This article presents findings from a sequential mixed methods study that examines how graduate teacher education students describe the experiences that either enhance or interrupt a sense of belonging before and during the university preparation program. The paper focuses primarily on analysis from two focus groups and demonstrates particular complexity for underrepresented students as they navigate university-based graduate coursework and clinical internship in K-12 schools simultaneously. Theoretical frameworks and research on hospitality and belonging are applied to interpret the results and reimagine the concept of hospitality on a program-wide level. Participant voices from each point of data collection are elevated in the findings and are presented in depth. Findings suggest that underrepresented students need various intentional and structured scaffolds to survive sometimes inhospitable school environments. These scaffolds must begin with the admissions process and be informed by deep partnerships with external community-based organizations who often hold discrete and relevant cultural knowledge.