What is the actual cost for Multiple Applications/Interviews To Med School?

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I'm doing the math and the most successful applicants are those that cast a wide enough net. Many applicants that cast a wide net end up with enough interviews and at-least an acceptance somewhere so they cancel the other interviews. The question is when applying widely, counting application cost and travel cost to interviews, what is the total amount in expenses you should expect. Traveling to an interview will easily cost hundreds for airfare and hotel accommodation. Please provide your experience with this and the cost for both applications and interviews up until you were accepted. I am thinking I should try to have something like $3k saved for this process minimum.
 
This is discussed quite a lot on the forums, I'm sure you could find some good threads with a search.

I sent my primary to 18 schools (~$720)
Sent secondaries to 12 schools (? more than $500, less than $1000)
Attended 8 interviews (only drove, no flights, several hotels but got some stays for "free" using points - under $1000)

$3k should be good if you're planning to apply to an average number of schools (I believe national average is still 15 schools) and if you're staying local and can drive everywhere. I know some people who interviewed across the country and had several cross-country flights could spend close to $10k.
 
Similarly, I had no FAP, applied 15 schools, 14 secondaries, 5 interviews (1 in-state CA, rest mid-west or east coast and could not link them together, so that was 300-500 roundtrip each). Probably close to $5-6k for me as well
 
I applied to ~30 schools (reapplicant), and traveled to 7 interviews. Total cost was just over $7000. A little over $3000 of that was for the interviews - including travel, food, lodging, etc. It could have been way higher, but I was able to double up on two interviews (no extra travel for those), and I only had to pay for hotels at 3/7 interviews.

Edit: Also realized I used miles for one flight. Dang, my total could have gone up another 2 grand easily. This process is absurdly expensive. Take advantage of the student host programs.
 
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30 primary schools, 29 secondaries, 19 interviews attended = just under 6K for paperwork and travel (not including food, clothing, suitcase, and other incidentals)

I was able wrangle a few free secondaries. I flew only if the interview was more than a 9 hour bus ride away. I didn't stay in a single hotel. I rented a car just once for one day. And I stacked around 9 of those interviews back to back over about two weeks. For me, the extra cost was worth the benefit of not going through the process again. YMMV.
 
I'm applying to 13 MD schools, 9 DO schools. Primary applications will be a little under $1000. I have no idea how many secondary apps the average application fills out. I'll pretend it's 15 of out of 22 primary applications at an average of $78/school = $1200 in secondary fees. Assume 5 interview invites, 2 within 3-4 hour driving distance and 3 that require flights.

Driving: $150 for each interview which accounts for fuel, wear & tear, and meals/snacks.

Flights: depends on where I interview. About $700 for a cross-country flight, hotel, and rental car; about $500 for a north to south flight, hotel, and rental car. Add in another $100 for miscellaneous expenses like meals and other junk.

$1000 primary apps
$1200 secondary apps
$150 x2 driving interviews
$800 x2 cross-country interviews
$600 x1 southern interview
~$5k total 🙁
 
I am applying to 25 - 30 schools. Even with a good MCAT my GPA isn't wonderful ( despite a massive upward trend). Gotta cast that net very wide. I believe that I still have potential of getting into one of my top fives but I'm no fool, I would rather compromise a bit in a place I that wasn't in my preference for a few years than end up in an SMP trying for a second round. I think I'll need more like $6k however most of the schools I am applying to are in neighboring States so saving money on flights is a big one. I'll save some money for airfare if things don't pan out locally. I'm a good interviewer though so I'm confident. I just need a few interviews.
 
Applied to 34 schools (some in TX which are cheaper), did something like 32 secondaries. Bought a suit. Went to 4 interviews (1 local, 1 two hours away by car, 2 flying). Combined one of the interviews with a trip to visit my boyfriend, which psychologically offset the cost for me. Stayed with a student host one time. Once I got in to my top choice, I turned down two cross country interviews.

I didn't keep a running total but definitely more than $3,000.
 
Expect somewhere between 5 and 10K for a wide net application cycle. Mine was closer to 10K but I flew to every interview and stayed in really nice hotels, usually for multiple days.
 
WorksInProgress said:
30 primary schools, 29 secondaries, 19 interviews attended = just under 6K for paperwork and travel (not including food, clothing, suitcase, and other incidentals)

I was able wrangle a few free secondaries. I flew only if the interview was more than a 9 hour bus ride away. I didn't stay in a single hotel. I rented a car just once for one day. And I stacked around 9 of those interviews back to back over about two weeks. For me, the extra cost was worth the benefit of not going through the process again. YMMV.
Click to expand...

That's a lot of interviews...
 
I did that too, stayed for 2-3 days, since I didn't want to do red-eye flights for my cross-country, and I figured I'd get some sight-seeing in while I was in the city.

Stayed with 2 student hosts, stayed with a friend for another, 1 "dorm" room for one, and 1 hotel for one.
 
I applied to ~32 schools, primary and secondary at all, interviewed at six and cancelled my low priority interviews after first acceptance. No expenses on clothing since I had everything already, stayed in moderately priced hotels and shopped for the cheapest flights possible.

Total ended up between 7k and 8k.
 
Everyone who cast a wide net got accepted somewhere. This is not coincidental.
 
16 primaries, 15 secondaries, 3 interviews and I was incredibly fortunate because 2 of them were local and the other was 2 hours away by car, and I stayed one night in a hotel which had a half price deal with the hospital. So my cycle wasn't quite as expensive as many others, but still probably around 2,000.
 
I should add that I stayed in a hotel for only one interview. I would highly recommend that you take advantage of student hosting both because it's free and because it's a great way to get some insight into the school (valuable for interviews the next day). Doing that probably saved me $1k at least over the course of the cycle.
 
I have a more thorough breakdown in my MDApps, but for 17 primaries, 16 secondaries, and 7 interviews attended (including buying a suit, MCAT prep & registration, etc) my total cost was about 3500.

I think the biggest money-saver was driving to all my interviews and staying with either students or friends/family in the area for each. I also self-studied for the MCAT which saved me money for a class, but didn't do as well as I wanted to, so take that how you will 😛.
 
Primary apps ~$1500
Secondary apps ~$2500
Interviews ~$2000
Total >$6000

Worth every penny.
 
nBeeDee said:
Worth every penny.
Click to expand...

👍

A large part of the reason my total was so high is because I had to fly to all of my interviews. I live in Cali and every interview was on the other side of the Mississippi. I would fly in the evening before, making sure I got in relatively early (Don't want to arrive in an unfamiliar city at 11pm). Then I would fly out directly after my interview the next day. I stayed a few days at my first interview, but quickly realized it wasn't worth the extra expense. Student hosts will usually only take you for 1 night.

Spend the money now to apply broadly. Don't skimp on your first application or you'll end up like me paying all this twice.
 
Applied to 22 med schools:
Primaries: $874
Secondaries (21): $1991
Interviews (4): $1087

Approximately $4k. But I only flew to three of four interviews (bused to the fourth), and stayed with student hosts at every interview.
 
ilikevegetables said:
I have a more thorough breakdown in my MDApps, but for 17 primaries, 16 secondaries, and 7 interviews attended (including buying a suit, MCAT prep & registration, etc) my total cost was about 3500.

I think the biggest money-saver was driving to all my interviews and staying with either students or friends/family in the area for each. I also self-studied for the MCAT which saved me money for a class, but didn't do as well as I wanted to, so take that how you will 😛.
Click to expand...

My Hero is your Avatar; that's cool. You did a phenomenal job budgeting.
 
Applied to 41 schools (cycle number 3! woohoo!)
Primaries: $1560
Secondaries (41): $3635 - jeez.
Interviews (6): ~$2200
Second Looks (1): ~$200

Total + random costs: ~$8000 😵

I got lucky and was able to secure two of my interviews out in NY during the same week--otherwise travel costs would have been even more going back and forth from CA. Plus I signed up for a Venture card earlier in the year and started charging EVERYTHING on it--it earned me enough miles to redeem a few smaller flights and miscellaneous travel costs (lodging, shuttle, etc)--any little thing helps. If you're applying soon, get yourself a rewards card now that has some sort of early signing bonus--usually that bonus is enough for a free roundtrip flight.

Most of my flights were cross-country, so I made it a point to arrive a day before my interview, and leave the day of (sometimes early the next morning). ALWAYS look for student hosting!! I loved the security of speaking with students before my interview, being close to the school, and not having to sort out traveling between a hotel and the school, dealing with parking, transportation, etc. I managed to secure hosting at all my interviews, even using SDN to get in touch with an unofficial hosting program at UIC! This saved me a ton of money

Other tips: Airbnb is interesting if you can find a location close to your interview. For my trip to Chicago, I stayed with a host before my interview, but the earliest flight back wasn't until the next morning. I managed to book a cheap Airbnb room close to the airport/the L--saved me having to go for a full-on hotel for the night.

I agree with applying broadly/smartly. Beyond how taxing it is mentally, this process is expensive. My parents helped pay for my first cycle, but I've paid through 2 cycles myself and it's a huge money suck. Be smart and do it once 🙂
 
mirimonster said:
I would fly in the evening before, making sure I got in relatively early (Don't want to arrive in an unfamiliar city at 11pm). Then I would fly out directly after my interview the next day. I stayed a few days at my first interview, but quickly realized it wasn't worth the extra expense.
Click to expand...

Be careful with this strategy though. Some schools consider this a red flag that you aren't really that interested in the school or it's surroundings. This applies mostly to the "national" medical schools that get 10,000 OOS applications a year and need to weed out those who really want to attend vs everybody else.
 
sazerac said:
Be careful with this strategy though. Some schools consider this a red flag that you aren't really that interested in the school or it's surroundings. This applies mostly to the "national" medical schools that get 10,000 OOS applications a year and need to weed out those who really want to attend vs everybody else.
Click to expand...

Well. I flew out the night of my interview not because I wasn't interested in the schools I applied to, or because I didn't feel like exploring/looking around. I have a job and it's already tough enough to go in and out for interviews during Sept-Jan. Not everyone has the luxury of staying just to scope out the surrounding areas for a few extra days. Especially with cross-country flights where you lose a day to traveling, it's a tall order to take so many vacation days. If a "national" school is going to dock me for that, then I guess that's why places like GWU and BU rejected me 😛 But in all seriousness, I doubt schools pay that much attention to what we plan on doing post-interview day. I tried my best to do my research, learn about the area, and show interest in the school during my interview, but I was frank with them when asked about my plans and if I was going to explore the area. Everyone understood when I said I had to return home for work 🙂
 
sazerac said:
Be careful with this strategy though. Some schools consider this a red flag that you aren't really that interested in the school or it's surroundings. This applies mostly to the "national" medical schools that get 10,000 OOS applications a year and need to weed out those who really want to attend vs everybody else.
Click to expand...

How would they even know? And n=1 but the one interview I did stay this cycle was a waitlist (GW, one of those 14000 app schools) and I was outright accepted by 5 of my other 6. They realize people have jobs and lives outside of interviewing.
 
mirimonster said:
How would they even know?
Click to expand...

Because I am an interviewer at one of those national medical schools. And we ask that question. And it goes on our applicant feedback form.
 
sazerac said:
Because I am an interviewer at one of those national medical schools. And we ask that question. And it goes on our applicant feedback form.
Click to expand...

That's a terrible way to rule out candidates and I'm really glad I won't end up somewhere so petty. I guess when you have that many applicants you can afford to be petty, but geez that's just dumb. I had a job that was nice enough to let me have 2 days off. 3 days just so I could go sightseeing was asking a bit much. If that makes me not interested enough, that's your loss.

Also not everyone has the money to burn to stay an extra day. That can add $200-300 depending on the city.
 
I agree. Many applicants have jobs or are currently students and cannot just afford to spend an extra day or two... Or if you have to get to another interview near by...

I was lucky in that I tutor and have better control over my schedule, but I can imagine the difficulties if you work 8-5 40hrs.
 
sazerac said:
Be careful with this strategy though. Some schools consider this a red flag that you aren't really that interested in the school or it's surroundings. This applies mostly to the "national" medical schools that get 10,000 OOS applications a year and need to weed out those who really want to attend vs everybody else.
Click to expand...

Righhht... Because people don't have jobs, families, exams, research, etc... Not to mention that is expensive to stay 2- 3 nights to just hang out. I hope none of the adcom members actually took that too seriously. There are other ways to find out if a student is truly interested in the school.

All of my interviews were on Fridays, Mondays, or pre-planned vacay time otherwise I would have been in and out if the area every time.
 
mirimonster said:
That's a terrible way to rule out candidates and I'm really glad I won't end up somewhere so petty. I guess when you have that many applicants you can afford to be petty, but geez that's just dumb. I had a job that was nice enough to let me have 2 days off. 3 days just so I could go sightseeing was asking a bit much. If that makes me not interested enough, that's your loss.

Also not everyone has the money to burn to stay an extra day. That can add $200-300 depending on the city.
Click to expand...

Judging people for what they're going to do outside of the interview time is just stupid.
 
sazerac said:
Because I am an interviewer at one of those national medical schools. And we ask that question. And it goes on our applicant feedback form.
Click to expand...

It's an incredibly stupid question. Yes, I just spend $600 on a plane ticket and hotel because I'm interested but not truly interested in your school.
xON4inq.gif
 
I spent around $5000. 😱 Would do it all again. :nod:

And to the guy who excludes perfectly good applicants based on their length of visit: that's the most absurd thing I've ever heard. Most of my interviews I flew there the night before and flew out right after the interview. I have a full-time job and only so much PTO to use. Judging someone for being responsible and getting back to work/school rather than taking a mini-vacay is so backwards. 👎
 
I spent $6500 for 23 primaries, 21 secondaries, 2 suits, and 6 OOS interviews/1 in state interview.
 
sazerac said:
Be careful with this strategy though. Some schools consider this a red flag that you aren't really that interested in the school or it's surroundings. This applies mostly to the "national" medical schools that get 10,000 OOS applications a year and need to weed out those who really want to attend vs everybody else.
Click to expand...

Hahaha wut. I did that exact thing for my Vanderbilt interview (even cut it closer), wore my suit on the plane, flew in that morning and took a taxi to the airport after the interview with a few other guys flying out right after.
 
calvnandhobbs68 said:
Hahaha wut. I did that exact thing for my Vanderbilt interview (even cut it closer), wore my suit on the plane, flew in that morning and took a taxi to the airport after the interview with a few other guys flying out right after.
Click to expand...

Prostrate yourself before this august institution. Swear your fealty and accept that there is only one true medical school!
 
Definitely > $5k. Cross country flights are killers in terms of cost...
 
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