changing state of residence

[bucknasty]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Hey guys/gals,

I'm finishing a postbacc program this spring. My state of residence is currently a state where I have no desire to apply to the state school(s). I'm therefore considering moving to another state, such as California, to establish resdience during my lag/application year. My thinking is I will potentially have access to a few state schools that I wouldn't otherwise have a shot at. Anyone know anything about this? It seems fairly easy to do if I can move there prior to 366 days before med school begins. I'm looking for tips, info about potential obstacles such as how to deal with this on my application, opinions, or even suggestions for your favorite state!

Thanks!

 

[LT2]

Hey guys/gals,

I'm finishing a postbacc program this spring. My state of residence is currently a state where I have no desire to apply to the state school(s). I'm therefore considering moving to another state, such as California, to establish resdience during my lag/application year. My thinking is I will potentially have access to a few state schools that I wouldn't otherwise have a shot at. Anyone know anything about this? It seems fairly easy to do if I can move there prior to 366 days before med school begins. I'm looking for tips, info about potential obstacles such as how to deal with this on my application, opinions, or even suggestions for your favorite state!

Thanks!

as a californian myself, i think anyone who WANTS to move to california before applying is absolutely crazy. the application process here is extremely selective and very difficult unless you have a very strong application. i don't know how other states feel about this, but best of luck if you decide to move here. as a native californian, i also don't know what the requirements for residency are but i know the UC's will do their own assessment (vs. what you state on AMCAS) as to whether or not they think you're a california resident once you are at the interview stage. keep in mind that california is the #1 state EXPORTER of medical students in the country!! if you think your application can compete with the thousands of other california residents, more power to you! if you have any other questions, feel free to pm me! good luck...

 

[bucknasty]

Allow me to clarify my situation. I'm a resident of Illinois. I have no intention of going to UI. I lived in San Francisco a few years ago and I've done a decent amount of work in L.A. and I would love to put down my roots somewhere in CA. I'm thinking about where I would like to live for the next several years, if not the rest of my life. The main issue here is that being an Illinois resident doesn't really matter much, so why not become a resident of CA, OR ANY OTHER STATE WHERE I'D LIKE TO LIVE, so I can at least be considered at some schools that would otherwise throw out my app, just because I'm not an in-state resident. For example, as an Illinois resident, UCIrvine or UCDavis will not even look at my app. As a Cal resident, I have a very reasonable shot at both schools. Assume my record is pretty strong. In other words, what do I have to lose by doing this?

 

[LT2]

easy tiger, you were asking for opinions so i gave you mine. good luck.

 

[Law2Doc]

Allow me to clarify my situation. I'm a resident of Illinois. I have no intention of going to UI. I lived in San Francisco a few years ago and I've done a decent amount of work in L.A. and I would love to put down my roots somewhere in CA. I'm thinking about where I would like to live for the next several years, if not the rest of my life. The main issue here is that being an Illinois resident doesn't really matter much, so why not become a resident of CA, OR ANY OTHER STATE WHERE I'D LIKE TO LIVE, so I can at least be considered at some schools that would otherwise throw out my app, just because I'm not an in-state resident. For example, as an Illinois resident, UCIrvine or UCDavis will not even look at my app. As a Cal resident, I have a very reasonable shot at both schools. Assume my record is pretty strong. In other words, what do I have to lose by doing this?

As the prior poster indicated, med schools will decide for themselves whether you count as a resident. No idea what the requirement for UC schools is, but some other states require you to meet pretty significant standards. Usual things may include drivers license, tax forms, voter registration, home ownership or name on a lease for X number of years. Some places don't even count you as a resident if you only lived in that state for the purpose of attending a school (though I doubt CA is one of these). And his other point is worth noting. There are states with state schools where the competition is much more reasonable than CA. UC schools are reportedly the hardest state schools to get into. The worst case scenario for you (and what you "have to lose by doing this") would be to become a CA resident, not get into any UC schools, and so have no state school to potentially be your "safety", or cost effective med school. Other states, like FL and TX reportedly provide much better odds. The state you are now in has better odds.
But I suppose what you are saying is that it is more important to you to get into a CA school than to get into any state med school. Not sure that makes sense. Also bear in mind that in 4 years you will likely need to relocate for your residency, so either you could move to CA then, or you might be moving away from CA. Med school is not necessarilly the ideal juncture to "put down roots" as you limit your future choices.

 

[goyankees]

I have a somewhat related question. I'm a resident of DC, which has no state med schools. I'm looking to go do a post-bacc somewhere in a year and a half or so - can I then become a resident of whatever state I move to and use that? Is there somewhere I can look up state residency requirements? I have a large amount of debt from grad school already so I'm really interested in the 'cost effective' route. Does it make sense to pick a post-bacc program based on the state?

 

[sanford_w/o_son]

il is also a somewhat "easy" state (i think the easiest many say is ohio). uic accepts huge numbers of apps every year. although private, rush u and u of chicago (others?) do have some amount of in-state preference, probably due to state funding.

now add to that the insult to californians that usc, stanford, and even ucla accepts a not-insignificant amount of out-of-staters.

basically, it's no secret to applicants which states/cities afford certain lifestyle advantages, and lo and behold, schools in those places (okay, basically nyc and california, thank goodness you coasters hate chicago without having gone there) tend to have more competitive applicants than you would expect based on just how good the school is. you ain't the only one who wants to get a tan or catch "wicked" after class.

if you're taking the april mcat, maybe try to wait for the results before moving to ca. you would need to be prepared to move quick, but there's no way i would move to ca without a great gpa and mcat already in hand. even then, i truly wish you the best of luck and hope that you get into a ca school over the 15 or so other out-of-state schools you will apply to in order to have a reasonable chance of being anywhere.