should i ask a program if i can interview while i'm in town?

[chigirl]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I am now in Chicago for externship and have not heard from either northwestern or UofC. I will be leaving in 2 weeks and already have all my interviews in the city set up until then. Should I call/email to ask if they were considering offering me an interview? I obviously wouldn't mind flying back for either of those schools but if they invite me to interview, I could save a few hundred. These schools are reaches for me anyhow, could it hurt to ask or should I just wait it out?

 

[peptidoglycan]

I don't have the answer, but I hope if you call you'll let us know. I too am waiting for U of C and I have scheduled a trip to Chicago in December. I am hoping to interview at U of C while I'm already there. My PD says to go ahead and call but I haven't done it yet. Let me know if calling works out for you.

 

[bof]

i don't think it would hurt. either they interview you or they don't. this could potentially save you lots of money on travel.

I am now in Chicago for externship and have not heard from either northwestern or UofC. I will be leaving in 2 weeks and already have all my interviews in the city set up until then. Should I call/email to ask if they were considering offering me an interview? I obviously wouldn't mind flying back for either of those schools but if they invite me to interview, I could save a few hundred. These schools are reaches for me anyhow, could it hurt to ask or should I just wait it out?

 

[chigirl]

ok so i called and the secretary was very nice. She said they just started reviewing applications and she would see if they would take a look at mine. I'm not getting my hopes up, especially since this website shows that many people have already been offered interviews. This sucks. Are we EVER going to stop having to go through the application process?

 

[boolaboo]

hey chi,

take it from one of your chicago brethren (me), the application process will never stop. neither will standardized tests. just a fact of living in a meritocracy. i hate it, but it's just the reality.

as for getting interviews, i wouldn't worry so much about it on nov. 10. even if a program has already sent out a bunch of interview invites, that doesn't mean they have sent out all of them. i would imagine they send them out in batches; depending on how many respond in the first batch, they send out a second batch, then a third based on the second, etc. etc. no one really knows how it works, but if it's true that programs send out invites all the way into january, then it's reasonable to think you're still in the game. as long as you don't get a rejection, keep positive! i agree, though, patience is a bitch.