Tips for DICAS

We made it! We are dietetic interns now. Larkin 2019 class

Dietetic internships are the step that transitions nutrition students into entry-level dietetics professionals that are eligible to take the registered dietitian examination. Many dietetic students have as a common goal to become a registered dietitian. Most students have to apply to internships through DICAS while finishing school, working full-time, or both. Therefore, the most challenging aspect of applying to an internships becomes time management. Other challenges include financial status, qualifications, the place you live, and the element of competitiveness you have against other applicants.

On the bright side, applying through DICAS is not hard. If you have gotten through a dietetics degree and are eligible to apply, it is about giving yourself enough time to make a strong application.

DICAS application opens about two and a half months before the application is due. Spring match for 2019 opened on December 6th 2018 and was due February 15th 2019. As soon as possible, get started on parts of the application that require submissions from 3rd parties. This includes transcripts, letters of recommendation (references), and the verification statement that comes from your college DPD director.

To send your transcripts, you must enter your college information in “colleges attended”. After you do, you will be able to download a form that you will have to submit to your school when requesting the transcripts. More often than not, you will be able to request transcripts online and upload this form electronically. Do this for every college you attended. Here’s a screenshot of how to get the form and your DICAS ID.

Once you get the form, make sure you fill out all the details including your DICAS ID. Transcripts must be send to the following address:

DICAS Transcript Processing Center PO Box 9118 Watertown, MA 02471

The next thing you will want to focus is on your references, as these can take several weeks to be done. Make sure that you choose people that know you well and you trust them to write a good recommendation letter. You will need three letters for most internships, but I recommend to at least have four written recommendations in the system. One will need to be from a Registered Dietitian (can be a teacher), one from a DPD faculty member, and one from a manager or work related (volunteering work counts). To add a reference, go to “References” and enter their name, email address, and phone number. Your reference will get an email where they can upload the letter (you will receive confirmation when they do). Make sure you talk to your references beforehand.

Lastly, contact you college DPD director (every college has one) to have them upload your verification statement/declaration of intent. Ask them what email they prefer to use for this purpose and enter it under “DPD Contact Information”. If you have graduated, select verification statement. If you are finishing your last semester select declaration of intent.

Make your own deadlines

Once you get done with the variables, focus on setting deadlines for the work you have to do. This includes “Applicant Information”, “DPD Course List Form”, “Colleges Session & Coursework”, “Personal Statement” and “Resume”. This will take a while, but is easier to manage as you are responsible for it.

The DPD course list form is just a list of all the nutrition classes that make up your degree program. You can make one yourself or ask your DPD director if they have one they can send you.

The colleges session and course work section consists of outlining each individual semester and the classes you took for each semester with grades from “Colleges Attended”. Use an unofficial copy of your transcripts to check your grades. The personal statement is one of the most important assignments as this is where you tell your story and why they should choose you as an intern. Make sure you cover specific points asked here http://www.larkinhospital.com/site/dietetic-internships/admission-requirement/. You may want to make multiple statements for different programs.

Avoiding Mistakes

Before submitting your application, you should review it at least twice. I recommend reviewing it a day or two after you finished the application, do not review it right after finishing it. Small mistakes are easy to overlook, but it can impact your application greatly. Mistakes include submitting the wrong personal statement for the wrong internship or errors regarding your volunteer and work experience. Also, review your application and personal statement for grammatical errors. Ask somebody to edit it for you if you have trouble. In my experience of reviewing and interviewing the candidates, I found that mistakes like these can affect your ability to get matched.

In conclusion, start the application as soon as it is available. Knock out your transcripts, letters of recommendation, and your verification statement or declaration of intent from your DPD director. As soon as that is done make your own deadlines for the rest of the application. Remember to carefully review your whole application before submitting. I hope this helps you get through DICAS!