Interview accommodation

[helium900]

Hi there,

What sort of accommodation would people recommend while on the interview trail. Like most of you, I don't want to build my debts even higher & will probably stay in youth hostels / backpacker type accommodation. I'm just a little worried though that if the interviewers ask in casual conversation "So where are you staying" it's gonna look bad if I say a backpacker place. Also, it's gonna look strange seeing someone in a nice suit staying in a hostel.
Any experiences?.....
Is it ever possible to stay in hospital accommodation the night before the interviews?
I know I shouldn't stay awake worrying about stuff like this, but money is tight.
Thanks guys

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[BellKicker]

I think most places will pay for your room. That's the case for the interviews I've set up so far.

Otherwise, I'd get a room through Hotwire or something.

 

[Blade28]

Whoa, the residency programs pay for your hotel accomodations?! I didn't know that!

But you're coming in from Europe, no? Wonder if that makes a difference...

 

[BellKicker]

Hmm, now I'm thinking I should have been a little more grateful on the phone.

Yeah, I'll be flying in from Europe. I suppose that could make a difference, but that's not the impression I got.

Oh well, I'm scheduling a couple more interviews tonight. I'll let you know whether they offer a hotel or not.

 

[Blade28]

What are all these places that are offering you interviews already? I'm jealous.

Have yet to hear from programs since the first two, a week ago...

 

[BellKicker]

I'm applying to FP. It's my impression they are fast with their calls.

Still, I'm a little overwhelmed (with 8 interviews already). Once they start pouring in, you go from "will I ever get an interview?" to "holy ****, I actually have to schedule, buy plane tickets, buy a suit, go interview etc.".....

 

[Amy]

Still, I'm a little overwhelmed (with 8 interviews already). Once they start pouring in, you go from "will I ever get an interview?" to "holy ****, I actually have to schedule, buy plane tickets, buy a suit, go interview etc.".....

I can only HOPE that I have this problem!

 

[nradsoit3]

You should also check out Priceline which can save you a bundle. You can get $100+ hotel rooms in really nice places like the Marriot or Hyatt for $30-40 in most parts of the country. You can use it in conjunction with Hotwire to see what the lowest price is and use that as your Priceline bidding ceiling. In most cases I have found that Priceline is able to beat Hotwire. By the way, Priceline is also great for car rentals as well! You can check out www.biddingfortravel.com to see how others have fared with their bids. Also, if you are flying over from Europe and are scheduling your interviews together you may want to consider a Greyhound Pass to save on ground transportation in lieu of renting a car though if you bid correctly the car rental could be cheaper??? Hope this helps a bit and Happy travels!

 

[fourthyearmed]

So far all 3 of my Peds interviews are paying for my hotel room.

 

[Blade28]

Still, I'm a little overwhelmed (with 8 interviews already). Once they start pouring in, you go from "will I ever get an interview?" to "holy ****, I actually have to schedule, buy plane tickets, buy a suit, go interview etc.".....

I WISH that were the case!

Did the contact people actually say, outright, that they would pay for your hotel room? Or did you ask?

 

[GeneGoddess]

So far all 3 of my Peds interviews are paying for my hotel room.

I know Baylor pays... where else?

 

[Noelle]

I know Baylor pays... where else?

Univ of FL at Jacksonville, Children's Mercy in KC, MO, Univ of Iowa, Med College of GA, Greenville, SC have all offered to pay for my hotel the night before!!! What a blessing.

 

[fourthyearmed]

Baylor, UTSW, UT-Houston have all offered to arrange for my hotel room so I assumed that means they are paying although I only took UTSW up on the offer as I have somewhere to stay while in Houston. I may be wrong and they are not paying, only arranging.

 

[GeneGoddess]

Baylor, UTSW, UT-Houston have all offered to arrange for my hotel room so I assumed that means they are paying although I only took UTSW up on the offer as I have somewhere to stay while in Houston. I may be wrong and they are not paying, only arranging.

I got lists of places to stay, but no "we'll arrange it for you". FYI, I just found out today that Baylor validates parking! Every little bit helps!

 

[ktat72]

this is just an idea, but i was thinking that maybe if two or three of us had interviews at the same institution on the same day, even with different different specialties, we can probably share a hotel room. what is your opinion of this?

 

[sdboy]

I think many places offer to pay for housing for interviews... I have received two invites so far and both have offered to provide a room..

 

[jashanley]

Getting your hotel paid for.......really depends on the specialty. Most emergency medicine will not pay for your hotel room; they may have a special rate but they don't need to attract the residents. The competition is there already. In medicine, it depends on the program. The top flight programs won't pay for a room.

Most FP from my experience are trying to get the best residents and in general just fill their program. So they will pay for hotel rooms to attract residents.

Like I said, it all depends on the specialty and competitiveness

 

[Blade28]

G Surg isn't offering me anything but the interview date.

 

[Jaded Soul]

I think the more competitive the residency, the less incentive you'll get to attend the interview (i.e. program pays for your hotel room).

 

[Samir Desai]

I wouldn't worry too much about the impression you will make based on where you stay the night before the interview. Chances are good that your interviewer won't ask you about it. Even if he or she does, it's not likely that it will affect how you are viewed as an applicant (unless you spent the night in the alley and showed up to the interview dirty and disheveled).

If the residency program does put you up in a hotel, be sure to thank your interviewer. If your interviewer asks you what you thought about the hotel you stayed at (and they paid for) as an icebreaker, don't go on and on about how terrible it was. Avoid saying anything negative about any accomodations they arranged for you. I'm not saying you should lie but you can usually find something positive to say about a place. You can just keep the negative to yourself.

Here's hoping that all residency programs you apply to offer you free accomodations. Best of luck.

Samir Desai, MD

 

[jmattwilson]

2 surgery programs have offered to pay for my accomidations

 

[Blade28]

Wow...well, I guess if they're offering, I should just wait then. I won't try to suggest the idea.

 

[DOtobe]

I'm applying for FP, and so far for all of my interviews (4 so far), the programs are offering to pay for accommodations.

It's good to be applying for a less competitive specialty that wants to attract residents

 

[Retinamark]

For those unlucky enough not to have their accommodation payed for by the hospital, how do you go about finding a place to stay near the hospital? Are there some good websites that people use?

Do the interviewers care whether you stay in a $150 / night hotel or a $30 / night backpacker hostel?

 

[carrigallen]

I suppose it is possible to post on SDN and see if anyone has a room you can crash at for a night. (presumably for free).

Someone could create a new thread for this; (it would not belong in the "Housing" section) since this would be more related to charitable help during the residency interview process.

 

[Jaded Soul]

For those unlucky enough not to have their accommodation payed for by the hospital, how do you go about finding a place to stay near the hospital? Are there some good websites that people use?

Most programs have a deal with a local hotel and offer a special rate for applicants. Even if they don't have a discount, they should include information on local lodging when they send you the invite. If they don't, the interview coordinator/secretary should be able to provide this information.

Do the interviewers care whether you stay in a $150 / night hotel or a $30 / night backpacker hostel?

Wasn't this the question that started this whole thread?