Interview Trail - Frugal or Fab?

[scotchnwater]

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Now that we're pretty much (or altogether) done with interviewing, just curious how people fared with their traveling. I, being one of the cheapest specimens known to man, began my endeavors being exquisitely cheap. I found the cheapest fares, drove to interviews when I could, even packed food in my carry-on bag so I didn't have to buy meals in airports.

Fast forward to three months later. Fifty dollars extra for a non-stop? Well-worth it. An extra $70 for the hotel within walking distance to the interview? How could I not? I no longer packed extra food, I was sitting down to dinners/lunches almost daily in airports across the country. I even went out and bought an extra shirt for my suit so I didn't have to do as much laundry.

So I want to hear what anybody else's cheapest and/or most extravagant moment was on the interview trail (this year or in years past).

Can't wait until Match Day 2008....

 

[173291]

Now that we're pretty much (or altogether) done with interviewing, just curious how people fared with their traveling. I, being one of the cheapest specimens known to man, began my endeavors being exquisitely cheap. I found the cheapest fares, drove to interviews when I could, even packed food in my carry-on bag so I didn't have to buy meals in airports.

Fast forward to three months later. Fifty dollars extra for a non-stop? Well-worth it. An extra $70 for the hotel within walking distance to the interview? How could I not? I no longer packed extra food, I was sitting down to dinners/lunches almost daily in airports across the country. I even went out and bought an extra shirt for my suit so I didn't have to do as much laundry.

So I want to hear what anybody else's cheapest and/or most extravagant moment was on the interview trail (this year or in years past).

Can't wait until Match Day 2008....

My friends are all jealous (to be read as "hate me") because I am currently in Chicago for my last interview and I have paid for zero hotels and had to take zero cabs. I also didn't spend more than $1500 on flights. All of this was possible because of my very helpful fam and my wonderful undergrad friends who are all over the country. I only have one regret: 1) Waiting till the last minute to buy a flight to chicago, which cost me an extra $140

Anyhoo, hope no one else is too broke to take a phatty vacation someplace.🙂

 

[amyl]

i too only spent about $1500 in flights and used up some frequent flier miles -- pretty good considering i flew to all but one of my interviews. all my programs put me up except two -- and i used points for those nights. i know a few people who have burned through 10-15k! i guess i probably have to add another $500 in rental cars, taxis, etc. interviewing has been stressful but occasionally fun...i have gotten to meet some great people -- encouraging for what i hope to call my specialty. some high points: the bed at the intercontinental at ccf, jacuzzi suite in kentucky, gumbo in new orleans. weird moment: seeing ty pennington's butt popping out the top of his jeans in the airport in richmond as he was in front of me at security. only low points have been the weather: snow in pittsburgh and ice in oklahoma city, and being so tired -- getting in at 1 am and having to go to work the next day at 6am. thought i might be a little sad it is coming to an end -- but i am not -- super ready for it all to be over.

 

[oudoc08]

So, I think I got out pretty cheap.

Airfare Total $500
Hotel Total $0
Gas <$100
Food <$100
Rental car $60
Interview expenses about $700. Granted, I only interviewed 5 places, and since one was at my home program, only flew to 2, and drove to 2, travel expenses weren't bad. I spent more at the airport bar than on food the whole trip. (Oh yeah, chunk another $100 or so for that) 🙂

 

[Coastie]

I was stuck in Dallas thanks to a nice icestorm after interviewing @ UT-SW..I was interviewing a couple of days later at my #1, but was going to fly home first, then fly to my #1. Turns out, I was stuck in Dallas, missed the flight home, and had to pay, get this, $1000, in order to get to my #1. I came *this* close to canceling it, and after interviewing there, I thought I wasn't going to match.

Ended up matching, and never regret spending that last minute $1k to barely make it out of Dallas in time..

 

[scotchnwater]

Turns out, I was stuck in Dallas, missed the flight home, and had to pay, get this, $1000, in order to get to my #1. I came *this* close to canceling it, and after interviewing there, I thought I wasn't going to match.

That.......may very well be one of the crappiest situations I have ever heard of. 😱

 

[mashnuts]

Seeing as I rang up my tuition bill on the credit card, I should have plenty of frequent flier miles to zip all around the country.

No to first class upgrade.
Yes to nonstop.

 

[lord_jeebus]

I interviewed at 12 anesthesia and 12 prelim programs (don't do this - my significant other had changes in geographic needs midway through the process, doubling my prelim interviews) on both coasts.

Planes: $600 (consolidated all East coast interviews in one trip)
Trains: $80
Automobiles: $100 for rentals, maybe $150 for gas. Did not use a single taxi.
Lodging: about $1500 (relatives/friends when possible, otherwise the cheapest non-hostel option available)

So I think I did pretty well.

Then yesterday I spent $17 on a sandwich

 

[Tenesma]

when i was on the interview trail the one expense that was totally worth it was $250 to become a member of the US Airways Lounge Club... I don't know how much they charge nowadays....

but being able to kick your heels up in a nice executive lounge with all the amenities between the 25-30 odd cross-country flights (for pre-lim and anesthesia interviews) was worth EVERY penny

 

[Canrenone]

when i was on the interview trail the one expense that was totally worth it was $250 to become a member of the US Airways Lounge Club... I don't know how much they charge nowadays....

but being able to kick your heels up in a nice executive lounge with all the amenities between the 25-30 odd cross-country flights (for pre-lim and anesthesia interviews) was worth EVERY penny

Tenesma,

where was that helpful tip when I needed it??

/too late for me now!

 

[Plead the Fifth]

Instead of renting a car to drive from one interview to the next (some 350 miles away) and pay an outrageous drop fee ($200) PLUS the cost of the rental ($400), I rented a Budget Truck for $150 with no drop fee. Saved $450!

I looked like a ***** driving a moving van in a suit but hey... cheap!

 

[Dr Serenity]

Cheapest hotel (besides $0 for when the program pays for my stay): ~70 at a hotel in Houston that had ants in the kitchen and mildew on the shower curtain (ewww!)

Most expensive hotel: >200 for one night at a hotel in Chicago (close to UIC)--expensive, but at least I could take the train/walk/take the free shuttle to wherever I needed to go.

 

[scotchnwater]

Anybody have any votes for the best/worst hotel they were put up in by a program?

All of the ones I stayed at were decent, but the best one probably was at OHSU in Portland where they put you up at this really sweet place right downtown.

When I interviewed at one of the Chicago programs (which NEITHER of them put us up for a night, which I guess is new this year) I actually called/e-mailed a friend of a friend at the last minute who is a resident at one of the programs. I was really nervous about doing it, but I thought it was worth a shot. He was so gracious and great - let me stay over the night, drove me to the interview the next day, introduced me to people at the program. Such a relief and it was especially nice to get an "insider's" view of the program.

 

[Ferdie]

In Seattle, I stayed at a youth hostel to save money. It was right across from the Pike's Place market, which was cool, but sharing a room with 3 other women, and showers and bathrooms with god knows how many other people, was not cool.

Also, my flight home was ridiculous. I left Seattle at 6:30 pm, flew to Salt Lake City (in a snowstorm on a tiny little plane with all carry on luggage (including my dramamine...) stowed underneath. I've never been on such an awful flight), left SLC at midnight to fly overnight to Atlanta (with this kid SCREAMING in the row behind me for the majority of that flight), then at 8:30 the next morning flew up to Milwaukee, where I still had to drive a little over an hour to get home. Yeah, $50 for a direct flight would have been well worth it.

I never flew out of my local airport because it's small and more expensive, I always drove to Milwaukee (1 hr) or Chicago (2.5 hrs)... (and then I'd have to pay to park my car there, not to mention gas, so really I probably spent more)

My extravagent moment was at Dartmouth. I wasn't trying to be extravagent though. I booked an extra night at the hotel they put us up at, and it turned out it was over $200. Yikes. I went back to my room and cried!

 

[flipcyde]

Only stayed at a couple that were free but I'd say the Hopkins hotel was pretty sweet. Nice LCD flatscreens, comfy beds and a balcony overlooking the harbor. Dinner was pretty tasty too! Overall great experience.

 

[amyl]

well i might be done. i was going to keep dartmouth but the plane tickets are ridiculous and have me stopping twice along the way. how far is boston from dartmouth? any tips on finding a cheaper flight? i can find a reasonable one but the flight leaves at 345 and they said we aren't done there until 230, which is too close and the chair meeting is last. any advice?
is flying in and out of boston a really stupid idea?

 

[physicsnerd42]

well i might be done. i was going to keep dartmouth but the plane tickets are ridiculous and have me stopping twice along the way. how far is boston from dartmouth? any tips on finding a cheaper flight? i can find a reasonable one but the flight leaves at 345 and they said we aren't done there until 230, which is too close and the chair meeting is last. any advice?
is flying in and out of boston a really stupid idea?

Boston is (depending on traffic) about 2-2.5 hours from Dartmouth or about 3 hours if you take the Dartmouth Coach. You could also try flying into Manchester, NH airport (MHT) or Burlington, VT (BTV). MHT is about an hour from campus and Burlington is about an hour and a half. Renting a car is your best bet but you can also take the Vermont Transit bus to either airport (BTV or MHT). You can also try flying into the Lebanon, NH airport (about 10 minutes from DHMC) but the schedules aren't the best and the airfare is typically expensive. Both the Dartmouth Coach and the Vermont Transit buses stop at the Hanover Inn which is across the street from the undergrad/med school/business school/engineering school campus. The Advance Transit bus is a free shuttle that will take you between the undergrad campus and DHMC.

If you have any more questions let me know.

 

[amyl]

wow thanks. manchester was MUCH cheaper with normal times and only one stop along the way....car wasn't too bad either. flying into lebanon was going to be $700 with two stops each way! thanks again!

 

[lushmd]

Amyl, when I interviewed there, I also flew into MHT and rented a car for the drive to Lebanon. My experience was complicated by a pretty severe flight delay, but the drive from MHT to Lebanon still wasn't bad.

 

[mmag]

Geesh that's a hella expensive hotel for UIC.
I know this is too late for you but if people are still interviewing at Rush/UIC, you can consider UIC's campus housing at $75 a night (private suite in the graduate student dorm which is just a couple of blocks from both hospitals and also Cook County since they also have a gas program).

http://www.housing.uic.edu/guest.php

Cheapest hotel (besides $0 for when the program pays for my stay): ~70 at a hotel in Houston that had ants in the kitchen and mildew on the shower curtain (ewww!)

Most expensive hotel: >200 for one night at a hotel in Chicago (close to UIC)--expensive, but at least I could take the train/walk/take the free shuttle to wherever I needed to go.

 

[Dr Serenity]

Geesh that's a hella expensive hotel for UIC.
I know this is too late for you but if people are still interviewing at Rush/UIC, you can consider UIC's campus housing at $75 a night (private suite in the graduate student dorm which is just a couple of blocks from both hospitals and also Cook County since they also have a gas program).

http://www.housing.uic.edu/guest.php

Wish I knew that before booking the hotel...oh, well...at least the hotel was nice. 😀

 

[Coastie]

My extravagent moment was at Dartmouth. I wasn't trying to be extravagent though. I booked an extra night at the hotel they put us up at, and it turned out it was over $200. Yikes. I went back to my room and cried!

 

[WhoopDeeDoo]

I think I did pretty well as far as expenses, considering that I went on 15 interviews with only 3 of the places being within a driveable distance in the midwest. I went to 11 interviews on the West Coast and 1 on the East Coast. It helped a ton to have frequent flyer miles and friends to crash with.

Frequent flyer miles: 50,000 miles
Airfare: $750
Hotels (7 nights paid for by me): $650
Rental Cars: $500
Gas/parking: $400
Food, miscel.: $200

Total: around $2500

I think my expenses could have been totally worse but I was lucky enough to group my interviews in chunks. At the end of November, I went to 8 interviews in 9 business days in 6 different cities in the midwest/california/east coast. Then in January I did 4 interviews in 4 days starting North on the West Coast from Seattle ending South in San Diego. I was so tired at the end of these trips but it helped so much to consolidate flying, rental car, hotel, etc.

Plus, I was trying to be frugal with my expenses -- staying at places like the Days Inn, La Quinta Inn, etc., renting economy cars. Only 3 of my 15 interview sites offered a complimentary hotel (I canceled most of the interviews that offered hotels!). For my interviews in Chicago, I stayed with my best friend -- but it wasn't exactly the best situation because she stayed up until past 1 a.m. most nights and I had to wake up at 6 a.m. for interviews. I was dying during the grand rounds!

When my interview season ended, I went to Vegas with my boyfriend and had a great time flying out for pleasure and just hanging out. I am actually looking forward to staying at home and just chilling out for a while. I can't wait until March 20th!

 

[Dr Serenity]

Frequent flyer miles: 50,000 miles
Airfare: $750
Hotels (7 nights paid for by me): $650
Rental Cars: $500
Gas/parking: $400
Food, miscel.: $200

Matching at your #1 program of choice: priceless 😀

Yeah, I know you should avoid cliches and overused jokes like the plague. I just couldn't help myself...

 

[Coastie]

Matching at your #1 program of choice: priceless 😀

Yeah, I know you should avoid cliches and overused jokes like the plague. I just couldn't help myself...

Well, read my post above and you'll see it's sometimes a bit more than priceless..haha...😎

 

[Dr Serenity]

Well, read my post above and you'll see it's sometimes a bit more than priceless..haha...😎

Okay, in your case...priceless + $1000 😀

Seriously, that's quite the story...glad everything worked out in the end!👍

 

[kraphtymac]

I'm a cheap ass. That said, I did 10 anesthesia interviews, 3 prelims. Drove to 3 interviews. Paid airfare for the rest. I'm in the midwest, but went mostly west and east. All totalled, I spent 2100. Not too shabby! But having a $50/night or less hotel policy helped 🙂

 

[Brocsonic]

Instead of renting a car to drive from one interview to the next (some 350 miles away) and pay an outrageous drop fee ($200) PLUS the cost of the rental ($400), I rented a Budget Truck for $150 with no drop fee. Saved $450!

I looked like a ***** driving a moving van in a suit but hey... cheap!

I read this when it was originally posted, and I'm still laughing at it 4 days later...

you should of had an another applicant take a picture of your getting out the the truck in your pimp-interview suit 😎

 

[Coastie]

I read this when it was originally posted, and I'm still laughing at it 4 days later...

you should of had an another applicant take a picture of your getting out the the truck in your pimp-interview suit 😎

LOL, I missed that, but that's hilarious.