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

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
Members don't see this ad.
I am paying for the entire application cycle by myself and no FAP. Currently have paid for over 10 interviews. Basically I got the Chase freedom unlimited in December last year and put ALL charges on this. Then before the app cycle I got the Chase sapphire preferred and charged all app stuff to it to get the sign up bonus. Between the two cards I had ~100k travel points. Which was enough to cover 4.5 flights. Before the cycle I saved $3500 and have been adding around $800 a month to my savings because of my job. As someone paying for this entirely by myself with no FAP, I don’t see how it’s possible without a full time job unless if you just charge everything to a credit card and go into debt. This is dangerous because if your credit score tanks, you could have a hard time getting loans to cover school. I am spending a projected $7,000-$7,500 for the whole process. All of it will be paid for/full payments every month for the credit cards, no debt.
 
for me some luck with location and timing of II offers. Out of my 10, 8 are OOS and are fairly expensive.

I was able to group II's together in one trip. I reached out to some admissions departments and scheduled my interviews together (you don't always have to take the dates they initially offer you). I was able to knock out 4 II's this way with only purchasing 2 flights. I have also been booking some redeye flights to save on ticket and hotel costs. Shop around and compare airbnb vs hotels. Also Ubers can get expensive and if you're 26+ it can be cheaper and more reliable to rent a car sometimes. Other than that I currently work full-time and have been paying for the flights and hotels as I go. I didn't have undergrad debt and budgeted pretty hard saving up a good amount for this process.
 
I want to say something: this advice about loading up credit cards is not good advice. It can seriously hurt your credit score by signing up for a bunch of cards and paying them back slowly. I get it, applying to medical school is super expensive. I personally work full-time and even though I come from a wealthy family (No FAP) I am completely independent and pay for everything myself (including all my interviews and app expenses), so I know how hard it is to pay for all of this. But hurting your credit score will come back to bite you in the long run. Interest rates on a future mortgage or private med school loans will be higher and considerably more expensive than someone with a good credit score. If you have a solid list of EC's going into the application season I suggest looking for a higher paying job. Unfortunately the entry level positions in health care (CNA, Scribe, etc.) pay very poorly. If you can find a job that pays better than the typical pre-med job (like working at a biotech company) and volunteer in the hospital on the side I think that is the best way to get through this process without hurting your credit.
 
I honestly just want an acceptance at this point not so I can attend medical school but so I can stop absolutely hemorraghing money by attending interviews.

I feel personally attacked by this thread. I've blown through my savings, I'm horrified by my credit card debt, and I realize I'm bad at adulting 🙁
 
JanetSnakehole said:
I honestly just want an acceptance at this point not so I can attend medical school but so I can stop absolutely hemorraghing money by attending interviews.

I feel personally attacked by this thread. I've blown through my savings, I'm horrified by my credit card debt, and I realize I'm bad at adulting 🙁
Click to expand...
I blew through 7K in savings, and am currently making $200 payments on 5K at 15%. Don’t worry friend, you are not alone
 
I worked full-time for three years post-undergrad and have already spent my savings... I previously qualified for FAP, but I guess working screwed me there. I should have opted to move back home rent-free. I am putting them on my credit cards as well as picking up extra shifts at my work. Still not enough. I thought I was going to take a vacation if I got in, but don't believe that is going to be possible. Luckily, I have a bunch of airline miles, so maybe I can make it fly.
Looking forward to that tax return since I claim no allowances, so should be getting something back. Hopefully, I will have some good news by then. CA sucks!
 
I'm FAP, interviewing at ~15 schools and have stayed with friends or a student host for 70% of my interviews. Clumped my farther interviews together. It was definitely doable. Luckily my employer lets me work remotely so I can make up my hours. However I realize that not all are fortunate to have friends throughout the country and have a super chill manager.
 
Highly recommend Skiplagged too if a flight to a specific city is just prohibitively expensive. Round trip to Philly would've been like 470 but I just paid 350 by booking a flight to Miami instead. Don't book through their website though they add service fees. You can just as easily search the flights on the airline's websites. Plus if something goes wrong I get to have a nice night in Miami instead 🤣
 
A friend (Ph.D. applicant for math) and I were talking the other day. He has good test scores and is the belle of the ball for all his programs.

He was like, “Oh, just go to the grad school that gives you the best hotel and lunch. Wait - medical school pays you to go on interviews, right?”

I am usually not one to cry, but you guys - I broke down a little bit. Not kidding. Ugh. I’m such a baby.
 
JanetSnakehole said:
A friend (Ph.D. applicant for math) and I were talking the other day. He has good test scores and is the belle of the ball for all his programs.

He was like, “Oh, just go to the grad school that gives you the best hotel and lunch. Wait - medical school pays you to go on interviews, right?”

I am usually not one to cry, but you guys - I broke down a little bit. Not kidding. Ugh. I’m such a baby.
Click to expand...

They sort of pay us! We get swag lol. So far, I've only gotten shirts, but I guess that's $10 less than I would spend otherwise... Wait, I don't even buy clothes anymore 😆
 
aayz345 said:
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?
Click to expand...
I fully funded my application while on FAP and working full-time(I was living at home in FL but eventually did need to pay rent which was not as high as rent would in Cali so there's that). Ended up going to 19 of 23 IIs.

So first thing, you may need to look into income-based repayment for any federal student loans. When I was working during my gap years, I was thinking the same as you and trying to pay down student loans. Now, looking back should have been on IBP from the beginning. I could have redirected the money being used to pay loans into my savings acct to be available for my application. The student loans I had would go back in deferment once I was in school so that was my reasoning in the end.

I got a Chase Sapphire card and put a few K on it in flights, food, etc. and also unlocked enough points for like 2-3 round-trip flights. If possible, for flights travel really light and/or fly airlines like Spirit, JetBlue, United. I also used apps like Skyscanner, Google Flights, etc. to monitor good times to purchase flights, buses, or schedule interviews. Also, try stacking interviews in the same city so that way you aren't going to the same place twice.

For work, if you're getting them, use PTO/sick day hours. They were a decent cushion for me but your circumstances may be different. Also, I was super transparent about the process so my bosses and coworkers really worked around my schedule.

aayz345 said:
student hosts are a great but unfortunately only 1/3 of my II’s have offered one so far
Click to expand...

I'm sorry to hear that you're experiencing this. Some schools may not be the best at marketing programs such as this. I would follow-up with admissions still and see if they may have something available to help even if it's not student hosting. For example, I know some schools can get you discounts at local hotels that they partner with if they don't have student hosting or interviewees want to stay at hotels. I would also look into hostels or see if any friends or family live in the areas that you're interviewing in. Keep hustling and grinding and you can make it work. I hope any of this helps. Good luck.
 
bdjay said:
They sort of pay us! We get swag lol. So far, I've only gotten shirts, but I guess that's $10 less than I would spend otherwise... Wait, I don't even buy clothes anymore 😆
Click to expand...

You’ve gotten clothing?? At one of my interviews, our souvenir was literally a tiny (and I mean seriously tiny) drawstring bag filled with alcohol swabs and bandaids.
 
TSHJB302 said:
You’ve gotten clothing?? At one of my interviews, our souvenir was literally a tiny (and I mean seriously tiny) drawstring bag filled with alcohol swabs and bandaids.
Click to expand...

Wow that’s a pretty generous school! Yep, I’ve gotten shirts at the two schools I interviewed at so far.
 
gonnif said:
Ask

"I recently informed that some medical schools will offer FAP recipients who are invited for an interview a subsidy to defray costs of travel and lodging. Since I was unaware of this possibility prior to my attending an interview at your NAME school, does your institution offer such a subsidy? If so, is it possible to submit travel receipts to receive it?
Click to expand...
just thought I'd update on my success with this email. so far 4/5 schools I've emailed have said nope haha. thanks for the example though I think it's a fair question to ask.
 
I am not sure where to ask this, so I thought I would give it a try here: does anyone have advice on asking a supervisor for a day off for an interview? I work in a clinical research setting, but in more of an administrative position so they are not used to employees applying for med school while at this job. I just started a month ago, so I cannot use PTO yet. At the interview I mentioned that my career goals include going to med school, and when they asked when that would be, I said 1 year. In the interview I also asked about the process for taking time off, but looking back I don't know if I made it perfectly clear that within the first few months of working there I would need to take days off for interviews. Has anyone been in this position? My supervisor is easy to talk to, but I don't think she understands the application timeline/knows that I am interviewing now and possibly leaving this job in the summer/early fall if I am accepted. I don't want to lie, but I also don't want it to seem like I am going to be leaving soon/don't care about this job!
 
aayz345 said:
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?
Click to expand...

Took out another mortgage on my parent's house for my interviews...haven't told them yet but doubt they'll mind.
 
mad957 said:
I am not sure where to ask this, so I thought I would give it a try here: does anyone have advice on asking a supervisor for a day off for an interview? I work in a clinical research setting, but in more of an administrative position so they are not used to employees applying for med school while at this job. I just started a month ago, so I cannot use PTO yet. At the interview I mentioned that my career goals include going to med school, and when they asked when that would be, I said 1 year. In the interview I also asked about the process for taking time off, but looking back I don't know if I made it perfectly clear that within the first few months of working there I would need to take days off for interviews. Has anyone been in this position? My supervisor is easy to talk to, but I don't think she understands the application timeline/knows that I am interviewing now and possibly leaving this job in the summer/early fall if I am accepted. I don't want to lie, but I also don't want it to seem like I am going to be leaving soon/don't care about this job!
Click to expand...

Just be straight with your supervisor. Tell them when you specifically need time off and that you will likely need more time off in the near future. It is much better to be honest and complete in your explanation than to miscommunicate and have your supervisor be mad at you. You don't need to give your end date at this point. Also, work hard within your company's policies to get your shifts covered if you can. The more proactive you are and the less work you leave for your supervisor to have to figure out, the better.
 
Cornfed101 said:
Just be straight with your supervisor. Tell them when you specifically need time off and that you will likely need more time off in the near future. It is much better to be honest and complete in your explanation than to miscommunicate and have your supervisor be mad at you. You don't need to give your end date at this point. Also, work hard within your company's policies to get your shifts covered if you can. The more proactive you are and the less work you leave for your supervisor to have to figure out, the better.
Click to expand...

This is great advice. Try to get a coworker to agree to cover for you before you approach your supervisor. If you’ve taken care of the gaps in coverage, your supervisor should be willing to approve your days off.

Don’t be timid when you approach her. Just say “As we discussed, I’m in the process of interviewing for medical schools this fall. I’ve gotten interviews on November 20 and December 9, so I’ll need to be out those days. Kate has already agreed to cover for me. I wanted to confirm with you that this is OK and see if you need further action from my end.”

Don’t even bring up the possibility of an end date until you have an acceptance in hand.
 
JanetSnakehole said:
This is great advice. Try to get a coworker to agree to cover for you before you approach your supervisor. If you’ve taken care of the gaps in coverage, your supervisor should be willing to approve your days off.

Don’t be timid when you approach her. Just say “As we discussed, I’m in the process of interviewing for medical schools this fall. I’ve gotten interviews on November 20 and December 9, so I’ll need to be out those days. Kate has already agreed to cover for me. I wanted to confirm with you that this is OK and see if you need further action from my end.”

Don’t even bring up the possibility of an end date until you have an acceptance in hand.
Click to expand...

crying at ur username lmao

edit: +1 "as we discussed" is basically the lynch pin to any successful negotiation
 
Cornfed101 said:
Just be straight with your supervisor. Tell them when you specifically need time off and that you will likely need more time off in the near future. It is much better to be honest and complete in your explanation than to miscommunicate and have your supervisor be mad at you. You don't need to give your end date at this point. Also, work hard within your company's policies to get your shifts covered if you can. The more proactive you are and the less work you leave for your supervisor to have to figure out, the better.
Click to expand...
JanetSnakehole said:
This is great advice. Try to get a coworker to agree to cover for you before you approach your supervisor. If you’ve taken care of the gaps in coverage, your supervisor should be willing to approve your days off.

Don’t be timid when you approach her. Just say “As we discussed, I’m in the process of interviewing for medical schools this fall. I’ve gotten interviews on November 20 and December 9, so I’ll need to be out those days. Kate has already agreed to cover for me. I wanted to confirm with you that this is OK and see if you need further action from my end.”

Don’t even bring up the possibility of an end date until you have an acceptance in hand.
Click to expand...

Thank you both for the very helpful advice! I am still in training mode so I do not have much work on my plate, and my supervisor is usually the one to decide who covers for who based on the amount of work we each have in our portfolios. I am definitely going to use the "as we discussed" line!

also @JanetSnakehole Dec. 9 is actually one of the dates I will need off!
 
mad957 said:
Thank you both for the very helpful advice! I am still in training mode so I do not have much work on my plate, and my supervisor is usually the one to decide who covers for who based on the amount of work we each have in our portfolios. I am definitely going to use the "as we discussed" line!

also @JanetSnakehole Dec. 9 is actually one of the dates I will need off!
Click to expand...

Well best of luck on December 9 then!
 
Helpful tip from one of my coworkers interviewing for PA school- he used AirBnB for lodging and messaged the hosts about his situation and they reduced his rate (also depending on location air bnb is most likely going to be cheaper than any hotel). Happy interview szn folks!
 
popcorn1096 said:
Helpful tip from one of my coworkers interviewing for PA school- he used AirBnB for lodging and messaged the hosts about his situation and they reduced his rate (also depending on location air bnb is most likely going to be cheaper than any hotel). Happy interview szn folks!
Click to expand...

Also, AirBnB in general is pretty cheap. I stayed for $35 at my last interview and everyone else was paying $100+ for the Marriott...
 
aayz345 said:
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?
Click to expand...
It's all geography, unfortunately. Cali applicants get crushed in this regard because it's so competitive and they have to travel all over the country. If you live in the Northeast, NY/NJ/PA for example you could do 10 interviews without a single flight.

Do your best to chunk interviews if possible. When I was applying to residency last year (which I know is apples and oranges) I scheduled all my Florida interviews around the same time so I could make one 10 day long trip and hit three at a time.

David D, MD - USMLE and MCAT Tutor
Med School Tutors
 
Since I'm taking a gap year, I had a lot of friends who are M1's in state schools. Often, they'd let me crash at their place. If not, I did an airbnb, which was the bulk of my $. I drove to every single interview, which was painful. (Was rear-ended on the morning of one interview... big oof). Thankfully, my boss was supportive of me taking the time to go to interviews.

This process (and the whole process of becoming a physician) is very much geared to those who have the resources. I cannot begin to fathom what it would be like.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

2026PreMed
What do people mean when they tell you to do "research" ?
Replies
12
Views
808
2026PreMed
2026PreMed
carson16666
How do I go about learning a school's mission?
Replies
10
Views
753
pikachu8923
pikachu8923
FutureDOCTORR123456789
Do most people take gap years?
Replies
11
Views
810
eigen
eigen
shazam211
Go to Top CA DO school or not?
Replies
8
Views
588
HuskyMD Emeritus
H
D
How to list old experiences (~10 years old) in addition to current experience?
Replies
1
Views
243
polymerization
P
Top