A few months ago, I contacted a POI at one of the schools I am applying to in order to express interest in their research, etc. Their response to my note seemed relatively enthusiastic. Since this school is located near where I will be spending the holiday season, I went out on a limb and asked if they'd be opposed to meeting up to chat casually for coffee or something.
They said they would be willing and to chat with them again later in the year to make firmer plans. Well, here we are. The application is in and we have an appointment set.
My question is... how should I best prepare for this? I know I will need to read their recent papers and prepare to talk about my interests and how they align with what this POI seems to be doing, but.. what else can I do? This is an odd situation as it isn't really an interview. I was not invited - I extended the invitation and they accepted it.
Any advice at all is appreciated!
