It seems like just the other day I got done with the residency interview trail and now I am going for the fellowship interviews! Please note the following is for fellowship interviews. If you are a medical student applying for residency I would use my earlier post.
Couple of differences that I noticed between residency and fellowship interviews is as follows
One goes for interviews generally in the 3rd year of residency OR 4th year if you are Med-Peds/Chief in your program. So if you are in residency you generally travel on post-call days, eat pre-interview dinner and sleep at night in the hotel accommodation the program provides. Therefore as mentioned in point 1, you want the fastest yet cheapest option. This is generally flights unless the distance is not too far in which case people do drive.
Couple of tips that I felt that a candidate can do to make the experience easier (at least in my case; please note that different people have different options. This is my experience)
I highly recommend getting the Amex Platinum credit card since it gives you HUGE perks. My referral link is this. To list a few
Please note-
- In case the program does not pay for accommodation, you can check Airbnb for a place to stay at a cheap rate and maybe rent a car to the interview/uber it.
- One can also apply for the Chase sapphire reserve since that has travel deals as well.
I flew the following airlines. Highlighted the perks and features which I liked. All the airlines generally give you pretzels/cookie with a drink (coke, Pepsi etc). You can spend money on hard drinks should you want to indulge in the same.
JetBlue- Loved this airline since there is free wi-fi with amazon prime video streaming. The food is amazing as well. The leg space is GREAT! Given I am a tall person, I love when I can stretch my legs without feeling like I am cramped in my seat.
Southwest- There is NO predetermined seating. Your seat is dependent on WHEN you check in. You get a boarding group number and at the time of boarding, you are broken into groups based on the same. You board the plane and call dibs on the seats. The biggest perk is the 2 checked bags for free, which you can use if you are changing your base-camp. You get wifi to watch cable channels to kill time. You have to pay for internet though.
Delta- The service was great. Loved the food. But depending on when you book your tickets you may get a good deal.
American Airlines- Cheap low cost but no special perks that I would run wild for. Had a couple of bad experiences but the flight crew made up for the same.
Just to get myself organized, I used the following apps. They are available for Android, Apple and windows.
Tripit Pro version- It is $49 for a year subscription which is okay per me for the interviews. It gives you notifications on when you can check in and gives you the shortest route to take to the next gate, which helps when your layover is just half hour and you have to run to the next gate. You can even store your hotel reservation, so you know your itinerary is not missing anything.
Awardwallet pro/free version- Helps you track your miles and know when miles are expiring. It also has a feature of letting you know when to check-in. My referral link is this
Couple of differences that I noticed between residency and fellowship interviews is as follows
- Given you are earning in dollars now, the pinch of money is NOT too much but still palpable
- Most hospitals generally provide accommodation. The really fancy ones even pay for the airfare!
- The fellowship programs are trying to sell themselves to you instead of vice-versa (at least that is what I felt)
One goes for interviews generally in the 3rd year of residency OR 4th year if you are Med-Peds/Chief in your program. So if you are in residency you generally travel on post-call days, eat pre-interview dinner and sleep at night in the hotel accommodation the program provides. Therefore as mentioned in point 1, you want the fastest yet cheapest option. This is generally flights unless the distance is not too far in which case people do drive.
Couple of tips that I felt that a candidate can do to make the experience easier (at least in my case; please note that different people have different options. This is my experience)
I highly recommend getting the Amex Platinum credit card since it gives you HUGE perks. My referral link is this. To list a few
- 60,000 membership reward points for spending 4k. You will definitely hit this depending on the number of places you interview at
- $200 airline credit- It works with only single airline
- $200 Uber credit ($15 per month)- One uses this feature A LOT on your interview trail.
- $100 credit for TSA pre-check which is something US citizens can do but for IMG's only if you are one of the global entry countries can you do the same
- Access to a LOT of lounges during flights. I feel this is another BIG perk for residents who are interviewing and frequently flying
- You get complimentary gold access to Hilton, Marriot and Starwood preferred. (The hotels treat you like royalty)- As mentioned in point 2 on the top, the programs pay for the stay. So you can give your account number at check-in and you get rewarded for the stay.
Please note-
- In case the program does not pay for accommodation, you can check Airbnb for a place to stay at a cheap rate and maybe rent a car to the interview/uber it.
- One can also apply for the Chase sapphire reserve since that has travel deals as well.
I flew the following airlines. Highlighted the perks and features which I liked. All the airlines generally give you pretzels/cookie with a drink (coke, Pepsi etc). You can spend money on hard drinks should you want to indulge in the same.
Just to get myself organized, I used the following apps. They are available for Android, Apple and windows.
I like it, thank you! wiki
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