ATul Jain, MD
Contributing Editor
Once all applications are sent out, the waiting game begins, it takes anywhere from about 3 to 6 weeks for programs to evaluate and select those whom they are going to invite for an interview. Successful applicants are generally notified by a phone call or an email extending them an invitation which generally occurs over the course of an entire day that sometimes includes a dinner the evening preceding or following the interview, depending on the program.
In the beginning it is best to accept all interview offers with the knowledge that you can always cancel later, and programs are fully aware that there are going to be last minute cancellations (remember nobody is looking out for you except for yourself, thus, do what’s in your best interest).
Everybody knows the standard routine, dress sharp but conservatively, be on time, shave, look enthusiastic, etc… What a lot of people know and have just come to accept is that interviews are expensive, which they are; but there are ways to trim the costs of interviews down significantly. Book your airfare in advance (as much as possible, who knows if that dream interview will come in at the last second, and if it does, go for it!), and use frequent flier miles when possible, or else the myriad of online travel agencies (some good ones: www.mobissmo.com, www.kayak.com, and of course southwest). Another little trick is to invest in a portable GPS system, don’t get it just for interviews, but if you were in the market for one (or for your parents, friend, significant other, it’s still a great gift even if opened), a good time to buy it would be before interviews start. That way you can rent cars and use the GPS to help you navigate in those unfamiliar cities away from home. If that doesn’t work you can always pay an extra $10/day to rent a car with a GPS.
Next the matter of car rental and hotels comes up. The best way to tackle this is simply to use www.priceline.com and just bid a cheap price on a hotel in the general area that you want (I frequently got something like a Hyatt Regency or comparable hotel from $50-70 in most cities, which is a lot nicer than a Days Inn or something of that caliber). You can also use priceline.com for car rentals which you can generally snag for $10-15/day depending on the city, and if you have your GPS you are set. For those of you that would like to do some research before you bid on priceline.com, check out a site called www.biddingfortravel.com where people post the successful bids they had on priceline.com and what hotels it got them.
Finally, most applicants have friends in a lot of cities. It’s a mixed bag whether to call ‘em up for a place to crash, sure you’ll save money, but you will likely stay up late chatting or sleep on an uncomfortable couch; it’s up to your discretion if this is a prudent thing to do the night before a fellowship interview.
Many people have asked what specific programs are like and how the interview is organized, it is difficult to do this generically as the interview day at each program is oftentimes as different as the programs themselves. Thus, in the next few articles I’ll discuss some popular programs and what their interview experience was like.
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