By: Lauren Holley, MS, CCLS
Change is hard and a little bit scary. We understand! For those that have applied to a practicum or internship before, this change may be welcome. For those that are new to the process, it might be a little intimidating. As we all navigate this new application, there will definitely be some growing pains.
What does the new application entail?
The new application appears much simpler than the older common application. This application will include:
- Academic and affiliation information
- Describe up to 6 relevant experiences
- 5 written responses (varying from 150-200 words in length)
- Unofficial transcripts uploaded
- Upload eligibility assessment
What does this mean for students?
As someone who has assisted students with applications for 4 years, I will be learning along side you. But, as someone who has read applications and had to make decisions on student experiences I feel that I can offer some perspective.
What about relevant experience?
The six relevant experiences allows you to highlight the quality of an experience over the “required number of hours” that was previously established. I’ve seen it many times. Students gain 10-50 hours of experience at a variety of organizations. And while this is not necessarily a bad thing, it makes you wonder what the ultimate goal of the student may be. I also think this lends itself to really showing what you are learning versus how many hours you’ve spent at an organization. I encourage you to take advantage of this space. What did you learn that can be applied to the child life profession? You can utilize the KSA’s outlined below to help guide your thinking. For example: “Ability to engage children of all ages and abilities in developmentally appropriate normative play.” How did your experience help you learn this skill? How can you show the review committee that you have this skill needed to be successful in an internship?
What about the 5 written responses?
These are your essay responses. You have 5 opportunities to showcase your knowledge of the field, discuss how you are applying knowledge to real-life scenarios, and what are some things you want to continue learning in your internship experience. With any essay question, you will want to focus on grammar, professional writing, and making sure you are actually answering the question.
Did you know?
- The ACLP has lots of resources to help you get started with the new application.
- The ACLP has included a clip here on how to fill out the new application.
- There is also a FAQ’s list here as well.
- KSA’s can be found here.
- A sample application can be found here.
As we all navigate the changes that are coming, remember that we are here to support you. There will be some growing pains with these changes, but I believe we can’t make any progress in our field without change.
What does Your Child Life Coach offer?
Up to five essays or two additional documents like a resume/cover letter. The new child life internship common application is a big change. But with the help of our document review service, you can rest assured that your materials are top-notch.
Our coach will provide feedback and guidance on how to make your documents stand out. So if you’re looking to give yourself the best chance at securing an internship, look no further than our document review service.
If you’re feeling lost and uncertain about how to complete your practicum application, Your Child Life Coach service is here to help. This one-hour review session provides personalized guidance and feedback from a professional coach, so you can make sure your application materials are polished and perfect.
Our Internship Application Review service offers tailored feedback on your application materials, so that you can make necessary revisions and increase your chances of being accepted into an internship program. We’ll work with you one-on-one to help you perfect your resume, cover letter, and essay responses – all of which are essential components of any successful application.
Our Mock Interviews are designed to help you get ready for the real thing. We’ll sit down with you and conduct a 10-question interview covering a range of topics. Once the interview is done, we’ll debrief with you and discuss your strengths and areas for improvement. We’ll also send you the question set afterward so that you can continue practicing.
