OOS interview: advantage of early interview

[propadex]

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Hey everyone,

If you applied to multiple locations OOS, do you usually postpone interviews in the hopes of getting other interviews in the same are, and knocking them all out at once? I assume the advantage of early interview at schools with rolling admissions would prevent people from postponing.

But I live in Cali, so let's say I somehow magically get interviews for all four of the schools I applied to in New York. And I get one interview a month from September through January. Do I fly to New York four times?? There's no guarantee I got in to any of the shcools I interviewed at, so to be safe it seems I would have to do that. But it seems absolutely ridiculous. Is this normal for applicants trying to get into medical school?

 

[ppappui]

I wouldn't necessarily delay too much, because it is rolling admissions after all. If you can get the interviews clumped into similar dates I would def. do it since it is cost-cutting, but if it has to be delayed by more than a month, I wouldn't do it.

I heard that schools do review your file faster and decide whether to grant you an interview around the time you will be in the city if you request, so definitely try to ask some schools telling them that you'll be in the city in a certain date and if they were going to give you an invite, if it is possible to schedule it around that specific date.

You never know how many interviews you will have, so plan wisely. Earlier is always better than later. 🙂

 

[LizzyM]

Some schools will start sending offers of admission on October 15 so it is possible that you will have an offer in October or November and then be able to decide whether it is worth it to fly East again for an additional interview (only worth it if that school is more desirable to you than the one that has already made an offer).

If you have an interview, it is reasonable to contact other schools within a reasonable distance of the place where you'll be interviewing* and let them know that you will be "in the area" and would be most grateful to have the opportunity to bundle your interviews during a single trip. Sometimes a school will have you on the short list for interview but with the intention of inviting you to interview 8 weeks from now. An "in the area" note can help move that interview up. On the other hand, if the school has not yet reviewed your application, an "in the area" note might not get you fast-tracked to an interview invite.

(what is a reasonable distance? I'd say, take the number of hours you'll travel by air from your home base to your destination. A reasonable distance would be schools within that many hours by ground transportation. Eg. If you are flying from the west coast to NYC, any schools from New Haven to Philadelphia are certainly "in the area". If you were coming from Hawai'i, then it would be reasonable to call anything from Boston to DC, "in the area")

 

[deleted261193]

omg! i thought i'd be flying far coming from california. totally forgot about people living out in alaska and hawaii.

 

[penguinism]

Some schools will start sending offers of admission on October 15 so it is possible that you will have an offer in October or November and then be able to decide whether it is worth it to fly East again for an additional interview (only worth it if that school is more desirable to you than the one that has already made an offer).

If you have an interview, it is reasonable to contact other schools within a reasonable distance of the place where you'll be interviewing* and let them know that you will be "in the area" and would be most grateful to have the opportunity to bundle your interviews during a single trip. Sometimes a school will have you on the short list for interview but with the intention of inviting you to interview 8 weeks from now. An "in the area" note can help move that interview up. On the other hand, if the school has not yet reviewed your application, an "in the area" note might not get you fast-tracked to an interview invite.

(what is a reasonable distance? I'd say, take the number of hours you'll travel by air from your home base to your destination. A reasonable distance would be schools within that many hours by ground transportation. Eg. If you are flying from the west coast to NYC, any schools from New Haven to Philadelphia are certainly "in the area". If you were coming from Hawai'i, then it would be reasonable to call anything from Boston to DC, "in the area")

What is your opinion on notifying schools about being "in the area" if you're from a city that's 2-3 hours away by public transportation (i.e. MegaBus). The commute is obviously doable, but it would be great not to have to make the same trip several times to knock out all of the schools in NYC, for example. Do you think it's reasonable to ask or just bite the bullet and pay for all of the bus and metro tickets that I would need? This is all hypothetical at the moment, considering I have only heard from one school so far and I decided to fly.

 

[LizzyM]

Some people who work in NYC commute 2 hours every day so if you are that close, you might not get much traction with an "in the area" letter in that case.

 

[percy]

Some people who work in NYC commute 2 hours every day so if you are that close, you might not get much traction with an "in the area" letter in that case.

Sing it, sistah!

 

[raltima07]

Sing it, sistah!

LOL percy, not only are you applying to basically all the schools I am, but you also have a 2 hour commute in NYC? I bet we sat next to each other on a subway or bus once

 

[percy]

LOL percy, not only are you applying to basically all the schools I am, but you also have a 2 hour commute in NYC? I bet we sat next to each other on a subway or bus once

LOL I used to. I recently moved, but I had years of the hours-long commute. Now I walk, and my calves are amaaaaazing!

Not only might we have been on public transit together; we might even be on the same flight sometime soon. Look for a handsome retriever in a suit and glasses.

Oh, and back to the issue at hand, I'm dealing with this issue hardcore. I have an invitation at Faraway University A, but I'm still holding out for Faraway University B (which hasn't even started sending invites). Both are tippity-top schools and I don't want to take too many risks with either one. To add to the mix, I have some really special relatives who live abroad and will be in that city for Thanksgiving. Obviously I want to maximize my chances, but I don't want to miss an opportunity to save money and see family just because I'm paranoid.

 

[DNAdude120]

omg! i thought i'd be flying far coming from california. totally forgot about people living out in alaska and hawaii.

Yeah, I couldn't imagine having to travel from these locations. Living in Washington means I have to fly to all my interviews. I guess I will take solace in having the one I can drive to be UWash.