Stuck at Midway

So here I am, stuck at Midway with an estimated departure time of 5:45 pm, instead of 4:05 pm. But guess what -- I couldn't be happier! You see, I've spent the last couple of weeks dreading the interview I have tomorrow, for a variety of reasons, but unable to cancel it in good conscience. Yesterday, I was really about to cancel it, but I was worried about coming off as rude on the interview trail (the program coordinators talk to each other on a listserv!). On top of dreading the interview itself, it was going to be kind of a pain getting to the airport today, and getting to the pre-interview dinner tonight on time, so it was going to be an all-around annoying experience.

But when I woke up this morning and turned on my trusty Headline News, they warned me that flights in the mid-Atlantic region would probably be delayed today, so I was sort of expecting this. My flight out of Louisville was delayed about 30 minutes, also, which was good because it allowed me to leave the hospital once I was actually done for the day, and not have to cut out early, and it allowed me to grab something for lunch -- key! I napped the entire flight to Chicago, so now I'm refreshed and not cranky -- also key!

Now, I'm not getting to Philly until 9 pm, which is when the interview dinner will be ending, so I can get to my friend Marjorie's apartment without worrying about a time crunch and trying to still make it to the dinner. Sweet! I still have to interview tomorrow, but I'm not feeling so mentally exhausted and filled with dread about it.

Thursday I'm doing a second-look visit at my top choice program (no, I'm not going to tell you which one it is), and Friday is my last -- LAST!!!! -- interview. Even though I'm completely tired of interviewing, I don't mind the one on Friday, because it's at a really good program that I had given up on after not hearing from them all season. But over winter break, they emailed me and offered me a spot for Friday, and I took it. I must have been on some waiting list and a spot opened up.

So my interview season is almost over, and next comes a few weeks of anxiety before Match Day. But before that happens, it's time for My Traveling and Residency Interviewing Tips, which I have developed as I have become an expert traveler over the last 3 months.

My first interview was October 16, which was very early in the interview season, at a small community program in NJ. I have to give this disclaimer about my interviews: I had very little trustable guidance about programs in the mid-Atlantic region, simply because my advisors don't know those programs as well. And I wasn't sure what I was looking for in a program or what my plans for my future Ob/Gyn career might be (fellowship or not, academia or not). So I identified my geographical region of interest, and applied to every. single. program. in that area, for a total of 31. I was really convinced I wasn't going to get any interviews at good programs, so I scheduled all the interviews I was offered at these tiny community programs as early as possible. So starting October 16, I went on one interview a week for 6 weeks straight. In week 3, I interviewed two days in a row. And every single one of those interviews required a plane trip east. After a week off for Thanksgiving, I interviewed three days straight on Dec. 5, 6, and 7, had another on Dec. 13, and had my most recent three on Dec. 17, 18, and 19, for a total of 16 interviews. Whew! (In case you're wondering, I got 12 other interview offers and either declined them right away or canceled them later on, was rejected by 2 programs, and never heard from one random, weird program.) So here is the routine I developed:

Figure out how to pack everything in carry-ons only. First of all, if you're just flying into and out of town for an interview, you don't want to run the risk of your suit possibly getting lost. Second of all, have you seen the new checked baggage fees on non-Southwest flights?? So I bought a really nice carry-on sized rolling suitcase with a suiter compartment (we needed one anyway; our old luggage was falling apart), and I bought a really nice new suit (I needed one anyway), and started a little collection of travel-sized toiletries. I will say that it's key that I use Bare Minerals makeup, because if I had to pack liquid foundation, the whole process would have been a disaster -- I fill my one quart-sized zip-top bag to the very breaking point! Find non-liquid versions of other essential toiletries, too, like makeup remover wipes instead of a bottle of makeup remover. Need travel sizes of high-end styling products? Check your local salon or Sally's Beauty Supply, or if you're really really lucky and know someone with a cosmetology license (like I do), tag along when they go to a licensed-people-only salon supply store. If you need to, get a small empty container and fill it up from your full-sized product container. If you happen to use products from The Body Shop, go into your nearest store, act like you've never tried the product you love before, and ask for a sample to take home -- they'll gladly give you one.

Wear shoes that are easy to remove while traveling -- it really slows things down if you have to tie shoelaces at the security line. I wore a pair of ballet flats usually, and they were dressy enough to wear to dressy-casual pre-interview dinners.

Are you an overpacker like I am? Quit that bad habit right now. Bring shoes that are multi-functional and lightweight, like flats. I wore my ballet flats (did I mention they're purple?) and packed my interview heels, and that was it, for the most part. Sometimes, like today, I wore my Danskos, because they're better for yucky weather. Decide what you're going to wear ahead of time, and pack only that. There will be no unexpected clothing needs on an interview trip, I promise. All you need is something dressy casual to wear to the pre-interview dinner, which can be what you wear to travel, your interview suit, and possibly a third outfit to wear on the plane ride home. Extra underwear and pantyhose, though, are always a good idea and they don't take up much room, so definitely pack extra. To pack shoes in a way that doesn't involve plastic bags (it works, but for some reason I don't like it as much), put each one in a shower cap to cover the dirty soles, and then you can put them anywhere in your suitcase. I actually swiped a bunch of bouffant hair caps from the OR instead, but same difference.

If you're still an overpacker like I am, make your second carry-on bag one that does double duty as your interview bag. I bought a huge laptop/work bag at Target to stuff the rest of my crap in and stash under the seat in front of me, and then bring it along to the interview to complete my put-together business person look (anyone who knows me knows I am not that person at all!).

Bring a snack and a water bottle. Forget overpriced airport water bottles -- bring along an empty bottle (you'll have to take it out of your bag to go through security) and fill it up at the airport water fountain. I've drank Louisville, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Baltimore airport water and I'm still alive, so I'm sure you'll be fine, too. Snacks like Clif or Luna bars are there if you need them, and can be a lifesaver.

Pack a breakfast. Instant oatmeal in a zip-top bag works really well. Most interviews feed you breakfast, but it might not be right away, and it might not be what you like to eat, so it's better to show up with some food in your stomach. But no matter where you're staying the night before, you'll be able to find some hot water and a spoon and a receptacle of some sort to make instant oatmeal in. Likewise, packing a couple teabags along can work really well in your favor.

If you're traveling on Southwest, check in 24 hours ahead of your flight to get a good boarding number. When you get to the airport, make sure you have nothing in your pockets -- at the very least, take all that loose change out of your pants pocket and shove it in your jacket pocket before you put your jacket on the security belt -- and have your boarding pass and ID ready. Check to see if your airport has instated the different speed lines at security. At the Louisville airport, there is an "expert traveler" lane, a "casual traveler" lane, and a "family and liquids" lane. The casual traveler line is always really long, and there is never ANYONE in the expert traveler line, even though they go to the same place! So I use the expert traveler line, get right to the front, and because after 2 interview trips I WAS an expert traveler, I can speed right through security. Keep your bag of liquids easily accessible and be ready to take your laptop out of your bag. Work quickly but efficiently and leave those clueless people in the dust!

My No. 1 recommendation is to bring a pillow with you. I have a comfy pillow I made a while ago as a throw pillow that is the perfect size for traveling. The scheduling parameters I had to work under to schedule my interviews and not miss too much school required me to travel on post-call days very often. So I'd go to work on day 1, stay the night on call and get very little sleep, get out of work post-call sometime in the morning of day 2, go home and get 30 minutes to 2 hours of sleep, grab my suitcase, and go to the airport, get to the destination city and have to go to a pre-interview dinner, and then do the actual interview on day 3, fly back home and go back to work on day 4. It was a very exhausting process, so being able to sleep on the plane both ways was a lifesaver. With a comfy pillow, an airplane blanket, and a large pashmina that doubles as a scarf and blanket, you can sleep in total comfort on a plane, I promise. It probably helps that I'm only 5'1" and can scrunch very comfortably into very small spaces, but still, you can do it, too. And if you're lucky and the flight isn't very full, you might end up in a row all to yourself, in which case you can lift up all the armrests, put on an eye mask, and lie down for glorious, wonderful sleep. I sometimes get weird looks when traveling with the pillow, and one time a guy in my row asked me to explain myself, but I don't care that I'm a 27-year-old woman carrying around a pretty striped pillow like an 8-year-old -- I sleep in comfort on planes, so there!

Keep your suitcase 90% packed at all times. In between trips, I would hang my suit up, take out my toothbrush, hairbrush, and makeup bag, and leave everything else in the suitcase. I washed my shirts and undergarments as needed, but made sure to have extras that I left in the suitcase at all times. That way when it was time for the next trip a week later, I simply threw my daily necessities and suit back into the suitcase and left. No wondering if I had packed toothpaste or deodorant or underwear -- the travel versions of everything stayed in their zip-top bag, and there were always extra clean undergarments pre-packed.

Bring your box of thank you cards along with you, and a book of stamps, and you can write your thank you notes after each interview while sitting in the airport. Believe me, once you're home, you won't have any desire to write them, so just get it done in the airport.

Make sure you sign up for all the frequent traveler accounts for all the companies you do business with! Booking so many flights with Southwest for interviews earned me a free roundtrip flight, which we're using for our honeymoon in June. I signed up to be eligible for quick service at the car rental companies I used repeatedly, so I could go straight to the front of the line. This applies to non-travel as well, but make sure you're using a credit card with a rewards program of some sort. Points, cash back, or miles, it's your choice, but make sure you're getting something back in return for all the credit card usage you're giving them!

And, as always, shop around. The residency program may give you a list of local hotels that offer "discount" rates for their applicants, but the discounts probably aren't that great and there's no real reason you have to stay where they suggest. Check Sidestep.com and don't be afraid to Priceline something else. For things like car rentals, check to see if you qualify for any group discounts based on memberships you already have. For instance, if you're a member of AMA or AMSA, they offer discounts when booking with certain car companies.

So those are my recommendations for being a pseudo-business traveler without the expense account of a real business traveler. And after 13 weeks of nearly constant travel, I finally understand why business travelers hate traveling. I never used to get it -- I loved flying, loved the excitement of traveling because it meant I was going somewhere fun, and the minor hassles happened so infrequently that they were truly minor hassles. But now? Now I know. So after this Saturday, when I fly from Philadelphia back to Louisville, I will not be flying anywhere for quite some time. Thank goodness. But in case you need to, I hope my travel tips have helped. I still have 45 minutes before my plane takes off -- this is the longest layover I've had all year, but like I said, I'm kind of enjoying it!

After these last two interviews, I'll share a little more about the programs I interviewed at and what I might be thinking as I get ready to submit my rank list. It's definitely exciting times!