Does length of residence factor into the legitimacy of IS/OOS status?

[amakhosidlo]

I'm wrestling with the problem of what to do with my year off, and one of my job prospects is in a state with a number of schools that are in my range. If I move and establish residency, will adcoms consider the length of my residence, or simply go off the fact that I live in their state at the time of my app?

Has anyone gotten any love from their state school, even though it's only been their state school for >12 months?

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[Live4Life]

I'm wrestling with the problem of what to do with my year off, and one of my job prospects is in a state with a number of schools that are in my range. If I move and establish residency, will adcoms consider the length of my residence, or simply go off the fact that I live in their state at the time of my app?

Has anyone gotten any love from their state school, even though it's only been their state school for >12 months?

Im not sure what you meant by "even though it's only been their state school for >12 months" since most schools consider you instate if you've fulfilled the criteria for >12 months. If you meant <12 months, then you are unlikely to get in state status.

 

[amakhosidlo]

Sorry if I was unclear...

Alright, say an applicant moves to state X with the intention of gaining residency and applying as an instate resident. Applicant lives in the state for the requisite 6, 12, or however long is necessary to establish residency, and applies.

If an adcom member saw their application, would they potentially take interest in the applicant's recent move to the state, and the fact that they possess no actual significant ties to the state? Or would they treat the applicant as 'just another in-state applicant?

 

[mmmcdowe]

I have heard that In state schools don't like it if you went out of state for college. The ideal resident is someone they know will go to residency in that state/work there.

 

[URHere]

Different schools have different criteria for considering someone a resident. For many states, a year of residency will fulfill this requirement (e.g. New York). For others, you need to have some sort of proof that you plan to live in the state long term - this means having a drivers license, voter registration card, tax records, etc from that state (e.g. Maryland). Some schools have additional requirements - in addition to living in the state for a specified amount of time, your reason for moving to the state CAN NOT be just to go to school (e.g. Oregon). Other schools don't really care all that much, as long as you have an in-state address.

What state are you thinking of moving to? I'm sure someone knows the policy for that exact state.

 

[Pedsbro]

Different schools have different criteria for considering someone a resident. For many states, a year of residency will fulfill this requirement (e.g. New York). For others, you need to have some sort of proof that you plan to live in the state long term - this means having a drivers license, voter registration card, tax records, etc from that state (e.g. Maryland). Some schools have additional requirements - in addition to living in the state for a specified amount of time, your reason for moving to the state CAN NOT be just to go to school (e.g. Oregon). Other schools don't really care all that much, as long as you have an in-state address.

What state are you thinking of moving to? I'm sure someone knows the policy for that exact state.

I can tell you about Ohio, as I understand it. I moved out here from Cali a little over a year ago. To become a legal resident of the state of Ohio, you have to reside here for 30 days and have a driver license or be registered to vote...there might be some other criteria, but you only need ONE of those (plus the 30 days of being physically here). If you do that, you become an official Ohio resident and as far as I know you can then put Ohio as your resident state on AMCAS. Now when it comes to residency for TUITION (at least at Univ of Cincinnati, but I think other Ohio state schools are similar), there is a whole other set of strict requirements for that. So you can have a situation where you are a resident of Ohio, apply as an Ohio resident, but NOT get in-state tuition rates when you matriculate for the 1st year.

 

[amakhosidlo]

What state are you thinking of moving to? I'm sure someone knows the policy for that exact state.

Either Florida or Georgia (Not by choice, just where the people I know happen to have connections)

So officially, it sounds like some states make it pretty easy to get residency. But these are human beings reading applications, wouldn't it seem like they'd recognize a recent move/application for residency as suspicious?
Or do they just 'go by the book' when it comes to that stuff?

 

[MILK07]

I moved to the state I live in about 15 months ago, after I graduated from college. I had no ties here, just moved with a couple friends because I have always loved the city.

When I applied, I had lived here for just over 12 months. During interviews, no one seemed suspicious of my move or even brought it up at all. I'm really not sure that it matters.

However, to be considered a resident, I had to have lived here for 12 consecutive months by the time I applied to be considered IS. This included: having a DL, be registered to vote, prove that I had lived here, payed taxes to the state, etc. I had to submit a huge packet of stuff before I was granted residency.

Just check with the schools in the states you are thinking about moving to anonymously to see if there will be any conflicts.

 

[justdoit31]

I am a Georgia resident-

MCG has pages of materials asking about how long you have lived here, tax records, drivers license lengths, etc- it was a pain (also asked about parents residency)- I have yet to interview there so I am not sure much else about them (I have been a resident for over 6 years)

Mercer you must be a resident and you have to go to the court house of your county and have a paper filled out so if you have a Georgia DL and lived there long enough you should be good. Mercer looks for applicants who want to serve more rural locations so if you are inclined to research then it might not be a good option- also they are 100% PBL

Emory- no residency preference and very competive but boy do they have AMAZING facilities!

 

[flip26]

Either Florida or Georgia (Not by choice, just where the people I know happen to have connections)

So officially, it sounds like some states make it pretty easy to get residency. But these are human beings reading applications, wouldn't it seem like they'd recognize a recent move/application for residency as suspicious?
Or do they just 'go by the book' when it comes to that stuff?

Have you spent any time at all on the website of a med school in GA or FLA? There will be plenty of info there to help you figure out what it takes to considered instate for app purposes...some of the posts on this thread that make it sound like a simple or routine deal are very misleading...you need to pass lots of "tests" like: earning wages and paying taxes, not being claimed as a dependent on anyone else's taxes, registering to vote, etc...

 

[amakhosidlo]

I have, and the objective criteria seem fairly straightforward. I was just concerned about a group of individuals' potentially subjective definition of who is or is not a resident.

Thanks MILK, that's really encouraging.

 

[Nemuri]

Make sure to read Florida's resident laws thoroughly, they are a mind**** of requirements.

 

[scarletgirl777]

I have, and the objective criteria seem fairly straightforward. I was just concerned about a group of individuals' potentially subjective definition of who is or is not a resident.

Thanks MILK, that's really encouraging.

Yeah, it seems like a lot of these posts are not addressing the question, which I interpret to be even if you establish residency by all the official channels and yes read the websites and do everything right, is there still a preference for those who have been a resident for a longer time or who are residents and have family in the region/went to school there/etc?

I don't have an answer, but think it's an interesting question.