appic internship essay examples

AAPI Program Materials

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The Program Materials section includes additional information and requirements for the programs you selected in the Add Program tab. Your selected programs appear on the left side of this page; click each program's name to begin your review.

The Home tab contains the program's city and state. For more information on internship program requirements for each site, refer to the APPIC Directory .

On the Questions tab, indicate which track(s) at this site you are interested in and click Save . Contact each site directly if you have questions.

On the Documents tab, you can upload documents that will only be visible to that particular program. The cover letter, essays, and curriculum vitae are required and must be uploaded for you to submit your application. The treatment summary and assessment report documents may or may not be required depending on your program's requirements. Use the APPIC Directory to determine if you need to upload these.

Note: All clinical material submitted to internship programs must have identifying information redacted according to HIPAA guidelines . Once your documents are deidentified, add "Deidentified" to your document file name.

Once your application is submitted, you cannot re-upload, update, or edit the documents in any way; however, you can upload new documents.

Cover Letter

A cover letter is typically a 1-2 page introduction to your application and, most importantly, an opportunity for you to describe your interest in and fit with a particular program.

You must include a separate program-specific cover letter for each program you apply to. Each cover letter should address the following question: How do you envision our internship site meeting your training goals and interests? If you are applying to a site with multiple programs, specify the specific program(s) you are applying to in the cover letter.

Your cover letter should use a standard cover letter format for a typical job application process.

For each essay question, you can either create one version that is suitable for all your programs or tailor a version for each internship program. Applicants typically write one version to use for all programs. Each essay is limited to 500 words.

Please address the following topics in order:

• Provide an autobiographical statement. There is no correct format for this question. Answer this question as if someone had asked you "tell me something about yourself." It is an opportunity for you to provide the internship sites with information about yourself that may not be covered in other parts of the application. It is entirely up to you to decide what information you wish to provide along with the format in which to represent it.
• Describe your theoretical orientation and how this influences your approach to case conceptualization and intervention. You may use de-identified case material to illustrate your points if you choose.
• Describe how multicultural and diversity variables inform your case conceptualization and clinical practice. Use de-identified case material to illustrate your approach.
• Describe your research experience and interests.

Proofreading

Be sure to read over your essay several times to catch any spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc., errors before submitting. Once you submit your application, you cannot edit your essay. If you find an error after submission that you believe could have major effects on your application, we recommend sending a corrected copy directly to the programs you applied to.

Curriculum Vitae

Your Curriculum Vitae (CV)/resume should be a standard, professional vita. You can use one version for all applications or upload different versions for each program.

Treatment Summary

A treatment summary may be required by your program(s). It is your responsibility to determine your program's requirements. Refer to the APPIC Directory for more information.

Assessment Report

An assessment report may be required by your program(s). It is your responsibility to determine your program's requirements. Refer to the APPIC Directory for more information.

Recommendations

Before you begin.

Recommendations (sometimes called Letters of Evaluation, Letters of Reference, or Letters of Recommendation) are submitted by the recommenders themselves; they cannot be completed or submitted by the applicant or another party on behalf of the recommender. We are not responsible for verifying recommenders' identities. If a discrepancy is found, we reserve the right to contact the appropriate individuals to investigate and to share the discrepancy with all programs.

Before getting started, consider the following:

• All recommendations are submitted electronically by recommenders using Liaison Letters , our Recommender Portal.
• Research each program’s requirements. The AAPI application requires you to request 3 recommendations per program.
• Prepare your recommenders. Once you choose your recommenders, be sure to inform them about the process and that they will be completing the recommendation electronically. We recommend getting their preferred email address and asking that they monitor that inbox for your recommendation request (which will come from [email protected] ), including any junk or spam folders.

The Recommendation Process

When you request recommendations, your recommender receives an email request with a link to Liaison Letters. Recommenders review your requests, and then accept, complete, or deny them. Recommenders may complete assessments such as writing essays, completing Likert scales, and/or uploading letters.

Once your recommender completes your recommendation, you'll be notified via email. You can check the status of your recommendation requests in the Check Status tab of your application at any time.

Submit a Request

• Navigate to the Program Materials section. On the Recommendations tab, click Add Recommendation .
• Enter the recommender's full name and email address.
• Select the date by which you would like this recommendation completed. This date should be before your program(s) deadline.
• Enter a brief message or note for the recommender.
• Select whether you want to waive your right of access to the recommendation. See Waiver below.
• Click the checkboxes to indicate your permission for us (and programs) to contact your recommenders.
• Click Save This Recommendation Request to submit it. Once you do so, an email is immediately sent to the recommender.
• Confirm with your recommenders that they received the email notification.
• Use the Check Status tab to monitor the status of your recommendations. Completed recommendations are marked as "Complete" and have a Complete Date listed. Follow up with your recommenders if their recommendations are still marked as "Requested" or "Accepted." It is your responsibility to ensure that recommendation requests are received and completed on time. We will not notify applicants about missing recommendations.

Resend the Recommendation Request

If you need to resend a request:

• On the Recommendations tab, locate the request you wish to resend.
• Click the pencil icon to edit the request.
• Scroll to the bottom of the page and click Resend This Recommendation Request .

Change the Recommender's Email Address

If you entered an incorrect email address for any recommenders (or if any recommender asks that you send the request to a different email address), you must delete these requests and then re-add them with the correct email.

​Waiver

The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) gives you the right to access recommendations unless you choose to waive your right of inspection and review. Prior to requesting any recommendations, you are required to indicate whether you wish to waive your rights. AAPI will release your decision to waive or not waive access to your recommenders and designated programs. Your waiver decision serves the same purpose as a legal signature and is binding.

Selecting Yes indicates to programs that your recommender completed their recommendation with the understanding that you would not be able to view it. This means you will not be able to see the content of the recommendation. Programs may view this type of recommendation as a more accurate representation of an applicant's qualifications.

Selecting No indicates to programs that your recommender completed their recommendation with the understanding that you may choose to view it in the future. Selecting this option does not allow you to view your recommendation via the application. If you do not waive your right to view the recommendation, you may ask your recommender for a copy of the recommendation. Programs may view this type of recommendation as a less accurate representation of an applicant's qualifications.

Once you make a selection, you can't change it, so consider the choices carefully.

gradPSYCH Blog

Apa's food for thought for psychology students.

How to Ace Your Internship Essays

If you are a clinical, counseling, or school psychology doc student and you’re at bat for the internship application process this fall, you naturally want to knock your AAPIC essays out of the park. Great — we’re here to help!

Set aside 25 minutes and watch this narrated friendly-professor webisode from Dr. Mitch Prinstein, co-author of the APAGS internship workbook Internships in Psychology .   Hot on the heels of our annual Internship Workshop at  APA Convention , this video will walk you through the DO’s and DON’Ts for each of your four essays.

Also, be sure to see #internship on this blog for more videos, articles, and other resources.

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Tips for the APPIC Process

A clinical psychology intern at the Institute of Living shares some helpful tips on the APPIC predoctoral internship application and interview process.

By Shari Steinman, intern at the Institute of Living-CBT Track

To those of you applying for internship this fall, I thought it might be helpful to share some tips I have about the application and interview process. I found the APPIC experience to be a lot less painful than I expected it to be, and I’m hoping these tips will make it less painful for you as well!

Tips for applications:

• Work with friends. My biggest recommendation for the whole APPIC process would be to meet regularly with classmates who are also applying for internship. Start early (I started during the summer)! Make a schedule of when you want to finish different parts of the application, and stick to the deadlines. I also recommend regular dinners together while working.
• Get advice/cover letters/essays/etc… from friends who have already gone through the application process.
• Have a couple of people read your cover letters and essays and ask them for feedback.
• Write your essays and cover letters to show why you are experienced/knowledgeable/awesome for the sites, but also emphasize what you still want to learn/what you can gain from the sites. Specifically, in my cover letters, I used wording like “I have limited training in X, so your X rotation would fill gaps in my clinical training” or “gaining experience working with X would make me a more adaptable clinician.”
• In your cover letters, make an effort to show how each site can help further your career/why you would be happy there/why you could be helpful for the internship program/why you are a great match/etc… I worked hard to personalize each cover letter, and tried hard to be very knowledgeable of each site during my interviews.
• Ask your letter writers if they feel like they could write you a STRONG letter of recommendation—not just if they will write you a letter.

Tips for Interviews:

• If you can, don’t schedule a bunch of interviews in a row. Give yourself time to breathe in between.
• If you end up seeing a lot of the same people at interviews, save money by sharing hotel rooms/taxi rides/etc…
• Answer practice interview questions with friends. Also, do a mock interview with your graduate advisor of director of clinical training.
• Make sure you read each site’s brochure before the interview. Before each interview, I printed the site’s brochure and any other information I thought might be helpful (e.g., information about faculty and their research interests, etc…). The day before each interview, I read over the information, highlighted, underlined, and took notes in the margins about things I wanted to remember to talk about or ask questions about during the interview. Then, I would review my notes the day of the interview. I purposely did not prepare for interviews very far in advance, because I didn’t want to confuse the details from different sites.
• Make sure to go into each interview with a bunch of questions to ask (some more generic, that you can ask every place, and some very specific to each place).

Side note: My favorite part of the interview process was meeting the other applicants and making new friends. 🙂

One final thing to remember: internship is only one year, and where you match is unlikely to make or break your career!

Best of luck to you!

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essays for APPIC applications

• Thread starter JockNerd
• Start date Jul 30, 2010

Full Member

• Jul 30, 2010

Random Person

I completed these apps last year and will be starting internship in 2 weeks. First, this whole process is crazy, I truly empathize with you while you go through this process... You hit the nail on the head, you dont know what the DCT will consider to be TMI, on the other hand if you dont personalize it to some extent they will analyze why it is that you are not sharing anything personal. It's a tough line to walk. My Suggestion is that you should talk about your process of how you grew through grad school and placements, and what your goals are for internship in terms of growth, personal and professional.  

Regional Clinical Officer, Centene Corporation

I actually enjoyed that one. Make it unique, it really should be about you . It should not come off as a cover letter though, because the goal is to get the comitte interested in you as a person (by describing who you are, or a unique life experience) vs trying to sell your accomplishments and/or your fit with a site. Thats what I have been told anyway. It could certainly describe your fit with the field/profession of psychology in general, but I was advised to stay away from CV-like info in this essay. I also know people who really didnt mention psychology at all in their essay 1. And frankly, those were the most interesting ones to me.  

Doctor Eliza

• Jul 31, 2010

I agree with Dr. Eliza. Keep it personal, but not bizarre. The purpose of the bio essay to get across elements of you, as an individual, that is not evident in the rest of your application. Your CV will detail your training, you also have essays to discuss research, cultural experience, and theoretical orientation. You have a cover letter to spell out training goals and make a case for your fit with the program(s). SO.... what is it about you that would add to this wealth of information? The point is to provide a glimpse of your human side-NOT to shock/surprise the selection committee.  

Doctor Eliza said: Just an idea that worked well for my bff: she is from a unique cultural background and so she talked about that in her essay #1. Programs LOVE LOVE LOVE diversity, so if you can work that angle, work it. Also, keep in mind that what internship committees consider bizarre is way different from what NORMAL people consider bizarre. That's why I suggest the stodgy old prof reading the essay. The whole situation is frustrating really: you want to be unique but unique in a sort of boring way. Also, it may go w/o saying, but NEVER mention personal or family mental health struggles in your essay in any way. There is still much inappropriate/unjustified/unfair prejudice from people who should know better. You don't want to be dismissed as a person who is becoming a psychologist to fix his own issues. Best of , Dr. Eliza Click to expand...

• Aug 5, 2010

Hi Everyone, I am currently working on my autobiographical essay for APPIC applications for internship. I was wondering how much leniency you think they provide for that first essay? I am thinking of going the unconventional route as opposed to writing about my upbringing/experiences so far. Do you think this is an unwise decision? The sample essays in the internship books are very straight foward and somewhat boring....  

ADDICTED2STATS

I don't know the answer, but I am going the unconventional route as well. Hopefully it's appreciated, although I could certainly see it blowing up in my face.  

hhaaha - I hope so too. I would assume some sites may be "in to it" and others (research focused ones) may not... I am really not interested in doing multiple essays for different sites though...  

Is that even possible? Is it posible to submit different versions of the core APPI essays to different sites? I thought your APPI application (including the core essays) was the same for every site, and the only difference was the letters of rec and "supplemenal materials" you chose upload and send off to each site?  

You can write different versions of each essay and choose which ones are uploaded to each site to which you apply.  

I also have no idea what to write.... I was going to go the unconventional route but now I'm wondering if that's a mistake....  

• Aug 6, 2010

deleted343839

JockNerd said: How are other people building this? As I read mine it comes off as almost a cover letter rather than a mini bio. It's hard to walk that line about what kind of information they'd like versus what's TMI. Click to expand...

Essays help sites with the rule-out/rule-in re interview decisions and work best when they give 1)a sense of you as an individual and 2) a sample of you as a writer. Write something authentic and brief in a voice that sounds like you; then ask a range of people to read it for editorial feedback (Yes, it is hard to expose yourself and they may give you differing advice, adding to the confusion so choose carefully who you ask--but let someone you trust give you feedback on whether is is clear and reflects who you are as a novice professional.) Once you get the "feel" of the essay right you can add in more detail if you need/want more length. The essays that don't work for me are too generic, too verbose, or somehow convey arrogance, lack of humor or lack of proofreading skills. But also keep in mind that it is the fit of your experience and training goals to the site that is most important. One essay is not likely to make or break a decision. More important is the overall sense that your background and goals qualify as a good fit with what a particular site does (population served, kinds of clinical services, treatment models, etc.) so you each have something to offer each other.  

Junior Member

Doctor Eliza said: Please be very careful. (See my post in the APPIC essay 1 thread.) I was slightly non-conventional and it was interpreted as unprofessional and "flippant." I must say that I am typically considered to be very professional and am frequently complimented on my writing style. I only say that by way of saying my essay was not that strange, but it was interpreted as such. This is a much more formal essay than the essays you used to get into grad school. I think i mentioned this in the other thread, but my close friend was able to be "unique" in her essay by talking about her unique cultural background and how it has influenced her clinical psych career. That is the kind of uniqueness that they want. (They just eat up that diversity stuff. If you are diverse in any way, play it up). Dr. Eliza Click to expand...

What, exactly, is your goal for this essay? Must you use an atypical format or style to achieve that goal? Those are my main questions. Step back and think about why you're looking at the essay process this way. I would advise against going "unconventional" if the main purpose is to stand out (there are better ways), or if a more business-like style is not familiar to you (you'll need to get comfortable with this eventually). It is helpful to think of the internship application as a very lengthy and burdensome job application. If you were applying for a job in the typical manner, would you present yourself differently? I'm not saying you shouldn't consider unconventional approaches at all, but do so with caution, and ask yourself why.  

Therapist4Chnge

Neuropsych ninja.

MOD NOTE: I merged two threads that both talked about Essay #1 for the APPIC application. -t4c  

MamaPhD said: Most likely, you will not be rewarded for mold-breaking creativity on this essay. You will be rewarded for something that is crisply written, coherent, and highly professional. At the same time, you must actually say something substantive and interesting about yourself. Keep in mind that internship directors are looking for GROWN-UPS who will work hard and benefit from their particular training program as a stepping stone to bigger and better things. Hence, your biographical statement should address your professional development, but written from a personal standpoint that gives a glimpse into who you are and how you think. Yes, it is hard to walk that line. It is helpful to look at applications from former students in your program who landed good internships. When we look at internship apps, essays that say "look at what a unique and precious snowflake I am!" are viewed with suspicion. We do not want to recruit a potential diva. Click to expand...

docma said: The essays that don't work for me are too generic, too verbose, or somehow convey arrogance, lack of humor or lack of proofreading skills. Click to expand...

Yes, even though you are still a novice, you are developing a "voice" as a psychologist. This is the voice you want to use in the essay and you want to say what you are looking for in your final graduate year. Choose something you really want to do/learn and write about that. No one in the field thinks you will know everything before you become an intern or learn everything while you are one. Say in your own voice what you are most excited to learn next.  

Salsybabe said: What made your essay "unconventional?" Click to expand...

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What We're Really Looking for in Application Essays

You can do this.

Oh, come on.

You made it through your graduate coursework. You’re facing down that dissertation like a wild animal trainer, grim-faced, ready for combat. These are just application essays. No need to panic.

I know, I know. Every one of your fellow students has an opinion. All of your professors and supervisors give you different advice. You’ve revised your essays how many times now? I get it. So, I’m going to give you my opinion, as someone who reads a lot of these every single year, and uses them to help decide which candidates we’re interviewing at WKPIC, and which we’re giving a pass this year.

I can only speak for our tiny corner of the APPIC Match world, but as WKPIC’s Training Director, here’s what I want to see in your essays:

This is my only chance to meet you on paper, other than a bunch of numbers and labels and statistics. Show me who you are as a professional and a person, so I’ll know if we can work with you. Are you smart? Let yourself shine. Are you funny? Use a bit of humor. Do you love to learn? Let me feel the energy. Basically, your essays can leave you in neutral, or push you into I’ve-got-to-meet-this-student .

And now for the details.

Do you really read the essays? Yes. Every . . . freakin’ . . . one. Even when I’ve got a stack of fifty applications, and get another stack that big the very next week. The other internship faculty members do, too. Making a match with our setting is very, very important to us, and this is a huge tool in initial screening, in our opinion. Plus, I may have gone on internship in the Paleolithic Period, but Match existed, and I remember pouring my heart, soul, and future into every word I wrote. I’m assuming you did, too, and I plan to respect that. Last year, I even built a desk shelf onto my treadmill so I could read while I walked. I read in meetings between speakers. I read on breaks. I read on vacation days. If you write it and apply to us, we will know what you said. We’ll be reading those essays.

Does grammar and spelling matter to you at WKPIC? To put it simply, YES . Our internship involves a lot of writing–initial assessments, evaluations, therapy notes, emails, and more. If I see I’m going to have to work multiple hours proofreading or revising whatever you do just to bring the basic grammar and spelling to standard, consider me scared, and likely scared enough not to interview you. That being said, if you end up with a couple of typos in your entire gigantic application, don’t panic. You’ll probably find a few typos in my posts on this blog. You may find a few typos in books I’ve published. I even found one in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (no, not lying! Somewhere around page 280-300, Snape is called Snap . Oh, Snap!). Typos happen. Just do your best, and show me that you have a reasonable command of the language.

Should I be super-specific and adamant about my theoretical orientation? Um, no. Not for us. Even if you are, we won’t totally believe you. I mean, we know you’re not kidding or anything, it’s just that except in rare circumstances, theoretical orientation prior to internship and your first few years of practice can be a bit shaky. Tell us what you’ve done the most, what you feel the most comfortable doing, and where you think you’re headed/want to head with theoretical orientation. That’s enough for us. We’ll be happy to work with you in that direction, and see how it pans out for you as you contend with it across multiple functional levels and disorders.

Is creative good, or should I play it completely safe? Remember, I am answering only for myself, and in general what we at WKPIC look for–but I like to see at least one creative or a bit less “in the box” essay. Again, what I like to see is YOU. Without at least a dash of intellectual pizzazz, I won’t know you’ve got that spark. You have to show me. I like seeing a couple of straightforward, professionally done pieces, and if they are all that way, that’s okay. If one steps a little away from “safe,” you definitely don’t lose my interest.

The bottom line is–you can do this. You can write those essays, and we’ll read them. They will matter.

Susan R. Vaught, Ph.D. Training Director, WKPIC

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Internship Essay: Analyzing the Do’s and Don’ts Through Samples

By: Max Malak

The time when you have to get an internship for the first time is both exciting and stressful. After all, a successful internship will bring you one step closer to fulfilling your career goals. But first, you should be selected as an intern. To make your candidacy stand out, you need to write a brilliant application essay, also known as a cover letter for an internship.

Standard Internship Cover Letter Sample

Introduction, your dream internship experience is closer than ever.

In this guide, we will demonstrate to you a sample of a typical internship essay. Then, we will show you how to upgrade it and what to avoid to create an outstanding personal statement that will land you your dream internship.

Here is an example of a personal statement written for an internship application. Read through it carefully:

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing you in order to apply for the summer internship at Nano IT. My name is Tom Jameson, and I study at the Software Development program of Brooklyn College in New York. I have been actively searching for an internship opportunity, and when I saw your posting, I knew it was perfect for me.

I believe that I am a great fit for the web developer intern position at your company, as I am extremely interested in IT. I am among the top students in the class, and I do a lot of self-study. I would also love to use the experience received throughout this internship as a case study in my upcoming thesis work.

I have heard a lot about Nano IT, and I admire its history and mission. I believe that I could contribute to this company as I fully share its values. I would be extremely grateful for an opportunity to receive practical experience from true professionals.

Thank you for your time and consideration,

Tom Jameson

What you have just read is an example of a typical internship essay an HR professional receives on a regular basis. It is not bad, yet it is lacking that so-called X factor, something that will set the applicant apart from the hundreds of other college students applying for the same position. Read on for examples and practical tips on how to bring this essay to a whole new level.

Tips for Improving the Internship Essay

Here you will find an explanation of what can be done to improve your internship application, as well as things to avoid using Tom’s essay as a sample. For your convenience, they are divided according to the application essay’s structure.

The main issue with Tom’s essay that is visible throughout his whole internship application is the fact that it doesn’t really show the reader what kind of person he is. An internship application is not some regular coursework, so make your personal statement strong. Here is how a more memorable introduction would look like:

My name is Tom Jameson; I am a senior year student of the Software Development program at Brooklyn College, neighboring Nano IT’s headquarters in New York. Ever since I discovered my passion for IT, I knew the study place that was right for me. It is hard to explain how pleased I was to find out that the place that is the definition of my career goals is right beside it! So, please, let me elaborate, without further ado, why I am your perfect software development intern candidate.

Notice how this introductory paragraph:

• makes the essay stand out from the very first sentence
• shows Tom as a college student who is passionate, inspired, and has a good sense of humor
• gives the HR staff the association with the college located next to the company’s office

It is a great example of an introduction that will make the reader interested in the applicant. We have gathered some more examples of how to write a good self-introduction to make a good impression.

Here, on the other hand, is an example of the kind of writing you want to avoid:

My name is Tom Jameson. I live in New York and study at the Software Development Program at Brooklyn College, NY. I am 24 years old, and I have loved IT since I was a kid. In high school, I was the best student in the IT class, having won several tech competitions. I believe I will carry my passion for this subject to graduate school and beyond. Nowadays, I am getting ready for the real world of work, and that is why I am applying for the position of a part-time intern at Nano IT.

Look into the nuances that could improve this introductory paragraph significantly:

• Leave all the details for the main body of the essay. Your goal in the introduction is to hook the readers and make them want to know more about you.
• “Since I was a kid” is a cliche. Read on for tips on how to personalize it!
• Sound more confident by including strong motivation and powerful word structures.
• Be concise. Every sentence of your essay should bring you closer to convincing the reader that you’re a worthy candidate.

When your powerful introduction is ready, it is time to move on to the essay’s main body.

The main body of Tom’s essay is not so good. It needs an upgrade to become noticeable for the company’s HR representatives. It is strongly advisable to structure the essay as follows:

• write about your relevant learning experience, what makes you love the specialization
• talk about your career goals and elaborate on how the internship program will help with it

As you can see, Tom’s initial application essay doesn’t include these critical points, which makes it look dull and uninformative in comparison with other students’ cover letters. What we do approve is that he mentioned the thesis as a specific future plan related to the internship opportunity. Smart move, Tom!

Here is our suggested version of Tom’s internship essay’s main body:

I discovered my passion for all things tech when I was rather young. My father taught me how to code a rock paper scissors game when I was nine. Fast forward to my teenage years, when I created my Raspberry Pi project, a time-lapse camera. I have also participated in hackathons annually since the age of 16, which has become a hobby of mine. At college, I won the Tech Project Contest in 2019 and 2020. Besides, I already have some first-hand work experience acquired during a summer job at Guugle I did during my freshman year.

I strongly believe that software development is essential for the well-being of society, as tech is an integral part of real-life nowadays. That is why I never want to stop developing as a professional, and I am ready to put all the hard work needed into acquiring new skills in the IT-sphere. In the future, I would love to work for a tech company strongly connected with sustainable development, such as Nano IT. Me interning at Nano IT would be a perfect match for my career endeavor as I would have the opportunity to learn from niche specialists.

This text tells Tom’s story in relation to the internship’s specialization. It is a great approach to essay writing, as it allows you to connect with the reader. However, make sure you keep the balance of personal and professional throughout the essay and don’t lose the thread of thought.

When you have described your background and stated your future plans, it is time to move on to the final part of your internship application essay.

In the conclusion, describe the important skills you possess and state why you are the best candidate for the position. The final paragraph of Tom’s essay is acceptable. He mentioned the company’s values and mission, which is a wise thing to do. However, he failed to show that he really knows what he is talking about. Here is how an improved version of the conclusion would look:

I can assure you that I have what it takes to fulfill the requirements for this internship opportunity. I will be a strong addition to the team due to my strong interpersonal skills, eagerness to learn, and willingness to help. I always think out of the box, which helps me come up with creative ideas. Having a chance to contribute to Nano IT’s growth is priceless to me, as I share the company’s core values, such as constant improvement and bringing value with care for the future.

Thank you for your time and kind consideration.

As you can see, in this version of the essay, the reader can be sure that Tom knows the company’s values. Besides, he lists his strong sides without obvious exaggeration. The conclusion is consistent with the rest of the essay, demonstrating that Tom has specific goals and expectations set.

Now that you have clear samples of what to do and what to avoid when writing an internship application, you can start chasing your dreams! However, it is a responsible task, so if you are not completely sure about your writing skills, you can leave this job to professionals. Our experts at Studybay will help you with your application essay, internship report, and any other written task you require. We wish you the best of luck with your career endeavor!

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Internships that are accredited by the American Psychological Association or the Canadian Psychological Association are recognized as meeting APPIC doctoral membership criteria. All others must meet all of the following criteria (i.e., 1 through 16 below) and are reviewed for adherence to the criteria every three years.

EDUCATIONAL NOTE: A program's adherence to APPIC membership criteria does not guarantee that the trainees in the program will meet individual state, provincial, or territorial licensing requirements.

1. A psychology internship is an organized training program which, in contrast to supervised experience or on-the-job training, is designed to provide the intern with a planned, programmed sequence of training experiences. The primary focus and purpose is assuring breadth and quality of training.

Clarification: The organization of an internship program is evident in a clear:

• statement of the goals and objectives of the training activities.
• description of the plan, location, and sequence of direct service experiences.
• description of the training curriculum; i.e., the content, duration, and frequency of the training activities.
• description of how the psychology training program is integrated into the larger organization.
• For programs with multiple sites, the services rendered by interns, the supervision offered, and the training director's involvement is clearly described at each site.

2. The internship agency has a clearly designated doctoral level staff psychologist who is responsible for the integrity and quality of the training program. This person is actively licensed, certified, or registered by the State Board of Examiners in the jurisdiction where the program exists, and is present at the training facility for a minimum of 20 hours a week.

Clarification: The internship is administered by a doctoral level licensed (certified or registered for independent practice) psychologist who:

a. directs and organizes the training program and its resources.

b. is responsible for selection of interns.

c. monitors and evaluates the training program's goals and activities.

d. documents and maintains interns' training records.

3. The internship agency training staff consists of at least two full time equivalent doctoral level psychologists who serve as primary supervisors and who are actively licensed, certified, or registered as a psychologist by the Board of Examiners in the jurisdiction where the program exists.

Clarification: "Full time equivalent" typically refers to 40 hours/week. However, there may be a range of hours that qualify as "full time equivalent" depending on the norms of the program. 35 hours/week is the minimum that will qualify for "full time equivalent" for APPIC member programs. "Full time" for interns could also be set at 35 hours/week if this meets licensure requirements in your jurisdiction. APPIC believes supervisor expectations should be similar to intern expectations. It is expected that interns receive supervision during the year from at least two different supervisors. Interns' primary clinical supervision and role modeling must be provided by psychologists on the program's staff who are licensed (certified or registered) for independent practice at the doctoral level and who are:

a. officially designated as psychology intern supervisors.

b. significantly involved in the operation of the training program.

4. Intern supervision is provided by staff members of the internship agency or by qualified affiliates of that agency who carry clinical responsibility for the cases being supervised. Regularly scheduled individual supervision is provided by one or more doctoral level licensed psychologists, at a ratio of no less than one hour of supervision for every 20 internship hours. Supervision is provided with the specific intent of dealing with psychological services rendered directly by the intern.

Clarification: Supervisors need to be clearly designated by the agency as clinically responsible for the cases (for example, countersigning documentation or having their name on the treatment plan or case summary). Depending on clinical needs, increased hours of supervision are expected. The required hours shall be through face-to-face individual supervision (rural sites may use visual telecommunication technology in unusual circumstances and when face-to-face supervision is impractical, but must demonstrate that such technology provides sufficient oversight). Programs shall adhere to all requirements of their state licensing boards.

5. The internship provides training in a range of psychological assessment and intervention activities conducted directly with recipients of psychological services.

Clarification: Internship training in Psychology is primarily based on experiential learning which:

a. provides psychological services directly to consumers in the form of psychological assessment, treatment, and consultation.

b. exposes interns to a variety of types of psychological services and consumers.

6. At least 25% of trainees' time is in face-to-face psychological services to patients/clients.

7. The internship must provide at least two hours per week in didactic activities such as case conferences, seminars, in-service training, or grand rounds.

Clarification: The Psychology training program should have scheduled didactic experiences available to meet the training needs of their interns. Didactic activities refers to actual training opportunities and should include training activities beyond Intern Case Presentations.

8. Internship training is at post-clerkship, post-practicum, and post-externship level, and precedes the granting of the doctoral degree.

Clarification:  Interns must have completed adequate and appropriate prerequisite training prior to the internship. This would include both:

a. completion of formal academic coursework at a degree-granting program in professional psychology (clinical, counseling, school), and

b. closely supervised experiential training in professional psychology skills conducted in non-classroom settings.

9. The internship agency has a minimum of two interns at the predoctoral level of training during any training year. These interns must be at least half-time (i.e., 20 hours per week). The minimum number of interns must be on site and in training at the time of the initial application for APPIC membership.

Clarification: The intention of this criterion is to allow opportunities for personal (face-to-face) interaction with peers in formal settings in the training program and on the training site during each training week. Part-time internships must ensure that intern schedules sufficiently overlap to allow substantial and meaningful peer contact.

10. The internship level psychology trainees have a title such as "intern," "resident," "fellow," or other designation of trainee status.

11. The internship agency has a written statement or brochure which provides a clear description of the nature of the training program, including the goals and content of the internship and clear expectations for quantity and quality of the trainee's work. It is made available to prospective interns.

Clarification: Internship programs must make available descriptions of their training program which give their applicants and interns a clear understanding of the program in terms of:

a. the program's training goals and objectives.

b. the program's training methods, content, and curriculum (for example, required rotations, sample weekly schedules, or available training seminars).

c. the program's training resources (e.g., training/supervisory staff, physical facilities and training equipment, clerical support, etc.)

d. the sites at which training and services are provided. For programs with multiple sites, clear descriptions are given for each site of services rendered by interns, supervision offered, and involvement of the training director.

Clarification: APPIC must be notified in writing of substantive changes to the training program (personnel, placements, etc.) that have the potential to impact quality of training or which substantially alters the advertised training experience. The training program is likewise responsible for maintaining an up-to-date and accurate description of the program in the APPIC Directory.

12. Internship programs have documented due process procedures that describe separately how programs deal with (1) concerns about intern performance, and (2) interns' concerns about training. These procedures include the steps of notice, hearing, and appeal, and are given to the interns at the beginning of the training period.

Clarification: Due process procedures describe how an agency deals with intern deficiencies and how the interns' handle grievances with the training program. The documentation would include:

a. description of formal evaluation and complaint procedures.

b. the program's and intern's responsibilities and rights in the process.

c. the appeal process.

d. description of procedures if interns have grievances about their training or supervision.

Programs need two written policies: (1) Due Process and (2) Grievance Process. The procedures must be specific to the internship training program; reliance on a more general HR policy is insufficient. Both procedures should be provided to interns at the commencement of training.

Due Process is a written procedure that comes into use when an intern's behavior is problematic. (The use of the term "impaired" is discouraged because if one identifies an intern by that term, legal issues having to do with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) could be invoked.) Due process must include three elements: Notice (i.e. the intern must be notified that problematic behavior has been identified and that the internship is addressing the problem); Hearing (i.e. the program must have a formal process by which the identified problematic intern has an opportunity to hear concerns and to respond to the concerns); and Appeal (i.e. the intern must have an opportunity to appeal the actions taken by the program in regards to the identified problematic behavior. The appeal should extend at least one step beyond the Training Director).

A Grievance Procedure is a process that is invoked when an intern has a complaint against the training program. The procedure should include specific steps an intern takes in the complaint process and be broad enough to cover any and all complaints that may arise for interns (e.g. complaints about evaluations, supervision, stipends/salary, harassment, etc.)

13. The internship experience (minimum 1500 hours) must be completed in no less than 9 months and no more than 24 months.

Clarification: Internships may be conducted on a full or part-time basis. Only School Psychology programs will be accepted for 9-10 month internships.

14. APPIC member programs are required to issue a certificate of internship completion, which includes the word "Psychology," to all interns who have successfully completed the program.

15. At least twice a year the internship program conducts formal written evaluations of each trainee's performance.

Clarification: The written evaluation process provides comprehensive evaluative feedback to doctoral psychology interns as follows:

a. The evaluation provides summary information of performance in all major competence areas that are a focus of internship training.

b. Interns have the opportunity to review their evaluation with supervisors to ensure the fullest possible communication between supervisors and interns.

c. Evaluation procedures provide feedback that validates trainees' achievements by noting areas of unusual strength and excellence and facilitate trainees' further growth by identifying areas that would benefit from additional training.

d. The program provides the doctoral psychology intern's graduate training director with feedback concerning the intern's progress in the internship program.

16. The program has the necessary financial resources to achieve its training goals and objectives. Intern stipends shall be reasonable, fair, and stated clearly in advance. Unfunded internship positions are allowable only in unusual and infrequent circumstances.

Clarification: APPIC requires internship positions to be equitably funded across the site. Intern stipends shall be set at a level that is representative and fair in relationship to the geographic location and clinical setting of the training site. Stipends should be reasonable based on a comparison with other APPIC member programs in your area. Unfunded or poorly funded internship positions are allowed only in unusual and infrequent circumstances in which the creation of such a position would serve to alleviate a hardship for the potential intern candidate. The "burden of evidence" lies with the program to demonstrate that the lack of funding does not adversely affect morale or quality of training. In addition, training resources should be sufficient to afford the same training for an unfunded or poorly funded position as for fully funded positions.

The payment of a stipend is a concrete acknowledgment that a trainee in the agency is valued and emphasizes that the primary task of the year is educational in nature. Stipends are generally lower than a salary received by a regular employee and implies that there is a significant training component in addition to experiential learning. Stipends are equal among trainees unless there is an extenuating circumstance (e.g., specialized skills, consortia agreements). This distinction between trainee and regular employee emphasizes that an internship is "an organized training program, in contrast to supervised experience or on-the-job training."

GRANDPARENTING PROVISION: Programs that were current APPIC members on the date of implementation of this criterion (May 2006), but do not meet the criterion or clarification on that date, must request an exception at the time of each membership renewal. An exception may be granted if the program demonstrates that they have made reasonable efforts to secure funding and describes its plan to obtain future funding in order to meet this criterion.

Frequently Asked Questions About APPIC's Stipend Requirement

Note: APPIC membership criteria are approved by a vote of the APPIC membership and appear above in bold type. Clarification information is approved by the APPIC Board of Directors.

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