For those who dream of being an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, the costs of applying and interviewing are viewed as an investment. Despite being a well paying “investment,” the costs can be impressive. Merely registering for PASS can set you back a couple thousand dollars. This doesn’t even count the supplemental fees, postage, stationary, and other miscellaneous costs encountered throughout the process. It is very difficult to find exact numbers regarding costs, and they are likely to vary wildly among candidates. In order to give some perspective, I have tallied all of my expenditures I encountered from supplemental applications to the last Uber ride home from the airport. From talking with other applicants past and present, the amount I spent seems to be very average. The range varies from just a few hundred if only applying and interviewing at your home program to over $10,000 if you apply to a large number of programs and interview at every single one that gives you an invite. A breakdown of my expenditures is below and categorized by application and interviews.
The Application
One of the most infuriating parts of applying to residency is being penny pinched to death and the redundant information you are required to provide. Every program has different requirements and fees associated. For some, you must provide an official undergrad transcript, official dental school transcript, official NBDE scores, or combination of above. Even though these may be inexpensive individually, they quickly add up. This does not even account for the supplemental or PASS fees. PASS fees alone are $190 for the first program and $75 for each additional program. If you are applying very broadly, the fees could amount to several thousand dollars. I encourage you to be very honest with yourself about where you want to go and where you apply, because otherwise you could end up wasting a lot of money.
| PASS Fees (21 programs) | $1690 |
| Transcripts and Official Documents | $195 |
| Supplemental Application Fees | $397 |
| Office Supplies (Resumé paper, return labels, etc) | $117.39 |
| Postage | $52.08 |
| Match Fee | $90 |
| Total Application Costs | $2,541.47 |
Interviews
For most applicants, I would wager that they end up spending between $1500 and $3000 on their application. On the other hand, interviews likely represent the greatest difference in cost between applicants. If you elect to go the cheaper route by driving to all of your interviews, wearing an old suit, crashing on a friend’s or family member’s couch, and being thrifty when it comes to food or alcohol, then you could get by with only spending a minimal amount. Alternatively, if you are flying to every interview, buying new clothes, staying at hotels, and going out after every interview, then the sky is the limit. Personally, I chose a route in-between. I wanted to be presentable for interviews so I bought a new suit. Sometimes I couch surfed while other times I stayed in a hotel or an AirBnB. Because of where I applied, I had to fly to some locations while I was able to drive to others. How much you spend is really up to you, and how comfortable you want to be on the trail. Hidden costs also sneak up on you. Dry cleaning can be very expensive and an Uber or Lyft here or there really starts to add up.
Associated Interview Expenditures
| Suit | $400 |
| Dress Shirts | $127 |
| Dry Cleaning | $118.74 |
| Shoes | $85.00 |
| Luggage (needed a new carry-on) | $191.77 |
| Total | $922.51 |
Travel Expenditures (10 interviews)
| Average airfare (4 paid flights*) | $259.80 |
| Average lodging (5 hotels/AirBnB**) | $181.83 |
| Total costs Uber/Lyft/Shuttle | $358.15 |
| Total food/beverage | $537.55 |
| TSA Precheck | $85 |
| Total Travel Expenses | $3108.23 |
*Two flights were paid for with travel points; I drove to the other four interviews
**Stayed with friends or family for the other five
Interview Total: $4030.74
Application and Interview Total
$6572.21
As you can see, applying to residency is not cheap. Could it be cheaper? Absolutely. There are endless ways I could have, and, looking back, should have saved money. The items I think are necessary expenditures are related to you as a candidate. Make sure you look presentable both in person and on paper. Be professional in the items you send to programs and how you look at interviews. People definitely notice. Where I could have saved money is by staying with more friends or family. Also, make sure to take a look at the different hotel options and crosscheck that with AirBnB. Even if a program doesn’t send you a promotional rate for a nearby hotel, ask the hotel if they offer one for applicants interviewing. Several times I noticed they would have some kind of deal with the medical center for interviewees. Another obvious way is to make friends on the interview trail. You will notice that you will end up seeing a lot of the same people over and over again. It’s a great way to get to know your future colleagues and to save some cash by splitting a hotel room or staying at their place or vice versa. The best mindset is to know you are all in this together.
So how do you pay for it all? The answer to this problem also varies a considerable amount. If you have family willing to pay for it all that’s awesome and takes a lot of stress out of the decision. Otherwise, many applicants take out extra student or private loans. Personally, I opened a 0% interest credit card with a long promotion period that would carry me past graduation. By doing that, I knew no matter what I’d be able to pay it all off. I’m essentially using it as a short term 0% loan, and I know many other applicants did the same. Be careful and judicious if you choose that route because you can easily become used to the “spend now, pay later” mindset. Additionally, carrying a large balance can affect your credit score. Also, read the fine print very carefully. Many of the cards with 0% offers have ways you can trigger an early end to the 0% promotion and end up paying 20% interest on a large balance (i.e. missing a minimum payment, etc). Regardless, I know it is frustrating to have to pay so much, but it is a toll we all have to pay for our future.
For those heading down the trail next year and the years to come, I wish you good luck! For those that have already been, tips for making the journey less expensive are always appreciated, and I encourage you to share your experiences below.