User:Kathryn NicDhàna/RfA thoughts

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Some thoughts while this is fresh in my mind, from both my recent RfA and participating in others. Maybe to be expanded into an essay later.

1. Be honest. Seriously. BE HONEST. If there is anything in your past that may work against you, disclose it up front. It will go far, far worse for you if you try to hide something and then it is discovered during or after the RfA. People who make mistakes, but then sincerely and transparently apologize for them and show they have learned from these errors are usually forgiven and seen as human. Liars... are not.

2. Schedule your RfA when you have time to be around the computer. A lot. For a week. Someone may ask a policy question right when you were about to go to sleep, or question you about your history right when you were about to head out the door. But when at all possible (you need to sleep, after all) answering questions promptly is better.

3, If at all possible, choose a time when you are in good health, not over-tired, and not under significant stress in the rest of your life. Having to be on-call for questions, and knowing that your record is being examined, is more stressful than one may realize. You may well lose sleep during the week, as you might wind up staying up late to answer questions from someone in a different time zone. You don't have to stay up late to address the concerns of others, but see question #2. I was calm and happy during my RfA, largely because it went so smoothly, so I did not realize how stressful even a smooth RfA can be until it was all done and I promptly realized I was exhausted and caught a cold. Go figure.