It was a busy Thursday afternoon at my internship—everyone in the office was racing back and forth attempting to get everything completed before the day ended. I was just handed a huge stack of files to invoice when my phone buzzed, seemingly innocuously. Once I had a free moment I checked it, realizing it was a new e-mail. What was found there was both surprising and exciting.

It was a message from Drexel University in Philadelphia, asking me to interview for their graduate program in Arts Administration. I managed to contain my excitement long enough to finish my work for the day, but once I got home it was a completely different story.

When you apply for graduate school, the application process goes in several steps.

First, you fill out a normal paper application and pay the fee.

Then you wait.

And wait some more.

Hopefully, you will eventually get a phone call or an e-mail asking for an interview.

This interview is an opportunity to talk to those who decide who is admitted into the program about what you think you can bring to the program, what your aspirations are for your professional life, and how you think their program could help you or would be a good fit for you.

After that interview, you wait some more.

Eventually, you get a decision either way on your admission into the program.

My interview is scheduled for early next week, meaning I have to miss two days of class to travel to Philadelphia and back. I’m spending the weekend before my interview in the city as well, visiting old friends who I haven’t seen in a long time.

I’m hoping for a fun weekend spent catching up and exploring the city where I could soon be living. I’ve never been to Philadelphia before so I’m excited to see some of the sights of the city. I think we’ll have a little time to explore before I have to start mentally preparing myself for the interview.

I’m not particularly nervous for the interview overall. I’m really excited about the possibility of going to Drexel, and I feel that I will be able to turn that enthusiasm into a coherent conversation. Going to this graduate program (or really, any of the ones that I applied to) would be a dream come true—putting me one step closer to working in the arts.

Wish me luck!