2014 APPIC internship Application Thread

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Haven't posted in...a very long time. However, just wanted to say hello again to familiar (faces?), and wish everyone luck this week. I am in the midst of finishing cover letters, and cannot wait for this part of the process to be over. Looking forward (lack of a better phrase) to commiserating over the next few weeks!
 
AryaStark said:
Haven't posted in...a very long time. However, just wanted to say hello again to familiar (faces?), and wish everyone luck this week. I am in the midst of finishing cover letters, and cannot wait for this part of the process to be over. Looking forward (lack of a better phrase) to commiserating over the next few weeks!
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Good luck to you too!

Having run a marathon in the past...this feels like coming up to mile 22...only 4.2 more miles to go! 🙄
 
Hi all, just wanted to get a feel for how many applications ya'll are planning on submitting? My DCT is 'strongly advising' maxing out at 15. thoughts?
 
cara susanna said:
I'm pretty much at the stage of uploading everything onto the AAPI and waiting for my rec letters. I can't wait until everything is submitted!
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AryaStark said:
Haven't posted in...a very long time. However, just wanted to say hello again to familiar (faces?), and wish everyone luck this week. I am in the midst of finishing cover letters, and cannot wait for this part of the process to be over. Looking forward (lack of a better phrase) to commiserating over the next few weeks!
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CheetahGirl said:
Good luck to you too!

Having run a marathon in the past...this feels like coming up to mile 22...only 4.2 more miles to go! 🙄
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hi all, and cheers to good luck all around! I have been on this site intermittently since applying to graduate school a few years back, and am glad that I have a community with whom to discuss the hellish beast that is the internship process. Things are pretty hush-hush on the internship front around my department (there tends to be substantial application overlap, so this makes sense), so it's nice to have SDN. Looking forward to some co-rumination 😉

In terms of application numbers - we are not really explicitly advised on the number to complete, but it seems the average is around 14-18 sites. I'm from a University-based PhD program, and we've had a 100% match rate for several years. If you can find significantly more sites that fit your training experience and needs, then I don't see the harm in applying to more (except for the obvious $$$). Though I think I would have a hard time finding 20+ sites that were good fits for me, and/or have the time to prepare strong application materials to that many.
 
jjeggles2012 said:
Hi all, just wanted to get a feel for how many applications ya'll are planning on submitting? My DCT is 'strongly advising' maxing out at 15. thoughts?
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I applied to, I think, 17 total (with one having pulled out from the match), and looking back, I definitely could've been comfortable "trimming" one or two of the sites I was less excited about. 15 feels like a solid number, particularly if your program has a 100% match rate and you're looking at many of the same sites as previous students, although you can check with other folks in your program to see what they've done.

20+ would've been fairly overwhelming, although there was one individual in my program who applied to that many; he subsequently ended up with somewhere around 16 interviews, which is just too many to realistically attend.
 
I'm at about 19. My friend applied to about 17 last year and thought that it was a good number, so I'm trying to stay close to that.
 
hi all, question: what do you think the impact of having no publications will be on getting interviews at competitive hospital sites? I have an insane amount of hours, >1500 intervention and assessment combined, but still no publications to date.
 
jjeggles2012 said:
hi all, question: what do you think the impact of having no publications will be on getting interviews at competitive hospital sites? I have an insane amount of hours, >1500 intervention and assessment combined, but still no publications to date.[/QUOTE

I can only relate my experience to answer your question, but I'm sure that experience varies widely. I only had a few publications and like you an insane number of intervention and assessment hours. I applied to 15 sites last year and probably 8 of those were competitive hospital sites. Not one of those competitive sites interviewed me. I attend a traditional PhD program, probably ranked somewhere in the middle. But when I look at the numbers, those sites receive a few hundred applications and only take 2 or 3 interns. I realistically didn't stand a chance. If I had it to do over again, I would not have wasted my time applying to competitive sites. But that's just my experience. I'm sure others will come along with success stories.

I ended up with only 2 interviews and matched to a consortium. I'm happy where I am. which is the important thing after all. Working 40-48 hours per week instead of the 60 hours per week that someone in my cohort is working at a competitive hospital site to which she matched.

Good luck.
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When you say you applied to 8 competitive hospital sites, can you give an example of what one of these was? Or what type of hospital? I am applying to hospitals, and some of them are competitive, I am still narrowing down my site list, and trying to make sure I have enough "back-ups." Thank you in advance! 🙂

(I have been lurking on this site for some time, but this is my first time posting, I apologize if I posted wrong, I hit "reply" to PhDMiss2014)
 
Is there anybody here that is applying to (or has applied to) forensic sites? Any advice? Thank you in advance! 🙂
 
siamesekitten said:
When you say you applied to 8 competitive hospital sites, can you give an example of what one of these was? Or what type of hospital? I am applying to hospitals, and some of them are competitive, I am still narrowing down my site list, and trying to make sure I have enough "back-ups." Thank you in advance! 🙂

(I have been lurking on this site for some time, but this is my first time posting, I apologize if I posted wrong, I hit "reply" to PhDMiss2014)
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Texas Children's Hospital is one example. I would say to check the number of applicants they had last year and how many internships are offered. If they're getting a few hundred applicants yet only taking 2 or 3 interns, you had better be a stellar fit.
 
CheetahGirl said:
Good luck to you too!

Having run a marathon in the past...this feels like coming up to mile 22...only 4.2 more miles to go! 🙄
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IMO running a marathon is a lot more fun! 😎
 
If I have applications due on 11/1, would it be a horrible idea if I did not submit them until 11/1? I am going to try and submit them a couple of days early, but if something happens and I am not able to until 11/1, will I have a lot of trouble due to heavy traffic on the APPIC site? Thanks!
 
PhDMiss2014 said:
I can only relate my experience to answer your question, but I'm sure that experience varies widely. I only had a few publications and like you an insane number of intervention and assessment hours. I applied to 15 sites last year and probably 8 of those were competitive hospital sites. Not one of those competitive sites interviewed me.
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Can I ask how many you mean by "a few"? Also, it sounds like these were child-focused sites?

Just trying to assuage my anxiety 😉
 
If your application is ready, don't wait until the final hour when technical glitches can happen at either end. More importantly, your application will not arrive in the final wave when staff who are processing these are weary too.

I have heard the argument that there is some "recency" effect to being in the final wave. Speaking from the receiving end, it is probably better to be screened when staff have not already read dozens of essays or are worrying about who they will have to cut because they can't interview everyone or wondering if arriving at the last minute suggests that meeting deadlines could be a problem.
 
Just wanted to say :luck: GOOD LUCK :luck: to all those applying for internship this year. I was someone who matched in Phase 2 last year and this year on internship has truly been one of the most transformative and best years of my life. And we're only 1/3 through the year! It's crazy to think that just about a year ago, I was in your shoes and seriously felt hopeless when I didn't match in Phase 1.

If I could share 1 thing from my experiences, I would say don't rule out places just because of geographic area. There are really some diamond in the rough sites out there with fantastic people and great training opportunities!
 
Hello fellow applicants! 2nd year applying here. We're in the final week before applications are due, and 2 of my letter writers haven't submitted yet. Am I out of line emailing or calling to follow up? I have 4 letter writers, and all 4 wrote for me last year also, so they should pretty much have the letters ready to go anyway. I'm feeling very nervous and neurotic--do NOT want to have to do this a 3rd time!
 
docma said:
If your application is ready, don't wait until the final hour when technical glitches can happen at either end. More importantly, your application will not arrive in the final wave when staff who are processing these are weary too.

I have heard the argument that there is some "recency" effect to being in the final wave. Speaking from the receiving end, it is probably better to be screened when staff have not already read dozens of essays or are worrying about who they will have to cut because they can't interview everyone or wondering if arriving at the last minute suggests that meeting deadlines could be a problem.
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Thank you for your reply! You make some very good points (not having to worry about glitches, training directors thinking I may have a problem with deadlines). The main thing I am waiting on is some cover letters that are being copy edited, and I should have them back by 10/29. So I will make sure to get my stuff in by 10/30 at the latest. When you said "final hour," it made me wonder – do people submit applications on the due date all the way up until midnight? I don't know if that is what you meant, but it got me thinking. I just kind of assumed that an application should be in by close of business (5:00?) on the date it is due? Thanks! 🙂
 
cara susanna said:
Can I ask how many you mean by "a few"? Also, it sounds like these were child-focused sites?

Just trying to assuage my anxiety 😉
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Yes they were child focused sites primarily. By a few publications I mean first author on 1 and second author on a second. But I had a killer amount of intervention and assessment hours.
 
siamesekitten said:
If I have applications due on 11/1, would it be a horrible idea if I did not submit them until 11/1? I am going to try and submit them a couple of days early, but if something happens and I am not able to until 11/1, will I have a lot of trouble due to heavy traffic on the APPIC site? Thanks!
Click to expand...

In my year, the site started to go down at the deadline. What if (insert any of a million things, from spilling coffee on your computer to a tree falling in a storm and cutting off the power grid over miles)? Just send em in when you're done.
 
siamesekitten said:
Thank you for your reply! You make some very good points (not having to worry about glitches, training directors thinking I may have a problem with deadlines). The main thing I am waiting on is some cover letters that are being copy edited, and I should have them back by 10/29. So I will make sure to get my stuff in by 10/30 at the latest. When you said "final hour," it made me wonder – do people submit applications on the due date all the way up until midnight? I don't know if that is what you meant, but it got me thinking. I just kind of assumed that an application should be in by close of business (5:00?) on the date it is due? Thanks! 🙂
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Sites may vary on this and assuming 5 is wiser. I am always amazed at how many folk cut it very close or ignore time zone differences. Why risk it if at all possible. Submit the day before the deadline and go celebrate.
 
docma said:
Sites may vary on this and assuming 5 is wiser. I am always amazed at how many folk cut it very close or ignore time zone differences. Why risk it if at all possible. Submit the day before the deadline and go celebrate.
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I have seen only one site specify in their brochure that their deadline was midnight, and it surprised me. I am guessing people who are submitting at 11:59 PM are probably finishing up their cover letters or editing their CV at the last minute on that day? I agree, get it done a day (or two if possible) before the deadline and go out and celebrate! 😉
 
MCParent said:
In my year, the site started to go down at the deadline. What if (insert any of a million things, from spilling coffee on your computer to a tree falling in a storm and cutting off the power grid over miles)? Just send em in when you're done.
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I agree! Will send them when done. My only concern is that somebody is copy editing some stuff for me, but I just emailed her and asked if she could be done by 10/29 for sure, so that I can upload everything the evening of 10/29 or the morning of 10/30 at the latest. With my luck, my cat would sit on the computer while I am submitting on 11/1 and delete files or something, lol.
 
I'm actually wondering if sites specify the time. Do they mean, like, 11:59 PM on the deadline?
 
If they don't specify the time, assume 5 pm in their time zone. Don't risk having to call them to ask them to open the site again because you assumed otherwise. Not a good beginning.
 
siamesekitten said:
If I have applications due on 11/1, would it be a horrible idea if I did not submit them until 11/1? I am going to try and submit them a couple of days early, but if something happens and I am not able to until 11/1, will I have a lot of trouble due to heavy traffic on the APPIC site? Thanks!
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Another reason for getting it done early - pasting the cover letters into the text boxes on the website can be tricky. Even after saving the letters as text files before the pasting, I got some funky translations of symbols and spacing, and had to go back and edit it within the text boxes.
 
The Brown cover letter template's kind of throwing me off. For people applying there, did you put any information about clinical rotations in the template? It looks like it's only asking about research so I'm not quite sure.
 
for the brown template the first <insert text here> is research mentor related; the second section is where you put in rotation-specific interests... at least in the bmed template...
 
The Adult template doesn't seem to ask about rotations at all, at least not that I can see.
 
I would assume that's an error and follow the other track's templates. Right after you research paragraph, the next part of the template is
"Below please find which of the rotations in the BMED track that I am most interested in, along with information about why I am interested in these particular rotations.

[INSERT TEXT]"

... if I were you I'd replace BMED with ADULT and fill in info there? Or email the site.
 
Yeah, I think I'll just assume it's an error and include the part from the other form letters. Thanks!
 
cara susanna said:
I'm actually wondering if sites specify the time. Do they mean, like, 11:59 PM on the deadline?
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I have only seen a specific time listed in one brochure, it said application is due on 11/1/13 by midnight. Other than that, I haven't seen anything referencing specific times, just dates.
 
eowyne said:
Another reason for getting it done early - pasting the cover letters into the text boxes on the website can be tricky. Even after saving the letters as text files before the pasting, I got some funky translations of symbols and spacing, and had to go back and edit it within the text boxes.
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You're absolutely right! I have started uploading some things, and have had to go back and fix it, like a " will show up as # or whatever.

Actually, since you brought this up, I am kind of confused by the instructions for uploading the cover letters and the essays. The instructions say, "click the "W" button ("Paste from Word") on the right of the row of buttons in the text box and paste your text into the box that comes up." Then it says, "The safest option is to paste that text into Notepad first, then copy and paste from Notepad to the AAPI Online form, and apply any final formatting in the essay box itself. This will guarantee that no extra hidden Word characters impact the formatting of your essay." What is Notepad?? And, what if you just copy and paste your essay directly into the large box (not the Word thing), is that OK?

The CV and the supplemental information sections I am not having problems with, because I am just uploading my documents as PDFs. Is PDF format best for this section, or does it not really matter?

Thank you in advance!! 🙂
 
Go to Accessories under Windows and you'll find Notepad there. It's a text only program. I actually recommend pasting from Word, then changing the formatting in that window, then copying and pasting certain lines into Notepad to fix there if they still aren't looking the way you want them to look.

One more question! From UCSD's brochure:

"Interns are expected to have completed at least three years of doctoral study before beginning the internship year, including at least 1,000 clinical practicum hours; applicants must be on track to complete this requirement."

Does anyone know if they include support hours in this? Also, do they calculate it using anticipated hours? It sounds like you only need it before internship, not before applications are due, right?
 
Hello! Exciting uploading all my stuff. I have a question regarding submitting de-identified reports. I've been following the link below as a guide for the 18 identifiers that need to be excluded. Is there an official or preferred character to use as a filler for identifying information? I'm currently using "#####" to replace my client's name and other identifiers. I'd be curious to know what others are using if there is not a specified filler character. Does APA have a policy on this? Thanks for any reply!


http://www.oshpd.ca.gov/Boards/CPHS/HIPAAIdentifiers.pdf
 
Also, do I need to remove my name and my supervisor's name from my de-identified report? Should testing dates be removed (besides the year)? Thanks!
 
siamesekitten said:
You're absolutely right! I have started uploading some things, and have had to go back and fix it, like a " will show up as # or whatever.

Actually, since you brought this up, I am kind of confused by the instructions for uploading the cover letters and the essays. The instructions say, "click the “W” button (“Paste from Word”) on the right of the row of buttons in the text box and paste your text into the box that comes up." Then it says, "The safest option is to paste that text into Notepad first, then copy and paste from Notepad to the AAPI Online form, and apply any final formatting in the essay box itself. This will guarantee that no extra hidden Word characters impact the formatting of your essay." What is Notepad?? And, what if you just copy and paste your essay directly into the large box (not the Word thing), is that OK?

The CV and the supplemental information sections I am not having problems with, because I am just uploading my documents as PDFs. Is PDF format best for this section, or does it not really matter?

Thank you in advance!! 🙂
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Fun, fun. I am on a Mac, but if I was working in Windows, I would paste my letter from Word to Notepad, which strips out formatting that may cause a problem in the application's text box. I would then click on the "W" button above the text box, copy the text from Notepad, and paste in to the "W" pop-up box. On the Mac, there is no exact equivalent to Notepad. I was using the TextEdit software that came with the mac, but it left in some problematic formatting even when set to text only. Then, I downloaded a program called TextWrangler, which is working very well.

If you are uploading a CV and want to keep the formatting intact, a pdf is definitely the way to go.
 
cara susanna said:
One more question! From UCSD's brochure:

"Interns are expected to have completed at least three years of doctoral study before beginning the internship year, including at least 1,000 clinical practicum hours; applicants must be on track to complete this requirement."

Does anyone know if they include support hours in this? Also, do they calculate it using anticipated hours? It sounds like you only need it before internship, not before applications are due, right?
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I think that they mean intervention + assessment hours (no support or supervision) for the 1,000 hours. That's just my interpretation, though, I haven't checked with the TD. Several people from my program have interviewed there in the past, and they had over 1,000 of int + assesment hours.

However, I do think that they mean by the time you start internship and not at the time of application. So, if you include documentation in your "anticipated hours" section on the APPI that would put you over the 1,000 combined total, I think you're good!
 
I won't have that even by the start of internship if it's F2F, so I'm hoping it includes more than that! I know people who got interviews there with less hours, but that was a few years ago--maybe it's changed since then.
 
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There is a chance I might be totally incorrect 🙂 might be worth checking on? UCSD is a really great site and I've heard nothing but good things.
 
Anyone else getting a "No Data Received" error screen when trying to save cover letters? I finally figured out that it is saving the changes, but I am getting this silly window every time. And this is a week before the deadline :bang:
 
eowyne said:
Fun, fun. I am on a Mac, but if I was working in Windows, I would paste my letter from Word to Notepad, which strips out formatting that may cause a problem in the application's text box. I would then click on the "W" button above the text box, copy the text from Notepad, and paste in to the "W" pop-up box. On the Mac, there is no exact equivalent to Notepad. I was using the TextEdit software that came with the mac, but it left in some problematic formatting even when set to text only. Then, I downloaded a program called TextWrangler, which is working very well.

If you are uploading a CV and want to keep the formatting intact, a pdf is definitely the way to go.
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Thanks for the response! I am on a Mac as well, which makes sense why I didn't know what Notepad was. I will download the TextWrangler. 🙂
 
RE: Brown, the adult and child templates are the same - Bmed and neuro are different.

Rather than modifying their template I just formatted my letter a little differently. I generally discuss program > clinical/rotations > research. I just reversed it for Brown with my discussion of the overall program serving as a conclusion. I agree the template is wacky. I had to agonize over my preference rankings because I have two folks I could see myself working with equally well (actually more like a dozen, but they REALLY cut the list of research preceptors this year). For other letters I just name people and don't put any sort of order to it but having to rank them up front has me worried about bruising egos.

RE: UCSD - I'm not worrying about it too much for places like that. They frequently interview folks from my program and its unusual for us to break 1000 hours. Like Brown, they have a respected research reputation so I expect there is some flexibility in that number - otherwise they would likely be excluding a substantive portion of people who have interviewed and even matched there in recent years.
 
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Has anyone heard impressions of Geocare Inc./Treasure Coast Forensic Treatment Center? I have a friend who is applying to forensic track sites who is looking for information about this site. It would be great to hear from anyone who has known a previous intern or someone who was interviewed for this site in the past!

Any help you can provide would be appreciated!
 
Thanks, Ollie! So you just threw in the rotations part into the research part?
 
Not exactly - I start talking about research. Then transition (i.e. In addition to research, Brown is also awesome clinically).
 
During a bout of cover letter writing procrastination my friend and I came up with the following and I just thought I would share! Feel free to add in your own criteria, I know there is much more!

Criteria for Adjustment Disorder with Internship Application Specifier:

A. The development of emotional or behavioral symptoms in response to anyone mentioning internship occurring within 3 months of the APPIC portal opening.

B. These symptoms or behaviors are clinically significant, as evidenced by four or more of the following:
1. Wearing your robe or pajamas all day (regardless of whether or not you've showered)
2. Drinking excessively or earlier in the day (saying things like "its 5pm somewhere!”)
3. Vacillating between intermittent explosive disorder and huddling in the fetal position
4. Excessive nail picking to the point where you force yourself to get a manicure and stop picking (but you can't afford it because you spent all your money on internship applications)
5. Convincing your significant other why places in the middle of nowhere are a great place to live
6. Agoraphobia due to anxiety over not finishing cover letters or essays
7. Acquiring new medical conditions (such as heart burn, arrhythmia, and chest pain)
8. Breaking out with pimples regardless of age
9. Sleep disturbance, specifically with vivid dreams involving typing cover letters and / or essays over and over again only to wake up and find that no work had been done
10. Obsessional spell checking and / or fact checking (i.e. what is the plural of calf? Do you capitalize northern?)
11. Bookmarking thesaurus.com
12. Speaking intelligibly to others or yourself and then laughing so hard you can’t remember what you were trying to say​
 
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