I have always promised myself that I would never get desperate enough to wait by the phone. I suppose one could argue that I'm not technically breaking that promise even now, since I'm not actually sitting next to the telephone, staring at it-but if we move beyond the "plain meaning" of the term, it is likely that calling my apartment to check my messages every hour and leaving my cell phone on vibrate during class would still constitute "waiting by the phone."

At first, I was waiting for a callback. As on-campus interviewing wrapped up and we no longer had to walk stiffly back and forth from classes to interviews, itchy in our suits, faint whisperings about the first callback interview invitations began to fill the hallways. Rumors of "who" and "where" flitted about, but since students at my school tend to err on the side of discretion and modesty, actual information about where people had gotten called back and how many second-round interviews they'd been offered was scarce. For the most part, details were only divulged in hushed tones to close friends.

My mailbox began to see the effects of my on-campus interviewing efforts before my answering machine inbox did. Respectful, gentle let-downs on company letterhead trickled in, and I sadly crossed firms off my list. I was almost tempted to skip opening the ominously slim envelopes all together-the mere receipt of one was rejection enough for me. From personal experience, however, I would advise you to always open your rejection letters, as some firms have broadened the interpretation of the term "callback" to include other media of communication.

Again applying a "plain meaning" interpretation, the term "callback" implies some sort of call, most likely via telephone. My first callback invitation, however, would more appropriately have been called a "write back." Cloaked in the guise of the slim, "thank you for your interest but..." letter, this invitation was so short and efficient that I had to read it over a few times to assure myself that I was understanding it correctly. ~

Once the first callback had come in, others seemed quick to follow. Most of my friends admitted, albeit in secretive, hidden-corner-of-the-library discussions, to having amassed a small collection of second-round interviews. For the next few weeks, classes became optional as we traipsed around the city (or the country) hand shaking, meeting, chatting, dining, office touring and thank you letter writing. But mostly we observed. Soaked in the atmosphere of each firm, we pictured ourselves working in this environment with these attorneys, noticed open doors as we walk down the hallways, absorbed everything like human antennae recording every conscious and subconscious impression of each office visit. Gut instinct began to carry a lot of weight in the decision-making process as both the interviewers and the interviewees tried to judge the elusive quality of "fit," matching the firm's aggregate personality with that of the candidate.

Second-round interviews have been more relaxed, less structured and void of such well-worn questions as, "What do you consider your biggest weakness?" On the whole, they have been more fun. Unlike the sheer panic and rejection anxiety of the first date, the second date was proof of at least a glimmer of interest in a further relationship, and so allowed both parties to get past the formalities and reveal a bit more of their true natures, for better or for worse. But there is still the anxiety of whether or not the phone will ring again, offering a third date or even a commitment.

So as usual in such situations, I call my friends and obsess over what I wore and what I said and whether I made a good impression, and I continue to check my messages every hour and take my cell phone with me into the bathroom when I'm taking a shower. I had hoped to have an offer in hand before I wrote this column, so it could be a joyful reminiscence of the callback process, tinged with the happy hindsight of success. But this deadline came too fast and you've caught me in limbo... a few callbacks behind me, the firms promising to call again soon-a few callbacks ahead of me, opportunities to be seized. So, until I get the call I'm waiting for, you will have to join me in my nervous, nail-biting agony-waiting by the phone.

Annika K Martin is a second-year law student at the University of Southern California Law School in Los Angeles, CA. She earned her undergraduate degree from Northwestern University. She likes Swedish furniture, German cars, French films and Indian food.