hey guys, there was a recent post about bringing things for your student host. since i did not think about this before, i realize that i have no clue what to expect when i stay with my host. it's going to be my first interview and i want to have good etiquette. what do you want to portray to your host? obviously you want him/her to know that you're fun and will get along with your fellow classmates. but i don't want to go out and stay up late before my interview. what have been your experiences? what activities, if any, did you guys do? anybody have bad experiences staying with a host? like they prevented you from getting a good night's rest, or their dog peed on your suit? appreciate the response.
I've only stayed with one host, but it was a great experience. They volunteer for the job, so you shouldn't get someone unfriendly. My host picked me up from the airport, cooked dinner AND breakfast and had some other students over (for dinner) which gave me a chance to talk to them too. She even let me have her room! Since they're in school, I wouldn't worry about them keeping you up too late. Besides, they interviewed for med school recently too, so they have an idea of your situation. They might even give you tips! Ask them a lot of questions and don't worry too much, they most likely don't have any input at all into your chances of admission.
I stayed with two female MD students and a male PhD student. One of the women asked me if I wanted to go to class with her in the morning, so I did. Not that the lecture was extremely stimulating, but I enjoyed it. I got to take a peek into the school...unfiltered. The PhD student's girlfriend came to pick me up at the airport and took me to the mall. Imagine this..."SwampMan, which purse to you think looks best?". Oh yeah, I had a blast! Seriously, I was pretty cool with it. She did, after all, pick my sorry butt up and drove me around. Overall, my hosts were VERY cool!
My first host was an older student like myself (a second year). He talked with me for probably about 2 hours and let me have his bed. He was very hospitable and tried to help prepare me for the interview the next day and was very encouraging, etc. My second set of hosts shared a two bedroom apartment. They were first years right out of college. We went to dinner and talked for a while as well. They also encouraged me and made me feel welcome. Both sets have walked me to the interview office, they have not 'abondoned' me. Overall, the experiences have been wonderful and helpful to get a picture and feel of the student body.
word of advise. When staying with a student at UCSF theres a significant chance that he or she is gay. Cause mine was. It really didnt bother me too much since he was really nice and spent most of the time with other first years, but it was kinda a surprise. Just to give u guys a heads up.
