The residency interview trail can be rough. However, if you're proactive in your planning, the residency interview trail can actually be a lot of fun! (Or at least as fun as job recruiting can be). Below are five tips that can allow you to actually have fun as you interview for residency, based on my experiences with the residency interview trail so far.
1. Don't schedule too many residency interviews
This first tip is easier said than done given the neurotic tendencies of most medical students, but it's probably the simplest way to ensure that you don't burn out during the course of residency interviews. I've heard of peers scheduling upwards of 30 interviews for residency. Honestly, this number is an absolute overkill to me. At some point, additional interviews offer diminishing returns. Though the ideal number of residency interviews differs across specialties, one thing is constant: the more interviews you attend, the more burdensome the process will seem in the end.
2. Book at least one full day before or after your interview day to explore the city
If you're looking to have some fun throughout the residency interview process, try to make mini-vacations out of each trip! Rather than simply flying into and out of a city for the interview day, build in travel time to allow yourself a day to explore each city.
There's a good chance that many of the cities you interview in for residency will be new to you. If you spend time exploring the city, you can get a better sense of which cities might be the best match for you. After all, the residency experience is more than just the program you match at. Life still continues when you're a resident, so it's important to pick a residency program in a city that you can enjoy.
Throughout my residency interview process, I spent 2-3 days in each city, and I'm so glad I did. Each city I've been to had a very unique feel. Because work-life balance is so important to me, I MUST live in a city that can allow me to have fun, when I have time off from my duties as a resident. The only way I can get a sense of if a new city matches my vibe is if I spend a day or two exploring the city.
Collection of photos from my residency interview trail adventures
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3. Hang out with other applicants
The other applicants at your interview day are your future colleagues, whether or not you match at the same program. So it makes sense to use the residency interview trail as an opportunity to make new friends while exploring a new city. You can also take advantage of the city expertise of applicants on your interview day who call the city home.
I'm the most social introvert you'll ever meet. Thankfully, on the residency interview trail, the social component of my personality beats out the introverted side. I've made new friends and memories by inviting other applicants to join me for dinner and/or an evening of venturing around a new city. These post-interview hangouts have been a highlight for me throughout the residency interview experience.
4. Spend time with friends and family in the cities you visit
People make most experiences more fun. And if you can spend time with people you know and love, that's even better! Given the fact that the average American moves more than 11 times in a lifetime, you likely have friends or family who live all over the US. You can help to make your residency interview trail more fun by reaching out to friends and family to catch up! It's hard to keep in touch with friends and family, but being in the same city gives you a great excuse to reach out to folks you might have fallen out of touch with.
5. Reach out to alumni networks for free housing
I think we can all agree that the costs associated with residency interviews are not fun at all. I look at it as a win anytime I have the chance to save money. Finding free housing for your residency interviews is a great way to save money, especially if you want to follow tip #2 above (spending extra time in each city). When you save money on logding, you free up your budget to pay for museum entry or to check out a concert in a new city.
Some schools like Penn have formal programs where you can reach out to alumni to request housing for residency interviews. But even if your school does not have a formal program, it's a great idea to reach out to alumni through alumni databases to request housing. Alumni often have reached a point in their careers that they have homes with extra rooms, so your stay wouldn't be a burden to them! In addition to alumni, consider reaching out to friends and family to request housing. Whatever the housing resource, create room in your budget for fun activities by saving money on lodging!
Regardless of the stage you're at in the residency interview trail, I wish you the best of luck and hope that you find some ways to HAVE FUN in the midst of what can be a very stressful process.
Peace and blessings,
Atasha Jordan, MD (to be)
