Details about travel, lodging, and agenda for GPP Interviews are contained within this GPP webpage. If you have to make any changes or cancellations to your itinerary after you have confirmed your travel with an ESI representative, please contact ESI and send a courtesy copy of the email to Adrian Warren (warrenad@od.nih.gov) so that we can keep track of when you will be arriving and departing.
General Agenda for a 2-Day Interview Format - You will arrive the evening before your scheduled interview date. You should be prepared for a day of a GPP overview, interviews with the admissions committee and meeting with faculty on the two days that you’re at the NIH. You should plan for an evening flight home on the last day of your interview.
General Agenda for a 1-Day Interview Format - You will arrive the evening before your scheduled interview date. The following day will begin at 7:30am and end at 6pm. You should plan for a late evening flight home.
Travel Expenses - Most travel expenses will be paid by GPP as follows:
Transportation - All candidates invited to interview for a partnership will receive an email that contains general information about interviewing at the NIH, along with a copy of the agenda for your visit. The GPP will support round-tripairfare (including to the university and then home for those of you traveling to the partner university) for your interview. GPP will also support your accommodation and your meals while in Bethesda. On the day of your interview the GPP will provide a check to reimburse your ground transportation expenses.
A member of Education Services Incorporated (ESI) Travel Agency will contact you at lease four weeks prior to your interview to set up your travel and accommodation. The ESI representative will have all of the information about your interview agenda and will plan your travel so that you arrive and depart in time to attend all of the meetings on the agenda. DO NOT PURCHASE ANY TRAIN, BUS, OR AIRLINE TICKETS AT YOUR OWN EXPENSE. THE NIH WILL NOT REIMBURSE ANY STUDENTS WHO PURCHASE THEIR OWN TRANSPORATION TICKETS TO THE NIH. If you are interviewing with a partner university (BU, GU, UNC, UMD or Brown) immediately following the NIH portion of the interview, you should communicate directly with the university about accommodation during the time that you are at the university.
You are responsible for arranging your own ground transportation between the airport and the NIH. You will find information about getting to the NIH from area airports at the “Visiting the NIH” section of the GPP website (http://gpp.nih.gov/VisitingtheNIH/).
Lodging - All students that do not live in the DC metropolitan area are invited to stay at the American Inn of Bethesda during interviews. A representative from ESI travel agency will contact you to make your reservations. You will be sharing a room with another student of the same gender. The GPP will pre-pay your room and tax. You are responsible for all incidental expenses (e.g., room service, internet connection, movies, etc…). The GPP will provide transportation from the American Inn to the NIH campus and back on the day(s) of the interview. If you choose not to stay at the American Inn and you prefer to stay somewhere else at your own expense please inform your ESI representative.
Attire - Candidates interviewing for the admission are encouraged to wear business-casual attire and very comfortable shoes as the NIH campus is big and you may need to walk between buildings. Example: Khaki slacks, pressed shirt, and sweater.
NIH Visitor Information Websites
- NIH Visitor Information – information posted includes: traveling to NIH, getting around the campus, maps, facilities and libraries, and other resources.
- Visitor Information sponsored by NIH Clinical Center – additional information about traveling to the NIH may be found by visiting this Clinical Center website.
Forms
- Interview Travel Form - Students receiving an invitation to interview must complete and submit this form to ESI travel agency within 48 hours of receiving the form. The form will be emailed by a ESI representative at least 4 weeks prior to interview date to insure proper accommodations.
- Principal Investigator Meetings - To be completed only by students interviewing for one or more of the following partnerships: Brown, Cambridge, George Washington, Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, NYU, Oxford, University of Maryland Biophysics. You will receive this form via email from a GPP representative.