Need advice on what state to pick?

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Hello everyone! Most of you know me, any new people may not. I have been really busy so somewhat absent past 2 months.

I need some advice, I have a huge decision to make that I still cannot make and this website is the only one I know of with people that will understand.

Here is the situation:
In November we (hubby, me, daughter) are leaving the military and moving back to the U.S. We currently live in Germany. I will have a bachelor degree completed at this time, but I have limited availability of face to face science courses at this post so I am not able to complete my chemistry and physics prereqs. The plan is that when we move back to the U.S I will take those classes at some school in the states along with biochemistry since it is recommended. I don't care if it is science classes ala carte or a formal post bacc program, but I don't need to do all of the prereqs so most likely it will be ala carte.

This is where the decision comes into play. It is 100% up to me what state we move to. I originally decided to go to Ohio , but that has now changed due to a couple reasons. The only family we have is my mother, but she just moved to an area that has a very high unemployment rating. She got an excellent job offer, this company is paying her a lot more so that is good for her, but we can't take the risk of moving to an area with high unemployment ratings so we will be moving to a state where we don't know anyone, we will have zero backups. Our savings will be able to support us when we first arrive, but that money will eventually run out so this decision has to be a good one.


I need to decide what state we are moving to. This state needs to meet some criteria which I will list below

• decent unemployment rate (http://www.bls.gov/web/laus/laumstrk.htm) that link has the unemployment rate of states, any state from #1-25 is an option.
• cost of living is not outrageous
• at least 1 medical school in that state (preferably more)
• crime rate is not high (I have a 5 year old daughter to think about)
• the last criteria is more of a preference, but not a requirement...I would prefer to finish my prereqs at a school that operates on a quarter system instead of semester because I can get classes knocked out faster. I do well when I am challenged and things are fast paced so that works good for me.

I am having a really hard time making this decision. My husband is wonderful in that he is leaving it up to me because the idea behind that is my passion to become a doctor is the focus of our future. He is 100% supportive and wants to financially support us on his own with me focusing completely on school and tasks I need to complete for medical school. I appreciate that, but on the other hand if I pick a state and something goes wrong with employment or the neigborhoood or anything...I feel like it will be my fault.


So this decision is about medical school, but it also encompasses the family and I know many of you on this forum have families to take care of so you can understand that balance between becoming a doctor and family life.

If anyone has any suggestions or any type of advice that is related to this I would greatly appreciate it because I need to make this decision ASAP so he can start job searching online, I can find a specific city and start looking at rental apts/houses for us and get anything in line for the schooling.

Thank you in advance for any advice on this because no one else really understands the whole "becoming a doctor" journey and the stress associated with that. I want to make the best decision for my family and for my goal of medical school.

Texas! Many schools offering CHEAP good med school education; they take 90% in-state (except Baylor, but they still take most of their class from TX). Cost of living is inexpensive, and in my area at least, the public schools are great.

When we first moved here, I wasn't dying to stay. It's certainly a different place! I warmed up, however, and am now an avid rodeo fan.

I am SO glad I am applying to medical school in this state; it's a huge advantage. There are a bunch of schools, so with decent stats and (I think) good interview skills, I'm hopeful that I will get in somewhere. While I would love to stay where I am, getting in anywhere in the state, even if we have to move, is a financially sound decision for a non-trad like me. Schools are roughly 12000/year. Can't beat that! I am applying out-of-state in areas where we have family that could help with the kids, but in reality, would I pay 45000/yr for that if I get an acceptance for a quarter that cost?

I don't know about quarter systems - the school I am taking a few post-bac classes operates on semesters.

Good luck - it's a big decision!

Originally Posted by craftyconqueror

Texas! Many schools offering CHEAP good med school education; they take 90% in-state (except Baylor, but they still take most of their class from TX). Cost of living is inexpensive, and in my area at least, the public schools are great.

When we first moved here, I wasn't dying to stay. It's certainly a different place! I warmed up, however, and am now an avid rodeo fan.

I am SO glad I am applying to medical school in this state; it's a huge advantage. There are a bunch of schools, so with decent stats and (I think) good interview skills, I'm hopeful that I will get in somewhere. While I would love to stay where I am, getting in anywhere in the state, even if we have to move, is a financially sound decision for a non-trad like me. Schools are roughly 12000/year. Can't beat that! I am applying out-of-state in areas where we have family that could help with the kids, but in reality, would I pay 45000/yr for that if I get an acceptance for a quarter that cost?

I don't know about quarter systems - the school I am taking a few post-bac classes operates on semesters.

Good luck - it's a big decision!

I whole-heatedly agree! I was military and in a similar situation where I could go pretty much anywhere when I got out to finish my degree. There is no way I'd do it any other way. There's 7 state MD schools and an excellent DO school, ALL of which are insanely cheap as well as quality.

I just went through the application process this past cycle and am more than willing to answer questions about the TMDSAS application and my general experience. I only applied in Texas and got multiple acceptances. That goes for anyone going into this cycle. I'm one of those people that obsessively gathers all available information and now I feel like I should put this excessive knowledge to good use now that I no longer need it for myself. Best of luck in your decision!

+1 for Texas. Tons of schools, low costs, not ridiculous admissions competition, lots of places to do prereqs, friendly to military. I'm concerned about state budget limitations that won't be improving quickly, but that applies everywhere.

I applaud your rigor in establishing a choice protocol, and/but I suggest not looking at unemployment statistics. Instead, look at job openings that are relevant to you. Choose some target cities and start watching the job openings (on monster.com, craigslist, etc), starting now. In addition to helping you figure out who is hiring where, this will help you think about what your resume needs to show and what companies to watch separately from the listing sites.

If you're taking a year of a prereq, quarter vs. semester doesn't typically make any difference. Given a choice between 10 weeks of biochem vs. 14 weeks of biochem in a 1 term class, I'd vote for 14.

Best of luck to you.

+2 for Texas. I hate Texas. Lived there 2 years. It's hot. Gotta say though, the local economy is great. They love vets over there too. Lots of options for those prereqs and for med schools. One piece of advice: Houston is where it's at. Only part of Texas I didn't hate.

.

Texas, Ohio, or Florida. All are states with lots of med schools and a relatively low cost of living. TX and FL have the added benefit of no income tax (helpful if your husband will be working), and both of those states protect their med school seats for state residents. The OH schools take more OOS residents and OH does have a state income tax, but it's still not a bad choice for a premed just because there are so many state schools per capita.

Another way to look at it is which states you might want to avoid. I suggest avoiding New England, the mid-Atlantic, or the west coast in favor of moving to the South or Midwest. In spite of what some people on the coasts seem to think, the middle/bottom of the country is not a cultural and intellectual wasteland.

I'll second that aggregate unemployment rate is not terribly useful indicator for your specific career prospective. Especially since there are great variations not only between industries but between different regions of the state.

If you can give some hints on you and your skillsets, there is certainly a diverse enough collection of professionals that can point at specific industry hot spots.

As for states that are helpful for medical application/tuitions, I'll agree that Texas (#1) and Ohio and Florida after that. A lot of the southern states also fall into the category of very Instate friendly, low barrier of entry, and and cheap, cheap cost of living.

what industry is hubs in? that might affect my recco, however, agree with everyone else so far that based on provided info texas is the no brainer.

+4 for Texas. At least 7 or 8 state supported med schools and you can go to CC for super cheap to finish prereqs. Besides that, UT Southwestern has a scholarship it gives to a lot of OOS students that reduces OOS tuition( about $28,000/yr) to the cost of in-state (about $15,000/yr). Even if you lived in Houston, tuition for UT there is about $12,000/yr. TEXAS!!!!!!!!!

TX was the first state that came to my mind. So I guess it's +5 for TX.

I think the most important distinction to make is that while state residency matters for application purposes, it's not very significant as far as job markets, crime, or academic calendars go (with some exceptions to that last one.) There are low-crime areas in high crime states and good job markets in high-unemployment states. These things are organized more by metropolitan areas than state boundaries. And as pkwraith pointed out, the jobless rate may be low in North Dakota, but unless your husband wants or is qualified to work in the energy sector, that might not mean much.
Short answer? Texas. Longer answer? Anywhere you feel comfortable and can find work/school options, so long as it's not California or one of the states without a medical school.

+6 TX
+2 FL
+2 NOT CA

And what about NY? They have tons of med schools, not sure about UE rates, etc...

Originally Posted by LupaCupcake

Hello everyone! Most of you know me, any new people may not. I have been really busy so somewhat absent past 2 months.

I need some advice, I have a huge decision to make that I still cannot make and this website is the only one I know of with people that will understand.

Here is the situation:
In November we (hubby, me, daughter) are leaving the military and moving back to the U.S. We currently live in Germany. I will have a bachelor degree completed at this time, but I have limited availability of face to face science courses at this post so I am not able to complete my chemistry and physics prereqs. The plan is that when we move back to the U.S I will take those classes at some school in the states along with biochemistry since it is recommended. I don't care if it is science classes ala carte or a formal post bacc program, but I don't need to do all of the prereqs so most likely it will be ala carte.

This is where the decision comes into play. It is 100% up to me what state we move to. I originally decided to go to Ohio , but that has now changed due to a couple reasons. The only family we have is my mother, but she just moved to an area that has a very high unemployment rating. She got an excellent job offer, this company is paying her a lot more so that is good for her, but we can't take the risk of moving to an area with high unemployment ratings so we will be moving to a state where we don't know anyone, we will have zero backups. Our savings will be able to support us when we first arrive, but that money will eventually run out so this decision has to be a good one.



I need to decide what state we are moving to. This state needs to meet some criteria which I will list below

• decent unemployment rate (http://www.bls.gov/web/laus/laumstrk.htm) that link has the unemployment rate of states, any state from #1-25 is an option.
• cost of living is not outrageous
• at least 1 medical school in that state (preferably more)
• crime rate is not high (I have a 5 year old daughter to think about)
• the last criteria is more of a preference, but not a requirement...I would prefer to finish my prereqs at a school that operates on a quarter system instead of semester because I can get classes knocked out faster. I do well when I am challenged and things are fast paced so that works good for me.

I am having a really hard time making this decision. My husband is wonderful in that he is leaving it up to me because the idea behind that is my passion to become a doctor is the focus of our future. He is 100% supportive and wants to financially support us on his own with me focusing completely on school and tasks I need to complete for medical school. I appreciate that, but on the other hand if I pick a state and something goes wrong with employment or the neigborhoood or anything...I feel like it will be my fault.


So this decision is about medical school, but it also encompasses the family and I know many of you on this forum have families to take care of so you can understand that balance between becoming a doctor and family life.

If anyone has any suggestions or any type of advice that is related to this I would greatly appreciate it because I need to make this decision ASAP so he can start job searching online, I can find a specific city and start looking at rental apts/houses for us and get anything in line for the schooling.

Thank you in advance for any advice on this because no one else really understands the whole "becoming a doctor" journey and the stress associated with that. I want to make the best decision for my family and for my goal of medical school.

Idaho

North Carolina, though I didn't check the unemployment rate. Lots and lots of medical schools, a better climate than Texas, and they have a battleship. The state medical schools are cheap, and there's a good range of options from easy acceptance (Eastern Carolina) to top 10 (Duke). If I had this last year to live over I would have moved there for my postbac and established residency there.

As a mother and daughter, I'm going to say: move to the city where your mother lives. Okay, high unemployment. But you have children, right? So why in the world would you move away from the only family you have, the only grandparent that child(ren) will know? Unemployment statistics are just probabilities, but family is family.

Originally Posted by dotdash

As a mother and daughter, I'm going to say: move to the city where your mother lives. Okay, high unemployment. But you have children, right? So why in the world would you move away from the only family you have, the only grandparent that child(ren) will know? Unemployment statistics are just probabilities, but family is family.

Originally Posted by Chip N Sawbones

North Carolina, though I didn't check the unemployment rate. Lots and lots of medical schools, a better climate than Texas, and they have a battleship. The state medical schools are cheap, and there's a good range of options from easy acceptance (Eastern Carolina) to top 10 (Duke). If I had this last year to live over I would have moved there for my postbac and established residency there.

I agree. If you look at my name, you can probably guess why I agree with this. lol
Anyway, there's ECU, WF, UNC-CH, Duke, and there has been discussion of developing a medical school in Charlotte (although, I would stay away from Charlotte because of crime rate).
My suggestion would be to move to Wake county, which houses Raleigh, the capitol of the state. It's next to Durham, which has Duke. I would try to stay away from actually living in Durham if you are concerned with crime rate, although the crime really isn't that bad if you live in the nicer areas.
I know it shows NC as having a high unemployment rate, but that is NOT for the areas that have medical schools in them. You will be able to find employment in NC, especially if you move to the any of the areas that the medical schools are in. Cost of living is not bad AT ALL.

Originally Posted by SBB2016

And what about NY? They have tons of med schools, not sure about UE rates, etc...

As a New Yorker, yeah there are lot of medical schools (13 I think counting the 2 DO). But high taxes, high cost of living, especially downstate (New York City), high unemployment upstate. Some of the medical school top tier with high competition Columbia, Weill Cornell), others in less than great neighborhoods (Downstate, Einstein, Sinai,). Lots of people, lots of cars, lots of traffic, parking issues in the City. Upstate is the opposite where you can be in the middle of nowhere. It can be an acquired taste.

The two good plus side for New York, most schools are used to nontrad applicants and it seems they are nonplussed by age. SUNY Upstate had accepted a 63 year old (yes 63 that is not a typo), Einstein has had graduates in their 50s, The student rep on AMA board is a Columbia med student who was in fiance for several years, it has some of the oldest postbaccs.

It also many outstanding residency programs.

But all in all, New York is not for everyone and I wouldn't advise it. Take the Florida or Texas route

Texas is great because of low tuition, lots of med schools and a huge preferance for in-state.

Basically, any state with either a low number of applicants with a state school (eg low population states) or a state with a large number of state medical schools.

Being a Texan non-trad, I have to go with Texas. Cheap tuition, some really good schools (Baylor and UT Southwestern are highly ranked if that's your thing), easy residency requirements, amazing food and culture. Each city has a lot to offer in the way of personality even Lubbock with its dust storms and abandoned city feel.

I am applying to OOS private colleges, but sticking mostly to Texas because who would turn down $12K tuition!? Not me, that's who.