Scheduling interviews

[freakedout06]

I have two interview invites right now, and was wondering what the best strategy was in this whole process of scheduling. Is it better to just pick a date immediately after to get an invite or to wait to see what other invites come along? I've applied all over the country and ideally would like to schedule interviews in the same geographic area around the same time and its still early in the season, with some programs not even downloading docs off ERAS yet.

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[rachmoninov3]

I am by no means an expert, but here's my $0.02:

What is the time range this particular program has to interview? (If you don't know, call and ask)

What is your time frame for interviewing? (when did you schedule your easiest rotations or take time off for interviewing?)

Where is the program geographically?

Where is the program as far as your tentative match list?

The first interviews are of course easiest to schedule. Mine were with programs at my own university, so I scheduled them middle of their season and last in my time frame for interviewing. Hopefully I'd then be able to cluster the 4 other states I applied to regionally...if they ever send me an invite!

Anyway, best of luck, and congrats on getting the invites!

 

[juiceman311]

Easy. Schedule IMMEDIATELY. Deal with the details later.

Many places are sending out 2X the interview offers than they have interviews available. First come, first serve. In other words, the program may only be interview 20 people on Nov 15 and Dec 6, but they are sending out 80 interview offers. The first 40 to respond get the spots. The next 40 are probably relegated to the wait-list.

You can always cancel interviews in the future (in a professional and timely manner), or trade interview dates with others.

 

[atsai3]

I have two interview invites right now, and was wondering what the best strategy was in this whole process of scheduling. Is it better to just pick a date immediately after to get an invite or to wait to see what other invites come along? I've applied all over the country and ideally would like to schedule interviews in the same geographic area around the same time and its still early in the season, with some programs not even downloading docs off ERAS yet.

Easy. Pick now and reschedule later.

-AT.

 

[freakedout06]

Easy. Schedule IMMEDIATELY. Deal with the details later.

Many places are sending out 2X the interview offers than they have interviews available. First come, first serve. In other words, the program may only be interview 20 people on Nov 15 and Dec 6, but they are sending out 80 interview offers. The first 40 to respond get the spots. The next 40 are probably relegated to the wait-list.

You can always cancel interviews in the future (in a professional and timely manner), or trade interview dates with others.

Ok thanks.... what is a "professional and timely manner" ... 2 weeks?

 

[notdeadyet]

Ok thanks.... what is a "professional and timely manner" ... 2 weeks?

That's always a good yardstick...

 

[peppy]

2 weeks is too long if it is a place you care about. I think you should respond in more like 2 days. You can always cancel or ask to reschedule, but if they run out of room for you and you don't get as many interviews as you had expected from the other places you might regret not taking advantage of the invitation when it came. Additionally, I could imagine a program noticing you didn't respond very quickly and taking that to mean you're not all that interested.

 

[notdeadyet]

2 weeks is too long if it is a place you care about.

freakedout's asking the length of time to cancel an interview, not respond to an invite.

 

[coup de chance]

What is an acceptable length of time to respond to interview invites? What about acceptable length of time to decide on accept / decline? (Could the program directors reading please help us with this one?)

Is it ever appropriate to cancel an interview? Even a day after you accept? What is the acceptable length of time within your acceptance to cancel if any?

Is it appropriate to cancel an interview if you asked for a date, but a program did not get back to you yet to confirm the date?
(i.e. That would be similar to a program sending out more invitation then they have interview slots. I'm not sure whether they actually do that, but just a comparison-- you could have asked other programs about the same dates.)

 

[Doctor4Life1769]

I dont have a smart phone so here's my situation

received an invite from a prelim program on thurs evening, coincidentally, internet down. im on rotations doing an away, come back to check email the next day (fri) and see it. however, it's 6pm. i send an email stating the date i'd like to interview - is this too late or considered "not showing enough interest" or is this okay? i assume the email should be had on the following monday and i can follow up that day if need be, too (i.e. no confirmation email received by later that day). please let me know - thanks!

 

[atsai3]

What is an acceptable length of time to respond to interview invites? What about acceptable length of time to decide on accept / decline? (Could the program directors reading please help us with this one?)

Is it ever appropriate to cancel an interview? Even a day after you accept? What is the acceptable length of time within your acceptance to cancel if any?

Is it appropriate to cancel an interview if you asked for a date, but a program did not get back to you yet to confirm the date?
(i.e. That would be similar to a program sending out more invitation then they have interview slots. I'm not sure whether they actually do that, but just a comparison-- you could have asked other programs about the same dates.)

If you get an interview, respond within a day or two, even if just to say "I need time to look at my schedule but will get back in touch with you on Monday".

Cancel 1 month in advance to give them time to offer it to someone else.

-AT.

 

[swtiepie711]

If you get an interview, respond within a day or two, even if just to say "I need time to look at my schedule but will get back in touch with you on Monday".

Cancel 1 month in advance to give them time to offer it to someone else.

-AT.

AT, is it appropriate to reschedule an interview? I have hesitated on scheduling an interview b/c I'm having trouble figuring out timing - would it be better to schedule it and then possibly have to re-schedule?

 

[MountainEM]

Easy. Pick now and reschedule later.

-AT.

really swtiepie711?

 

[Ludicolo]

It is perfectly acceptable to try to reschedule, provided you give programs enough lead time (i.e. don't try to reschedule the day before your interview). Just keep in mind that, as others get invites and accept, it may get more difficult to move dates around.

 

[swtiepie711]

really swtiepie711?

Sorry my question wasn't clear. I know AT said schedule & then reschedule if needed. The question was really directed at how acceptable is it to reschedule - if it's a large inconvenience & last resort vs. easy peasy (as long as spots don't fill up).

It is perfectly acceptable to try to reschedule, provided you give programs enough lead time (i.e. don't try to reschedule the day before your interview). Just keep in mind that, as others get invites and accept, it may get more difficult to move dates around.

Thanks!

 

[atsai3]

AT, is it appropriate to reschedule an interview? I have hesitated on scheduling an interview b/c I'm having trouble figuring out timing - would it be better to schedule it and then possibly have to re-schedule?

In general, from the perspective of the residency coordinator (and residency program director, by extension), rescheduling is not a problem if you give them enough time to offer the spot to someone else. And if you give them a month, that is more than enough time. Some would argue that a cancellation with 2-3 weeks' notice is also appropriate, although I think 2 weeks is on the shorter end.

From your perspective, it doesn't matter whether rebooking is easy or difficult. If rebooking is easy (i.e., there are plenty of interview slots to go around), then the optimal strategy would be "schedule an interview now, rebook later". If rebooking is difficult (i.e., the program packs the interview schedule tightly), then if you wait until later to schedule yours, it is more likely (compared to the previous) that early interview slots will be taken and you will have to book an interview on a day that is less convenient for you. Therefore the optimal strategy is still "schedule an interview now, rebook later".

-AT.

 

[freakedout06]

2 weeks is too long if it is a place you care about. I think you should respond in more like 2 days. You can always cancel or ask to reschedule, but if they run out of room for you and you don't get as many interviews as you had expected from the other places you might regret not taking advantage of the invitation when it came. Additionally, I could imagine a program noticing you didn't respond very quickly and taking that to mean you're not all that interested.

thanks peppy, yeah I was thinking that what if the invites stopped and then I didn't have anything to fall back on because I waited to schedule. Schedule now and deal with details later seems to be the right way to go. And as atsai mentioned, 1 month notice to cancel should be plenty of time

One more question for everyone....are too many interviews just too much? Can that hurt you in the end? My school allows 3 days off per rotation for interviews plus I have 2 weeks vacation time during early-mid december and I wanted to maximize the amount of interviews I could do. But does it just get to a point that it's overkill?

 

[notdeadyet]

One more question for everyone....are too many interviews just too much? Can that hurt you in the end? My school allows 3 days off per rotation for interviews plus I have 2 weeks vacation time during early-mid december and I wanted to maximize the amount of interviews I could do. But does it just get to a point that it's overkill?

Conventional wisdom is not to do more than three interviews in a week. No matter how outgoing and energetic you are, no one can be on point for much more than that and you'll start sounding rehearsed or bored.

Besides that, even if you're interviewing in one geographical area, you'd really need the cards to align to do more than three/week.

 

[DOCplucinski]

so my time in the fall for scheduling is tight. a recent change in my schedule took away a block of time i had in november for interview scheduling. so he's my question to aPD or others who have maybe delt with this before.

i have two audition rotations in the fall from october to the beginning of december. i can get time off from my home medical school during rotations, which i have already done so with 1 interview before my audition rotations start, but how do i go about asking during these two rotations?

would it look bad that i'm requesting time off when i really should be working hard to impress these program directors? i'm not sure what to do...

 

[gutonc]

so my time in the fall for scheduling is tight. a recent change in my schedule took away a block of time i had in november for interview scheduling. so he's my question to aPD or others who have maybe delt with this before.

i have two audition rotations in the fall from october to the beginning of december. i can get time off from my home medical school during rotations, which i have already done so with 1 interview before my audition rotations start, but how do i go about asking during these two rotations?

would it look bad that i'm requesting time off when i really should be working hard to impress these program directors? i'm not sure what to do...

Are you going into a field where auditions are really important? If so, I have no useful advice for you. If you're going into IM/FM/Peds/Psych/Neuro/Path, where an away is borderline irrelevant for most applicants then just cancel one of your aways and schedule your interviews during that other month.

 

[rachmoninov3]

It's too bad Freakedout is already taken as a screen name! I just got my first out of state interview, and per my mathematically polished and perfect plans for scheduling it, I put it first...now if only the 3 other programs in that state will get moving so that I can book the $60 flight, get the rental car for a week, and schedule the other interviews so things will be perfect...cause if they aren't perfect I start getting this little twitch....

Good times my friends, good times!

 

[EMRocksmyworld]

So what is the appropriate policy on cancelling interviews? From reading the thread thus far, it sounds like 2-4 weeks (ideally 4) of notice is fine. But logistically, how do you do it? Do you call, email, or both? Emailing seems a little impersonal but of course it's good to have the record that you did it. And do you just contact them the once time to cancel, or do you need to follow up to make sure the interview actually got cancelled so you don't become a "no-show" and be rude/look inconsiderate. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[DrMed2009]

Hey,
I am also in a little dilemma on how to approach this whole scheduling business. I am an IMG from Europe and do pediatric residency there. My boss is really really supportive and lets me take off as much time as I need (either as vacation or unpaid leave whatever I choose) but I only planned on being there for 3-4 weeks in december maybe late november. I plan on taking Step 3 if possible on the first weekend when I get to the USA and then start interviewing. I applied to 27 mostly in Texas and surrounding states. I applied a week ago and so far got two invites and one rejection with my LOR not being out yet thanks to slow ECFMG. So I am planning/hoping for around 8-10 invites maybe.
So how many interviews do you think are possible within one week? Are 3 even possible? It is hard to tell which days programs interview and if they have dinners the night before. I will try to drive as much as possible so some places are 8 or more hours drives. What if the more desirable come last?
Are there certain dates where most of the programs interview? Mo, Wed, Fri? Is there are pattern that I can plan on? I know about three programs on what days they interview. Will some make exceptions on the days they interview...lets say interview me on a tuesday if they usually do it on wed and fri?

 

[gutonc]

So what is the appropriate policy on cancelling interviews? From reading the thread thus far, it sounds like 2-4 weeks (ideally 4) of notice is fine. But logistically, how do you do it? Do you call, email, or both? Emailing seems a little impersonal but of course it's good to have the record that you did it. And do you just contact them the once time to cancel, or do you need to follow up to make sure the interview actually got cancelled so you don't become a "no-show" and be rude/look inconsiderate. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

Email is fine given >2 weeks notice. Any less than that, I would both email and call. Most of the time you'll get an email reply the same day saying something like "we understand, thanks for considering our program, good luck in the Match" and that will be the end of it.

 

[gutonc]

Hey,
I am also in a little dilemma on how to approach this whole scheduling business. I am an IMG from Europe and do pediatric residency there. My boss is really really supportive and lets me take off as much time as I need (either as vacation or unpaid leave whatever I choose) but I only planned on being there for 3-4 weeks in december maybe late november. I plan on taking Step 3 if possible on the first weekend when I get to the USA and then start interviewing. I applied to 27 mostly in Texas and surrounding states. I applied a week ago and so far got two invites and one rejection with my LOR not being out yet thanks to slow ECFMG. So I am planning/hoping for around 8-10 invites maybe.
So how many interviews do you think are possible within one week? Are 3 even possible? It is hard to tell which days programs interview and if they have dinners the night before. I will try to drive as much as possible so some places are 8 or more hours drives. What if the more desirable come last?
Are there certain dates where most of the programs interview? Mo, Wed, Fri? Is there are pattern that I can plan on? I know about three programs on what days they interview. Will some make exceptions on the days they interview...lets say interview me on a tuesday if they usually do it on wed and fri?

The scheduling will vary by program. Some small programs may only have 2 or 3 interview dates all season, others may have interviews 3 days a week for 2 months straight.

Practically speaking, 3 interviews in a week is do-able, but exhausting. Even if they're all in the same city, it's hard to stay "up" for that many interviews in a row. But you need to do what you need to do. As an FMG, if you're only going to be here for 4 weeks, then you need to cram as many interviews in to that time as possible.

 

[atsai3]

So what is the appropriate policy on cancelling interviews? From reading the thread thus far, it sounds like 2-4 weeks (ideally 4) of notice is fine. But logistically, how do you do it? Do you call, email, or both? Emailing seems a little impersonal but of course it's good to have the record that you did it. And do you just contact them the once time to cancel, or do you need to follow up to make sure the interview actually got cancelled so you don't become a "no-show" and be rude/look inconsiderate. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

Just call the residency program coordinator

-AT.

 

[atsai3]

Hey,
I am also in a little dilemma on how to approach this whole scheduling business. I am an IMG from Europe and do pediatric residency there. My boss is really really supportive and lets me take off as much time as I need (either as vacation or unpaid leave whatever I choose) but I only planned on being there for 3-4 weeks in december maybe late november. I plan on taking Step 3 if possible on the first weekend when I get to the USA and then start interviewing. I applied to 27 mostly in Texas and surrounding states. I applied a week ago and so far got two invites and one rejection with my LOR not being out yet thanks to slow ECFMG. So I am planning/hoping for around 8-10 invites maybe.
So how many interviews do you think are possible within one week? Are 3 even possible? It is hard to tell which days programs interview and if they have dinners the night before. I will try to drive as much as possible so some places are 8 or more hours drives. What if the more desirable come last?
Are there certain dates where most of the programs interview? Mo, Wed, Fri? Is there are pattern that I can plan on? I know about three programs on what days they interview. Will some make exceptions on the days they interview...lets say interview me on a tuesday if they usually do it on wed and fri?

Agree with gutonc. When I interviewed, I was dead tired on the weeks where I did even just two interviews. So three seems a bit much, especially if you are driving/flying around from place to place. But, given your situation, you just have to do what you have to do.

In terms of what days the programs interview, typically this information is posted on the program's web site. If not, just call the residency program coordinator and ask.

-AT.

 

[NotAProgDirector]

so my time in the fall for scheduling is tight. a recent change in my schedule took away a block of time i had in november for interview scheduling. so he's my question to aPD or others who have maybe delt with this before.

i have two audition rotations in the fall from october to the beginning of december. i can get time off from my home medical school during rotations, which i have already done so with 1 interview before my audition rotations start, but how do i go about asking during these two rotations?

would it look bad that i'm requesting time off when i really should be working hard to impress these program directors? i'm not sure what to do...

In general, taking time off from an audition rotation to interview anywhere except at that program is bad form. If the purpose of the audition rotation is to impress the program, you should not do this. If the purpose of the audition rotation is for you to get a sense of the program, then you can do this. Of course, you will get days off from the rotation, and you could interview on those days off. This would be much more realistic if the rotations you have planned are electives / no call, and if programs that you want to interview with have weekend interview days. You might also ask to have 1-2 midweek days off and then work the weekend (depending on the rotation).

 

[Ludicolo]

Agree w/ aPD. How can you possibly impress a program by asking for time off to go interview at a different program?

 

[NeurologyICU]

I agree with aPD's post too, because I can see your point or where you are coming from. However, aPD, if you do go to interview while missing a few days (let's say 4 days total) over let's say (4 weeks audition month), how severely can it affect you? It's not like you are taking those 4 days to have a vacation. I mean shouldn't it be obvious to the program director or others that you are applying to other places too. Even if the program that you are doing your audition month at is your top choice, in this process, it's not like you can take chances and not apply/interview at other places. So, I don't understand how they can be not understanding of the circumstances?

 

[bkpa2med]

I'd like to know the answer to the previous post as well.

 

[Ludicolo]

I agree with aPD's post too, because I can see your point or where you are coming from. However, aPD, if you do go to interview while missing a few days (let's say 4 days total) over let's say (4 weeks audition month), how severely can it affect you? It's not like you are taking those 4 days to have a vacation. I mean shouldn't it be obvious to the program director or others that you are applying to other places too. Even if the program that you are doing your audition month at is your top choice, in this process, it's not like you can take chances and not apply/interview at other places. So, I don't understand how they can be not understanding of the circumstances?

Yes, everyone knows that you are applying to multiple places. Everyone knows that you’ll need to take time off during interview season. So it confuses us as to why someone would want to schedule an important audition rotation during that time. Poor planning skills don’t make for a good resident.

 

[notdeadyet]

if you do go to interview while missing a few days (let's say 4 days total) over let's say (4 weeks audition month), how severely can it affect you?

Ummm... 4 days off is almost 25% of a standard schedule. At my school, any time you take more than 2 days for interviews needs to be made up the following week to get credit for the course.

So, I don't understand how they can be not understanding of the circumstances?

It's an audition rotation in which you're supposed to pull out all the stops to impress them. Scheduling it the same time as scheduling interviews shows lack of commitment and poor planning. Not good.

 

[Doctor4Life1769]

Yes, everyone knows that you are applying to multiple places. Everyone knows that you’ll need to take time off during interview season. So it confuses us as to why someone would want to schedule an important audition rotation during that time. Poor planning skills don’t make for a good resident.

With all due respect, not all of us have the luxury of picking what we want where we want and when we want it. Considering the fact that some of us have required rotations early in the year (lottery system via the school, and no it wasn't my top choice), we audition when we can - I'm in a similar boat personally as some of the above posters. If it's that big a deal, I'll cancel invites during those times, but it's sort of counter-intuitive too - rough situation either way. I'll work all 3-4 weekends if need be.

 

[freakedout06]

Yes, everyone knows that you are applying to multiple places. Everyone knows that you’ll need to take time off during interview season. So it confuses us as to why someone would want to schedule an important audition rotation during that time. Poor planning skills don’t make for a good resident.

I don't think even the best planning skills can avoid this conflict. Rotations are scheduled months in advance, and you can't always get the dates you need.

I'm in the same situation myself. If I don't take the days off for interviews, then basically the entire month of November will have no interviews because of my school's limitation on days off. I would think that if you can impress them while you're there, then 3 days off shouldn't be so significant in the end.

 

[freakedout06]

Conventional wisdom is not to do more than three interviews in a week. No matter how outgoing and energetic you are, no one can be on point for much more than that and you'll start sounding rehearsed or bored.

Besides that, even if you're interviewing in one geographical area, you'd really need the cards to align to do more than three/week.

very true... thanks.

Does anyone know if you have to check off that box on ERAS where it says "I would like to notify this program I'm withdrawing myself" when you cancel interviews? Its on the page where you assign documents.

 

[DOCplucinski]

Yes, everyone knows that you are applying to multiple places. Everyone knows that you’ll need to take time off during interview season. So it confuses us as to why someone would want to schedule an important audition rotation during that time. Poor planning skills don’t make for a good resident.

when i originally scheduled everything (a year ago) i had november off (as you read in my previous post) for the sole purpose of interviews. i had a scheduling change that was completely out of my control which require me to change the dates of my 2 audition rotations. i obviously figured a year ago that the fall is a rather important time and i need some time off because taking time off during these rotations was not a good idea.

i guess you didn't read my post. anyway the one program is more a program to impress and the other is more of a feeler program so i'm probably going to schedule some in during that rotation.

 

[EMRocksmyworld]

Email is fine given >2 weeks notice. Any less than that, I would both email and call. Most of the time you'll get an email reply the same day saying something like "we understand, thanks for considering our program, good luck in the Match" and that will be the end of it.

Thank you so much!

 

[DrMed2009]

Does anyone else already have problems to find open dates? I just called a program this morning at 8am that sent me an invite yesterday at 4:30pm and they only have 3 more days open in January but being an IMG working abroad I can only take off in december from my work.
She put me on the waitlist but now I am wondering if I should have just gone ahead and schedule a date in january even though I already know I cant attend it and then try to change the date later. I am afraid I am now stuck on the waitlist and will never get a call back. But would it be considered unfair to other applicants to take a spot that I can't attend? I would definitely cancel it by the end of november if I can't change it by then. So it would open up for someone else in enough time. I just need to try to get as many interviews as possible and I am afraid this (me only being able to interview in december/late november) is gonna be a big problem for the next invites (if I even get anymore). What do yall think?

 

[Quink]

1. If you receive an invitation to interview, respond asap. Programs have to send out more invitations than they have spots in order to have a waiting list. People cancel. Programs need to make use of every open interview spot and the only way to do that is to have people on waiting lists.
2. PLEASE do not accept an interview date that you know you cannot attend. What is the point of that except that you take that spot from someone who CAN attend and you create a potential hole in that program's interview day? Waiting lists do work out for a lot of candidates.
3. Don't call programs to find out their interview dates. If you are offered an interview you will be told of the dates.
4. DO NOT SWAP INTERVIEW DATES!!!!!!!! Programs work very hard at preparing paperwork for interviews. If you cannot make an interview date that you scheduled, cancel it as soon as possible. Two weeks is cutting it very close. Don't consider canceling the day before unless you are in the hospital on a vent. No program wants to have someone who is not on their schedule turn up for an interview saying they made a swap.
5. Be nice to the Residency Coordinator. Please don't be snotty. These are folks that manage the programs and they really are NOT secretaries. Many have advanced degrees. A great coordinator will make your residency experience run more smoothly. Make a bad impression on the phone or at the interview and you may lose a shot at that job.

 

[atsai3]

She put me on the waitlist but now I am wondering if I should have just gone ahead and schedule a date in january even though I already know I cant attend it and then try to change the date later.

I don't understand your motivation for selecting an interview date you know you can't attend. If you can't attend, don't schedule it.

Later in the interview season, people may cancel and you may be able to squeeze into a vacated December interview date. But the probability of you being able to do this is unaffected by whether or not you had previously scheduled the interview date in January (that you knew you couldn't attend).

At a minimum, scheduling an interview date you know you can't attend is pointless. At worst, it takes away a slot from someone else. Either way, I can't see a gain to scheduling an interview date you know you can't attend. Given the setup you have just described, why is this even a question?

-AT.

 

[DrMed2009]

I did reply to my interview invites the minute I read them. This one was unfortunately sent out right when the office closed. So I called the next day at 8am when they opened up. So I know how important it is to reply right away.
I just wanted to make sure I did the right thing in telling her I can't attend interviews in January due to my work schedule in Europe. I am lucky enough to have a boss that lets me take off four weeks for job interviews.
I am the last person that wants to take away any interview spots from anyone. People on here said schedule first, no matter what and then try to reschedule. So I was wondering. I will just hope that they really get back to me in case someone cancels or maybe open up a few more days (the only interview Tue and Thur) which she said they might. Just was wondering how big the odds are to actually get back from waitlist on the interview list and to be called. I am just down since it was a program I would have liked to look at for sure.
I will just hope some more interview wil come up.
Thanks for the answers and good luck!

 

[gstrub]

3. Don't call programs to find out their interview dates. If you are offered an interview you will be told of the dates.

I have to disagree with this one. Programs should have this info on their webpage. If they haven't updated it since 2008, you bet I plan on calling them if I don't hear about potential dates before interviews really start coming. This way I can avoid scheduling interviews at a programs and then finding out the next day that my top choice is interviewing on the same days. If I knew this information ahead of time, I could strategize.

I'm not talking about incessantly calling, just one phone call in late Sept.

 

[notdeadyet]

I have to disagree with this one. Programs should have this info on their webpage. If they haven't updated it since 2008, you bet I plan on calling them if I don't hear about potential dates before interviews really start coming.

This is akin to asking what your date is wearing to prom when she hasn't said she wants to go with you yet.

 

[DrMed2009]

Of the 28 programs I applied to, only two had interview days on their website. I don't know why they don't all write that and also if it is a two day interview or not (dinner the night before) than people couple plan better. But calling them and asking when they interview before I even heard anything from them, I don't know if I would. It could seem to them that I am trying to make them invite me or that I feel so certain that they would that makes me look weird or overconfident. I don't know

 

[Paroxysm]

I did reply to my interview invites the minute I read them. This one was unfortunately sent out right when the office closed. So I called the next day at 8am when they opened up. So I know how important it is to reply right away.
I just wanted to make sure I did the right thing in telling her I can't attend interviews in January due to my work schedule in Europe. I am lucky enough to have a boss that lets me take off four weeks for job interviews.
I am the last person that wants to take away any interview spots from anyone. People on here said schedule first, no matter what and then try to reschedule. So I was wondering. I will just hope that they really get back to me in case someone cancels or maybe open up a few more days (the only interview Tue and Thur) which she said they might. Just was wondering how big the odds are to actually get back from waitlist on the interview list and to be called. I am just down since it was a program I would have liked to look at for sure.
I will just hope some more interview wil come up.
Thanks for the answers and good luck!

I asked to be placed on the interview-waiting-list for a school that I am interested in but have already booked/saved dates for other interviews. The coordinator said that there is a good chance that spots will open up as people run out of money/dates and start canceling. N of 1, but hope this helps.

 

[gstrub]

Of the 28 programs I applied to, only two had interview days on their website. I don't know why they don't all write that and also if it is a two day interview or not (dinner the night before) than people couple plan better. But calling them and asking when they interview before I even heard anything from them, I don't know if I would. It could seem to them that I am trying to make them invite me or that I feel so certain that they would that makes me look weird or overconfident. I don't know

No one says you have to identify yourself...just a polite "I was wondering if your program had selected interview dates for 2011" would suffice.

Maybe I won't do it...I was just thinking with applying to so many places it would be easier when I start hearing from early ones to avoid having to cancel later on. Also, it would be much easier to stagger geographically. Usually you only have 1 day if that to respond and pick a date; if you knew ahead of time there was another interview 2 days later nearby, it would be the obvious choice.

Just my thoughts...

 

[atsai3]

The interview dates aren't supposed to be some big secret, and you don't need to go to great lengths to conceal your identity when calling. Take a deep breath, chill out, stop overthinking it, and just call.

When I was applying, for the programs that didn't post the dates on their web site, I just picked up the phone and called the residency program coordinator:

"Hi, my name is XYZ and I'm applying to your program this year. I'm trying to do some advance planning with regards to scheduling and was wondering if you have information on what dates you will be interviewing applicants this year?"
​

It's really that easy.

-AT.

 

[astronugget]

anyone know whether programs interview during the 1st week of january? trying to figure out how long i should plan to be out of town after the holidays.

 

[atsai3]

anyone know whether programs interview during the 1st week of january? trying to figure out how long i should plan to be out of town after the holidays.

This varies by program, but most programs do interview in January.

-AT.