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Everything is paid for and you generally stay in very nice hotels.
However, the time commitment for this review is intense.
You generally travel on Sunday, start work on Monday morning and leave (after five) on Friday.
Monday starts at a reasonable hour with an orientation that can last a major part of the day depending on how many people have not read the preparation materials and have a lot of dumb questions to ask (or how many of the "I just like to hear myself talk" people are in the crowd).
Following orientation, you meet in a designated panel room and introduce yourself to your panel (usually three reviewers and a chairperson).
The panel develops a work plan and if you are lucky enough to have your own computer, you go to your very nice room and start work because you generally have to have one review done by about five and two more done before noon of the next day.
If you do not have a computer, you might check one out from the department and still get to go to your nice room.
If that doesn't work out, you go to the computer room and pray there is an open station.
That creates a new problem when they close down for the night because they do get to sleep.
You? Not so much.
The first grant is always the hardest and takes much longer to complete.
The good news about Monday is that they usually provide at least one working meal that day so you do not have to worry about finding time to spend your generous per diem for food (it may not seem generous at first but just try to find time to spend it all!) Limited sleep on Monday night.
Tuesday, you are a bit sleep deprived but proud of yourself as you show up on time, with your work completed, to your first panel meeting.
If you have a good panel they will also show up on time with work in hand.
However, when I say your work is completed that is very misleading...
you have only just begun! You have to panel, come to a consensus, make corrections, give comments to chairperson, make corrections, send comments to control room, make corrections (and this may take two or three trips to get it right) and so on.
You may be seeing grant number one on day five...
before it gets finalized.
But back to panel discussion and consensus...
this varies with different reviews but 10 points is a good rule of thumb.
No one wants to have one reviewer score perfect points while another scores 39 out of a 100.
Grant applicants get really testy about that and usually call their congressman.
The point here is to discuss what you found that another reviewer did not or what they found that you missed.
The system works well if everyone is flexible.
Usually by about 5pm you are finished with paneling and maybe even a few corrections.
Done for the day? Not! Now you must prepare three more for the next day because everything has to be in to the control room by Thursday so corrections can be finalized on Friday.
Oh, did I mention Tuesday is the day the Department usually decides to throw a little mandated "mixer" to socialize.
The good news is that there is usually tidbits of food.
Lucky you...
you made extra money today because you did not spend your per diem.
Very limited sleep on Tuesday.
Wednesday is a repeat of Tuesday except that you are five pounds lighter (no food) and really needing rest.
Also about this time, the niceness wears off of your panel (not to mention that your own ragged sleep-deprived rage comes into play) and you tend to have some major battles over consensus.
The slackers are usually shouting the loudest in order to make everyone think they really did read the application even though we all know they were drooling on their pillow.
In desperation you do spend a little of your per diem on whatever food products are the closest (usually a vending machine).
If you are extremely resourceful, tough, and on time, you might be fortunate to make it to the daily "snack time", provided by the department and ranging from cracker jacks to ice cream..
..
and lots of cookies that disappear fast.
Three more applications due.
Limited or no sleep on Wednesday.
Thursday defies description.
In an ideal world you only have one more application.
About 6 pm is when you finally throw caution to the wind and eat a real meal at a restaurant.
You actually venture out of the hotel and are amazed to see that you are in Washington DC! Fresh air is everywhere.
I mean, what can they do? Fire you? Well yes, I have seen this happen but only to those who have cratered.
They escort them out of the hotel whimpering and crying out for medication as you are coming back in after making a hefty dent in the day's per diem.
Usually at this point you have at least three frantic voice mails from your chairperson who has heard the ugly rumors and is afraid that it is you they have sent packing.
He/she has at least 30 corrections for you that have to be done immediately.
No sleep on Thursday.
Friday...
by this time you are either a weeper or a boaster.
You are weeping because it does not look like you will ever finish and leave the hotel; or you are boasting that you are finished and just waiting for everything to be finalized.
If you are a boaster, you are among the rare few who have a few minutes to get packed and go sightseeing.
Bad news is that you are too tired and generally find a chair in the lobby (or bar) and fall asleep.
Make sure you ask someone to wake you up in time to get to the airport.
There you have it...
five fun filled vacation days in the Nation's capital paid for by the government! So why do I do it? Actually, I love it.
It is a mental and physical challenge and I have learned more about grant writing than anyone could ever teach me.
I have met new friends from all over the nation and look forward to seeing them.
And at the end I know I have been responsible for helping many deserving programs.
It is quite a rush! Check out Ezine and my blog for other articles on how to get started as a peer reviewer and other types of reviews.
http://fracturedprism.
com/category/peer-reviews/
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