The Interview

This past Monday was my dental interview. My odyssey took me to Alton, IL, an old river-town of about 30,000. I was fortunate enough to be able to take the weekend to arrive at my destination, so my drive was leisurely and enjoyable. Eric and I stopped at home first and then drove to Alton last Sunday.

The town is charming. I was not sure about it at first, since our first glimpse of Alton was the state mental facility that graces its city limits. After we checked into our hotel, Eric and I ventured out to find the dental school. The campus is beautiful. It is housed on the grounds of the former Shurtleff College in the Victorian neighborhood of Alton. On campus, there is a statue of Robert Wadlow, the tallest man to ever live, who was born and raised in Alton.



After poking around campus, which is housed almost exclusively in old buildings with the exception of the new 30,000+ square foot dental clinic, Eric and I plugged in the Garmin for the purpose of exploring what else the town had to offer. We were not disappointed. Alton is the site of a former Confederate prison that saw horrible offenses committed during the Civil War. Since it is obviously a period of its history that the town chooses not to showcase, the ruins of the old prison are located on a city lot tucked between modern businesses. Alton also contains an incredibly tall monument to Elijah Lovejoy, the abolitionist editor who was the first martyr for the freedom of the press.

The interview itself went extremely well. I was not nervous at all, which helped immensely. The most nerve-wracking part was that my interviewers were running over half an hour behind schedule, so I was sitting in the conference waiting room twiddling my thumbs for quite some time. When I finally did get my interview, I did not stumble at all over my words, which was a huge relief. I was asked a very unexpected question and was able to answer very quickly and effectively, which I was very proud of.

I am supposed to find out about my results anytime between Monday and next March. Please say a prayer that I get in and find out sooner rather than later. I think I would be very happy in Alton.