interview - stay with student or hotel?

[westsidespartan]

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My first interview is coming up and I would like to know what people's opinions are on staying with a med student host versus staying in a hotel. I can see pros and cons to each. Obviously the med student could offer a wealth of inside information, but the idea of not getting the best night's sleep on a couch or floor is not all that exciting either. What are people's recommendations/experiences on each?

 

[none]

Stay with the student, clearly.

 

[SMW]

I second none's opinion. 🙂 And welcome to SDN! 😀

 

[BlackPuma]

personally, most of my interviews I've gone to a hotel, and really haven't regretted...if something isnt working properly, or I don't have something can complain to the front manager, can't do that with a host..

Also, this is the BIGGEST reason, I didn't chose student hosts, is because I don't know if it is a rumor or not, but I've heard, that SOME Schools use hosts as another way of evaluating a prospect applicant...that really freaks me out especially in schools that I really really care for! I don't want to have a 24 hr spy....i dont know if it is true or not....

why won't you for your first interview go to a hotel, and the ones afterwords go to student hosts?

 

[brandonite]

If I can afford it, I would probably tend to go for the hotel, personally. I mean, I would want to talk to as many students as possible, but I think I would be uncomfortable staying with someone I didn't know at all. I've also heard that rumor about school using student hosts to evaluate applicants, and I think all of that combined would make me somewhat uncomfortable. And going into an already stressful interview, you would want to be as comfortable as possible the night before.

But that's just my opinion. I've stayed in hotels for my interviews thus far, and I've been happy with it. It probably depends more on what you feel comfortable with than anything else.

 

[altaskier]

westsidespartan,


Usually student hosts won't make you sleep on the couch. I agree with everyone else, stay with a host.


By the way, what school are u interviewing at??

 

[lady in red]

So, what if you were, say, a student host, and you had sex with the applicant the night before the interview. When asked by adcom to 'evaluate' the applicant as a potential doctor, what would you tell them? I am not suggesting anyone does it, but this thought crossed my mind. 😀

 

[brandonite]

I don't imagine I'd ever find myself in such a situation... At least, it's not a problem I usually have. 😉 Sigh.

The ethical thing to do probably would be to exclude yourself from any decision like that. You would be too biased to form a critical opinion. However, you could also say the same thing with anyone who stayed with you that you knew really well. So, I don't know. I would assume that it's not a common problem, though. 😉

 

[SMW]

Originally posted by lady in red:
•So, what if you were, say, a student host, and you had sex with the applicant the night before the interview. When asked by adcom to 'evaluate' the applicant as a potential doctor, what would you tell them? I am not suggesting anyone does it, but this thought crossed my mind. 😀 •••

lady in red, I think most people stay with their same sex hosts -- not that that would always preclude sex but....... 😉 And, hey, what's a married lady doing with thoughts like that crossing her mind? 😉 😉 😀

brandonite, I think staying with a student opens up lots of additional opportunities to talk to other students that you don't get if you stay in a hotel. Plus you get to see the first year housing (if they have it). I'll let you know if my opinion changes after my first two interviews next week.

 

[brandonite]

I suppose that's true. I'm just a bit concerned about minimizing the stress of the whole process. Going to an interview is already a bit of an overwhelming process, and then to pile something else on top of that... But, I can't really afford to keep on staying in hotels, so I might have that choice made for me. 😉

 

[BlackPuma]

Originally posted by lady in red:
•So, what if you were, say, a student host, and you had sex with the applicant the night before the interview. When asked by adcom to 'evaluate' the applicant as a potential doctor, what would you tell them? I am not suggesting anyone does it, but this thought crossed my mind. 😀 •••

needless to say, these are some of the reasons, why I chose not to stay with a student host 😀

believe me, they give you enough ethical questions during the interview...

Also, I am so like uncomfortable in sleeping in someone else's bed....well I mean, in a stranger's bed....not like oh forget, lets not even go there....

for goodness sake, I feel bad about using hotel towel's and sleeping in hotel beds, in god knows who has slept in them...but I digress...I have way too many OCD

😛

 

[lady in red]

SMW, the reason this thought crossed my mind was after i read the post about "Melvin" at AMCAS hitting on one of the applicants; so, I thought, why not a student host does the same thing? Since we are such a vulnerable population, why not let everybody try take advantage of our overwhelming desire to get in? I mean, its from the same category as professors sleeping with students for grades and favors, and being in someone's house is by definition a vulnerable situation. Just because they are a med student does not mean they are not a freak. This has nothing to do with me being married, I am just thinking too much about everything that can go wrong! 😀

 

[SMW]

Originally posted by lady in red:
•SMW, the reason this thought crossed my mind was after i read the post about "Melvin" at AMCAS hitting on one of the applicants 😀 •••

Oh my God, I had totally forgotten about that! I wondered why you suggested Watcha should change his name to Melvin! 😀

 

[USeF]

brandonite, I had the same concern about more stress being added with a stranger-host. In fact it turned out to be the opposite for me. Instead of that 'down time' the night before in the hotel when you are just anxious for the interview and have only your thoughts and fears to meddle over, you could be eating and laughing at the school's late-night cafe getting a 'feel' for the school and at least one med student.

The following day when all the interviewees were sitting in the waiting room waiting for the dean, my host came up to me and wished me well, asked me what time it was to be done and left me his keys because he'd be studying when I was done. Granted, you won't have a host this generous all the time, they are all volunteering and looking forward to hosting you.

Here's a <a href="http://www.studentdoctor.net/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=1&t=004981" target="_blank">similar thread</a>