Interview Season

“You will never find your place in the world by being like everyone else.”

S.C. Lourie

One of the fun things about fourth year is getting to work with your classmates in the year behind you. I recently spent a few hours working with the “little sibling” I was paired with, what now seems a lifetime ago, in our pediatric emergency room. What a full-circle moment. Seeing her finally on rotations and watching her potentially finding her specialty was priceless. As we were catching up, I had the realization that I only have three more rotations left as a medical student! How wild is that? Also, we are four months away from Match Day? How is that possible? Two weeks ago, I started my residency interview journey. What a wild ride it has been. Learning about different programs and cities, meeting my future colleagues, and trying to envision myself as a part of each residency is so exciting. It definitely takes a lot of energy, though. I absolutely need to recharge my introvert battery after a long interview day. Walks with friends to decompress or curling up on the couch to watch a movie after debriefing with my family have been crucial.

This virtual interview season has come with many unexpected blessings, however. Firstly, I didn’t have to take out a whole separate loan to be able to pay for my interview travel. It seems obvious at first, but interviewing can become quickly expensive and figuring out how I would be able to pay for all of these hotel stays and flights was a source of stress for me before the shift to virtual interviews. Second, being able to interview from my own apartment has given me, in a way, a home field advantage. I’m someone who really battled nerves during medical school interviews. There’s something terrifying about sitting across from a stranger in a position of power who has the potential to, quite frankly, change the course of your life. In my opinion, the virtual format goes a long way toward leveling the playing field. I feel so much more comfortable and am able to be myself much more easily. I absolutely have grown in confidence over the last four years, which also helps, but talking to a screen during an interview has been infinitely less intimidating. Plus, I am someone who strongly feels the energy of others, so not having 10 anxious medical students in the same room helps me focus on just me.

Can I just say how cool it has been to find programs who are invested in the areas you’re interested in? The opportunity to attend lectures has given me a sense for what my education could be like as a resident. Seeing the clinics and hospitals where I may be caring for patients of all ages in just a few short months makes it so much more real that I’m about to be a DOCTOR!!! Meeting residents going into areas I’m interested in and leaders who are so invested in helping you build your career has been incredible. I love feeling the passion programs have for teaching and their commitment to helping you become a strong clinician-educator. Seeing strong female leaders in a variety of positions throughout each interview day never fails to make me smile. The number of doors opened to you in Med-Peds is endless and knowing there are people already doing what I want in a career is surreal. Most of all, I am so excited every time I see a familiar face from our group chat, Twitter or prior interviews. We are such a fun, supportive and accomplished group and I am so excited to see where we all end up. I have absolutely found my people and can’t wait to join this warm, supportive family.