The Cross Cultural Internship Program (CCIP) announced the close of the first registration period and the beginning of the second period for the 2011 program.

"The response to the first registration was great," said Elizabeth Kay (EK), founder and head of the CCIP, "despite the fact that the new user account registration system only accepts registrations from students in the program's partner university network."

"To date, over 300 students have applied to the program. We expect most applications will be received during the second and third registration periods," said EK.

Students whose applications were accepted during the first registration period should have received a confirmation email. Because of the Lunar New Year celebrations, the program will start interviewing candidates and considering them for acceptance to CCIP beginning the week of Feb 7.

Students interested in joining CCIP can still submit their applications during the second or the third registration periods.

This year, the CCIP adopted a new selection method in which "interactions" play an important role in the screening process. The program uses "real world situations" in the application process to test the candidates' responses and reactions.

EK offered a few insider tips. "The new selection method blends real world situations into the preparation process. The goal is to provide students with a more realistic picture of interning in New York while giving us a better idea of the students' ability, attitude and potential before they join the program."

"It is okay for students feel lost or make mistakes in the beginning of the process," EK added. "What's more important is their ability to improve based on comments and their attitude toward criticisms. In addition, we also break up the students into groups to build their leadership skills and improve their ability to work as part of a team."