pahopeful46 Posted June 21, 2018 Share Posted June 21, 2018 Hi everyone! I have a few questions that I am not sure what to do about for PA school interviews and acceptances. Is it inappropriate for me to ask a program that invited me to an interview if they cover any travel expenses? I only ask because the school across the country from me and the interview is in 2 weeks so I am unprepared and a little caught of guard but so excited!! I am just going to struggle to pay for a flight here and then a car and hotel since the school is 4 hrs from the closet airpot. Does anyone have any experience with this? Also, since this interview is very early and I have not heard back from any of the other schools I applied for yet, if I were to be offered an acceptance, is it okay for me to accept while still interviewing at other schools or waiting to hear back from other places? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KPayne Posted June 21, 2018 Share Posted June 21, 2018 To your second question- yes absolutely okay to accept while still interviewing! Lots of people do it, I encourage you to as well. As far as your first question, unless they explicitly stated they would pay/reimburse you for your travel- I think it's up to you to foot the bill. It does stink but they might use that as a weed out technique to see just how bad people want to get into their school, ya know? It stinks forking out all the money on travel/applications/etc., but this is all an investment in your future. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fizzassist Posted June 21, 2018 Share Posted June 21, 2018 And maybe you could ask on people on this forum (under the specific) if there's anyone near the program but extra bed that I don't mind volunteering, or if there's anyone else traveling in for an interview perhaps they want to share a cab or hotel room? I dunno. Good luck!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beattie228 Posted June 21, 2018 Share Posted June 21, 2018 Question 1: Absolutely not. Prospective graduate students are responsible for paying costs associated with interviewing, no different than medical school or law school interviews. Think of it as an investment towards your future, pending you have a strong application. You can ask if there are any current students interested in hosting an applicant to try to limit the cost. Question 2: You should accept and pay the deposit of the first school who a) accepts you and b) you'd be willing to go to that school. PA school is very competitive to get into, and you don't want to pass up an opportunity to get into PA school by waiting for another school. There is nothing wrong with accepting from school A and then declining at a later time if you get into school B and wish to attend there instead. Just be sure to let school A know as soon as possible so that they may invite another eager student into their class from the wait-list. Acceptance deposits are often $2,000 so budget accordingly for that as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pahopeful46 Posted June 21, 2018 Author Share Posted June 21, 2018 1 hour ago, KPayne said: To your second question- yes absolutely okay to accept while still interviewing! Lots of people do it, I encourage you to as well. As far as your first question, unless they explicitly stated they would pay/reimburse you for your travel- I think it's up to you to foot the bill. It does stink but they might use that as a weed out technique to see just how bad people want to get into their school, ya know? It stinks forking out all the money on travel/applications/etc., but this is all an investment in your future. Good luck! Thanks so much for your reply! I am 100% ready to fly there and make sure I can attend the interview, I just didnt know if it was appropriate to even ask, so thank you! Also, do you know if it would be a bad idea to ask if they do video interviews for applicants far away? It would be okay if they do not I just didnt know if it would be bad to ask. Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pahopeful46 Posted June 21, 2018 Author Share Posted June 21, 2018 1 hour ago, beattie228 said: Question 1: Absolutely not. Prospective graduate students are responsible for paying costs associated with interviewing, no different than medical school or law school interviews. Think of it as an investment towards your future, pending you have a strong application. You can ask if there are any current students interested in hosting an applicant to try to limit the cost. Question 2: You should accept and pay the deposit of the first school who a) accepts you and b) you'd be willing to go to that school. PA school is very competitive to get into, and you don't want to pass up an opportunity to get into PA school by waiting for another school. There is nothing wrong with accepting from school A and then declining at a later time if you get into school B and wish to attend there instead. Just be sure to let school A know as soon as possible so that they may invite another eager student into their class from the wait-list. Acceptance deposits are often $2,000 so budget accordingly for that as well. Thank you so much for your reply! I am definitely ready to fly there because I am ready to invest in my future! I was wondering though, do you know if any schools do video interviews for applicants far away or if it would be ok for me to ask? I just dont want to give them a bad impression. Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyNichiavelli Posted June 21, 2018 Share Posted June 21, 2018 Go to the interview in person. Assume that they don't do video interviews unless they explicitly state it in your invitation. Asking would make you look uncommitted and they very well could rescind your invite if they felt like doing so. And even if they did do video interviews (99.99% sure they don't), you'd end up missing valuable tour info and looking less appealing than a candidate that made the effort to come from far away. Bite the bullet and pay for the interview costs. It's all a part of the process. P.S. I've heard of people getting invited to interview mere days before the interview. You definitely have time to prep. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MT2PA Posted June 21, 2018 Share Posted June 21, 2018 General interview rules because apparently this isn't common knowledge. You pay for all expenses. All prospective students should consider this when applying to schools - if you can't afford last minute flights, hotels, rentals, etc and will have to turn down interviews due to finances, don't even bother applying. You are expected to attend the interviews in person. This is not just showing up, answering some questions, and leaving. PA interview days typically involve multiple aspects in addition to the interview including group interviews, writing prompts, tours, Q&A with current students, etc. When I was interviewing there were students who had an interview on the west coast on a Friday and had to get to the east coast for a Saturday interview. I had 5 days to book a flight and plan travel for an interview. With the usually acceptable problem of needing to request an alternative date due to other interviews and/or work, you need to be there. Anything else you're questioning (asking for travel expenses or video interviews) will quickly get you passed over for someone who is willing to put the time and money into the process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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