Tips on What Not to Do at the Convention
Rest assured, these are based on three years of conference-going experience.
1. If you aren’t sure about a session, don’t sit near the front. Two years ago, I made the mistake of sitting front-row center at a session on blogging that turned out to be terminally boring. As the room filled up the aisle became blocked, leaving me no hope of escape.
2. Always have a backup session. That way, if the one you’re in is really putting you to sleep, you can leave without feeling guilty and catch another session.
3. If you decide to have glasses of wine with a friend after a session, I suggest you buy a bottle. At my very first New York conference, the editor-in-chief and managing editor of my paper
made the mistake of ordering by the glass. A half-dozen glasses later, they realize they could have bought three bottles with what they spent.
4. If you’re planning on getting your paper critiqued, sign up first thing in the morning. The longer you wait, the worse your “professional” will be. Don’t waste your $10. Trust me, I’m speaking from personal experience. It’s frustrating.
5. This one is really important: Talk to other students! One of the best parts of being at these conventions is being able to compare notes with students at papers just like yours, facing the same kind of problems. It can also be an ego boost when you see you’re outperforming the competition.