As a “poor kid”, as someone who worked multiple jobs through college/APPEs, as someone who has been through this twice now, and as someone who believes this topic is not discussed nearly enough, I wanted to share my advice on how to make the process as affordable as possible.... https://twitter.com/pharmer_gid/status/1247376062096584705

Prior to interviews:
1. Be selective about where you apply. Don’t take the shotgun approach. Applications are expensive - do your due diligence to ensure each program would be a good fit for you

Midyear:
2. You’ll probably check a bag flying. FILL THAT BAG WITH FOOD. A Vegas banana was $9. Think about that vs. a box of granola bars you can pack.

3. Start saving EARLY (P3 year). $500 might be the different between affording 3 vs 6 interviews.

4. Room with as many people as possible. Sleeping on the pull out couch is not fun, but neither is not being able to apply everywhere you want to apply because you ran out of money. Related to this - split uber/lyfts as much as possible.

Traveling for Interviews:
5. If you can drive, try to pick interview days on Mondays or Fridays so you can have plenty of time Sat/Sun to drive.

6. Look into car rentals. It might be cheaper to rent a car one way Sunday, interview Monday, and fly back one-way Monday evening.

7. Do you research on the public transportation system in every city you interview in. Uber/Lyft from the airport may be $30-60 one way, seriously. Many cities have subways/buses you can ride for $2.50. More time required but substantially cheaper.

8. Buses are CHEAP vs. flying, driving, Amtrak, etc. Look at http://megabus.com . I rode a bus for 10 hours to one of my interviews for NINE DOLLARS! (Yes, $9). It was a long ride, but I got a lot of work done on the ride and saved loads of money vs. flying.

9. Ask RPDs for travel advice. They know bus routes, subways, parking, etc. They want to help! I once asked an RPD if I’d be able to make a flight 1.5hrs after the end of interview day. RPD adjusted my sched by 30mins so I could buy the evening flight $200 cheaper than the others

Eating While Traveling:
10. Don’t buy airport food, seriously. Shoving a PB sandwich down the hatch at 5am is not the most appetizing breakfast, but it beats spending $16 on a bottled water and soggy croissant at the airport. I packed noodle cups for dinner in my carry-on too.

11. Don’t buy hotel food, seriously. Pack some granola bars or packaged muffins to eat for breakfast. The last thing you want to do before an interview is scramble to find breakfast somewhere, spend $20 on a coffee and an egg sandwich, and show up feeling rushed.

12. Also pack food to eat for snacks. Traveling is exhausting. A bag of goldfish crackers can be a lifesaver to a hungry applicant in his or her hotel room at 11pm. Sometimes you need a second breakfast () and UberEat-ing a $30 meal is not the wisest decision fiscally.

Where You SHOULD Spend the Money:
13. Get a safe hotel close to the hospital. You want to be comfortable/relaxed before interview day. I once stayed in an Airbnb for $48, learned there was no hair dryer after my AM , and dried my hair by pressing it up against a space heater.

14. Get a nice suit and comfortable dress shoes. Feeling confident in how you look/feel is important. I used underarm sweat pads on my suit jacket so I could wear it a couple times/keep it fresh before having to dry clean it. Hotel steamers are a lifesaver for those suit wrinkles

Advice in General, Really:
15a. This process can be financially crippling for those who don’t have an account at the Bank of Mom and Dad. If you have to borrow money from a friend, open a credit card, or sell some things to make it work, don’t get down on yourself for it.

15b. Your resilience and your grit got you to where you are now, not money. Be PROUD of that. Showcase it. One of my interview questions was “tell me about one of the hardest things you’ve been through, personally or professionally.” I told them .... (continued)

15c. about sleeping on my couch in my storage unit and showering at planet fitness for a few weeks because my dad was dying, my mom was staying with my grandma who had no more room, and I had nowhere else to go. (Continued)

15d. I told them about my dad dying 1 day after PGY1 midyear, struggling to hold it together enough to work, apply for residencies, and go to APPEs. I told them about my uncle/godfather dying 1 month before PGY2 midyear and about my grandpa dying 1.5 months later on New Years Eve

15e. I told them about working 7am-4pm during APPEs and then 5pm-11pm bartending several nights a week. (And about working until 4-5am at the bar Fridays and Saturdays).

15f. And guess what, I matched there!! Being “poor” sucks, not gonna sugar coat it. But it can teach you SKILLS and give you STRENGTH that more privileged individuals won’t have.

Stay gritty. Be organized. Plan ahead. Do the best you can. And ROCK this shit.

#TwitteRx