Decisions, Decisions!

Interview Day!

Megan and I met at the Corner Bakery to get some breakfast and to do some last minute practicing for our 10 AM interviews. It helped to calm my nerves a bit.  I then started my trek to my first interview at BMO Harris Bank.  It wasn't terribly far...maybe 4 or 5 blocks.  I was FREEZING by the time I got there though and had some pretty nice blisters thanks to wearing heels!  I also got a little lost...went about a block and a half out of my way and had a mild panic attack because I thought I was going to be late.  In the end, of course, I was just fine and still showed up 10 minutes early, as instructed.  I was taken up to the 24th floor.  One of my interviewers showed me around the floor and briefly explained what each team did. We then met in a small office with another guy and started my interview.  They asked all the standard questions plus about a million other ones. Once they finished drilling me they proceeded to tell me all the reasons that I should intern with them instead of other places in Chicago.      Going into this interview I had a negative attitude about it, but afterwards I actually kind of liked it. 

My second interview was at MainStreet Advisors.  I LOVED the atmosphere there.  I felt like people were really friendly and the general appearance of the office was more aesthetically pleasing.  I first interviewed with 2 younger guys who briefly told me about the company and asked just a couple questions.  They then sent in my supervisors who was slightly more formal about the interview process but not much.  He told me a little more about the company and gave me a very general idea about what my internship would entail.  

Now that both my interviews are done I have to start weighing the pros and cons of each and decide which one I want to spend the next 3.5 months interning at.  At this point I'm completely torn between the two.  I think I'll need to do a little more research on the two companies and do a lot of praying.  I meet with a Chicago Semester staff member on Monday to discuss my two possible internship sites and they will help me make a final decision.  

Later in the afternoon Karla, my roommate, and I had an appointment at our apartment to choose which floor/room we will be living in and we signed our lease and wrote our first rent checks!  Man, Chicago is EXPENSIVE!  We will be living in a little studio apartment on the 5th floor with the view of a roof and the windows of another building...pretty exciting stuff!  

This evening was a pizza party at the Chicago Semester offices.  We had Giordano's pizza--the deep dish Chicago style pizza.  It was alright...I think it would have been better if it had been hot instead of lukewarm :)  

Tomorrow is a free day for me.  Some people still have interviews tomorrow--I was one of the lucky ones who had them both today and got them over with!!  Since I'm done I get to spend the day doing whatever my little heart desires!  Karla, Megan, and I will probably explore the city a little.