This weekend I was invited to visit Emory University and interview for a spot in the new PA class (of 2014). It was an exciting visit. Part of that was due to the trip delays and changes, part was due (of course) to being in the group of applicants selected to interview at this top university, and part was due to the tornado that almost landed on my head.
The trip started out with a delayed flight from Provo to Denver. The original plane broke down so they sent us a back-up plane that was smaller by nearly 30 seats! With some heartfelt prayers from my family I was one of the lucky ones to get a seat aboard the delayed flight. However, the flight from Provo was boarding at almost the exact same time as my connecting flight in Denver. I was rebooked for the 7:00 pm flight to Atlanta (from Denver) but was told that I might be able to fly stand-by on the 1:00 pm flight instead. With many more prayers I made it on the 1:00 pm flight that was completely booked...there was one extra seat for me!
I was tired but happy to arrive in Atlanta before midnight. The rental car place let me pick my car out of line-up of compact cars so I picked a nice sporty one. I may be silly but it just seemed fun after driving the big, red suburban around to have something small and sporty. I arrived on campus the next a day early for the interview and apparently I took a wrong turn into the parking garage. But the nice attendant felt bad for me so she let me in for free (instead of pay $10 for the day)! In spite of that initial delay I was beginning to feel very blessed.
The interview took place in the School of Medicine building which is shared by the PA program and the MD program. There were 8 of us who made it to the interview, 1 person didn't show up. We had a brief meeting with all the applicants and a few of the staff.
Our day included a group interview, a mini interview, a written narrative, attending an hour of class with the 1st year PA students, a tour of campus and overview of the PA program and an exit interview. All I can say is that this interview day wasn't quite what I was expecting. With that in mind I hope I was able to answer the questions appropriately.
After the interview was over I took the scenic way back to start looking for areas we might consider living in, assuming that I was going to be accepted to Emory University. I stopped by the Atlanta Temple so I would know where it was. And I wandered along some of the back roads and byways. Eventually I had to turn the GPS on so I could figure out where I was and how to get to where I needed to be.
I was staying with my sister's new in-laws in Marietta, GA since they were kind enough to let me sleep on their couch/hide-a-bed. Shortly after finding my way back to their house we get a warning that a major storm is heading our way. We turn on the TV in time to see that we have about 5 minutes before a tornado hits our town.
With that kind of news Wendy takes the kids and heads to the basement. Chris and I head to the door to check it out! Of course I was curious but I was trying to decide if I should take preventative measure for the rental car. My hesitation got the better of me and the storm hit before I could do anything. As it turns out, the storm pass 1 mile from where I was staying! We got a brief gust of wind, some small hail and lots of news casters telling us about the storm.
The next day we drove past some of the damage that the storm caused. I found out later that this storm system caused some severe damage elsewhere in the country. Once again, the prayers of my family were answered and no harm came to me.
I spent several hours driving around the edges of the Atlanta metro area, outside of the perimeter. One significant landmark was the "big chicken". Apparently you have to know where the big chicken is to get directions in that part of town. And get this...the beak actually moves! Where else will you find this kind of awesomeness?
I can't say that I know where we'd want to live but I've narrowed it down to a few of the nicer areas of town. So now we'll just have to wait and see what happens from this interview. There is another group of applicants meeting on Monday, then the admissions committee meets the following Monday and they make the big decission!
The flight home was uneventful and it was great to meet my family at the airport. I am certainly grateful for all of the prayers that got me there and back safely. I can't wait to see what happens and I know that our boys are certainly excited to move to Georgia. The boys don't really care about my schooling but they do want to see the alligators and the tornados!
