As a follow-up to my planning for a new intern application, I have made quite a bit of progress on getting the process online. First and foremost, I developed an online application using Google Forms to take the place of the applicant information sheet and short answer questions. I have also put together a checklist with instructions on what materials are required and how they should be submitted.
I think these are pretty solid, but I also expect there will be some hitches. For instance, we are requiring that all e-mailed components (essay, lab report, recommendation letters) be in PDF format. I would not be surprised at all if that causes some issues, as I'm sure some applicants will disregard that requirement or perhaps won't have access to software that can create PDFs (which is a lame excuse, because there are most certainly free resources available, not to mention libraries). I am also not 100% confident with the Google Form; although I think it is set up very well (if I do say so myself), there could be some unforeseen technical difficulties, or perhaps applicants will want to save their progress along the way so that they may come back to it later (this is not currently an option).
But for every potential hiccup I think of, I can think of multiple solutions, so I should hope that our applicants can figure it out for themselves. After all, independence and problem solving skills are critical to being successful in the intern program; so if an applicant can't even figure out the application, that doesn't bode well for their chances of survival here anyway (sorry to be so blunt). Still, I expect I'll receive phone calls from confused/concerned/overinvolved parents, which I will do my best to address.
Speaking of addressing concerns, this past year's application due date met with some anxiety since it was the Friday after students returned from February break. If they hadn't already asked their schools and teachers for transcripts and letters of recommendation, they were finding it difficult to get them submitted on time. Naturally, my initial reaction is, "Applications have been available for nearly 2 months - you should have started before February Break," but that doesn't get me anywhere in the Nice department. (Note, this due date was set in reaction to 2012's due date being a week earlier and too close to February break; so apparently if it isn't one excuse for procrastinating, it's another.) So, this year I made the due date even ANOTHER week later, and we'll see how that goes. I may learn that there's just no pleasing anybody, but with any hope this later due date will cut down on frantic phone calls.
Anyways, all of this work on the intern program application has caused a new concern to arise: how CIS will even be able to support the program next year. I can't say too much about this yet as we have yet to discuss it in detail or organize a plan on how to proceed... I can only say that there will be some changes coming to how we offer the internship program. Stay tuned...
Meanwhile, if you have any helpful feedback on the new application form and checklist, please comment! Perhaps there are some glaring issues I have overlooked, or some wording is confusing. Constructive criticism is welcome!
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