Using Travel Funds as a Local

[studentdoctornetwork]

So I just got an interview invite from one of my top choices and they offer a $300 travel stipend. The only problem I have is that the place is just 30 minutes from where I currently live (the address is listed on my AMCAS and secondary application). Would it look tacky if I stay at a hotel during the interview? My main concern is that if I commute from home, I may get delayed due to traffic (the school is in the middle of downtown). I'd rather play it safe and just stay at a hotel down the street. Thoughts?

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[SurfingDoctor]

So I just got an interview invite from one of my top choices and they offer a $300 travel stipend. The only problem I have is that the place is just 30 minutes from where I currently live (the address is listed on my AMCAS and secondary application). Would it look tacky if I stay at a hotel during the interview? My main concern is that if I commute from home, I may get delayed due to traffic (the school is in the middle of downtown). I'd rather play it safe and just stay at a hotel down the street. Thoughts?

No, do not stay at a hotel and charge it to the school you want to go to when you live essentially in the same town.

 

[smithers12]

No, do not stay at a hotel and charge it to the school you want to go to when you live essentially in the same town.

i will give you an opposing perspective and recommend you stay in the hotel. interviews are anxiety riddled as it is and controlling as many variables as possible that will minimize that anxiety will only make you perform better. if this were your home institution, i think that would be a different story, but it doesn't sound like it.

also, would you be staying at the one hotel that the other candidates will be staying at? the way you worded it it actually doesn't sound that way. when it comes to your interview experience it makes an enormous difference sticking with the candidates day in and day out vs. showing up and leaving on your own. but, if everyone is making hotel plans on their own, this becomes less significant. the little things in your interview day really do make a difference in your perception of the school - shuttle rides to and from the hotel, waiting around with candidates, etc. so definitely don't take them for granted.

"charging it to the school" is a little harsh in my opinion, programs budget for these sorts of things and expect some to use more than others - for instance you wouldn't be asking for a flight reimbursement, just a hotel. a strategically worded email to the program coordinator will make your situation seem just fine.

 

[SurfingDoctor]

i will give you an opposing perspective and recommend you stay in the hotel. interviews are anxiety riddled as it is and controlling as many variables as possible that will minimize that anxiety will only make you perform better. if this were your home institution, i think that would be a different story, but it doesn't sound like it.

also, would you be staying at the one hotel that the other candidates will be staying at? the way you worded it it actually doesn't sound that way. when it comes to your interview experience it makes an enormous difference sticking with the candidates day in and day out vs. showing up and leaving on your own. but, if everyone is making hotel plans on their own, this becomes less significant. the little things in your interview day really do make a difference in your perception of the school - shuttle rides to and from the hotel, waiting around with candidates, etc. so definitely don't take them for granted.

"charging it to the school" is a little harsh in my opinion, programs budget for these sorts of things and expect some to use more than others - for instance you wouldn't be asking for a flight reimbursement, just a hotel. a strategically worded email to the program coordinator will make your situation seem just fine.

They do budget for it with the intention of attracting applicants. One is far more likely to go an interview if it is being paid for than one that is not, especially if it is far away (schools love to brag about how far students came to go their school because it suggests national reputation). But that doesn't sound like this situation.

Maybe no one would pay attention or care that you are using a travel stipend to go to a school 30 minutes from your home, but then again, I can imagine that someone might and have a negative reaction to it. If it really is a top choice, it doesn't seem worth it to me to take that risk.

 

[Michael_Scott]

just curious, how did you know about the stipend, did they inform you of it or did you inquire/apply ?
I have never heard of something like this...

 

[smithers12]

i would be shocked if your travel situation made it from the program coordinator to the members of the admission committee in such a way to hurt your application. if that program valued a few extra bucks over minimizing the stress of your interview day, that is not a program you want to be a part of. then again, it sort of is a seller's market for programs, so feel free to disregard my advice for what seems to be the more experienced voice in this thread.

if this is a hotel all the applicants are going to be staying at, i would strongly recommend finding a way to stay at that hotel. if not, or if this was your home institution, then i would be inclined to agree with forgoing the hotel.

i have seen some surprisingly poor decisions made by applicants affect their chances at my own institution, but using a travel stipend was not one of them. really, it just comes down to how you ask for it. if you demand it/otherwise act like a prick to any of our wonderful program coordinators, then not only will the admissions committee know, but - provided you do find a way to get in - your future MSTP colleagues will know and forever judge you for it.