Bag of Owls' big bag of observations:
(1) Flying is expensive. Even if you are setting up dates, and you think you know all available dates, do not set up a roundtrip flight. You will be wrong, and another interview will be scheduled on your way home, and American Airlines does not allow rescheduling (unless you pay more up front or pay $200 as a change fee).
(2) Frontier Airlines is totally weird. Yes, yes, they keep the prices down by charging for drinks, etc. But depending on the airport/flight crew, you can have wildly discrepant experiences. SFO => DEN at 7:15? Everyone board at once! Put whatever you want in those overhead bins. DEN => CVG at 10:15? Whoops, we won't scan the boarding pass PDF on your phone even though it worked at SFO. We won't even try. Go back to ticketing, have one printed, and go back through security. Miss a meal while you're at it. That carry-on that was fine three days ago? You need to try to shove that into this bin that is much smaller than the overhead compartments. Doesn't fit? No problem, you can check it at the gate, just $35, credit card please. Now that you're exhausted, hungry, and thirsty, help yourself to an inner struggle over whether you should give us more money for food and drink. Stare at the empty overhead bin in front of you being closed to prepare for take-off.
(3) People will tell you that it may be hard to get your breath at higher altitudes. They may not tell you that you have to drink 3x your normal amount of water or you will become delirious. Hi, Denver VA people! That was me you saw drink four bottles of water in a row. 🙂
(4) Interviews vary widely in approach. Some shuttle you all over the city. At those, sometimes the shuttle takes off without you, totally empty, for no reason at all. HUGE respect for my fellow interviewee (to work with the same mentor), who kept her cool even though her interview with him was the first agendum after the shuttle ride. Also, thanks, Uber!
Other sites will put you in a room and send faculty to speed-date you. Sometimes 15 different mini-presentations, in addition to personal interviews that include case vignettes. Those sites are super-busy. If you match there, you will have to be comfortable doing work in 10-15 minute chunks, missing some of your planned breaks, and still being personable in one-on-one interactions. Sort of a perfect interview approach if you think about it.
(5) If you plan to stay with a friend, and that friend wants to celebrate after your interview, keep in mind your home time zone. And your age. And how new your leather dress boots are.
(6) Get a travel steamer. If your hotel has no iron, rest assured that it will also have those theft-deterrent hangers that have nail-heads instead of hooks and hang on a special ring. When you go to try the bathroom-sauna suit-steaming trick, you will find yourself MacGyvering those nail-heads into the plastic bathroom cups to allow you to hang your suit from the metals slat shelving. You will be tired. But it will work!
(7) During an interview, the psychologists do not want you to ask a bunch of questions just to show how conscientious you are. I gather this is a common behavior because one interviewer said to me: "Do you have any questions that are really make-or-break for whether this site fits? Don't do that thing where you ask a lot of questions just to show you are conscientious. We know that already. Just saving us time." It was funny and a relief to hear.
(8) The site invited you because they are pretty sure you are a good fit. What matters most in the match process is whether you think the site is a good fit for you. So focus on eliciting information rather than demonstrating your fitness. Seriously. Have conversations. Watch the current interns and supervisors for signs of their stress level and overall happiness.
(9) I hear these things can be energizing for extroverts. Well, I'm sort of an extrovert, and maybe one would be energizing, but jet lag is rough, and it really is hard to stay super-enthusiastic all day long. Hang in there. Treat yourself to nice food afterward. Yes you're spending a lot of money, but if you try to save money by cutting out your comforts, you will drain yourself and burn out. Plus, you will have to spend that money checking your carry-on anyway no matter how careful you have been.
(10) Feel free to get to the site and identify the room super-early, but if you go into the room super-early, you may to reintroduce yourself every time someone walks in. Can interfere with your pre-interview zen moment, or can be helpful for meeting new people or for distracting you from the interview worry train. Your call.
That's it for now. I'll think of more, and post them in batches. I hope it's going well for you all!
Baggy
