Does geographical residence matter?

[jumpbean2]

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I've noticed a lot of people here specify that they are from a state with a lot of applicants (texas, california), but does geographical residence matter for private schools? My undergraduate university is in California, so it makes me worried! What is the disadvantage/advantage, if any, in being from a high applicant state?

 

[Meihua]

Specifying CA/TX residency is because those states have lots of medical schools that heavily favor in-state applicants. Generally speaking, the location of your undergraduate institution does not matter. Some private schools take residency into account (e.g. Baylor is private but is partially state-funded, so they accept 70% TX residents), but most do not.

 

[gyngyn]

I've noticed a lot of people here specify that they are from a state with a lot of applicants (texas, california), but does geographical residence matter for private schools? My undergraduate university is in California, so it makes me worried! What is the disadvantage/advantage, if any, in being from a high applicant state?

The real problem in CA is not just the large number of IS applicants (5,326), but the relatively small number of first year positions that go to them (841). Almost twice the number of Californians must leave the state (1,427) in order to go to Medical school. Texas, in contrast, actually has far fewer applicants IS (3,733) for a larger number of positions (1,368).

 

[Goro]

And on top of that, they're highly qualified applicants to boot!

The real problem in CA is not just the large number of IS applicants (5,326), but the relatively small number of first year positions that go to them (841). Almost twice the number of Californians must leave the state (1,427) in order to go to Medical school.

 

[darkjedi]

Your state of residence will not really matter for private medical schools. At the very most, being located near a certain school may indicate to the school you are more likely to go there, but as long as you are forthcoming with your interests in schools even if you don't live near them, that should not be as much of an issue.

People tend to apply to/go to medical schools that are near their home state. Things like family/relationships/friends tend to keep people rooted in the same geographical region. This is reflected in competitiveness and admissions as there tends to be lots of local applications. However, for someone who is willing to move across the country, this should not be an issue.

 

[Darth]

Everyone always mentions that CA and TX are good states to live in to go to med school. Why don't we ever hear about how nice it is to be from Jersey!? (RWJ, NJMS, Cooper, UMDNJ-SOM)

 

[daemon14]

California is certainly NOT a good state to live in if you are applying to medical schools. The amount of competition for a small number of in-state seats is pretty high.

 

[gyngyn]

California is certainly NOT a good state to live in if you are applying to medical schools. The amount of competition for a small number of in-state seats is pretty high.

Correct.

 

[gyngyn]

Everyone always mentions that CA and TX are good states to live in to go to med school. Why don't we ever hear about how nice it is to be from Jersey!? (RWJ, NJMS, Cooper, UMDNJ-SOM)

NJ has 1676 IS applicants and 331 IS matriculants (yield 19.7%). The yield for OOS applicants is actually higher: 25.4%.

 

[McNCheese]

I've noticed a lot of people here specify that they are from a state with a lot of applicants (texas, california), but does geographical residence matter for private schools? My undergraduate university is in California, so it makes me worried! What is the disadvantage/advantage, if any, in being from a high applicant state?

Your undergraduate university does not necessarily determine your residency. You will most likely be considered a resident of the state that your parents live in, but it varies by school.