Gift for student host... ideas?

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fuzzywuz

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Hey all,

I'll be staying with a student host during my interview.. I'm trying to think of gifts right now.... here's what I have...


1) box of chocolate (cheesy, i think)
2) starbucks gift card (a little unthoughtful?) <-- how much?
3) take them out to dinner

I'm almost 90% sure we are going to have dinner together so I have no problem picking up the bill.. other ideas?

Thanks!
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If you're going out to dinner, I would just pick up the bill. As a med student, they probably don't have much money, and it would really be a nice gesture. All of the options would work, but paying for dinner would probably be the most appropriate and natural.
 
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I went with two six packs of Californian beer. They loved the gifts.
 
Third (fourth?) the dinner idea. That's what I did for my host.
 
If its a chick, why not just give her some love? Only seems logical, you're in her house! Chances are, if she's a single, gunner med student, she hasn't had time to get laid in quite some time!

If you're "that type" I guess you could do the same for a guy. Wait what???
 
Buy them a monkey. I know I would appreciate one...:p
 
MilkmanAl said:
I brought six six packs on the plane when I went to see my friends in NC and deliver some beer to my favorite profs.
Click to expand...

I was confused....a couple weeks ago I went to the post office and saw a sign that said it was illegal to ship alcohol...got it mixed up with flying! :confused:

Beer is a great gift idea lol.
 
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Last edited:
AZFutureDoc said:
If its a chick, why not just give her some love? Only seems logical, you're in her house! Chances are, if she's a single, gunner med student, she hasn't had time to get laid in quite some time!

If you're "that type" I guess you could do the same for a guy. Wait what???
Click to expand...

Haha! I didn't know they mixed sexes
 
fuzzywuz said:
Hey all,

I'll be staying with a student host during my interview.. I'm trying to think of gifts right now.... here's what I have...


1) box of chocolate (cheesy, i think)
2) starbucks gift card (a little unthoughtful?) <-- how much?
3) take them out to dinner

I'm almost 90% sure we are going to have dinner together so I have no problem picking up the bill.. other ideas?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Keep in mind that your student host may not have time to go out to dinner with you. You know that most medical students have a pretty demanding schedule. A gift certificate to places like Staples, Office Depot is great. Also, see if the bookstore at their medical school has gift certificates for sale. You could purchase one of these (should be the value of what you would spend on a hotel room if you had to stay in a hotel). In short, purchasing food, beverages or coffee can be risky if you don't know the tastes of the host. Giving something like an Amazon gift certificate or something for school supplies (or even a gift certificate from a local grocery store) can be better. You could also purchase a movie theater gift certificate so that they could unwind on some off day.
 
My classic host gift is to bring something to eat for breakfast. I usually bake muffins, but you could buy pastries, or everyone likes nice bagels. It's a gesture that's always appreciated and never awkward.
 
When I stayed with hosts last year I bought them dinner, or brought them a small gift if dinner wasn't going to work out. As a host now, I think dinner (or breakfast) is great, but sometimes the opportunity doesn't present itself so well (i.e., if you're out for dinner with a big group), so I'd say an equally nice gesture would be to bring a gift card (or small gift) to give them, or just send a gift card with a thank you note after you leave. It's really the thought that counts, so even a thank you note with no gift is nicer than nothing at all....

I've heard one or two interviewees ask if hosts are compensated by the med school, so perhaps that's what some people erroneously assume and don't do anything. Has anyone heard of any schools that compensate med students for hosting? I can't imagine that....
 
Phoenix. said:
Has anyone heard of any schools that compensate med students for hosting? I can't imagine that....
Click to expand...

Creighton does, but they charge people 30 bucks to stay for the night. Transportation is provided though, so it's still a pretty great deal for the interviewee.
 
At UMICH they give hosts giftcards to a local pizza/bar place for each student they take.

Phoenix. said:
When I stayed with hosts last year I bought them dinner, or brought them a small gift if dinner wasn't going to work out. As a host now, I think dinner (or breakfast) is great, but sometimes the opportunity doesn't present itself so well (i.e., if you're out for dinner with a big group), so I'd say an equally nice gesture would be to bring a gift card (or small gift) to give them, or just send a gift card with a thank you note after you leave. It's really the thought that counts, so even a thank you note with no gift is nicer than nothing at all....

I've heard one or two interviewees ask if hosts are compensated by the med school, so perhaps that's what some people erroneously assume and don't do anything. Has anyone heard of any schools that compensate med students for hosting? I can't imagine that....
Click to expand...
 
fuzzywuz said:
Hey all,

I'll be staying with a student host during my interview.. I'm trying to think of gifts right now.... here's what I have...


1) box of chocolate (cheesy, i think)
2) starbucks gift card (a little unthoughtful?) <-- how much?
3) take them out to dinner

I'm almost 90% sure we are going to have dinner together so I have no problem picking up the bill.. other ideas?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I had a really awesome student host. They bought me dinner and everything. When I got home I sent them an Edible Arrangements fruit basket.
 
Lol. I usually take them out to dinner.
 
MilkmanAl said:
Regardless of whether or not the school compensates the host, a small gift is still in order. He's still doing you a favor.
Click to expand...

I agree. I was just curious if any schools do compensate hosts. At my school, if we take interviewees on an official tour during interview day we get a free movie pass or a cafeteria lunch ticket. If we take interviewees on an official lunch on their interview day our cafeteria lunch is comped. But if we host? Nada. Kind of funny if you think about it. Hosting requires a lot more time and effort than a tour or a lunch. Cleaning, laundry, significant time to answer questions and chat, go to dinner, possibly breakfast, etc. I LOVE doing it, and I'd do it twice a week every week if I could, but there's this pesky little thing called anatomy right now. I don't think I fully appreciated just how little time first years have (especially during anatomy). I mean, I thought I appreciated it when I was hosted, but I think I would appreciate it much more now that I've seen the other side. :oops:

The bottom line is to thank your host in any way you like, and just keep the good karma circulating. And that means hosting others next year too. :D
 
Honestly, the best gift would be not being annoying. Don't act like you know everything about the school from what you read on SDN, don't ask for a key to my apt., and don't keep trying to be overtly nice while actually distracting me from studying (all of these are based on actual experiences as a student host).

Getting a gift from another dude is just social awkwardness I don't have time to deal with right now.
 
ADeadLois said:
Getting a gift from another dude is just social awkwardness I don't have time to deal with right now.
Click to expand...

Why is it socially awkward to get a gift from someone of the same gender? As someone who has stayed with student hosts, I really appreciate the fact that you host interviewees, but I must say your post reminds me of our unhealthy obsession with homophobia. I find nothing wrong with giving another person of the same gender a gift, regardless of sexual orientation.
 
otterpop said:
Why is it socially awkward to get a gift from someone of the same gender? As someone who has stayed with student hosts, I really appreciate the fact that you host interviewees, but I must say your post reminds me of our unhealthy obsession with homophobia. I find nothing wrong with giving another person of the same gender a gift, regardless of sexual orientation.
Click to expand...

It's not homophobia; it's just that I feel incredibly awkward getting a gift from someone for doing little more than letting you sleep on my couch.

I'm not saying I don't appreciate the gesture...but, honestly, purchasing a gift is a little overboard.
 
I vote for iTunes giftcard. Everyone likes music :)
 
I got my host a coffee mug and 8 oz of local coffee - I assumed that 95% of med students would drink either coffee or tea (or other) out of a coffee mug. He seemed to like it.
 
njbmd said:
Keep in mind that your student host may not have time to go out to dinner with you. You know that most medical students have a pretty demanding schedule. A gift certificate to places like Staples, Office Depot is great. Also, see if the bookstore at their medical school has gift certificates for sale. You could purchase one of these (should be the value of what you would spend on a hotel room if you had to stay in a hotel). In short, purchasing food, beverages or coffee can be risky if you don't know the tastes of the host. Giving something like an Amazon gift certificate or something for school supplies (or even a gift certificate from a local grocery store) can be better. You could also purchase a movie theater gift certificate so that they could unwind on some off day.
Click to expand...

I agree that a gift card is probably the best idea. I know that you can get gift cards for just about anything in your local grocery store nowadays. I disagree that it should be the value of a hotel room though. Many gift cards are available in predetermined values ($10, $25 etc) Personally I go for $25, but it depends on your budget. I know many interviewees like to stay with students to reduce the cost of an interview trip, especially from OOS. I hope to be able to pass on the favor to a pre-med student when I am in med school!
 
In my opinion, you can't go wrong with a Barnes & Noble gift card. Most med students like some combination of books, muffins, and coffee/tea, and if not, they could always re-gift it.
 
Just so you guys know about Amazon, I purchased a gift card for my host, and it took TWO WEEKS to arrive, I mean that is outrageous for just sending out a gift card to you through mail. Luckily, I had arranged for a host very early, as soon as I got the interview invite, found out my host's name, and purchased a gift card from Amazon right away. It arrived the Tuesday before my interview, but I was seriously getting worried and considered getting my host a different gift card that I can buy in person in a store.
 
I buy them a beer. Lord knows I can't afford much else.

Actually, my last student host was an incredibly nice guy who paid for my dinner and beer, even though I tried to dissuade him otherwise. Best host EVER! :laugh:

Gift cards seem absolutely ridiculous.
 
Retsage said:
I buy them a beer. Lord knows I can't afford much else.

Actually, my last student host was an incredibly nice guy who paid for my dinner and beer, even though I tried to dissuade him otherwise. Best host EVER! :laugh:

Gift cards seem absolutely ridiculous.
Click to expand...

Well, the interview was at a very special place with a very special host :) If I do have another host again (which might not happen, as my only interview coming up is WashU which doesnt do hosts), I would probably just bring some chocolate/snack, or maybe a $20 starbucks giftcard or something.

Alot of people don't realize how difficult it is for med students to host you, and just take it as a given that medical schools provide student hosts. They are basically putting their already extremely busy life on hold, just for you, an interviewee that might not even be accepted at their school.
 
No school forces them to do it. They volunteer to host, probably because they enjoy the experience themselves. Are they doing me a favor? You bet. Are they doing me some sort of massive favor that is wholly inconvenient to them? Nah, I doubt that. Grabbing dinner on one evening and letting someone sleep on your couch isn't what I'd consider that big of a deal.

*shrug*
 
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