When staying with student hosts...

[Mylaina]

It is very nice for you to bring a little something for the person that you are staying with when interviewing. Or buy them a meal while here.

I frequently house students when they come to interview at Drexel. As much as I love to talk to students about the school and the interview process, it is a huge undertaking. I have to change around my schedule to make sure I am home when students arrive, figure out and write directions from the bus/train station or airport or driving, spend time talking to the student, etc etc. You don't get the quiet evening to yourself to get some quality studying done. I do love doing it, even if this sounds like a complaint.

Just remember that we are opening our homes to you because we remember how expensive this process was for us. We take time to give you a nice and clean place to sleep, tons of advice, food, etc. So we're saving you (at least in Philadelphia) close to $100. It's nice when the people staying with you bring you something (chocolate, a gift from the bookstore when you interview, etc.) Or even a thank you note (card or virtual).

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[Yogi Bear]

Originally posted by Mylaina
It is very nice for you to bring a little something for the person that you are staying with when interviewing. Or buy them a meal while here.

I frequently house students when they come to interview at Drexel. As much as I love to talk to students about the school and the interview process, it is a huge undertaking. I have to change around my schedule to make sure I am home when students arrive, figure out and write directions from the bus/train station or airport or driving, spend time talking to the student, etc etc. You don't get the quiet evening to yourself to get some quality studying done. I do love doing it, even if this sounds like a complaint.

Just remember that we are opening our homes to you because we remember how expensive this process was for us. We take time to give you a nice and clean place to sleep, tons of advice, food, etc. So we're saving you (at least in Philadelphia) close to $100. It's nice when the people staying with you bring you something (chocolate, a gift from the bookstore when you interview, etc.) Or even a thank you note (card or virtual).

well, i think the intentions of buying the host dinner is good, but sometimes the situation doesn't make it possible. i.e. u arrive at 10-11pm and u're too tired to do have initiative to go out and grab something to eat. it all depends on the student host too. i've asked if my hosts if they want to go out to eat in most of them are actually too lazy to do it or have already eaten. for dinners, i think they key is time of arrival. i.e. if u need to eat dinner (i.e. u arrive 5-6ish), then it's fine that u buy the host dinner too if he/she has to drive u to get it. however, i think that it's more abuot hosting students out of the good of one's heart. i've stayed at a bunch of med students' places during my interviews. i've treated a few to dinners, had one insist on buying me breakfast , and the rest pretty much said they've already eaten but would be willing to take me out to dinner if i'm hungry.

for me, i think best way i could repay the generosity of such hosts is to one day host other pre-meds once i'm a med student. reciprocity comes in many forms....

 

[indianboy]

for me, i think best way i could repay the generosity of such hosts is to one day host other pre-meds once i'm a med student. reciprocity comes in many forms....

Agreed.

Hope that Helps.

P 'Ungrateful Wretch' ShankOut

 

[Mylaina]

I do agree that hosting is a great thing to do. I never stayed with medical students when I interviewed because I usually travelled with a friend.

But many of my friends and I do get little gifts when we are here, and many of them did bring housewarming gifts when they were being hosted.

The politeness is the same as when you would visit a friend and you would bring a bottle of wine, or flowers, or a little something as a thank you.

 

[XCanadianRagwee]

Crap, someones a little whiny.

If you have to change your schedule do all that work in order to host a student and then come complain, maybe you shouldn't be a student host.

I on the other hand would love it. It's a great opportunity to talk to and listen to another person that's trying to fit in your shoes someday. Plus you could actually learn something new from the pre-med.

If I were to ever make it to med-school, I'd be more than happy to host y'all.

 

[lola]

drexel has student hosts? i don't recall getting info on that with the interview request.

 

[Mylaina]

I don't mean to sound whiny-- I just want to convey that we are offering for you to stay with us so that we can share our experiences and advice.... And just sometimes applicants act like I am running a hotel. If you have to wait at school until we finish up our classes to get back to the apartment, then make sure you carry your stuff with you to the interview if you have to leave to catch your bus/train/plane-- I've hosted people that acted like I was the most inconsiderate brat because I told them I had class until a time that was beyond their interview. In addition, I've had applicants that have made me late for class because they didn't care if they were late for their interview.

On the other hand, I've had great hostees who I've taken around Philly, or out with friends, or really bonded iewith and when they get accepted here, I am sure we'll be great friends!

I don't want to complain- I just think that often we are taken for granted, and expected to be at a person's beck and call- which when I can oblige, I don't mind, but it is nice to have it be show that the person really does appreciate your going out of your way. (even a really sincere thank you when you leave)

Plus- when you interview, you send thank you notes to your interviewer for their time. So why not the people that host you? That seems a little hypocritical- were thank you notes just sent to the people that affect your chances of getting into medical school and no one else counts?

And to all of you that have replied, apparently you would all be wonderful people to host because you would really be grateful for your host and hope to do the same-- but this is the same for classes we sometimes have in school- when trying to teach awareness or patient issues, the people who already are aware of the topics being taught are offended, but people that truely need the class aren't paying attention, are sleeping in the back, or are skipping class entirely.

 

[Mylaina]

You know what-- they don't have that in their packet of info for interviews. I think they expect you to ask about it. I'll send an email to the director of admissions and suggest they amend that. You can call the admissions office and request names/emails/numbers if you haven't had your interview yet.

If you have- good luck and hope it went well and you loved the school!

If you have any questions-- I am in the PIL class so PM me.

 

[lola]

hey... thanks for the interview. i'm not interviewing until march, so maybe i'll look into staying with a student host. i stayed with one for my first interview, and it wasn't the greatest experience (not bad or anything, just sort of gave me a negative impression of the school), but i might try it again for drexel.

 

[Katie]

hey, thanks Mylaina for posting; I was going to post something along the advice you gave about student hosts about being a good house guest. I have not yet hosted anyone interviewing at Tufts, BU, or Hah-vahd, but would be delighted to. I agree about trying to bring the host a little something (chocolate, coffee mug from your hometown airport, etc) or take them out for a meal unless your budget absolutely prevents it. I had a friend stay with me for three days during X-mas break, and she made a big deal about taking me out to lunch one day and splitting the cost of food in my apartment. While her efforts were kind and I appreciate them, they were not at all unreasonable since I saved this woman (who earns $60K+/yr while I take out student loans) at least $300 on hotel costs. She also dragged me into generic shops that are found everywhere in the USA and had no interest in visiting the more interesting sights in Boston, and forced me to listen to her whine about how disgustingly fat she is as a size 2 (um, I'm nearly 5'8 and size 10) bottom line: please don't be the kind of student host or house guest that everyone can't wait to see go; you don't have to buy us a whole bunch of stuff, but no need to act pouty or juvenile like my friend did.

 

[indianboy]

(um, I'm nearly 5'8 and size 10)

Good god, save that stuff for sunday confessionals - you're scaring small children!

Hope that Helps

P 'Size 0' ShankOut

 

[Katie]

Originally posted by indianboy
Good god, save that stuff for sunday confessionals - you're scaring small children!

Hope that Helps

P 'Size 0' ShankOut

wait a minute here; I don't even want to think what 'size 0' means in your case since you're a guy. if you have any doubt about the level of inappropriateness of my thread, just do a search on female monthly cycles or p-size on here and you'll fall out of your chair at some of the $#-+ people write on here..

 

[Mylaina]

Umm- 5'8" and size 10 is not an overly "large" person. I am the exact same stature, and people always tell me I should be eating. I am not a skeleton, but I am on the bottom cutoff for my BMI (body mass index) which means I should weigh more than I do. For guys that don't understand how women's clothes are sized, I would refrain from making rude comments.

 

[indianboy]

Wow, you're as secure as the Bellagio Vault

Hope that Helps.

P 'Eunuchs are People too' ShankOut

 

[Random Access]

A box of chocolates can be a good token of appreciation.

 

[TysonCook]

I agree with at least bringing a card etc. When interviewing last year I stayed w/ hosts, some great, some horrible. I always brought something that was unique from Utah for them (lots of Winter Games stuff).

Now I am a host at Cincinnati and here is a of my opinion...

Student hosts save you $, give you insight to the school, and orient you much better than the 15 min cont. breakfast given by the school.

When I have an interviewee coming I clean the apt., okay it w/my roomates (or argue about it), wash the guest sheets (and deplete my laundry quarters -$3 right there) get a guest towel and make sure that I can pick them up from whereever they are (gas money etc). The interviewee stays in our living room which is fine, but for the next 2-3 days, our TV and common area is gone etc. Afterwards we clean and work on getting the interviewee back to the airport.

This isn't a problem, and I love hosting, but please realize that you are not just using a futon for the evening. We rearrange our schedules and spend money on you. So a thank you card, plate of cookies, 6 pack of cold beer, is fantastically appreciated.

 

[docuw]

Allow me to add some more recomendations from a host who has been doing this for the last 2 years, almost every weekend.

1) Please, dont check your suit bag into the airlines only to have it lost and then ask if you can borrow my suit. If you do have to borrow my suit, please offer to pay for dry cleaning.

2) Please dont break things in my house. I open my house up to you as I would to a family member. Most of my family doesnt act like they do on National Lampoon's, so you shouldn't either.

3) Please, at the very least say THANK YOU. I will have spent at least 2 days (if not more) adjusting my study schedule, offering you food, providing you a personal escort/shuttle service, and answering your questions. Gratitude would be appreciated.

I am actually not bitter about hosting. I actually love doing it. I just wanted to make you aware of the way some M0's (interviewees) act. It boggles my mind.

IF you are coming to stay with someone, be respectful of the comitment that the student host is making. Even if I dont do the student interview with you, I still have a word in the admission comittee, especially when I really feel strongly about the way you act.

 

[Mylaina]

Thanks for all of your input guys! I really didn't want to sound like I was ranting about hating all interviewee's. I have only been in school for 6 months and I love talking to my potential peers-- both hosting and interviewing. I think that a lot of times everyone forgets how much people do for the "simplest" of tasks.

 

[phil413ru]

I just wanted to say thanks to all you student hosts! Your efforts are much appreciated! At all the schools I have interviewed at, only one had a host program, and it was wonderful. Your insight and advice is appreciated. I know that my host impacted my decision about that school--we still exchange email. (However, no word back from the school--. IT is this spirit of giving, genorosity and understanding that makes great physicians!
In ancient Israel, travelers depended on the hospitality of strangers. Unfortunately in todays world, trusting a stranger can come with great cost. Thank you for opening up your home to strangers. Your efforts will not go unrewarded.

"Dear children, let us not love in word and tounge, but in action and in truth!" --1 John 3:18

 

[PelicanMan]

I have been hosted at 4 different schools. I want to truely thank everyone for hosting me. It has saved me alot of money, but MUCH more importantly it gives me a better sense of the school. I always ask the hosts lots of questions. I highly recommend everyone to get a host. I want to be a host.

 

[Smurfette]

Another thing interviewees should keep in mind is that at *some* schools, if you make a bad impression on your host, the host can let the admissions office know. I don't mean only in the "bad guest" sense, but in the "interviewee does or says something which makes the host wonder about the interviewees motivation or capabilities" sense.

I think an interviewee would have to be really horrid for the host to do this (frankly, at my school the interviewee would have to be serial killer-esque, a thief or the rudest person known to mankind for that to occur---in which case the official interview would likely reflect this of the interviewee), but being considerate and polite can go a long way in making oneself appear competent and motivated to get thru med school.

Applicants who are considerate of their hosts inspire the hosts to continue "hosting" in the future.

 

[Jet915]

Yeah, I heard that the same thing happened at Creighton. One of the interviewees apparently ruined a student hosts' couch (I dont know the full story) and he ended up getting a rare rejection.

Jetson