Alright, let’s talk about nailing that cover letter for a psychology internship. I remember sweating bullets over mine, so I’m gonna share what I did, step-by-step. Hopefully, this helps some of you out there.
Getting Started
First off, I started by looking up some examples online. I just typed in “psychology internship cover letter” and a bunch of stuff popped up. I found something like APA offering some kind of measures or something, but that’s kinda too much for me, and I just wanted to get this done quick. So, I skimmed through a few to get a general idea of the format and what people usually include, but I didn’t want to overthink it too much.
Figuring Out the Key Points
Next, I thought about what kind of experiences they were looking for. I saw some website talking about “Scoring criteria” and “performance indicators.” It all sounded a bit technical, but basically, I figured they want someone who’s good with people, has some research skills, and is keen to learn. Then I saw that some students are going international with this. Sounds cool, but I’m not trying to be that fancy or anything.
Putting My Experiences Down
So, I started listing my own experiences. I had that one volunteer gig at the local community center where I helped with group sessions. I also had that research project from my stats class, which was kinda relevant. I made sure to write down how these experiences matched what they were looking for.
Writing the Draft
Now, for the actual writing. I started with a simple greeting and then jumped right into why I was excited about the internship. I mentioned the specific program and how it aligned with my career goals. Then, I talked about my experiences, making sure to highlight the skills I gained and how they would be useful in the internship. Something I noticed in some examples were these “bulleted question parts.” I guess it’s a way to break things down. But for me, I just kept it simple and straightforward.
Polishing It Up
After I had a rough draft, I went through it a couple of times to check for any obvious errors. I also asked a friend to take a look, just to make sure it sounded okay. I wanted to make sure it flowed well and didn’t have any weird sentences. I didn’t want to use any fancy language, just plain and simple English. I figured that would make it easier for them to read and understand.
Final Touches
Lastly, I made sure my contact info was at the top and that the formatting was consistent. I didn’t want anything to look out of place or unprofessional. I kept the whole thing to one page because, let’s be real, nobody wants to read a novel. Once I was happy with it, I saved it as a PDF and sent it off with my application.
And that’s pretty much it. It wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be. Just gotta break it down into smaller steps and take it one at a time.
- Start with some research: Just see what others have done.
- Think about what they want: Figure out the key skills they’re looking for.
- Match your experiences: Write down how your experiences fit those skills.
- Write simply and clearly: No need for fancy words, just get your point across.
- Check and double-check: Make sure there are no errors and it sounds good.
- Keep it neat: Good formatting makes it easier to read.
Hope this helps someone out there. Good luck with your applications! You got this!
