely an excellent fit (with research interests, teaching background, mentality towards certain theories) that landed me a faculty job. I think a less-than-stellar fit may have explained being the runner-up in some cases. Of course, I also may have totally bombed the interview 🙂
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I'm sure that plays more into it when the faculty job has a substantial research expectation and component to it. Mine does not.
 
AcronymAllergy said:
Take home messages for this year's internship applicants: 1) whether it's fair/justified or not, fit plays a significant role in the whole matching process, and 2) things get better (or are at least different) once you're finished.
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Good summation. Internship interviews felt like I was on the Gong Show (YouTube it, trust me), it wasn't the best interviewing experience...though most everyone was very nice. I think post-doc/fellowship is a bit more about both sides evaluating the situation and seeing if it will work. I felt much more comfortable talking about what I was looking for, and not just trying to sell myself to a place. Interviewing for fellowship and then "real" jobs was far more enjoyable than being on the internship trail.

As for "real" jobs...it may depend on the setting. Fit seemed to be a HUGE factor in every place I interviewed (R1 AMC clinical faculty positions, a VA, etc). A good portion of my time will be spent collaborating w. various teams/depts...so meeting staff and making sure I fit into the culture made a lot of sense. There was some talk about clinical training background, but it felt more informational than evaluative in nature. Research was a popular topic of conversation, but I expected that at the places I interviewed (and some of the interviewers were 100% research). As clinical faculty I'm not expected to have a plan in place to roll out a research lab...but it helped to have an idea about collaboration ideas and how I could combine my clinical work with research possibilities. I think it is the best of both worlds.
 
Therapist4Chnge said:
Good summation. Internship interviews felt like I was on the Gong Show (YouTube it, trust me), it wasn't the best interviewing experience...though most everyone was very nice. I think post-doc/fellowship is a bit more about both sides evaluating the situation and seeing if it will work. I felt much more comfortable talking about what I was looking for, and not just trying to sell myself to a place.

As for "real" jobs...it may depend on the setting. Fit seemed to be a HUGE factor in every place I interviewed (R1 AMC clinical faculty positions, a VA, etc). A good portion of my time will be spent collaborating w. various teams/depts...so meeting staff and making sure I fit into the culture made a lot of sense. There was some talk about clinical training background, but it felt more informational than evaluative in nature. Interviewing for fellowship and then "real" jobs was far more enjoyable than being on the internship trail.
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Ditto to that (at least the fellowship part). I didn't hate the internship interview process, but it was significantly more stressful than that involved in postdoc hunting. Part of the reduced anxiety was likely because internship, of course, is a necessity, while postdoc technically is not. There was also less traveling for postdoc (I went to three on-site interviews, and saw everyone else at INS), which helped.

Which are all reasons why it's important to practice adequate self-care during the internship cycle. Rest when you can, participate in enjoyable activities, etc. You'll thank yourself afterward.
 
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AcronymAllergy said:
Take home messages for this year's internship applicants: 1) whether it's fair/justified or not, fit plays a significant role in the whole matching process, and 2) things get better (or are at least different) once you're finished.
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I think we should start an "it gets better" video series for psychology internship, or maybe just psychology grad school as a whole. Perhaps changing the name to not take away from Dan Savage's actual "it gets better" project, but still....
 
What are everyone's thoughts on internship sites that don't interview but instead off open houses (e.g., the Seattle VA)? How much does your decision to attend/not attend te open house matter? The reason I ask at this point in the process is that I am having trouble narrowing my list of sites to apply to and am afraid that I will overwhelm myself during the interview part of the process if I apply to too many sites. However, at least several of the sites that I am seriously interested in say "open house only."
 
A fellow member of my cohort matched to the Puget Sound V.A. and did not attend their open house. Although this is only one person, it does show you can match without attending these. People need to keep in mind that you will likely not make much $$ as a psychologist, so it's best not to overwhelm your finances by flying around the country if possible.
 
ilikepsych said:
The reason I ask at this point in the process is that I am having trouble narrowing my list of sites to apply to and am afraid that I will overwhelm myself during the interview part of the process if I apply to too many sites.
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Keep in mind that it is VERY difficult (at least in my experience) to predict how many interviews you will get, and where. If you happen to like a site that also does an open house, great, add it to your list. But if you're thinking of prioritizing those sites, or aiming for open houses to make up a certain percentage of your list in order to cut down on traveling, I'd steer clear of that plan, if only because in the end, if those sites don't invite you to the open house, it doesn't matter how optional it was. I say this as somoene who was rejected from the Seattle VA (but ended up matching to a better one, ha!).

I attended one open house at a VA where we did no interviewing whatsoever, but were strongly encouraged to attend, and were told that the open house would play a role in their final rankings. It was pretty confusing, because I had no idea what criteria they were using to rank us - our outfits? The quality of our lunch selection? Our ability to sit through a day-long series of info sessions without checking our phones? Mysterious!
 
psychRA said:
Keep in mind that it is VERY difficult (at least in my experience) to predict how many interviews you will get, and where. If you happen to like a site that also does an open house, great, add it to your list. But if you're thinking of prioritizing those sites, or aiming for open houses to make up a certain percentage of your list in order to cut down on traveling, I'd steer clear of that plan, if only because in the end, if those sites don't invite you to the open house, it doesn't matter how optional it was. I say this as somoene who was rejected from the Seattle VA (but ended up matching to a better one, ha!).

I attended one open house at a VA where we did no interviewing whatsoever, but were strongly encouraged to attend, and were told that the open house would play a role in their final rankings. It was pretty confusing, because I had no idea what criteria they were using to rank us - our outfits? The quality of our lunch selection? Our ability to sit through a day-long series of info sessions without checking our phones? Mysterious!
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Interesting. I wonder if attendance at the open house is simply used as an indicator of how enthusiastic one is about the site. Even though sites are supposed to rank in order of who they really want and not who wants to go there, it is just human nature to like others more when you know that they really like you. I guess I just think sites should be honest and upfront about the extent to which attendance at open house influences rankings. With the cost of air travel, many of us graduate students simply can't affor to shell out a $400 plane ticket, $50 rental car, and $100 hotel fee just to see what a site looks like (one could get a good feel for the staff via skype/phone at no cost). But of course, it is a ton more expensive to not match and have to apply all over again the next year!
 
Is anyone as frustrated as I am that the AAPI portal is not up? I am ready to get this over with. This is my third time trying!

:bang: :annoyed: :boom:+pissed+
 
Yes yes yes!! If I see that stupid little promise about the "end of July" one more time... I will engage in diaphragmatic breathing.
 
I presumed it was already up? I thought it was supposed to be up mid-Julyish (and that I had heard folks saying they had logged on around that point???). Guess I'm not missing out on much...
 
paramour said:
I presumed it was already up? I thought it was supposed to be up mid-Julyish (and that I had heard folks saying they had logged on around that point???). Guess I'm not missing out on much...
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It was working for a few hours on the 12th, and then it stopped. They said it was going to be up by the end of july, and it is still not working. I'm sure it will be up soon... You can't submit applications until october anyway, so there is no rush.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using SDN Mobile
 
LETSGONYR said:
It was working for a few hours on the 12th, and then it stopped. They said it was going to be up by the end of july, and it is still not working. I'm sure it will be up soon... You can't submit applications until october anyway, so there is no rush.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using SDN Mobile
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Ah, I see. Yeah, I think the earliest deadlines for mine are Nov 1 if I end up going through this cycle... Too busy with my dissertation proposal at the present time, so not really up & running with the internship stuff except for trying to pare down the list.



futureapppsy2 said:
Here is an excellent and thorough (though perhaps slightly outdated) internship app guide that T4C posted on a previous year's thread. http://www.psychzone.com/files/Pincus Otis Internship Manual 2008.pdf
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I still have that from last time! 😛
 
I was just wondering how to handle having a Masters in a helping profession that is not psychology (e.g. MSW) with internship applications and interviews. Do I tell sites that I have an MSW? How do I handle the clinical hours I had in my MSW program, as my current program cannot verify them? I worry about telling sites I have an MSW hurting my chances.
 
PsyDLICSW said:
I was just wondering how to handle having a Masters in a helping profession that is not psychology (e.g. MSW) with internship applications and interviews. Do I tell sites that I have an MSW? How do I handle the clinical hours I had in my MSW program, as my current program cannot verify them? I worry about telling sites I have an MSW hurting my chances.
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Since these hours were obtained while you were NOT attending a doctoral program in clinical psychology they do not count as hours for internships. However, I think many internships (depending on what kind of internships you are applying to) would be very happy to know that you have an MSW and all the additional clinical training/experience you received.
 
can it hurt you to apply to more sites? (other than financially!)
 
abiline said:
can it hurt you to apply to more sites? (other than financially!)
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I mean... for me, financially is a big thing. 🙂.

Other than that... I assume it's hard to actually be a good fit at 30 places, so you may be at a disadvantage there. Or trying to schedule 30 interviews in a 3-week period (should you be so lucky!).

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using SDN Mobile
 
abiline said:
can it hurt you to apply to more sites? (other than financially!)
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As the post above mine mentioned, and as you've said, it can "hurt" financial and logistically when it comes to interview scheduling, having to write all the cover letters, etc.

However, beyond that, no--it doesn't hurt to apply to more sites. Although do keep in mind that while on interviews, some sites will ask either where else you applied, or where else you've gotten interviews. Just as in grad school, this is in part done to see if there's any coherence/link between sites in terms of interests, training, etc.

And regarding one of the above posts re: hours earned in a master's program, those go on the APPIC in a separate section devoted entirely to masters hours. They're definitely not counted in your doctoral program totals. However, don't let that confuse those of you who earned your master's en route to your Ph.D./Psy.D. (i.e., in the same program), as those hours do of course count in the standard APPIC doctoral program hours spots.
 
AcronymAllergy said:
As the post above mine mentioned, and as you've said, it can "hurt" financial and logistically when it comes to interview scheduling, having to write all the cover letters, etc.

However, beyond that, no--it doesn't hurt to apply to more sites. Although do keep in mind that while on interviews, some sites will ask either where else you applied, or where else you've gotten interviews. Just as in grad school, this is in part done to see if there's any coherence/link between sites in terms of interests, training, etc.

And regarding one of the above posts re: hours earned in a master's program, those go on the APPIC in a separate section devoted entirely to masters hours. They're definitely not counted in your doctoral program totals. However, don't let that confuse those of you who earned your master's en route to your Ph.D./Psy.D. (i.e., in the same program), as those hours do of course count in the standard APPIC doctoral program hours spots.
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Also, it is my understanding that your terminal masters hours are counted in your totals.
 
Kske said:
Also, it is my understanding that your terminal masters hours are counted in your totals.
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Actually, in general, no--terminal masters hours are not counted in the doctoral hours portions. There are separate sections for hours accumulated during the completion of a terminal masters, though, which is what I was hinting at in my post above.

However, if the masters is not terminal (i.e., it's the one you earned en route to your Ph.D.), then yes, hours accumulated before receiving your masters count in the standard APPIC doctoral training spots.
 
With regard to counting hours, I am wondering about non-practicum clinical work experience. Can this also be counted on the APPI, and if so does it have to consist of work done while a graduate student, or can any clinical work experience (i.e., between undergrad and graduate school) be counted?
 
PsychGal222 said:
With regard to counting hours, I am wondering about non-practicum clinical work experience. Can this also be counted on the APPI, and if so does it have to consist of work done while a graduate student, or can any clinical work experience (i.e., between undergrad and graduate school) be counted?
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They ask about it on the APPI, yes! But its doesnt count in your numerical hours.
 
AcronymAllergy said:
Yeah, there are places to mention it on the application, but for the hours counts themselves, the training must occur in the context of your doctoral training.
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This. For example, one of my classmates (who entered the school psych PhD program as a licensed school psychologist at the specialist level) has done freelance psychoed assessment throughout the program. She can't count those hours towards her official APPIC total as they are not program-sectioned (i.e., part of credit-bearing practicum or paid program-sponsored field work).
 
I am having the hardest time finding the info on the essays to write. Can anyone provide a link for these please?
 
Rivi said:
I am having the hardest time finding the info on the essays to write. Can anyone provide a link for these please?
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Go to the APPI Applicant Portal (it's in the APPI drop-down menu at appic.org), and log in. Then click on Essays, and Add New Entry. You should find the questions there.
 
AppInternship said:
I am applying for internship in the fall and finished my spreadsheet list of all my potential sites.
I know that entering all of your potential sites' information into a spreadsheet is incredibly time-consuming and tedious. For $40 (via paypal) I can send you a personalized spreadsheet (google docs, libre, or excel) which has the stats on it for all the sites that match your search. It will list hours required, applicants each year, interns selected, clinical vs counseling, and so forth for each year. I even have some great extra columns like "average percent of applicants accepted." Send me a message if you're interested!
I hope this is seen as a helpful service for the community and not just spam. Thank you! 🙂
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Oh great, I was wondering when someone on this site would try and make money off an already vulnerable population. If professionals at this level cannot research their own sites, create their own materials, and represent themselves at this point, perhaps they are not ready to go on internship. I do think that running materials, site lists, etc. with your trusted mentors and supervisors is very important (FOR FREE!), but paying other people who prey on students given the stress of internship apps is disgusting.
 
Comment removed... the original post was deleted so there's no reason for my complaint anymore. 🙂.
 
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AppInternship said:
I am applying for internship in the fall and finished my spreadsheet list of all my potential sites.
I know that entering all of your potential sites' information into a spreadsheet is incredibly time-consuming and tedious. For $40 (via paypal) I can send you a personalized spreadsheet (google docs, libre, or excel) which has the stats on it for all the sites that match your search. It will list hours required, applicants each year, interns selected, clinical vs counseling, and so forth for each year. I even have some great extra columns like "average percent of applicants accepted." Send me a message if you're interested!
I hope this is seen as a helpful service for the community and not just spam. Thank you! 🙂
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I did this months ago for myself, and I certainly wouldn't entrust some random person off the internetz looking to make a few extra bucks to do it for me. Also an incredible waste of money when you still have do a search to determine which sites are more appropriate... I don't apply based on how many applicants, hours, clinical vs counseling, etc. What the frak is wrong with people?
 
VeryHopeful2010 said:
Oh great, I was wondering when someone on this site would try and make money off an already vulnerable population. If professionals at this level cannot research their own sites, create their own materials, and represent themselves at this point, perhaps they are not ready to go on internship. I do think that running materials, site lists, etc. with your trusted mentors and supervisors is very important (FOR FREE!), but paying other people who prey on students given the stress of internship apps is disgusting.
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I think that guy works for Argosy. 😀

Sorry, could resist the temptation. I know we are suppose to keep all that out of the internship threads...
 
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erg923 said:
I think that guy work for Argosy. 😀

Sorry, could resist the temptation. I know we are suppose to keep all that out of the internship threads...
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I bit my tongue to keep from making a similar retort. But, seriously, who does crap like this? 🙄

And am I the only one who actually enjoyed making my spreadsheet? Tedious, indeed! 😳
 
AcronymAllergy said:
Actually, in general, no--terminal masters hours are not counted in the doctoral hours portions. There are separate sections for hours accumulated during the completion of a terminal masters, though, which is what I was hinting at in my post above.

However, if the masters is not terminal (i.e., it's the one you earned en route to your Ph.D.), then yes, hours accumulated before receiving your masters count in the standard APPIC doctoral training spots.
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I have not been able to sign up for APPIC yet. Hopefully it is up, as of last week, it was not. Anyway, for terminal masters degree hours, are we to enter the hours and have someone from that program sign off on them? or do we just talk about our experience? I have several hours of group and some individual therapy from my MSW program. How do I incorporate these into my application?
 
There's a separate section of the application for hours obtained in a terminal masters program, although I don't think you have anyone other than your current DCT sign off on the app as a whole. My guess is that these hours might not factor into the overall decision-making process very much, leading to APPIC deferring to your DCT, who generally just seems to essentially take your word for it.

Caveat--I didn't complete a terminal masters, so I'm not sure if what I've said above is fully accurate.
 
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