'Twas the best of times, 'twas the worst of times - in other words, this Desk Reject episode is another classic AOM on-the-road recording. The bad news off the top: Your 2 favorite hosts weren't able to make it, which is why you are left with Philipp and Alexander reporting from Boston. The good news is, we found some great replacements with Imke Reimers (Associate Professor at Cornell University), Frank Nagle (Assistant Professor at Harvard Business School) and Gordon Burtch (Associate Professor at Boston University) sharing actual valuable input on attending conferences and being a grad student. But let's start with the bad news - Philipp and Alexander have some thoughts after taking part in the conference circuit for over 4 years now. Among other things they will be sharing: - what continues to irk them about AOM in particular and conferences in general - what has become more important over time when attending conferences - what has become less relevant over time when attending conferences - some thoughts on job market interviews at conferences. And much more. In case you prefer to skip the hosts' ramblings and receive some actual wisdom, we were so kind as to provide you the chapter markers for the discussion with Imke, Frank and Gordon. We hope you forgive us for the rough audio in some spots - we tried to do the best with what we had, which is a field recorder and Alexander's shaky hands.