“That’s great. Is this your first interview?” I asked, forcing myself to look up as I spoke. I fought the urge to go all introvert and focus on the interview.
Kylie chuckled. It sounded a bit condescending, but I was also on edge, and could just be reading into it.
“God, no. This is my, what?” she said to Jonah, throwing her hands in the air in dramatic fashion.
He rolled his eyes. “It’s your third.”
“Right. It is my third. I can’t keep it all straight. I interviewed at Columbia and Harvard already,” Kylie said. Her red hair was swept into some sort of fancy knot at the nape of her neck. She was tall and lean, and screamed confidence, but not in the good way—in the, I’m-better-than-you-way.
“Oh, wow. That’s amazing. Congratulations.”
“Well, this is my first interview and I’m so freaking nervous,” Siera said, and I smiled at her.
“Me too.”
“Aren’t you two adorable. Don’t worry at all, girls. It’s a piece of cake. I just go in knowing that they should be so lucky to be interviewing someone of my caliber.”
Brad stood beside me and chuckled but covered it with a cough. He was tall with dark hair and clad in a navy fitted suit. “I guess it’s good to be confident. Have you heard back yet from Columbia or Harvard?”
Kylie cocked her head and took her time perusing him from head to toe, as if she were assessing his value. “I haven’t’ heard anything yet. But that’s normal. They said we probably wouldn’t hear anything until December.”
“This is my first one too, and it’s definitely my top choice,” Jonah said.
“The best advice I can give you all is to just be yourself,” Kylie said, like she ran the place.
Siera’s gaze locked with mine and we both smiled. Clearly Kylie was annoying everyone, which only added to the fact that we were all nervous.
A few more people walked up and joined our group, before a woman, Dr. Devore stepped out and introduced herself as the dean of admissions. She took us on a brief tour and told us what to expect today. We’d be interviewing with two different people, and we’d also have the opportunity to sit in on a class in between our interviews.
Relax. Enjoy this. You’ve worked hard to be here.
I said the silent mantra on repeat in my head as we walked over to see the lab. The equipment was top of the line and attending this medical school would be an honor. I took in the high-tech x-ray machine, and Dr. Devore talked to us about the global opportunities that would be available to us. I thought of my time in Honduras and the impact that the experience had made on my life. My belly fluttered when I thought about the future.
We toured the campus and then took a short break to use the restroom and get a snack. We all headed over to a little coffee shop and I ordered a hot tea. My hands were cold as it was still early in the morning and the sun had yet to come out.
“I don’t know guys. I think I might like Harvard better,” Kylie said, her whiney voice grating on my nerves.
“Well, good. Hopefully you go there and don’t take a spot that one of us would like to have,” Jonah said with a wink. I couldn’t quite tell if they were friends, or just happened to attend the same undergrad.
“Trust me. If Harvard wants Kylie, Harvard gets Kylie,” she said, speaking in third person which was a huge pet peeve of mine.
“Well, I love it here. This is definitely my top choice,” I said, sipping my tea.
“Aww…that’s so sweet. Are you on a gap year or are you a senior, because you look young,” Kylie said, her gaze moved around my face like she was deciding what to make of me.
“Um, I’m still in school.”
“I’m not surprised. How old are you?” Kylie asked, and I saw Sierra roll her eyes at the annoying girl.
“I’m twenty. Turning twenty-one in a few months,” I said.
“Oh my gosh, you’re a baby,” she said, clasping her hands as if she were praying for me.
What the hell.
“How old are you?” Blake asked her.
“I’m twenty-four. They prefer older candidates. I’ve taken two gap years so that I can put my best foot forward, because why not?” Kylie said with a chuckle.
I’ll tell you why not. Because we don’t all have the luxury of waiting longer to start in the workforce.
Thankfully it was time to go, and we were led over to another building for our interviews. I waited for my name to be called, pushing back all the nerves that had gathered in my stomach. When I stepped in the large office, I took in all the dark wood and traditional décor.
“You must be Jade. I’m Professor Bloomington. Take a seat and let’s get to know one another,” he said. He was tall, with gray hair and kind eyes.
“Okay, thank you.”
I spent the next hour and a half talking with this brilliant man and sharing my thoughts on the future of medicine and my reasons for pursuing this path as a career. He shared the school’s philosophies and his own personal journey to becoming a physician and teaching future doctors as well. I was absolutely certain this was the school I was meant to go to. I just hoped they’d want me as much as I wanted to come here.
“Thanks for picking me up from the airport,” I said to Dad as we took our seats at our favorite Italian restaurant in the city. His girlfriend Sara had to work, or she would have joined us as well.
“Are you kidding? I’m so proud of you, Jady bug. So, tell me how it went.”
“Well, Dr. Bloomington is brilliant, and then I interviewed with a student and she was amazing as well. I loved the campus, the people, the energy, you know? Their students all get amazing residencies and it’s just an incredible opportunity if I were to get in. They offer so many global opportunities, too. Really, Dad, it’s just such a cool school. And the fact that they offer free tuition. Can you imagine if I graduated from medical school with no debt?” I was talking a mile a minute, but I’d been dying to fill him in on the interview.
“They’d be foolish not to take you.”
“Says my father. Oh my gosh, you’re totally reminding me of this girl at the interview. She was pretty full of herself. She thought I was a baby and made sure to mention it throughout the day.” I rolled my eyes at the memory. “But trust me. Lots of qualified applicants don’t get in.”
“You worry too much, kiddo. I have faith in you.”
“I know you do. Thank you,” I said with a laugh. I loved this man so much it was painful at times.
“So, what’s going on with this Richard kid?”