How do some people afford to go on 10+ interviews?

[aayz345]

I'm working full-time and trying to pay off my loans while saving up for Interview hotels/flights. I'm grateful to have the FAP waiver, however that doesn't cover any interview expenses, which rack up! Just going to the mid-west from CA costs $800 once you add transportation/food onto the existing cost of flight+hotel. I found myself having to open up new airline cards just so I use the bonus to cover the flight. Limiting myself to only west coast II's from now on would save me money but I'd hate to put myself in that situation. Can't be too picky in this process. How do some people casually go on 10+ II's and act like its nothing?

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[notsobabydoc]

I'm working full-time and trying to pay off my loans while saving up for Interview hotels/flights. I'm grateful to have the FAP waiver, however that doesn't cover any interview expenses, which rack up! Just going to the mid-west from CA costs $800 once you add transportation/food onto the existing cost of flight+hotel. I found myself having to open up new airline cards just so I use the bonus to cover the flight. Limiting myself to only west coast II's from now on would save me money but I'd hate to put myself in that situation. Can't be too picky in this process. How do some people casually go on 10+ II's and act like its nothing?

This is really the unfairness of the whole process.

 

[907914]

Saved $7000 over 2 years...just shot past $12K with this most recent flight purchase....basically, credit cards. That or your parents pay for it. Those are the only ways.

 

[TheDataKing]

I'm sure a lot of people have their parents pay for it all considering the demographics, namely the SES, of the matriculating classes

 

[907914]

I'm working full-time and trying to pay off my loans while saving up for Interview hotels/flights. I'm grateful to have the FAP waiver, however that doesn't cover any interview expenses, which rack up! Just going to the mid-west from CA costs $800 once you add transportation/food onto the existing cost of flight+hotel. I found myself having to open up new airline cards just so I use the bonus to cover the flight. Limiting myself to only west coast II's from now on would save me money but I'd hate to put myself in that situation. Can't be too picky in this process. How do some people casually go on 10+ II's and act like its nothing?

It isn’t nothing for those of us who have to fly from out west. It costs 2X as much post secondaries to be a “successful” west coast applicant than an east coast applicant. For a lot of applicants in the 10+ II (or, honestly, just a lot of applicants in general) their parents cover it.

For those of us that are lower SES...it is just straight up credit cards. I have put all 12K on one card, got the points, used the points, and have been using that $7k I saved up to make slightly more than minimum payments until I get my tax return next year and then can hopefully pay it off. But who knows.

Caveat: I choose to stay in hotels instead of with a host, I choose to take uber instead of navigate public transit, I get a beer with my food...with some discretion I could probably have been at around $10K, but honestly I am already planning on going in to $150K in debt, what is another 2? (That is a terrible philosophy)

 

[TheDataKing]

It isn’t nothing for those of us who have to fly from out west. It costs 2X as much post secondaries to be a “successful” west coast applicant than an east coast applicant. For a lot of applicants in the 10+ II (or, honestly, just a lot of applicants in general) their parents cover it.

For those of us that are lower SES...it is just straight up credit cards. I have put all 12K on one card, got the points, used the points, and have been using that $7k I saved up to make slightly more than minimum payments until I get my tax return next year and then can hopefully pay it off. But who knows.

Caveat: I choose to stay in hotels instead of with a host, I choose to take uber instead of navigate public transit, I get a beer with my food...with some discretion I could probably have been at around $10K, but honestly I am already planning on going in to $150K in debt, what is another 2? (That is a terrible philosophy)

lol that sounds like the, "its just a drop in the bucket" philosophy that many of us use

 

[deleted972488]

I’m very broke now, but before application season I had saved up a little money by living very frugally while working full time (I’m nontraditional). Several of my schools were within driving distance and when they weren’t I saved money by staying with student hosts or with friends.

 

[desperatepremed2024]

It's an unfair process. I am lucky to have parents who are willing to help me out since they see this as an investment, but yeah it must be really tough for people whose parents can't or are unable to help out.

 

[star-lily]

Part of my first gap year was just making sure I hoarded away $10k into a savings account that won't get touched except for app purposes.

 

[sundayko]

For me, a combination of savings, travel credit card, and parents' generosity. Just keep telling myself it's an investment every time I buy another plane ticket...

 

[deleted976595]

I’ve driven to several of my interviews (longest drive was like 5.5-6 hours) and use google flights to find the best prices. Also been lucky enough to stay with friends/family members friends to save on hotel costs. Asked for travel money instead of gifts for my recent birthday. My credit cards still aren’t happy though haha

 

[deleted993098]

I know a lot of people that do paid research to boos their app and make money. Around my area, you can make decent money from research ($17ish an hour). Personally, I work part time at a fast food restaurant.

 

[aldol16]

It still amazes me how many people pay the full ticket price of med school - or very close to it. I understand that not everybody who is paying that can afford it but I have also seen a lot of people whose parents are super rich and can just pay the whole thing like it's nothing. For the rest of us, financial aid goes a long long way.

It's the same concept for interviews. If you come from money, you can always pay for it or figure out a way to pay for it down the line. If you don't come from money, you either dig into savings, take on debt, or ration your interviews so that you become more selective later on. It becomes easier to do that once you have an acceptance in hand but if you don't yet, then it becomes a lot harder to justify turning down interviews.

Part of it is that you're coming from California where all the flights will be $400+. If you're on the East Coast, traveling up and down the East Coast isn't as costly. You could probably find flights on average for $200 up and down the coast and schools are usually pretty good at getting current students to host interviewees. Food will always cost money but I wouldn't count it as an added expense per se, because you still need to eat that meal whether you're on the interview or not. It might come at a premium because you might be able to make your own food at home but just have to eat out while you're on the interview trail. In either case, it's not a huge added expense.

 

[Dr panda]

As others have said - the game is unfair, if you don’t have parents to support you, start saving NOW!

 

[Dr panda]

(That is a terrible philosophy)

At least you understand this

 

[907914]

As others have said - the game is unfair, if you don’t have parents to support you, start saving NOW!

And if you are lucky enough to be in a position that you blow through that savings, no room to complain - it is a good problem to have (a problem that makes my parents have to buy my daughter Christmas presents instead of me......but still a good problem to have....)

 

[jamaica jan sun princess]

For those of us that are lower SES...it is just straight up credit cards. I have put all 12K on one card, got the points, used the points, and have been using that $7k I saved up to make slightly more than minimum payments until I get my tax return next year and then can hopefully pay it off. But who knows.

If you've determined that you'll have a large tax refund, adjust your withholdings. Don't give Uncle Sam a free loan when you could use the additional money now.

 

[ciestar]

I'm sure a lot of people have their parents pay for it all considering the demographics, namely the SES, of the matriculating classes

I had FAP and that def wasnt the case for me. However, I live near Philly and only applied to a couple schools that werent within driving distance from me.. none of which i interviewed at. Some areas in the country (northeast) afford that flexibility.

 

[907914]

If you've determined that you'll have a large tax refund, adjust your withholdings. Don't give Uncle Sam a free loan when you could use the additional money now.

My tax refund is way larger than it should be. I pay for childcare with student loans, but still qualify for the childcare tax credit so I get nearly half of my childcare costs back as a refund.

 

[ciestar]

If you've determined that you'll have a large tax refund, adjust your withholdings. Don't give Uncle Sam a free loan when you could use the additional money now.

This is one thing that drives my husband crazy.

But the earned income tax credit gives low income families a huge boost

 

[ciestar]

Meanwhile you have regions of the country where there are 3 medical schools for 600 miles in all directions.... yay..

I have double digit schools within 2-3 hours of where I live. Definitely got lucky being out here

 

[ciestar]

No but for real..
those cards with the nice sign up bonuses can get you a lot of points and make travel stupid cheap. Ive flown a lot of places on points alone.

 

[907914]

I have double digit schools within 2-3 hours of where I live. Definitely got lucky being out here

If you ignore Texas, there are more MD schools within 150 miles of NYC than there are west of the Mississippi. Granted, those are also near the same population lol But still...geographically sparse.

 

[907914]

No but for real..
those cards with the nice sign up bonuses can get you a lot of points and make travel stupid cheap. Ive flown a lot of places on points alone.

Chase Sapphire paid for one and a half of my flights. I am not complaining. Should’ve opened up more than one. Points really are great.

 

[ciestar]

Chase Sapphire paid for one and a half of my flights. I am not complaining. Should’ve opened up more than one. Points really are great.

If you have the preferred it also pays for pre-check which is LIFE.

 

[907914]

If you have the preferred it also pays for pre-check which is LIFE.

I have precheck through other means and OMG it is a life saver in Ohare, SeaTac, Atlanta, Logan, Detroit...like....everywhere. If you can afford 10+ IIs, also pay for precheck lol well worth it (here comes that sunk cost fallacy again [this may be wrong for those of you studying for P/S])

 

[Developer]

Savings + travel credit card sign-up bonuses + credit card debt

 

[Engrailed]

I opened a Capital One Venture card this cycle and they gave me 50,000 miles! Worth it. But also, I’m broke as well

 

[blockrudder1]

Ask about travel reimbursement, every school I interviewed at offered full or half reimbursement for FAP recipients

 

[strappysandals]

,

 

[jurassicpark]

work, savings, even more loans or begging for family for help is how it went.

 

[deleted927529]

My application nest egg was about $5000 (apartment deposit refund, tax return, savings account bonuses, gifted money), plus around 240k in reward points/AA miles. Trying my best to hold onto points so I can take a vacation with them, but...

 

[Cornfed101]

My parents agreed to help with some of my application and then when it got past like $2000 they were like, "oh NVM we didn't realize it was going to be this expensive..." credit cards since then. I grew up in a state where it was normal to drive like 15 hours to get everywhere so I have driven to all of my interviews except 1. Luckily the furthest has been 7.5 hours away.

 

[aayz345]

Ask about travel reimbursement, every school I interviewed at offered full or half reimbursement for FAP recipients

holy.. is this for real?

 

[strappysandals]

,

 

[mass-premed66]

I’ve relied on my parents and without them, I wouldn’t be able to attend anything really. Rent in MA is expensive

 

[Jeremy Bearimy]

I have to fly in from abroad, so I have had to really think about how I plan my interviews. I attended 2 on one weekend (Fri, Mon) and will do 3 on my next (Thurs, Fri, Mon). It's more interviews packed together than I would prefer, but for the cost of getting to the US (and missing work), it is necessary.

I aggressively second the recommendation to set up a new credit card before you start the cycle. Of course, don't spend more than you can pay off, but I signed up for Chase Sapphire right before submitting my primary and got the bonus almost immediately. The points and bonus from the price tag of primaries and secondaries completely paid for my first set of flights.

 

[jamaica jan sun princess]

I plan to open a travel rewards card for application expenses and hopefully use the points for interview travel expenses.

This is one thing that drives my husband crazy.

But the earned income tax credit gives low income families a huge boost

My tax refund is way larger than it should be. I pay for childcare with student loans, but still qualify for the childcare tax credit so I get nearly half of my childcare costs back as a refund.

As long as your regular federal tax withholding is already at 0%, I guess there's not much else you can do except wait for tax day. One of two pet peeves being a former tax accountant(and people thinking they'll make less money if they take raise due to the graduated tax rate). I calculated 0% tax liability for myself this year, so my last paycheck had less than $1 withheld.

 

[Cornfed101]

As long as your regular federal tax withholding is already at 0%, I guess there's not much else you can do except wait for tax day. One of two pet peeves being a former tax accountant(and people thinking they'll make less money if they take raise due to the graduated tax rate). I calculated 0% tax liability for myself this year, so my last paycheck had less than $1 withheld.

I paid $0 taxes (besides SS and Medicare) last year and got a refund of $5000. One of the few financial benefits of having children.

 

[deleted987519]

After I finished the writing portion of the application process I just became a full-time sugar baby (a tasteful one)

 

[907914]

I paid $0 taxes (besides SS and Medicare) last year and got a refund of $5000. One of the few financial benefits of having children.

Yep, that’s exactly what I’ve done the last three years. It only happens because our net income is less than 12,000 per year… But it still happens and it’s nice. I wouldn’t call getting free money when you’re already poor a financial benefit, but it is something.

 

[Peter Pan.]

I'm working full-time and trying to pay off my loans while saving up for Interview hotels/flights. I'm grateful to have the FAP waiver, however that doesn't cover any interview expenses, which rack up! Just going to the mid-west from CA costs $800 once you add transportation/food onto the existing cost of flight+hotel. I found myself having to open up new airline cards just so I use the bonus to cover the flight. Limiting myself to only west coast II's from now on would save me money but I'd hate to put myself in that situation. Can't be too picky in this process. How do some people casually go on 10+ II's and act like its nothing?

I can’t remember the exact stats but I believe 50%+ of medical students came from a household that makes $150,000 or more a year.

 

[pBar]

I cant begin to imagine what the process must be like for most applicants. I lucked out being a FL resident with most IIs being just a drive away. For OOS interviews, fortunate enough for most PhD programs to cover the cost of travel. Had I not applied MD/PHD and been from a place geographically that required extraneous expenditure to travel I don't even know what i would have done...

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[DevinBookerMD]

Ask about travel reimbursement, every school I interviewed at offered full or half reimbursement for FAP recipients

Many schools will do this for FAP applicants

I'm a FAP recipient but have not asked about this. Would this be something I could email schools after the fact? How would this even be worded?

 

[LizzyM]

As I'm thinking about this, for those of you who have a planned gap year, it could be good to seek paid employment in the area between DC and NYC and live relatively close to an Amtrak station. With that set-up, you can drive or take public transportation to a bijillion medical schools.

 

[Jeremy Bearimy]

As I'm thinking about this, for those of you who have a planned gap year, it could be good to seek paid employment in the area between DC and NYC and live relatively close to an Amtrak station. With that set-up, you can drive or take public transportation to a bijillion medical schools.

Absolutely. I'm too lazy to calculate it exactly right now, but a good sizable portion of US med schools are accessible from the Northeast Corridor (runs from Boston to DC).

 

[907914]

I can’t remember the exact stats but I believe 50%+ of medical students came from a household that makes $150,000 or more a year.

So, even just the fourth quintile....which today is around 148K, about 70% of matriculating students come from there.

 

[907914]

View attachment 284095

View attachment 284096

So, even just the fourth quintile....which today is around 148K, about 70% of matriculating students come from there.

If anyone wants to play with the numbers themselves:

https://www.aamc.org/system/files/reports/1/aibvol8no1.pdf

 

[FISTMCLARGEHUGE]

The process also selects for people who have outside help to even apply. I honestly have no idea how the traditional students without help do it. The number of random checkboxes just piles on and eats away at hours you could use to make money.
The process is completely skewed and it doesnt surprise me most applicants come from wealthy backgrounds. Even the "equalizers" aren't fair. The MCAT costs money and materials I would call nessecary cost money. Just the time needed to prep for that test could be quantified as lost income and if its coupled with tons of other time consuming activities you'll hit a wall fast.

 

[907914]

The process also selects for people who have outside help to even apply. I honestly have no idea how the traditional students without help do it. The number of random checkboxes just piles on and eats away at hours you could use to make money.
The process is completely skewed and it doesnt surprise me most applicants come from wealthy backgrounds. Even the "equalizers" aren't fair. The MCAT costs money and materials I would call nessecary cost money. Just the time needed to prep for that test could be quantified as lost income and if its coupled with tons of other time consuming activities you'll hit a wall fast.

I think this really exemplifies why, at least for traditional students, gap years are almost essential nowadays. There is so much expected and so much cost that time is needed to decompress pre-matriculation. If I had had the time/finances, a gap year would have been a no brainer.