How do you travel to the interviews?

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Sparda29

Sparda29

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I'm assuming that most of you only apply to schools within the same region that you live in. If you get the interview call, how do you guys travel to the interview?

Do you take the train, plane, or do you drive there?
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i flew to 3 of my 5 interviews. the 4th was 40 minutes away so i drove, the 5th was in arizona so i drove there with my dad (5hr'ish drive)
 
Actually, I applied to schools far from my home, which means that I flew to my interview sites. If I were to apply to schools in my region, I would have to compete with other applicants with great GPAs and unique extracurriculars in California. I would definitely have a very slim chance of getting accepted into one of 2 public schools here.
 
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I live in NY and applied to a school in Florida. However, for my interview, I decided I could use some good exercise, and so, I chose to walk. I am 5'10 and 150 pounds, but by the time I got there, I weighed about 90. Talk about life experiences you can discuss during your interview...:)
 
I flew to two interviews and made a loooong drive to the other out of state one. Mapquest said it was 4 1/2 hours but it was more like 5 1/2 hours so I was walking into the interview 10 minutes before time. At least I gave myself a cushion! The last interview was only 45 minutes from my house.
 
Drove to the one here. Flew to the other three. Then I either rented a car or stayed at a hotel that would take you to the university.
 
Flew to the three on the east coast and drove to the three in cali. I was fortunate enough to have a friend living in every city i went to so i lucked out on not having to rent hotels or cars.
 
i teleport to my interviews or use my rocket boots. Other than that I drive if I have to, if the interview is too far to drive, I will fly.
 
mrblah said:
i teleport to my interviews or use my rocket boots. Other than that I drive if I have to, if the interview is too far to drive, I will fly.
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Yeah, I think for my interviews I'll ask Harry Potter to give me the ride on his broom. I mean the actual broom.:luck:


wizard_rock_by_yaytime.jpg
 
Sparda29 said:
Ehh, I just wish that the schools paid for the travel expenses or at least provided free accommodations.
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Yeah right, why in the world would they do that, considering they don't even know if they'll accept you.
 
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Sparda29 said:
Just as courtesy. Don't they know that we're college students, and we don't exactly make a lot of money? Or at least pay 50% of the travel expenses.
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Ok, I see your point. In light of them paying for our tickets, it would be also nice if they paid for my Theory suit(about 600 $, I mean I must look good for my interviews) and my Kooba bag ( 700 $) - a girl's gotta have a designer bag to carry all her things. Oh, and Armani Shoes (350 $) are a must - I mean like, you know, ( ME TRYING TO SOUND LIKE PARIS HILTON) do they seriously think I am going to the interview wearing gooey shoes ?


Hahahahahahaha ! :laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:
 
Unreasonable maybe, but definitely not impossible. I know graduate schools cover all your travel expenses when they offer you an interview, but then again graduate schools are more geared towards really reeling in students. Pharm schools on the other hand know how many people are dying to get into their programs so they offer no mercy...bastards.
 
Sparda29 said:
Just as courtesy. Don't they know that we're college students, and we don't exactly make a lot of money? Or at least pay 50% of the travel expenses.
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I agree. Gas is also so expensive. It's like $127 a barrel. Education needs some serious liberal reforms. The whole system needs to be overhauled. It keeps getting expensive. We got to pay fees for pharmcas, supplementary apps, pcat, cost of books, tuition, etc. But even if we can't afford to go to school at least the professors get raise increases like every year.:(
 
Luol Deng Fan said:
I agree. Gas is also so expensive. It's like $127 a barrel. Education needs some serious liberal reforms. The whole system needs to be overhauled. It keeps getting expensive. We got to pay fees for pharmcas, supplementary apps, pcat, cost of books, tuition, etc. But even if we can't afford to go to school at least the professors get raise increases like every year.:(
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Haha, I'm probably going to be paying $500 to AMCAS, $200 to AACOMAS, and $300-400 to PharmCAS. Not to mention the Supplemental Apps, the MCAT, the PCAT.

I'm not gonna spend $1000 on clothes like some other people on this site. $200 should cover everything if you know where to shop. Century 21 and Burlington Coat Factory rock.
 
Sparda29 said:
Haha, I'm probably going to be paying $500 to AMCAS, $200 to AACOMAS, and $300-400 to PharmCAS. Not to mention the Supplemental Apps, the MCAT, the PCAT.

I'm not gonna spend $1000 on clothes like some other people on this site. $200 should cover everything if you know where to shop. Century 21 and Burlington Coat Factory rock.
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FOR THE LAST TIME: I was being sarcastic. I can't even afford to myself food, how in the world would I afford a 1000 $ worth of clothing.
 
Even though gas is expensive, you should include interview costs as part of the costs of doing business (in this case, getting into pharmacy school). I don't have any problems spending money to make sure that I nail that interview, or I sleep comfortable the night before, or to look professional. In the end, its all worth it. Its a drop in the bucket in the long run.

P.S. I aint rich either, and if you can't afford gas, wait til you actually get in to schools, and put down deposits that range from 500 to 2000 dollars.

cheburashka: you sure you want a broom handle to ride on, I heard they can be hard to handle :p
 
Sparda29 said:
Haha, I'm probably going to be paying $500 to AMCAS, $200 to AACOMAS, and $300-400 to PharmCAS. Not to mention the Supplemental Apps, the MCAT, the PCAT.

I'm not gonna spend $1000 on clothes like some other people on this site. $200 should cover everything if you know where to shop. Century 21 and Burlington Coat Factory rock.
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$200 Deng, I was just going to spend 50 bucks at walmart. How nice do you have to dress?
 
Geez, I hope none of you have taken economics. Its called supply and demand. Schools have a small supply of seats for a large demand of students, hence the schools aren't going to spend any more than they have to.

I spent at least $500 on my suit, but that included a new shirt, belt, tie, and shoes as well. I think it was totally worth it. Every guy should have at least one good suit.
 
You guys must be crazy to even spend $200 on a suit. I live in NY, found a bargain store located in LIC, Queens and purchased a brand new, professionally looking suit for $10.00. That's right, $10.00. I already had several dress shirts, pants, ties, and socks. So, I spent $10.00 on the suit. From my experience, as long as you are well dressed and display personal hygiene habits, communicate eloquently, and get along with your interviewers, you should have no problems getting into the school of your choice. So, I suggest to stop with the vanity of buying a $500.00 or $1,000.00 suit and realize you don't need that to get into pharmacy school or any professional school. Minimize your expenses, but not at the expense of looking professional for your interviews. In NYC, anything is possible, Sparda. You can surely find a suit this cheap. I kid you not.
 
I spent ~$200 for my suit that I bought from Talbots. And it was on sale too! Actually, I tried the suits at Macy's, but none of them really fit me. The one I got from Talbots fit me perfectly without tailoring.
 
Finding suits for women is a whole different story.There is no way in the world you can find a decent looking suit for 10 or even 50 bucks if you a woman. Going suit shopping to me is like being Alice in Wonderland = crazy mind blowing experience. If I find something that look good, it's usually some sort of hideous color, if the color is awesome, it looks like a moo-moo. If the color and fit are both right, then it costs way outside of my price range. I want a navy or dark gray skirt suit, and those seem to be almost impossible to find.

Finding a decent fitting shirt also seems to be the problem. Women just have it so much tougher, we have additional body parts we have to worry about. ;)
 
Oh really, I find that women get a lot more leeway at work concerning dress code. Personally, I cannot stand dress shirts because they make my neck itch and make me sweat if I'm wearing a tie.

Is there anyway to get away with going to an interview without a tie?
 
nerv12345 said:
are you serious sparda? the interview takes like...30 minutes
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Takes 30 minutes yes, but I'm not exactly going to be dressing up at the place. Besides the point that I cannot tie a tie (I've looked at tons of videos on Youtube about this, still cannot figure it out.).

If it's gonna be in Philly, I gotta go to my aunt's house near Scranton, stay the night over, get dressed in the morning, 2-3 hour drive to Philly.

NYC, dress up, get on the LIRR to Brooklyn.

The sweating is more of a problem than itching. Itching I can deal with because I've been through an MRI, ever have a nose itch that you can't scratch for 1 hour?

Sweating is a problem, because then you look nervous. Honestly, I cannot be in a room that is set higher than 75 degrees for too long. I mean, I have had my air conditioner on since March and it is set at 59 degrees.
 
Sparda29 said:
Takes 30 minutes yes, but I'm not exactly going to be dressing up at the place. Besides the point that I cannot tie a tie (I've looked at tons of videos on Youtube about this, still cannot figure it out.).

If it's gonna be in Philly, I gotta go to my aunt's house near Scranton, stay the night over, get dressed in the morning, 2-3 hour drive to Philly.

NYC, dress up, get on the LIRR to Brooklyn.

The sweating is more of a problem than itching. Itching I can deal with because I've been through an MRI, ever have a nose itch that you can't scratch for 1 hour?

Sweating is a problem, because then you look nervous. Honestly, I cannot be in a room that is set higher than 75 degrees for too long. I mean, I have had my air conditioner on since March and it is set at 59 degrees.
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Haha, I STRUGGLED trying to tie a tie for my interview. I practiced about 2 days before and simply could not do it even after watching videos online. The night before my interview, I had no success with it until 3 in the morning when I just came up with my own way of tying it. It looked good too. Why can't we just wear the clip-ons? :laugh:
 
Don't button it up all the way, and then go fix yourself up in a bathroom before the interview. Yeah, learn to tie a tie. If you cant figure it out through the internet, get someone to teach you.
 
this thread is hilarious. lol
 
I like dressing up. It impresses people. You look more respectable.

I suggest shopping at express(clothing store....). Look out for sales. I have gotten about $1000 worth of clothes in the last 8 month for about $300. I had basically no dress clothes so that was awesome to get a few sets of clothes so cheap. Guess has a lot of sales too. Got two suit jackets a while back for $100 bucks. You can save a lot of money ordering online, promo codes.
 
Maybe one of the guys can answer this for me. What is a good material for the suits to be made out of, if I want it to be cooling. Overheating is my main problem, then its that I'm just not used to wearing tighter fitting clothes (I normally wear relatively loose jeans).
 
if it's a matter of sweaty armpits, try certain dri. its supposed to decrease the amount of sweat the glands produce. As for fabric type, not sure. Just dont buy thick shirts or pants. Socks, there is a type of sock that actually pulls moisture away from feet. I wear them under other socks when I go hiking. Keep my feet dry. Not sure what they are made of.


Haha. I love this thread. It gets better....:laugh:
 
PrepharmKID said:
if it's a matter of sweaty armpits, try certain dri. its supposed to decrease the amount of sweat the glands produce. As for fabric type, not sure. Just dont buy thick shirts or pants. Socks, there is a type of sock that actually pulls moisture away from feet. I wear them under other socks when I go hiking. Keep my feet dry. Not sure what they are made of.


Haha. I love this thread. It gets better....:laugh:
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Nope. It's my face that starts sweating, and it gets to the point where my collar is soaked within 45 minutes.

Oh, and if I just run for like maybe 15 seconds, possibly to catch an elevator or to run across the street so I don't have to wait for the light to change, that will do it for the next 30 minutes if I am not in a cold area.
 
Ha Ha. I can't help but laugh. That's hilarious.

Well you might want to consider having a few tissues in your pocket to pat your face down. I have crazy allergies so I always keep a few folded in my pocket. Maybe carry around a handkerchief in your pocket?? If someone asks what it's for just say you use it for magic tricks. :laugh:
 
Sparda29 said:
Nope. It's my face that starts sweating, and it gets to the point where my collar is soaked within 45 minutes.

Oh, and if I just run for like maybe 15 seconds, possibly to catch an elevator or to run across the street so I don't have to wait for the light to change, that will do it for the next 30 minutes if I am not in a cold area.
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Ok, I know this is probably not funny to you, but it's hilarious to read. I'm so sorry, this isn't something you can fix though. You just need to find a solution that will let you solve this problem as graciously as possible.


I am kind of worried about the interviews myself, the thing is I have very extreme anxiety problems to a point where I sometimes get physically sick. I had seizures before and once even had to go to emergency room because I was so anxious. I also tend to rub my chest area around my throat uncontrollably because I have problems breathing when I am that anxious. I've gotten better with it over the years but I am still worried. :cool:


I am going to a cool biomedical conference soon though and will be presenting some of my research. Hopefully it'll be like a practice for the interviews.
 
Concerning men's interview attire: Check out GQ's "Best suits under $500". h&m and express have nice suits for $250. The cheapest one was Target for $85. Just take it to the tailor and make alterations to form to your body and you'll look like a million bucks.
 
To get back to the original question: I traveled to my interviews using a combination of Greyhound and flying. My interviews were one day apart (interviewed @ Creighton on March 28, and at WVU on March 29). I took Greyhound to Omaha, finished my interview there and took it back to Kansas City, then flew to Pittsburgh, and then took a bus to Morgantown. When I was done with my interview there, I took the bus back to Pittsburgh and then took Greyhound home.

I interviewed at two grad schools that paid all my travel expenses and lodged me in a hotel. Best interview experiences I had this cycle. One school arranged to take me to and from the airport with a limousine! For this backwoodsman who had never ridden a limo before that, it was quite an experience.

As for clothes, I hate dressing up too. I changed in the bathroom at Creighton (actually I did more than change; I actually SHAVED in the bathroom), and I interviewed at WVU in a polo shirt and jeans. Long story.

*DoctorRX, I need to know where you found your $10 suit:eek:, and if I can find one in Missouri.:D
 
Sparda29 said:
I think you posted something about that. Something like a bus getting missed or canceled, then you had to shave in a rush and cut yourself, thus staining your shirt.
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Yep. Interviewed with a bloodstain on my collar.

Like you, I don't like dressing up. But I had to for interviews. During my graduation ceremony, people commented that they had never seen me dress up in my entire 4 years of college. One professor even said, "I didn't even know you HAD a suit!":laugh:
 
medicalcpa said:
Yep. Interviewed with a bloodstain on my collar.
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Now that's classy!!

To the original poster: what's another few dollars to spare an airfare compared to the cost of your applications, PCAT, and postage for various transcripts?
 
Well I suggest checking craigslist. My friend bought two tickets out of some guys frequent flyer miles yesterday. She checked farecast dot com and the cheapest she could find was almost 700 for her flight. She posted a request on craigslist and purchased 2 tickets for $250 each. Saved about $900.
 
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