Interview Day

Last Friday was a long day. I arrived at about 8, grabbed a cup of coffee and walked around campus for a bit, and went to the meeting room at 8:15. The program director welcomed us, talked to us for 20-30 minutes, then we dispersed for our assigned interviews from 9-noon. Unfortunately, i only had one interview on Friday, the last slot at 11AM...leaving me two full hours to stew over the interview. To kill time I went on another campus tour, then talked with some other interviewees who were all very cool. We had plenty to talk about since we were interested in each others' specialties & background, and of course were all in the same boat with a lot riding on these interviews.

Finally 11AM came for my faculty member interview. The professor was exceptionally gracious and nice, and we were engaged in what i felt to be a good, 2-way conversation throughout. The interview lasted 20 minutes past the allotted 45 minute interview, which i felt was a good sign.

After the interview, we broke into small groups for lunch, each group meeting with a couple of current MEPN students. They both seemed like good guys, and happy to answer questions about the program and what it's really like to be in the midst of the MEPN year. This was a helpful session, both for the much-needed nutrition and information from a different and very relevant perspective.

The afternoon consisted of sessions with the MEPN program director, housing and financial aid people, then a brief reception afterwards when we could all chat with each other and blow off a bit of steam. These sessions dragged on a bit, but were still interesting and useful IF I get in.

All in all it was a good day. Certainly a bit stressful for the first couple hours, but once the interview started things evened out. I was highly impressed all day by the people i met, starting with the faculty and program director, staff, MEPN students, and other interviewees. Clearly there is some stiff competition for this program. It is somewhat of an accomplishment to make it this far, and it would be a great honor to be accepted.

There's just one more interview tomorrow at 10AM in Berkeley with a nurse manager, and i can kick back and wait til early March to find out my fate

Pre-Interview

Well tomorrow is the big day. One of the big days, at least. The events actually start today with a reception for interviewees at 4PM. Tomorrow is the all-day Interview Day, then next Wednesday is my second interview in Berkeley.

At my Human Phys class on Monday, I talked to a potential UCSF MEPN classmate whose Interview Day was last week. She said that The Day is full of tension and conspiracy theories, and that my best bet is not to talk to too many people, since it can only exacerbate whatever nerves I already have.

Actually...I'm not too worried about it. Of course, there is a lot riding on these interviews and it's critical that my best foot is forward. But I feel like i've already had the conversations of "why am i doing this", "what do i bring to the profession", "do i know what i'm getting myself into", etc. a hundred times--first with myself when making the decision to apply, then through the arduous Personal Statement writing process, talking with my family, friends, reference letter writers, mentors, classmates, etc. Plus, i've never had a problem interviewing--talking to people is not scary. Who knows...this could all change and i'll be a train wreck tomorrow. But in any case being nervous can't help and can only hurt, so i choose to continue staying relaxed. I know who i am, what i've done with my life so far, why i want to go to UCSF and become a nurse practitioner, why i selected Acute Care, why i'm a good candidate, and what i plan to do with my life...so if that's not what they are looking for there is not much i can do about it.