Interviewing up north

I’m back from my two day excursion to the North, stayed with my good friend from college, froze my butt off while treking from Queens to Manhattan, sat through an agonizing presentation given by a Director of Admissions, whom, as far as I could tell, was well practiced in the art of delivering bland and comfortable stock phrases, and an interview by this loopy professor who had a habit of giggling after every sentence or two. Did I make him nervous perhaps? Zeus! I was supposed to be the one peeing in my pants from overwrought anxiety. Instead, my nervousness soon turned to befuddlement, as I pondered over the possible sources of his obvious amusement. The conversation went like this.

Me: So yeah there was a bunch of literature that followed the CR that was termed scar literature. (I was expounding on what measely knowledge I still retained of East Asian studies way back when)

Prof: Interesting. I’ll definitely have to read about the CR in my spare time. [GIGGLE]

Me: nodding politely, striving for a semblance of enthusiasm. Definitely. I could recommend some books…

Prof: don’t know when I’ll get to it though. [Giggle.] Currently reading War and Peace. [GIGGLE] [GIGGLE GIGGLE]

Me: oh very ambitious project. Do you like it so far?

Prof: I’m on page 15. I’m going to give it to page 300 before I decide if I like it or not. Hehehehe.

Me: (having no clue how long W&P is, I ventured a quip nonetheless) By then, you’ll probably be like 1/3 of the way through.

In essence, I thought this professor was nice enough. I liked him though I just found him to be mildly strange, due to his incessant giggling, chortling, chuckling, whatever you want to call it. It was a laugh condition. But I also got the sense that he just did this as part of his job description, and he really couldn’t care two bits about the interviews. He asked me on a scale of 1 to 15, what my interest in primary care is. I said 12. I probably should have been a go-getter energizer bunny, slam my fist in my other hand and yell 15!!! But frankly, that’s not my style.

Ooh well, I hope I get a nice fat letter nonetheless! Cheers and happy Pig year all!