THE INTERVIEW PHASE FOR TWO
It was important to let the schools know that our goal was to attend together, but also crucial to convey interest in their program independent of each other. I would advise not calling up a school after one partner has received an interview invite (while the other has not yet) asking the chances of the other person getting interviewed before deciding whether to attend the interview.
Instead, I would keep in mind that each interview is an opportunity to both sell yourself and your partner. We found ways to mention each other in our interviews, and advocate for each others’ strengths as potential future students.
There were interviews I attended in which my husband was invited to interview after I had; likewise, there were interviews in which he discussed me and I was later invited to come to that school. The downside of this tactic is that you don’t really have to opportunity to decline interview invites, which adds up financially pretty quickly.
In regards to finances, I saved a lot of money interviewing while staying with alumni from my alma mater. I also enjoyed being able to talk to medical students about their programs and not having to be alone in a new location by myself. When I wasn’t able to stay with alumni, I tried to find other cheaper accommodations. I stayed in a hostel in Austin, Texas, for example, and a B&B in Philadelphia.
Also, while interviewing, find other students who intend to take an Uber/Lyft back to the airport and carpool with them. Something I don’t recommend, however, is flying on cheap airlines such as Frontier. Air travel is expensive, but the unreliability of the cheaper airlines is not worth the money saved. Riley and I learned this lesson the hard way.
Buying food in the airport is also expensive, so packing food from home can save money here and there. However, don’t go hungry or thirsty to save money. The stresses of interviewing and traveling are high—take care of yourself! If you need that smoothie, you need that smoothie. There was one experience where I was exhausted and worn down after three interviews in a row! (A mistake—doubling up is okay, but tripling up was too much.) And I really needed Auntie Annie’s cinnamon pretzel bites—taking care of myself was definitely worth the ridiculous airport price in this case.
