I was consumed with an unnerving feeling. The door swung open, filling the waiting room with the inharmonious sounds of a typical hospital. Normally, I’d be unaffected by the chaos, usually even finding comfort in the incessant beeping and overlapping chatter. I had spent my previous visits to hospitals listening carefully to the sounds and conversations that resonated through the halls with the intention of familiarizing myself with the place I would one day know as my second home....

If possible, start thinking about who you'd like to have write your recommendations early on. So many of my friends were scrambling last minute to get recommendations and ended up picking a recommender at random. Don't pick...