Hey all,
It's been a bit since I posted, but I have a unique situation which I'd like some outside opinions on (especially if you know about Texas residency). Because many of you know better than I do what lies before me in the dental school application process, feedback would be much appreciated!
I started volunteering at the Huntsman Cancer Institute in Utah just to get some research experience. My P.I. liked me enough to hire me on and I have since worked on a couple of different projects. My biggest contribution to the lab so far was some software I developed which started as a bit of a side project. I've now got a paper coming out on it for which I'm first author, and have given a poster presentation at an out-of-state conference and a talk. It's been a great experience for me, and no doubt a great EC for my CV.
My situation is changing though as the post-doc I work with, who is really my mentor, has been hired on at MD Anderson and will be leaving our lab to start his own. He wants to hire me and has offered me a good salary to move to Texas, as well as a 50% share of an LLC he wants to form with me surrounding this software (he has the industry connections and would be funding the project). The pay will be decent (not as much as a dentist) with full benefits, and he is willing to work with me about getting things set up before I have to go to dental school and he has a certain amount of flexibility about my work / school arrangement.
Basically, I will be applying for d-school in June of 2015. I also plan to apply for an HPSP scholarship. I still have to take physics I and II, as well as biochem, and according to my advisor, anatomy... I doubt that I could matriculate into a Texas school by September which is when the post-doc I work with will start his new job. He said he may be willing to work with me about going out the next semester and finishing my classes (physics II and anatomy) in Texas. I would then spend my gap year working for him in addition to interviewing for schools.
If I stay in Utah I will be put on benchwork projects. I don't mind that, but I'm nowhere near wrapping up any of those projects as they're all leftovers from previous PhD students and post-docs; I'm neither qualified nor competent to push them much further. Furthermore, I've been given a project which got a 5th year PhD student fired from our lab because she got discouraged with it and sort of burned out... So I'm a bit nervous about that. Also, I have almost no chance of getting into the University of Utah's dental school because it is so competitive (3.81 GPA last year). I am not sure if I could get residency in Texas in time to apply for the Texas schools if I do go there though... There's no way I can be in Texas for a year before applying to d-school since that would require me to live in Texas YESTERDAY! Since I'm aiming for an HPSP scholarship this may not matter, but I don't like to count my chickens before they've hatched and assume I'll get an HPSP scholarship (I'll have a 3.3 GPA with a strong upward trend and a 3.5-3.6 sGPA). Also, Texas schools admit mostly instate applicants.
My plan was to take the DAT in May of 2015, a month before submitting my app.
The rundown:
Stay in Utah
-Lose my mentor and get put onto a project that may ultimately get me ousted from the lab (it's not a trivial project at all). I do have significant research experience now though, so this may not matter much so long as I get a good LOR.
-Keep state residency for a state school I likely have no chance of being accepted to.
-Not have to worry about uprooting or learning a new school / city.
-Take classes without having to work full-time or stress about starting a company... I will *only* be taking two (difficult) classes each semester, but I worry that it could be impossible if my work becomes too taxing. I can't afford not to get good grades...
-Study for the DAT without the pressures mentioned above!
Go to Texas
-Get involved in what may turn out to be a terrific business opportunity. Then again, it could flop... But I'm taking a risk on a company without having to spend any of my own money and I'm getting paid to do it! How often does that happen??
-Quadruple my current pay, but also nearly double my hours...
-Build a stronger CV than I would in Utah presumably (entrepreneurial experience must count for something I'd assume)
-My late father's entire family lives in Texas, and I don't ever see my family in Utah
-I will not only lose Utah state residency; I may not get Texas state residency either! Considering how OOS unfriendly many Texas schools are, this would be a bit of a shame... Is there another way to establish residency other than having domicile in Texas for 12 consecutive months?
-The most likely scenario, and one I don't at all desire, is that I would delay dental school for yet another year to pursue this project... I'm 29 now, and will be 31 when I start d-school at the current rate. If I delay another year, I'll be 32! A full decade older than my youngest d-school peers!
What I most need to know is:
Is there any way to apply as in-state if you will be a resident by the time of matriculation? Or, assuming that's not possible, is there any way to establish residency besides maintaining domicile for 12 consecutive months?
What is the impact factor on an application for this type of thing? Is it a big deal, or is it just a bit of intrigue for the admissions committee(s)?
Do I really NEED anatomy? My advisor argued that I do because dental schools use that as a measure of a student's likely academic success in their program. If not, then I could just take Physics II at a Texas school and be finished with my coursework, freeing me up to just work and study for DAT.
Are Texas schools as OOS unfriendly as I've read they are? They all seem to accept less than 10% OOS.
It's been a bit since I posted, but I have a unique situation which I'd like some outside opinions on (especially if you know about Texas residency). Because many of you know better than I do what lies before me in the dental school application process, feedback would be much appreciated!
I started volunteering at the Huntsman Cancer Institute in Utah just to get some research experience. My P.I. liked me enough to hire me on and I have since worked on a couple of different projects. My biggest contribution to the lab so far was some software I developed which started as a bit of a side project. I've now got a paper coming out on it for which I'm first author, and have given a poster presentation at an out-of-state conference and a talk. It's been a great experience for me, and no doubt a great EC for my CV.
My situation is changing though as the post-doc I work with, who is really my mentor, has been hired on at MD Anderson and will be leaving our lab to start his own. He wants to hire me and has offered me a good salary to move to Texas, as well as a 50% share of an LLC he wants to form with me surrounding this software (he has the industry connections and would be funding the project). The pay will be decent (not as much as a dentist) with full benefits, and he is willing to work with me about getting things set up before I have to go to dental school and he has a certain amount of flexibility about my work / school arrangement.
Basically, I will be applying for d-school in June of 2015. I also plan to apply for an HPSP scholarship. I still have to take physics I and II, as well as biochem, and according to my advisor, anatomy... I doubt that I could matriculate into a Texas school by September which is when the post-doc I work with will start his new job. He said he may be willing to work with me about going out the next semester and finishing my classes (physics II and anatomy) in Texas. I would then spend my gap year working for him in addition to interviewing for schools.
If I stay in Utah I will be put on benchwork projects. I don't mind that, but I'm nowhere near wrapping up any of those projects as they're all leftovers from previous PhD students and post-docs; I'm neither qualified nor competent to push them much further. Furthermore, I've been given a project which got a 5th year PhD student fired from our lab because she got discouraged with it and sort of burned out... So I'm a bit nervous about that. Also, I have almost no chance of getting into the University of Utah's dental school because it is so competitive (3.81 GPA last year). I am not sure if I could get residency in Texas in time to apply for the Texas schools if I do go there though... There's no way I can be in Texas for a year before applying to d-school since that would require me to live in Texas YESTERDAY! Since I'm aiming for an HPSP scholarship this may not matter, but I don't like to count my chickens before they've hatched and assume I'll get an HPSP scholarship (I'll have a 3.3 GPA with a strong upward trend and a 3.5-3.6 sGPA). Also, Texas schools admit mostly instate applicants.
My plan was to take the DAT in May of 2015, a month before submitting my app.
The rundown:
Stay in Utah
-Lose my mentor and get put onto a project that may ultimately get me ousted from the lab (it's not a trivial project at all). I do have significant research experience now though, so this may not matter much so long as I get a good LOR.
-Keep state residency for a state school I likely have no chance of being accepted to.
-Not have to worry about uprooting or learning a new school / city.
-Take classes without having to work full-time or stress about starting a company... I will *only* be taking two (difficult) classes each semester, but I worry that it could be impossible if my work becomes too taxing. I can't afford not to get good grades...
-Study for the DAT without the pressures mentioned above!
Go to Texas
-Get involved in what may turn out to be a terrific business opportunity. Then again, it could flop... But I'm taking a risk on a company without having to spend any of my own money and I'm getting paid to do it! How often does that happen??
-Quadruple my current pay, but also nearly double my hours...
-Build a stronger CV than I would in Utah presumably (entrepreneurial experience must count for something I'd assume)
-My late father's entire family lives in Texas, and I don't ever see my family in Utah
-I will not only lose Utah state residency; I may not get Texas state residency either! Considering how OOS unfriendly many Texas schools are, this would be a bit of a shame... Is there another way to establish residency other than having domicile in Texas for 12 consecutive months?
-The most likely scenario, and one I don't at all desire, is that I would delay dental school for yet another year to pursue this project... I'm 29 now, and will be 31 when I start d-school at the current rate. If I delay another year, I'll be 32! A full decade older than my youngest d-school peers!
What I most need to know is:
Is there any way to apply as in-state if you will be a resident by the time of matriculation? Or, assuming that's not possible, is there any way to establish residency besides maintaining domicile for 12 consecutive months?
What is the impact factor on an application for this type of thing? Is it a big deal, or is it just a bit of intrigue for the admissions committee(s)?
Do I really NEED anatomy? My advisor argued that I do because dental schools use that as a measure of a student's likely academic success in their program. If not, then I could just take Physics II at a Texas school and be finished with my coursework, freeing me up to just work and study for DAT.
Are Texas schools as OOS unfriendly as I've read they are? They all seem to accept less than 10% OOS.
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