On Taking Trips to See Schools

Initially, I thought it a good idea to see schools before I interviewed at them. Being summer, I thought that it would be a good idea. Now, not so much.

You see, visiting a school does little more than give you a taste of what you will get once enrolled. And by taste, I mean taste. From my experience, dental school visits, much like at the undergraduate level, lasts little more than an hour. Even if you have questions, your tour guide is likely studying for the boards or scheduled to be in the lab and does not have the time to spare.

It is not that I blame them because I can see myself doing the same thing. Also, they are not paid as far as I know, so there is little incentive for them to stay after the hour.

Do not get me wrong, some tour guides take full advantage of their audiences undivided attention, feigned or sincere, and they happily answer questions beyond their scheduled hour.

Coming back to what I mentioned at the start of the entry, I have decided to take trips to dental school cities with the express reason to visit those cities, not to just visit the dental school. I believe that if you are going to visit the city, actually visit the city. A first-person account of your thoughts on where you will be spending the next four years must be just as important as your background research on a dental program during an interview. If nothing else, it will add a whole other dimension to your interview or, in so many words, give you something else to talk about.

At least, that is what I think.

The Importance of Getting the Application in Early

I know what you are thinking: "No, shit. It is obvious that getting an application in early helps your chances of getting an interview and an offer." But, that is not what I am actually saying here.

What I am saying is that by getting the application in early, I have a lot more time to prepare for my interviews and take care of other business, as opposed to sitting at my desk and writing secondary application after secondary application with the knowledge that others are already interviewing. Talk about a bunch of unnecessary stress.

There is little else worse than spending a summer punching away at applications and draining your bank account, especially when you are holding down an 8 to 5. Inevitably, all that application stuff just sits and stews in your brain making it impossible for you to concentrate during work, let alone during a staff meeting. Of course, there is always more coffee, but then you have the unenviable task of making, in my case, 2 or more bathroom trips during an hour and half meeting. People always ask questions, like "are you feeling well today?" or "is everything all right? I have noticed you have not been yourself." Trust me, the last thing you want to do is lie to a co-worker who is not "in the know" by making up some fake illness.

But, would you really not want a reason to get out of a staff meeting anyways? That is a whole other discussion that really does not belong on this blog.