The beginning of the trail

This past week marked the beginning of "interview season" for me, or as most people call it, the 

interview trail." I started it off with a bang by flying to and from D.C. in less than 48 hours. It really was a whirlwind. For the sake of keeping my assessments of the programs neutral on the internet, I won't be commenting much on how each individual program "ranks" in my mind, but rather more general things about my experience. But, as the season goes on, I will be consistently ranking programs in my mind, on an excel spreadsheet and I'm sure at least 2 other ways ;). 

I could only miss 2 days of my current rotation (spinal cord injury rehabilitation at Harborview) so I took off at 6 AM wednesday morning and returned home by 11 PM on Thursday night so I could make it to work by 7 AM on Friday morning. 

During the flight I spent a lot of time mentally preparing myself for the interview, reviewing the program specifics and mentally rehearsing my responses for questions. It was smooth sailing for me on my flight across the country. 

I landed in Newark and got a glimpse of the statue of liberty before touch down and of the Empire state building from the Tarmac

Next it was off to DC. I landed at 4:20 PM and went straight for the metro system to be able to make it to the pre-interview dinner reception with the residents by 5:30 PM. The mtetro made me incredibly jealous and excited for the light rail system to be finished in Seattle by 2016!

Along the way I felt like a giddy tourist, catching the sights from the metro like this one of the Washington Monument in the distance. Too bad I didn't have time to go explore!

After the flight and metro ride, I felt like I was never going to stop moving as I ascended from the metro to the Q street exit to find my way to the shuttle to Georgetown's campus. 

I made it just in time for the resident dinner, hosted at an on-campus restaurant. We dined on appetizers and chatted about the program, what it's like to live in D.C. and what to expect the next day. There were close to 30 applicants there and it was all of our first interviews (it's early in the season).

By the conclusion of dinner around 8:30 PM I couldn't wait to shower, change and rest! I took an Uber (my first ever Uber experience...I'm such a noob!) to my home for the next 8 hours or so: the Woodley Inn B&B. The moment I stepped on the front porch I felt right at home. 

Just inside I found the dining room complete with an aromatic arrangement of roses and a note to confirm that I wouldn't actually be able to partake in breakfast since it didn't start until 7:30 and I had to be out the door by 6:15...

I found my way to the "economy traveler's" room--perfect for what I needed, a quiet, small, room with a comfortable bed. 

Being raised in a B&B makes me a bit of a critic, so i obviously had to document all of the perks for comparison from home :)

A shower and relaxing robe was just what I needed after a long day of traveling!

And while I couldn't make breakfast, I could certainly enjoy a spot of tea to wrap up my evening.

I ascended to the third floor around 10 PM ET and tried to fall asleep (tough to do when it's only 7 PM PST). It was just like all the times I walked up to the third floor at home to find my room in the attic. It was oddly comforting.

After a fitfull night of sleep it was time for the interview. During my day I was able to meet the program director, enjoy a lecture by a visiting professor, and have a total of 4 different 30 minute interviews (2 with faculty and 2 with current residents).

We warmed up to the idea of being residency applicants as a big pack of suited young people, wandering hospital hallways on our tour. And before I knew it, it was time to return home. I navigated the metro back to the airport and began to have the time to work through all I had seen and heard.

I have a lot of work to do to figure out how many programs I am going to interview at, and staring to book my travel arrangements for them. I applied to 32 programs and i've got 21 offers on the table. It has been an incredibly humbling and eye opening experience and it's just getting started!

It was a rough day at work on Friday after such a quick back-and-forth trip but I got to sleep in and gain a sense of normalcy yesterday by attending the UW husky football game and tailgate with the Cravens. It was a night game against the Oregon Ducks. There was a light rain for the whole tailgate but cleared up nicely for the game. 

There's nothing quite like this view. I don't know if I'll be in Seattle for residency or not, but if I'm not, I know I'm going to miss this!

There was plenty of good rivalry talk, complete with a roasted duck in the parking lot

Alas, the huskies didn't pull off a win, but we had a really nice night even with the loss (and the rain).  

I've got one week left of my current rotation and then it's all interviews until December! Wish me luck and wisdom as I figure out the who/what/when and where's of the next 2 months!! My next interview is on 10/27!