Five Tips for Matching to a Dietetic Internship Next Time

I am a Dietetic Internship Director, and it's really tough to see great applicants struggle to find internship slots.  I have started this blog to help give all applicants guidance to help them prepare to apply for Dietetic Internships and offer advice on professional issues in the field. This content is written for dietetics students, but some content is relevant for many professions.  The content on this site represents my opinions and each Program Director may have different views.  Be sure to build a relationship with the organization you wish to apply to for guidance.

1.  Avoid second round during the next application round--choose carefully in the     first round and be willing to travel

• Second round is more competitive than the first round; don’t feel bad if you didn’t get a slot in second round. Focus on improving your application for the next cycle.
• Programs that pay interns, are in ideal locations, or have exceptional reputations are more difficult to match to and require high marks across the board
• If you are willing to go to a seemingly less appealing location or a brand new program, you are much more likely to be considered and placed on the match list
• Choose programs that align with your strengths and experiences. This will allow you to write a convincing personal statement establishing fit to the specific program

2.  Make contact with the program/program director early, at least 6 months before you plan to put in your application. Program directors tend to have more time for individual inquiries over the summer. April/May is a terrible time to contact them, so wait until after June

• Every student we’ve accepted who had a low GPA or GRE got to know us well before the applications were due 
• Be respectful of program director, preceptor, and faculty time. Come to open houses and meetings with good questions prepared and take notes at appropriate times.

3.  Take the NDTR exam

• As DPD graduates, you are all eligible to sit for the DTR/NDTR exam. Becoming an NDTR will help you find a nutrition-related in the job in the gap year(s), which you can highlight on your next application
• Program directors are evaluated based on their RD exam pass rate. Pass rate is highly dependent on the test taking ability and study skills of students, so demonstrate your ability to pass a similar test by taking and passing the NDTR.

4.  Get nutrition-related work experience

• Do this even if it pays less than other options. The strongest applicants who are applying for the second, third, or forth time have a wealth of nutrition-related job experience, which enhances the diversity of the DI program and brings real world discussion to the classroom 
• You will form relationships with nutrition professionals who can speak to your career potential in a recommendation letter, which puts you of ahead of recent graduates who may look stronger academically
• If you can’t get a nutrition job, choose another healthcare job. I have accepted pharmacy technicians and nursing assistants.

5.  Study for & take the GRE, even if you don’t intend to apply to graduate school right away

• Program directors are evaluated based on their graduate’s pass rate. Performing well on the GRE shows you can take tests effectively and some research shows that GRE scores correlate to pass rates on the RD exam 
• If you are coming from a DPD program that is unfamiliar to the admissions committee, then doing well on the GRE is a way to compare you directly to students we know are coming from strong programs 
• Scores in the 50th percentile and higher in all categories are pretty good for our field, this is roughly a 152 on verbal & quantitative and a 4 on writing.
• Don't take the exam until you feel you could score pretty well, weak scores will not enhance your application.