Interview Travels

[Cat85]

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Can anyone give advice or comment on the legistics of going to different places for residency interviews?

Specifically:

How far in advance did you book plane tickets?

Where did you go to find hotels and far in advance did you book them?

How did you travel around the city? Taxi? Bus? Where to go for that kind of info?

Thanks!

 

[Andrew_Doan]

When I interviewed, I used the Internet to find cheap airfare, Priceline, Travelocity, and other like sites. Usually I booked the flights 2-3 weeks in advance with some being 4 weeks in advance.

I rented a car in smaller cities and paid for a Taxi in larger cities.

As for hotels, I contacted and befriended the program administrator for advice and local deals.

 

[rubensan]

I think Dr. Doan gives some pretty good advice. After an interview is over, there is always a group of people that is heading to the airport. It's a great opportunity to split a cab. Some people have rented a car and are generous. Places like Iowa, baylor and oklahoma had deals with nearby hotels that included a discounted applicant rate and free transportation to and from the hotel. This does NOT apply to USC. Feel free to PM me for lodging questions/convenient airports/advice about where to stay once you are here in LA.

 

[Retinamark]

Mayo and Wills also have special deals with local hotels

hotwire.com is great for hotels

 

[GrandMasterB]

www.mobissimo.com is a very good search engine. site59.com is also decent. www.studentuniverse.com has great deals, but availability is sometimes a problem and you can't get miles for the flights sometimes.

 

[Elephantitan]

I'm a huge priceline fan for hotels. You can pick a general area and get fantastic deals if you check the general prices on hotels.com and then bid lower. It's nearly impossible to use priceline for the plane tix b/c of the uncertainty of departure/arrival times.

 

[PDT4CNV]

Can anyone give advice or comment on the legistics of going to different places for residency interviews?

Specifically:

How far in advance did you book plane tickets?

Where did you go to find hotels and far in advance did you book them?

How did you travel around the city? Taxi? Bus? Where to go for that kind of info?

Thanks!

However....for Transitional interviews, a lot of the programs offered to pay for hotel rooms and booked them for me....overall though, I spent a lot of money traveling.

I agree, priceline or travelocity for hotels. Some places you really need a rental car, others like NY, Chicago...you really don't.

Try to book as far in advance as you can. However, don't book too far in advance, or you will be paying ticket cancellation fees when you start getting interviews at other, perhaps more attractive programs, for the same day. There is definitely some shuffleing of program interviews to be done, and unfortunately, you just can't go to all of them (time and money).

 

[diopter]

www.southwest.com is nice for us who are unsure of where we'll be flying from... there's no cancellation fee... you just get "store credit" that you have to use for a future southwest flight... doesn't serve all cities, though 🙁

 

[Visioncam]

I found that ophthalmology departments are better suited to eye care than travel planning. If you are on a budget as most people are, you can find better hotel rates and cheaper hotels on your own. The recommended list are usually moderate or expensive hotels.

It's often cheaper to rent a car if you can get a good rate (the AMA has a discounted rate and your parents' employer or club/organization may have a discounted rate).

Finding a cheap airfare? That's fun!

Need a suit? Be a radical and a troublemaker by wearing a gray suit! Everyone wears black!

 

[rubensan]

Need a suit? Be a radical and a troublemaker by wearing a gray suit! Everyone wears black!

Yes, but will you wear a blue or red tie?