Traveling on the day of interview (from OOS)

[luckyducky87]

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In this particular instance, I am planning to travel for a Philadelphia interview from Boston... It looks like direct flights are ~1.5 hours long.

So for instance, if I take a 6:30am flight, make it to PHL by 8am, make it to the school by ~9:30 or 10am (taking into account traffic)... show up by the required 10:45am time, attend info sessions, tour, lunch, etc... then do an afternoon interview (between 2 and 3:30pm). Fly back some time that evening (I see some 8 or 9pm flights back to Boston)

Do you think this would be too exhausting?? Has anyone done this? I would like to save money on having to get a hotel and also not miss an extra workday... but I'm not sure if this is a silly occasion to save time/money given the importance. I just can't really imagine in my head if this is do-able or just a bad idea.

 

[LifeTake2]

My only concern is the condition you would be in when you got there.

At 6:30AM flight out of Logan on a weekday (assumption) means you need to be there by 5ish to clear security comfortably, lets say that means you have to leave home at 4. You will have now been up 12+ hours before you get to your interview.

If you can do this without yawning during your interview, go for it. Otherwise, I might fly down the evening before, get a cheap hotel and make sure you are fresh.

 

[CodeBlu]

If you can get there earlier... I'd do it.

 

[blizzah]

Its a 5-6 hour drive. Considering that it'd take ~3 hours by air considering check in, airport transportation etc., why not drive there in the evening or afternoon if you can leave work early. Spend the airfare money on a hotel and go from there?

Just what I would do.

 

[penguinism]

I'm going to be doing the opposite (PHL --> BOS) and I might just road trip it with a friend and crash somewhere the night before. I would not even think about trying to do the whole trip in one day - way too exhausting!! Flights are not always reliable, either (especially when dealing with PHL airport).

Get a student host or find someone in Philly to stay with.

 

[ksmajmudar]

Its a 5-6 hour drive. Considering that it'd take ~3 hours by air considering check in, airport transportation etc., why not drive there in the evening or afternoon if you can leave work early. Spend the airfare money on a hotel and go from there?

Just what I would do.

This is definitely what I would do. Even if you get out of work at 6:00, you can be in Philly by midnight, check into a cheap motel just outside philadelphia, then head to your interview the next morning fresh and well rested.

 

[phltz]

A lot of schools will help you find a med student to host you the night before your interview. This is useful both logistically, and because it gives you a chance to spend some time with some current students. I'd look into doing this. Leave Boston after work the previous day, fly to Philly, spend the night with a med student, do your interview, and fly back afterwards. This gives you the advantage of a less stressful morning before your interview, a chance to have some coffee and breakfast and gather your thoughts, and maybe a bit of an opportunity to walk around and see what the neighborhood around the school is like. You won't have to miss anymore work, and the costs of the trip shouldn't be much higher.

 

[luckyducky87]

Thanks for the tips! You're right. Having to get up at 4:30am in the morning of a 2pm/2:30pm interview is probably not ideal.

I personally did not want a student host option (I'm aware of it), no offense to students(!), because I would feel more comfortable being by myself the night before rather than sleeping on a stranger's couch...

Bus is a good idea! Right at this moment, I'm gonna wait a week or so to see if "in the area" email brings up anything in a couple of other philly schools I also applied to.

 

[willen101383]

Def would never risk same day travel...for exhaustion reasons, and for missing your interview reasons. Philly traffic is notoriously bad...and for all you know some ******* is going to cause an accident on 95N and then you are screwed. Philly roads are already at capacity and one minor thing during rush hour and it could take you 2 hours to go less than 10 miles from the airport to center city. I have missed several things over the years due to traffic and your med school interview isnt one thing you want to miss. Murphys law is in full effect when you mess with this. Devils advocate...but 100 bucks for a room vs 1000s to reapply next year if you miss that interview and that was your only option!

Sucks you hate on student hosts because I would have offered you one of my spare bedrooms with a king size real tempurpedic lol.

But good luck on your interview!!

 

[luckyducky87]

Sucks you hate on student hosts because I would have offered you one of my spare bedrooms with a king size real tempurpedic lol.

But good luck on your interview!!

Haha oh gosh, please don't get me wrong - no hating student hosts!!! I just would feel more comfortable being by myself and meditating the night before 🙂

But that's awesome you have a spare king-size. I don't even have that for myself in my own apt here in Boston 👍

 

[penguinism]

Haha oh gosh, please don't get me wrong - no hating student hosts!!! I just would feel more comfortable being by myself and meditating the night before 🙂

But that's awesome you have a spare king-size. I don't even have that for myself in my own apt here in Boston 👍

If that makes you more comfortable then go for it. For me, I am less stressed when I have someone to show me exactly where to go the next morning! It can be a little awkward crashing someone's couch, but then you get to pick his/her brain about the school and get honest opinions. It also makes for a great conversation topic at an interview!

Me: "I stayed with a student host last night, and he/she briefly mentioned _____ about your school. Can you elaborate on this more?'

Interviewer: "Why this school?"
Me: "Well, I have had the chance to speak with some of the students, including my student host last night, and I really like _________, ________, and ____________."

Obviously this is not absolutely necessary, but it has come in handy a couple of times. Also it's a big money saver when some hotels in big cities cost >$200/night (not to mention that some hosts give you free food too).

 

[MT Headed]

I just got an interview invite and the interview orientation starts at 3pm 😕

I would seriously be tempted to fly in the morning of for this one, but (1) it takes about 12 hours to fly from Montana to anywhere, and (2) it's a monday interview so it isn't like I will be missing class if I show up a day early.

 

[milski]

I'm probably a minority but I won't recommend it. If your flight is late for some reason, you are very likely to be late for your interview. And there are numerous ways for a flight to get delayed. One of the few mitigation factors that I would consider is knowing that there are at least a couple of later flights which can still get you there on time if something goes wrong with yours.


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[ppfizenm]

Its a 5-6 hour drive. Considering that it'd take ~3 hours by air considering check in, airport transportation etc., why not drive there in the evening or afternoon if you can leave work early. Spend the airfare money on a hotel and go from there?

Just what I would do.

its only 99 dollars to fly round trip. not enough for a hotel room and with gas/tolls/parking it's cheaper to fly.

 

[Donnie1310]

Sucks you hate on student hosts because I would have offered you one of my spare bedrooms with a king size real tempurpedic lol.

I'm really really tempted to find out if you're on one of the host list for my upcoming interviews now....

 

[mipp0]

In this particular instance, I am planning to travel for a Philadelphia interview from Boston... It looks like direct flights are ~1.5 hours long.

So for instance, if I take a 6:30am flight, make it to PHL by 8am, make it to the school by ~9:30 or 10am (taking into account traffic)... show up by the required 10:45am time, attend info sessions, tour, lunch, etc... then do an afternoon interview (between 2 and 3:30pm). Fly back some time that evening (I see some 8 or 9pm flights back to Boston)

Do you think this would be too exhausting?? Has anyone done this? I would like to save money on having to get a hotel and also not miss an extra workday... but I'm not sure if this is a silly occasion to save time/money given the importance. I just can't really imagine in my head if this is do-able or just a bad idea.

I had back to back interviews in two different states and made it to the second on the same day. It's doable.

But hey, I'm a freak of nature...

Not recommended. For two in a row I mean. What you're saying is doable, just get sleep lots : )

 

[NickNaylor]

I wouldn't do it unless you're using a very reliable form of transportation. If you're flying somewhere with snow starting in a month or so, I DEFINITELY wouldn't do a trip like that. There's too much risk for your flight getting cancelled and missing your interview.

 

[mipp0]

I wouldn't do it unless you're using a very reliable form of transportation. If you're flying somewhere with snow starting in a month or so, I DEFINITELY wouldn't do a trip like that. There's too much risk for your flight getting cancelled and missing your interview.

OH SNAPS THIS +10000000

I didn't mention snow in my trip, but man poop hits the fan real fast on snowy days. Check the forecast...there was a maintenance check and parts replacement during my flight. Almost missed my flight, NO JOKE.

EDIT: 2 flights to destination, 1 hour apart

 

[percy]

Flights aren't the most reliable. I was in a similar situation recently and took a train at 2 in the morning. Though I slept most of the way, I was basically in a daze throughout the interview day, and I almost fell asleep during the finaid presentation. Wouldnt recommend it, but result: accepted. Do what you gotta do, but same-day flying seems too risky for my blood...

 

[bonoboMD]

i had triple back-to-back interviews: DC, Vermont, Boston. I could not afford the direct flights either so I had to leave straight from the interviews to the airport, fly in to the next destination late that night, crash on a student host's couch, repeat next day... it doable but a bit exhausting!

For all of you staying with a student host, its awesome as people have already said but do remember to check and see if they have an iron!

 

[Slack3r]

https://www.boltbus.com/