Would it be rude/selfish to ask if we could stay with the student host for more than one day? I have a couple interviews in one week, all on the east coast and each one is about 2-3 days apart. My hotel fees are starting to become more expensive than the transportation expenses, so would be a big hassle for student hosts to accomodate for just one more day even if I offered them an amount of money like 30-50 bucks? ehhhh.. i hate to be doing this
More than one day with Student Host?
- Thread starter joojoobee
- Start date
- Joined
- Jan 17, 2010
- Messages
- 550
- Reaction score
- 2
Selfish, not exactly. Rude/ballsy, yes. I guess there's nothing to lose by apologizing and asking. Explain why.
An alternative view is that 1) You shouldn't accept interviews you can't afford to go to, and 2)Interviewing costs are nothing compared to the cost of tuition, so just suck it up and don't try to be a freeloader.
An alternative view is that 1) You shouldn't accept interviews you can't afford to go to, and 2)Interviewing costs are nothing compared to the cost of tuition, so just suck it up and don't try to be a freeloader.
- Joined
- Jul 3, 2008
- Messages
- 345
- Reaction score
- 1
before you arrive and stay with the student host i think it's best to explain your situation to him/her. being honest and open to your student host won't hurt you. if he/she says 'no' then you can look for a hotel. if he/she says 'yes' then you're fine. by all means i wouldn't give up an interview opportunity so even if your student host declines to offer you another day to stay at his/her place i would find a hotel and stay there to secure my interview. cause it might be the one 🙂
- Joined
- Sep 5, 2010
- Messages
- 252
- Reaction score
- 0
Yeah, shouldn't be a big deal. Ask away... they can always turn you down if they're not up for it.
Personally, I have ppl staying over all the time (friends, other med students, exchange students).
Before being their guest, just be VERY clear about what you need and why. Briefly.
DO NOT go out of your budget. That's just crazy talk. 👎
When you stay over, make sure to bring a nice gift for the host. Some good quality tea or coffee is always welcome to med students. 😀
Best caffeine I ever got as a host myself was some nice green tea that the student brought all the way from China !
Don't break the bank on your host gift either.
I usually spent ~$10-15 on each of my hosts when I stayed overnight.
... No hotelfor $15 can ensure me bedbug free (med students tend to be anal about clean) AND insider tips on my interview in the morning AS WELL AS the scoop on other schools they interviewed themselves.
More than fair deal for me, I thought.
- Joined
- Jul 25, 2008
- Messages
- 2,112
- Reaction score
- 510
I wouldn't ask... stop being cheap and use a credit card you'll be fuc*ed with debt eventually anyway... Despite what you may think student hosts (I'm a student host) can affect your application. If they get a creepy or weird vibe from you they are encouraged to notify admissions and I wouldn't really like someone asking me to crash an extra day so they can interview at another medical school..it messes with my schedule as well. But at the same time, many med students are pushovers and are a lot nicer than I tend to be.
- Joined
- May 22, 2008
- Messages
- 17,394
- Reaction score
- 9,146
I asked my host at an upcoming interview if I could stay an additional night. It's not a big deal.
it's funny how everyone here talks about money in relation to the amount of debt theyre going to have. A lot of you guys are making it seem like a crime that I'm trying to save a "small" amount of money (ie. couple hundred), just because it's such a small percentage of the tuition. Thanks for your input though.
- Joined
- Sep 5, 2010
- Messages
- 252
- Reaction score
- 0
Hahaha me is a push over
Actually, I did forget to say before that if your host is a M1-3, BE WARY of asking for more than the usual 1 night.
M1-2 year is jam-packed with a ridiculous amount of testing (plus whatever other stuff they're doing to position themselves well for post-med school).
M3 year is going to jam-packed with rotations -- I think on surgery I regularly pulled 3:30am -- 9pm days.
M4s are okay though. Unless it's interview season bw Nov-Jan.
But maybe the OP should ask a friend, or alumni from their college, or go look on couch surfers online if they're really worried about $$.
- Joined
- Sep 5, 2010
- Messages
- 252
- Reaction score
- 0
QofQuimica
Seriously, dude, I think you're overreacting....
Moderator Emeritus
Lifetime Donor
15+ Year Member
- Joined
- Oct 12, 2004
- Messages
- 18,899
- Reaction score
- 4,295
For both my med school and residency interviews, I have been handling this situation by telling the host all of the nights that I will be in town, and then asking which one of those nights would be the most convenient for me to stay with them. Sometimes they pick one night, and I stay in a hotel (or with a different host) for the other night. Sometimes they offer to let me stay for both nights, in which case I usually do.
On the other side, yes, I do think it's rude for an applicant to assume that because I'm willing to host them for one night, I must be willing to host them for additional nights. It's one thing if they do what I said above and I offer to let them stay both nights; that's my choice. But I don't appreciate feeling like I'm being taken advantage of, especially if it's not convenient for me to host the person for a second night. Your offer of money notwithstanding, medical students are not hotel proprietors!
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2006
- Messages
- 7,475
- Reaction score
- 2,429
I don't know how other schools do it, but we have interviewees e-mail one person, then have one of five or six people find a host. We have people ask if they can spend more than one night (usually written something like 'if possible, I would like to have a host for two nights, but will be happy if I can get a host for one night'). We've had a handful of people stay with hosts more than one night... those who couldn't accommodate for more than one night, we matched up with someone else for a night.
I don't think it hurts to ask, just don't push it if they say no.
I don't think it hurts to ask, just don't push it if they say no.
- Joined
- Jul 18, 2010
- Messages
- 199
- Reaction score
- 33
I stayed for two nights with my host because of flight scheduling issues with the interview day ending rather late in a small town, but I asked the student housing coordinator FIRST and then she passed my email along to my host. I made sure that I said several times that I did not want to impose and would be more than happy to get a hotel for the second night if they were busy, etc.
I didn't want to put anyone on the spot, especially since they were already doing me a favor, you know? Thankfully, for my next interview, the flights worked out so that it won't be an issue.
I didn't want to put anyone on the spot, especially since they were already doing me a favor, you know? Thankfully, for my next interview, the flights worked out so that it won't be an issue.
This. Feedback from student hosts can play a very large part in admissions decisions at some schools, and telling a student you want to camp out at his place the night before an interview at ANOTHER medical school may not be the most supreme idea. Then again, at other schools, student feedback doesn't really matter much at all. That being said, if you do ask, I wouldn't start offering money to the student...that seems kind of weird. Just ask them for the favor and preface that with the fact that it is totally cool if they think 2 nights is imposing, so you aren't putting them on the spot.
The real question is: how much more money could it possibly cost to stay in a cheap motel for a night, especially if you are willing to give the student $30-50?
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2006
- Messages
- 7,475
- Reaction score
- 2,429
Oh, give me a break. All admissions officers, and students, know that the vast majority of people who interview are going to be going on more than one interview. To do otherwise is just stupid, and we all know it. Student hosts know what it was like to go through this process... one of my classmates went on last week to the interviewees about how he had 6 interviews. I had three. Saying that you're heading off to another interview isn't a bad thing... it's a topic of conversation.
If you're a huge jerk to your student host, that might possibly play a role in admissions. But if you just ask politely if they would mind you staying more than one night, or if you can arrange another night with another student, you're not going to be ostracized.
Yeah...on second thought you're prolly right. But still, I wouldn't recommend offering the host $30-50 (as the OP mentioned) to let them stay another night as though they are some hotel service, but instead just politely asking for the favor.
- Joined
- Sep 5, 2010
- Messages
- 373
- Reaction score
- 100
just be polite and ask ahead of time. even if people say no they won't think negatively of you and try to report you to adcoms or anything.
be respectful, thats all. also, would be kinda wierd if the student offered me money to stay another night.
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2007
- Messages
- 13,095
- Reaction score
- 334
Personally, I'd be OK with it. There's no harm in asking, just be sure you give your host an out. For example: "Would it be possible to crash at your place an extra night? It's totally OK if I can't; I know you guys have a ton of things going on so if you aren't going to be around don't worry about it."
