There are several steps you can take if you did not match for a dietetic internship. First, be honest to yourself about why you do not think you matched. Maybe your GPA is too low, your personal statement was written at the last minute, your resume has several typos and errors, you do not really know if you want to be a dietitian, etc. Maybe any combination about the above. Next, decide if you want to go through second round or if you want to make your application stronger by doing something else first.
Second Round Match Considerations:
- If you decided that this is a good idea for you (consider financial and circumstantial/life situations), contact your program director who gave you your verification for your application. Telling them that you are considering a second round match will allow them to tell you what internships have openings once those spots are released.
- You may end up paying more for your dietetic internship. The lower cost internships are more likely to fill up their spots.
- Be flexible. If you were geographically constrained in your selection of potential internships, increasing the range may help you identify some internships that are a great fit for you.
- Next, reach out to any RDNs you know to review your resume and personal statement and be prepared to revise them quickly.
- If you do not know any RDNs, reach out to your local Academy chapter, professors, friends (especially if they are an English major) and ask for help. Getting feedback may point out a deficiency in your application.
- Consider using a rubric to self-evaluate your personal statement: Rubric for Dietetic Internship Personal Statement
- Lastly, there is no shame in getting second round internship match. An internship is just the next step towards your career and everyone takes a different route to get there.
Waiting for the next match cycle, Fall or Spring:
If you decided for any reason that you will wait again to apply, do steps 3 to 5 above anyway! Making your application as strong as it can be now before you apply, may reveal areas for improvement. Make a list of things you can improve. Here are some areas that students matching have strengths in:
- GPA. If you did very poorly in one or two courses and they are weighing down your GPA, it may be worthwhile to retake them to improve your competitiveness. Although this is not ideal, this may help you match, especially if you are geographically constrained for personal reasons.
- Work and volunteer experience. Did you have less than 100 hours of volunteer and/or work experience combined? Many students rack up hours of work (in any setting, not just dietetics specific) or volunteering. These types of experiences make you ready for the workforce and give you transferable skills such as problem solving, conflict resolution and communication. Dietetic internship directors recognize this in your application and students lacking in this area are not likely to be ranked high.
- Dietetics shadowing. The dietetic internship director wants to know that you are sure you want to become a registered dietitian. If you have no experience with a RDN, you will find it difficult to verbalize in your personal statement how your experiences have prepared you to become a registered dietitian.
- Graduate degree. If you decide that graduate school is something you want to do anyway, this is another good option. Keep in mind that this means you will still have to have at least a 3.0 to get into many (not all) programs. This may potentially be another costly route though. Although some programs may provide assistantships, these are not guaranteed. This is a good option for students who are not 100% sure they want to become a registered dietitian or are equally interested in following another path such a physician assistant programs. A graduate degree will give you time to shadow, volunteer and enhance your portfolio.
- Volunteer with a professional association. One way to learn more about the profession is by taking a volunteering in a leadership or student role with a group, affiliate or local chapter of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Some groups have student positions and others allow students to help with editing of newsletters, websites, social media, etc. This is a great way to network with dietitians who may be potential letter of recommendation writers in the future.
I hope reading this was helpful to those students not matching. If you love the profession, work on your weaknesses and keep trying. It may lead you to becoming a registered dietitian or in the process you may discover that you have a calling for another profession.
My Dietetics Career 