Declaring state of residence on AMCAS

[highspeed983]

Hello!

I think my situation is a little different with regards to my state of residence and how it'll affect my application.

Currently, I have a Pennsylvania driver's license and my car is registered in PA. However, I was born in NY and graduated high school in NY. I was split between these two states for my whole life as my dad lives in one state and my mom in the other.

How do I declare residency for AMCAS? Since NY has several in-state med schools and Penn State accepts a lot of OOS, it seems to make more sense in being an NYS resident. Alternatively, do I really need to change my driver's license to NY? With my strong ties to NY, will the state schools look at me as an in-state resident in terms of admissions?

Thanks for the help!

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[wysdoc]

Which state do you actually reside in when you are not in college?
Attending college in PA hasn't made you a PA resident, unless you also live with the parent who resides in PA.
Sometimes parents/families do move after your HS days so your state of residence may have changed if you moved along.

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

Both are bad states for medical school application purposes but NY is less bad imo

 

[LizzyM]

Are you a dependent? Which parent claims you on their taxes? Are you registered to vote? In which state?
Are you financially independent? If yes, where do you earn your income and do you file NYS taxes?

 

[highspeed983]

Which state do you actually reside in when you are not in college?
Attending college in PA hasn't made you a PA resident, unless you also live with the parent who resides in PA.
Sometimes parents/families do move after your HS days so your state of residence may have changed if you moved along.

I have an apartment in MA, where I work and go to college. I do not go to college in PA. My dad lives in PA and he will file me as a dependent in 2021 but not in 2022. I went to HS in NY where my mom lives

 

[highspeed983]

Are you a dependent? Which parent claims you on their taxes? Are you registered to vote? In which state?
Are you financially independent? If yes, where do you earn your income and do you file NYS taxes?

I am a dependent for 2021 under my father who lives in PA. I will no longer be a dependent for 2022. I am not registered to vote. I am not financially independent according to taxes but I do file in MA where I go to school and work. I file as an out-of-state resident and in-state PA resident. For 2022 I will be graduating but I will continue working in MA for my gap year and will probably still file the same, just no longer a dependent on my dad's taxes.

 

[wysdoc]

I checked the AMCAS application guide and it's not as simple as I thought. I added the page for you. It might require some researching on your part to see where your state of residence should be.

 

[KnightDoc]

I am a dependent for 2021 under my father who lives in PA. I will no longer be a dependent for 2022. I am not registered to vote. I am not financially independent according to taxes but I do file in MA where I go to school and work. I file as an out-of-state resident and in-state PA resident. For 2022 I will be graduating but I will continue working in MA for my gap year and will probably still file the same, just no longer a dependent on my dad's taxes.

You will be a MA resident in 2022 if you live, work and pay taxes there, and your dad, who lives in PA, does not claim you as a dependent. Legally, you are probably required under MA law to change your driver's license and car registration, since you are not in MA temporarily for school, and the car and you are physically located in MA, so that is where you should be licensed, registered and insured, but that is between you and MA, and has nothing to do with AMCAS.

Where you lived 4 years ago, and where your mom continues to live (NY), has nothing to do with anything now. You can probably claim strong ties to NY because of HS and your mom, but you are not a NY resident under any definition of residency, based on you not physically being there and the fact that the parent who is there does not claim you as a dependent. Using her address to try to game some admissions advantage might work, until it doesn't, because you won't be able to prove it since it isn't true and you don't have anything to prove it, like a paystub, tax return, voter or car registration, etc.

My advice is to just be honest, apply as a MA resident and put together a strong application. MA residents happen to perform above the national average. You will be fine without needing to game out an advantage. UMass happens to be an excellent school where you will have a huge advantage as an IS applicant.

 

[highspeed983]

I checked the AMCAS application guide and it's not as simple as I thought. I added the page for you. It might require some researching on your part to see where your state of residence should be.
View attachment 351968

Ok, thank you for the information... How much do schools take "strong ties" into consideration? In other words, am I throwing my money away by applying to SUNY schools?

 

[KnightDoc]

Ok, thank you for the information... How much do schools take "strong ties" into consideration? In other words, am I throwing my money away by applying to SUNY schools?

Not at all. Stony Brook is 1/3 OOS. SUNY Upstate is 10%, but that's probably because their OOS yield is so low. 10% of their OOS applicants receive interviews, as compared to 25% IS. Not a crazy disparity for any state school. the SUNY downstate numbers are similar. No guarantees, but it's far from impossible to receive an II as an OOs applicant at a SUNY. After that, it's up to you to close the deal.

 

[JAK2-STAT3]

My advice is to just be honest, apply as a MA resident and put together a strong application. MA residents happen to perform above the national average. You will be fine without needing to game out an advantage. UMass happens to be an excellent school where you will have a huge advantage as an IS applicant.

How long has the OP lived in MA? Unless I’m mistaken, Umass won’t consider you IS unless you’ve lived in MA for 7 consecutive years.

 

[KnightDoc]

How long has the OP lived in MA? Unless I’m mistaken, Umass won’t consider you IS unless you’ve lived in MA for 7 consecutive years.

You are correct. In that case, they are not eligible for IS tuition anywhere, because if they live and work in MA, and no one claims them as a tax dependent, then they are a MA resident, regardless of the state statute regarding IS tuition.

This should not, however, impact their eligibility to be considered IS for whatever admission preference goes to state residents, since they are indeed a legal resident of MA, and are not a resident anywhere else. That statute seems to apply only to tuition. It does not address needing to be a resident for 7 consecutive years in order to be a resident for admission purposes.

 

[highspeed983]

If that's true, then they are a person without a state, because if they live and work in MA, and no one claims them as a tax dependent, then they are a MA resident, regardless of UMass' rules for IS tuition.

Massachusetts Residency Classification

Massachusetts Residency Classification

www.umassmed.edu

They are right. I am not sure how I would go about this now

 

[JAK2-STAT3]

They are right. I am not sure how I would go about this now

I lived in MA briefly after college, and learning about this, to put it politely, quirk of Umass was pivotal in my decision to leave. If it's helpful, here's a thread I started a couple of years ago about this issue: Don't meet residency requirements of any state school. Today I am a happy resident of a state that only requires you to reside there for 12 months prior to matriculation.

 

[KnightDoc]

Massachusetts Residency Classification

Massachusetts Residency Classification

www.umassmed.edu

They are right. I am not sure how I would go about this now

It is what it is. Are you going to give up your job and move over it? It's a pretty big decision to make on speculation over where you might get in, and whether there will be an IS tuition differential that you might be able to capture.

My advice is to plan your life around what makes sense for you, without regard to positioning yourself to have a better shot to get into any specific school.

Yes, not being eligible for IS tuition ANYWHERE will totally suck, but just keep in mind that the vast majority of med school matriculants are not receiving an IS tuition preference at an IS public school. Most schools are private and don't have tuition preferences for IS students. In addition, many people end up as OOS students at public schools. As one example, Temple only has a $3K discount for PA residents. The Penn State medical school is actually private, and has no IS tuition preference at all. They are outliers, but, as you can see, being a PA resident, for example, is about as bad as not being in MA in 7 consecutive years.

If you can get an equal or better gap year job in NY, PA, or anywhere else you'd like to be, and the hassle of picking up and moving now, and again in a year when it's time to start school, is not that big a deal, then you should go for it. Otherwise, stay where you are and don't worry about it. There are over 150 med schools. The odds of you actually going to any specific one are pretty low in the scheme of things, so planning the next year of your life solely around maybe capturing an IS tuition preference at one or two doesn't make a lot of sense.

 

[JAK2-STAT3]

It is what it is. Are you going to give up your job and move over it? It's a pretty big decision to make on speculation over where you might get in, and whether there will be an IS tuition differential that you might be able to capture.

True. In my case, I had no particular ties to MA, so it wasn't hard to leave. That said, I sleep better at night knowing that I will be IS for multiple public schools, any of which I would be thrilled to attend. And because I'm salty and hold grudges I won't be applying to Umass. MA got enough of my rent and tax money already.

 

[highspeed983]

If you can get an equal or better gap year job in NY, PA, or anywhere else you'd like to be, and the hassle of picking up and moving now, and again in a year, is not that big a deal, then you should go for it.

Unfortunately, I signed a lease in MA until June 2023, have research and work lined up. I think losing these opportunities would hurt my application more than being OOS.

Yes, not being eligible for IS tuition ANYWHERE will totally suck, but just keep in mind that the vast majority of med school matriculants are not receiving an IS tuition preference at an IS public school.

Really it won't make any difference if I change my PA residency to MA. Penn State has very little preference and tuition is the same I think. If I change it to MA, I won't get IS tuition for MA.

I know UMass favors IS for admissions and I am wondering if I would classify as IS for admissions but not tuition purposes. Maybe Ill regret this when I have to pay, but I really just care about getting in somewhere rather than cost

 

[KnightDoc]

True. In my case, I had no particular ties to MA, so it wasn't hard to leave. That said, I sleep better at night knowing that I will be IS for multiple public schools, any of which I would be thrilled to attend. And because I'm salty and hold grudges I won't be applying to Umass. MA got enough of my rent and tax money already.

For the record, I'd have done EXACTLY what you did! But I wouldn't do it for just one year, and not to try to score IS tuition at a SUNY. I'd get the hell out of MA on principle too, but that's not for me to say if OP likes it, as they apparently do. I honestly don't think I'd disrupt gap year plans over this, since the odds of actually ending up at one of the SUNYs are pretty low before a cycle even begins.

 

[KnightDoc]

Unfortunately, I signed a lease in MA until June 2023, have research and work lined up. I think losing these opportunities would hurt my application more than being OOS.

Really it won't make any difference if I change my PA residency to MA. Penn State has very little preference and tuition is the same I think. If I change it to MA, I won't get IS tuition for MA.

I know UMass favors IS for admissions and I am wondering if I would classify as IS for admissions but not tuition purposes. Maybe Ill regret this when I have to pay, but I really just care about getting in somewhere rather than cost

Yes, this is exactly what I was trying to say above. You ARE a resident. You just won't be eligible for the tuition benefit due to the specific requirements of the statute. Beyond that, you just don't know how a cycle is going to go, where you will get in, or who will give you merit aid, even if you are not eligible for need based aid. It's way to early to plan a gap year around any specific school. Good luck!!

 

[wysdoc]

Massachusetts Residency Classification

Massachusetts Residency Classification

www.umassmed.edu

They are right. I am not sure how I would go about this now

You can message AMCAS and ask their advice as you begin your application.