Interviews Schedule

The headache is (almost) gone, likely because my interviews are (almost) completely set. The uncertainty was the most not-fun part. You submit all your information into many different parts of a single website, and you just hope that it all comes together correctly. You hope that the administrative team at your medical school uploaded your picture without drawing a mustache on your face (can't blame them if they did), and you hope that your letter-writers didn't discuss the time you called them "ma'am" instead of "sir" (repeatedly). If the interviews start rolling in, then at least one of these things didn't happen. Then, you are baked til golden.

The interviews are the fun part. Most interviews consist of an evening gathering the night before with the residents, followed by a full day of interviews starting the next morning. Based on most of the schedules, it looks like there is usually a Grand Rounds, a tour, some presentations, and some interviews. Though some places have a reputation for being intense (asking medical/ethical questions until you are thoroughly embarrassed by your lack of knowledge), most of my friends have had relatively chill interviews. Just people trying to get to know other people. The interview goes both ways too -- you are trying to show your stuff, but at the same time, they are trying to sell you on their program. Both parties are looking for the right fit.

While I am still waiting on a couple more to roll in, my interview schedule is fairly set. Organizing my flights and planning when and where I must be was more harrowing than I thought. Some places that I would have loved to interview just wouldn't fit in my schedule. I would've had to cancel two (or sometimes three) of my other interviews just to get there. Geographically, I applied all over the map, so logistics were a little bit of a bear. But anywho, this is likely the final line-up, listed in chronological order. My first stop will be Atlanta in mid-November, ending up in Philadelphia in mid-January! Ten interviews over two months. I am excited for all of them.

• Emory University (Atlanta, Georgia)
• Oregon Health & Science University (Portland, Oregon)
• University of California - San Francisco (San Francisco, California)
• Stanford University (Palo Alto, California)
• Washington University - St. Louis (St. Louis, Missouri)
• Northwestern University (Chicago, Illinois)
• University of Chicago (Chicago, Illinois)
• Vanderbilt University (Nasheville, Tennessee)
• University of California - Los Angeles (Los Angeles, California)
• University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

Next comes the interview prep. Gotta be ready for the standard questions (Why surgery? Why here? What's that in your teeth?), and you have to have questions ready of your own. Each program has a website full of information about their clinical experience, research, and philosophy, and some have mailed/emailed additional information to peruse. Lots of prep, lots of prep.

But this is indeed the fun part. After January 18th, it's two months of the not-fun part again...

The Waiting.