It’s the day (or night) before your big GI fellowship interview. What should you be doing right now? I’ve compiled a few quick pointers below.
1.) Know everything about the program.
Do a web search and read everything about the GI fellowship program. This includes faculty bios/special clinical interests, names of staff in the department, the hospital(s), endoscopy center, and history of the fellowship program (e.g. where have previous fellows found jobs, academic appointments, etc). You should have an idea if the institution is clinically-focused or research-focused. You should be able to identify one or two faculty attendings that share similar professional interests.
2.) Familiarize yourself with the city/town.
It is quite impressive when candidates know at least one or two relevant things about the city in which the fellowship is based. Even better if you have a general idea of the surrounding area. “What made you apply to this program?” is a frequently-asked question during interview. Always be genuine and sincere. It shows you care enough if you read up about the region.
3.) Interview suit: set everything up the night before
Don’t wait until the early morning hours the day of the interview to iron, steam, or otherwise ready you suit. Make sure everything fits appropriately! Above all, get sleep and relax. You’ve made it this far because your credentials are awesome! Good luck on the big day.
Photo by Andrej Lišakov.