Pre-doc Internship Prep

[Psych603]

Anyone else starting to think about their pre-doc internships? The whole application process still seems daunting to me. 

 

I came into my PhD program with an applied masters degree and some clinical hours - does anyone know what the process is for getting these hours officially added to the hours I'm accruing in my current program/onto my APPIC application? Should I have my previous graduate program complete any paperwork?

[PsyDuck90]

I'm applying next cycle, so I've been thinking about it a lot. Apps are due in less than a year at this point. I think you can add those hours into Time2Track if you've been using that to track hours. I would ask your DCT if they can sign off on MA hours or if you need to have your original program sign off on them. My guess would be your DCT since they are signing off on the veracity of your reported hours to be eligible for internship, but they would know best. 

Several people in the cohort ahead of me suggested to write cover letters over the summer break, as that significantly decreases the amount of stress in the fall. In one of my classes this semester, we have been discussing our theoretical orientation and are going to be starting to write our APPI essays, so we at least have some rough drafts that have been peer reviewed as a starting point. 

Just like with most milestones in doctoral programs, I think planning is the name of the game. Get organized and plan out a timeline of getting things done. I've heard that each cover letter takes about 2 hours overall to write, so 15x2 is 30 hours of time spent on cover letters alone. 

If your program has a 100% APA-accreddited match rate, I wouldn't stress TOO much. It's likely the program has the systems in place to help students through the process, but speaking with your advisor, the DCT, and/or students who have gone through the match recently is incredibly helpful in getting your bearings.