Sleep for Free on the Interview Trail
At a recent interview I met an awesome young woman who told me about a website just for fourth year students looking for free couches or beds to sleep on. The website is SwapAndSnooze.com, created by two EM applicants at UC Davis. The idea is simple – prove you’re on the interview trail with an ERAS screenshot and setup an account, then look for a bed in a city you’re visiting to interview. Not having to shell out $60-$200 for a hotel room is always great, and getting restful sleep for free can only improve your interview day. You might luck out and stay with a student who’s rotating at the program you’ll be interviewing at; the student I met actually ended up talking with one of the residents the night before and learning more about the residency and the city.
Couch Surfing/Account Setup
When you submit a request to create an account you’ll see a popup that it’s been sent for approval, quickly followed by an email strongly suggesting you create a profile to host. The idea is that the site is reciprocal, and everyone who uses the service to crash on a couch should host another student at least once – an idea I can definitely get behind. The email also reminds you to send proof of MS4 status within 48 hours.
Hosting/Profile Creation
Yes, they actually list the osteopathic schools in the drop down. That’s classy and appreciated, as there is a tendency for overly long names on the DO side. The hosting profile is setup via a Google Form, so it’s clear this is a small project with the two students working on the back-end to add in users.
More to Come
After my account gets approved I’ll update with what the service is like, and review the experience if I get to try out someone’s couch, or host a student.
