Accommodations between interview weekends

[Owlet]

Hi. I was wondering how international students manage on-site interviews in the US? I am living on the other side of the globe, so it would be expensive and tiring to fly back and forth to the US for each interview, so I plan to stay in the US during the interview season. However, I am not very familiar with living in the States, and I was wondering if there are any suggestions on how to deal with the accommodations and travel in between? thanks!

[ss2player]

Airbnb.com

Couchsurfing.com

 

Way cheaper than hotels and get to meet cool people! Or try local hostels if you really want to save money. It's not all that different from tourists coming to Taiwan really.

 

Good luck on your interviews!

[fuzzylogician]

In my field prospective students are hosted by current students during their visit. We very often host international students a couple of days longer because they need a place to stay at before moving on to the next interview. I'd say more than two extra days becomes an imposition, but that much is never a problem. We have occasionally "split" someone's visit over two hosts because they were in town for a whole week. If your interviews aren't spaced too far apart, that could be something to look into. Otherwise, do the usual things tourists do, as suggested above.

[Owlet]

Airbnb.com

Couchsurfing.com

 

Way cheaper than hotels and get to meet cool people! Or try local hostels if you really want to save money. It's not all that different from tourists coming to Taiwan really.

 

Good luck on your interviews!

 

Thank you very much for sharing these websites! They are very helpful. I do hope to find a nice place to stay

 

By the way, I wonder if you have some more information about public transportation in the US?

 

 

In my field prospective students are hosted by current students during their visit. We very often host international students a couple of days longer because they need a place to stay at before moving on to the next interview. I'd say more than two extra days becomes an imposition, but that much is never a problem. We have occasionally "split" someone's visit over two hosts because they were in town for a whole week. If your interviews aren't spaced too far apart, that could be something to look into. Otherwise, do the usual things tourists do, as suggested above.

Thanks for your reply. Unfortunately, the interviews I have received so far are spaced one month apart. I really do hope to get some more interviews that are arranged in between.

[fuzzylogician]

Could you ask one of the schools to reschedule your interview so it's closer to the other one? They might be accommodating since you're coming from far away and I don't think it's reasonable for you to come twice or to have to wait in the US for a whole month. 

 

Regarding public transportation, it really depends on the city. Some cities have decent to good systems, some suck. 

[Owlet]

Could you ask one of the schools to reschedule your interview so it's closer to the other one? They might be accommodating since you're coming from far away and I don't think it's reasonable for you to come twice or to have to wait in the US for a whole month. 

 

Regarding public transportation, it really depends on the city. Some cities have decent to good systems, some suck. 

 

Good idea, I think I will try asking schools if I could reschedule my interview so that they might be closer.

 

What kind of transportation would you take to travel from the school to the airport?

 

Thanks for your advice. Happy holidays!

[fuzzylogician]

What kind of transportation would you take to travel from the school to the airport?

 

Again, it depends. The safest but most expensive option is to take a taxi. That should always work, and is the best option for a tight schedule and for cities where getting to the airport using public transportation is complicated or takes a long time. Sometimes you can also find car sharing options that are less expensive than a private cab. Or, occasionally, you can get a current student who owns a car to give you a ride to/from the airport. Depending on where the school is located and how long you have to get to the airport, in some cases there will be an easy bus or train that would be much more cost effective. I don't think we can give you more precise information without knowing a bit more about where you'll be and what your schedule will be like. For more details, I suggest you contact the school.

[TakeruK]

The school usually tells you how to get from airport to school. At one school, the grad student that was hosting me picked me up. At another school, they gave me a discount code to use to book a shuttle (which they also reimburse). 

[music]

I was able to do Skype interviews, since I was applying from abroad. Is that an option for any of the programs you're applying to? Have you enquired whether there is any funding available from either your current institution or the interviewing institution?

[Owlet]

I was able to do Skype interviews, since I was applying from abroad. Is that an option for any of the programs you're applying to? Have you enquired whether there is any funding available from either your current institution or the interviewing institution?

 

Both schools provide funding for the travel, so I will definitely attend. 

...just still need to figure out the details ...I'm not sure how to plan my trip because some schools haven't sent out invites yet.

[HS4]

Just out of curiosity, what sub-fields are you applying to? Biochemistry, biophysics, molecular?