Interviews...

Interviews are coming soon. I thought I would take a couple of minutes to post some tips for a great match day down the road.

1) Go to as many interviews as you can make. The process is expensive, but this really is a numbers game. If you go on more interviews, you will have more programs to put on your rank list, and you will greatly increase your chances of matching.
2) Go to the night before social events. This is where you really get a chance to get to know the current residents at a program, and I believe that this is the most important place to learn about a program. Things are a little more scripted on the actual interview day. The social event gives you an opportunity to see who these people are in real life, and it gives you a chance to see how the current residents at a program interact with one another.
3) Go on the tour. Not only is it a great way to see where you will be working for the next five years, it gives you an opportunity to ask some questions along the way and get to know other residents in a more informal setting.
4) I'm sure you already thought of these, but make sure that you: a) show up on time, b) are polite and say please and thank you to those helping you get through the day, and c) stay as long as you can.
5) I'm not really sure how beneficial thank you letters/emails are, but I think sending letters to the programs that interest you the most will not necessarily hurt you. Pay attention to the information that programs hand out, though, because some programs ask you to not send letters.
6) Don't be afraid to tell programs that you are interested. Don't over do it, but, when you decide where you want to go, send an email or letter to the program director to let them know. Ask your mentor to make phone calls for you. If there is a place where you really want to go, you should make that known.
7) Have fun, take a deep breath, and be yourself. People say this all the time, but it's true. You're looking for a place where you fit. You will go to places and discover very quickly that you don't fit in. This place might be a "top five" program. Don't get sucked in just because of the place's reputation. It doesn't matter how good the reputation if you aren't having a good time. Half a decade is a long time!
8) Decide what attributes you are looking for early on. Do you want a more academic program with rigorous education or do you want a community program with a huge clinical component? Do you want to operate as an intern, or are you OK with a more delayed operative experience?
9) Look for the hidden clues. Every program has something in their closet that they don't necessarily want to share. How do the residents talk about the staff and vice versa?
10)Take notes. You'll forget the little details as you go. My approach was to make a running list. I moved programs up and down rank list as I went from interview to interview. In the end, I didn't really make many changes to the list before my final submission.

Good Luck!