Applying as a New Resident

[SomeDayDoctor]

Hey all,

I applied to the U of M last and Iowa State University as a Minnesota resident. I attended Iowa State's (my school of choice) unsuccessful applicant workshop this spring and they basically told me my application was competitive just not in the huge OOS pool I was in. They reccomended I work toward residency in IA to get in the IS pool. Because I am already living in South Dakota and have a job here, I decided to work toward gaining residency in South Dakota and trying to get a one of the 6 contracts between SD and IA. Does anyone know the specific requirements for gaining residency so I will be able to apply as a SD resident. I have lived in SD for 4 years (including summers) but went to school at SDSU during that time. I know I'll need to get a new driver's lisence, register to vote, and register my car in SD. I am not sure if SD requires you to live in SD for a year without going to school or not. Gaining IA residency requires it but they informed me I could apply as a resident even if I was still working toward residency as long as I would have lived there for a year before starting vet school. Does anyone know if this is the same for SD? I emailed the director of the board of regents in SD and he didn't really answer my question. I thought I'd get advice from you guys. Any information would be helpful! Thanks!!

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[laitmanvet]

Usually to gain residency you need a driver's license, a bank account and an address in the state as well as having worked in the state for at least a yr. When I moved to PA I opened a checking with the same bank attached to my previous checking account. I also then changed my driver's license. But you'll have to ask the school exactly what they say...every school/state is a little different.

Just as a side note though...if Iowa is your first choice, you'll have a much better chance at admission as an IS applicant than a contract (with only 6 seats).

 

[CurrySpice]

Gaining residency in a state that doesn't have a vet school sounds like a poor idea to me. Is there some reason you can't relocate to Iowa? (besides the job)

 

[breenie]

Gaining residency in a state that doesn't have a vet school sounds like a poor idea to me. Is there some reason you can't relocate to Iowa? (besides the job)

SD has contract seats with IA, so s/he qualifies as "in state" for a few set aside seats at an established vet school.

 

[CurrySpice]

SD has contract seats with IA, so s/he qualifies as "in state" for a few set aside seats at an established vet school.

I am fully aware of that, but South Dakota does not have its own vet school. It just doesn't make sense to compete for 3 spots when you could be competing for 40 spots in-state.

 

[SomeDayDoctor]

CurrySpice, you're right but there are also a lot more applicants competing for those IS spots. When I did the math, my chances would be about the same statistically. At this point, I would have to be living in Iowa by August and would have to find a job there which seems very unrealistic. When I attended the workshop, they also mentioned that I could gain South Dakota residency like I plan to. I have had many friends from SDSU get into Iowa State and recieve one of these contracts so I believe my best bet is to do the same. My question is whether I have time to gain residency in order to legally claim myself as a South Dakota resident when I apply.

Thanks for your input everyone!