TESOL 2013: A first timer's experience

I attended my *first* TESOL conference this year.  I learned a lot about attending a conference on this scale.

My colleague, Sarah Snyder, discussing our poster with an attendee

 Here are some things that I would do again:

• poster presentation
• Here's a link to the presentation handout that my colleagues and I gave out: TESOL Suprasegmentals Musical Notation Handout
• volunteer at a PCI
• gave out business cards
• had a few copies of my resume
• scheduled interviews
• made an attempt at networking 
• brought business casual clothing
• stayed relaxed about travel plans—changes happen
• brought protein bars
• drank Starbucks (part of "the lifestyle")

Here are things I want to do next time:

• stay downtown
• sleep more
• aim for 3-4 sessions a day
• attend/volunteer at more PCIs
• go to an interest section meeting
• no laptop--too heavy
• journal more

Overall, a great experience for a job-seeking grad student who is invested in this field. There were so many interesting people and presentations. Glad I could be a part of TESOL 2013.