Interviewing is a bit like going on a first date. With a really hot guy. A really really hot guy (i.e. one who makes you swoon if he so much as looks at you).
But look at you, he did. And now you're going on a date with him!
And you're nervous. And excited! But mainly nervous.
You desperately want him to like you, so you try on 15 different outfits and arrive 30 minutes too early. And every little bit of you hopes that he turns out to be not douche-y; that underneath the good clothes and the witty repartee, there's a deeper guy who understands you and will think your awkwardness is endearing. And let's face it - you already know you're more invested than he is. So at the end of the night, you linger before leaving, hoping he'll say the magic words, that he wants to see you again.
I went to my very first interview last Monday. And I was an absolute wreck. I couldn't sleep at all the night before because I was so nervous I would oversleep and miss my interview, so I woke up at 20 minute intervals to compulsively check my phone alarm and clock -- to the point that my phone needed to be plugged in again in the middle of the night. I bought 5 different shirts to wear under my suit, and spent almost 2 hours trying to figure out which one would be most appropriate. I left the apartment at 7am for a thirty minute cab ride to a 9am interview, because I didn't want to get stuck in traffic and be late. And every second of every minute that I was there, I prayed and hoped that they would like me.
See - I was in New York! And I love New York. And the more I heard about the program, the more I fell in love with it. Twelve residents per class! An AWESOME first-year salary! Paid-for meals every day! Protected patient census counts! Subsidized housing! Weekend get-aways to faculty cottages in Niagara Falls or the Hamptons!
And then I talked to the residents and fell in love even more. Dedicated didactic days. One-on-one supervision. And here's the kicker - the residents actually enjoyed their CL months, notoriously known as THE WORST ROTATION EVER across the psychiatry board. And it was amazing seeing how well the residents all got along. As though they genuinely all liked each other and were happy there. And it was impressive to see how many of them came to talk to the applicants; there were at least 30 people crammed into that small conference room for the lunch meeting.
Add to that how much I love New York. And I love my friends who are there now - from undergrad, from my childhood. And what other city perfectly fulfills my absolute dependence on public transportation? And the food! Oh my god, the food! I would gain twenty pounds in a month if I lived here.
Anyways, all of this emoting just to say one thing -- I hope they like me. I really hope they like me.
(With Thanan in Central Park!)
(Domo arrigato, Mr. Roboto!)
Special shout-out to Yulee for taking me to her mom's spa and beautifying me up, and to Thanan (who doesn't even read my blog) for letting me crash in his apartment on the Upper West Side and trying to make sure I had a good night's rest and a solid breakfast before seeing me off to my interview. Thank you also for forcing me to walk in the Halloween Parade, because even though my feet wanted to kill you at the end of the night, it was a definite conversation starter.
