Dumb questions I had to ask

[sunni]

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So I have some questions that will probably result in many 🙄 🙄 🙄 , but my advisor really doesn't like me, & let's just say I don't believe him:

Can you apply to Cali schools if you're not a resident anymore, but were born there, and you still have a house there (my parents anyhow, not me)?

What do you do about recommendation letters if you're school is lacking a pre-med committe?
I'm confused I think it's either get letters for each school, or have letters sent to amcas who then sends them to each school.

that's all for now,
Thanks.

 

[MeganRose]

Originally posted by sunni
So I have some questions that will probably result in many 🙄 🙄 🙄 , but my advisor really doesn't like me, & let's just say I don't believe him:

Can you apply to Cali schools if you're not a resident anymore, but were born there, and you still have a house there (my parents anyhow, not me)?

What do you do about recommendation letters if you're school is lacking a pre-med committe?
I'm confused I think it's either get letters for each school, or have letters sent to amcas who then sends them to each school.

that's all for now,
Thanks.

Yikes Sunni. Sounds like your advisor's ignorance could get you in a lot of trouble with the app process. I'm sure you know that you can apply anywhere that you want to. In terms of applying to Cali, I know those schools are really hard to get into if you're not a resident but just a few thoughts

-Are your parents still Cali residents? Do they claim you as a dependent? If so in all likelihood you are still considered a resident of CA. I can't speak for all states but in NC if you go there for the express purpose of education, that state isn't your state of residency. Your residency is that of your parents

-Even if youre not a Cali resident, your history with the state may confer some level of advantage over non-residents. I was born and raised in Colorado and I know that the medical school had a statement in their applicant info that said something to the affect of people with significant ties to the state would recieve extra consideration. (not equal to the consideration that a true resident received, tho) The dealie with the state schools is that they're trying to put out doctors that will fufill the needs of their residents and they want someone that will stay in state after being educated. Significant ties make this likelihood just a bit higher, I think.

Anywho, this is a really great site to start educating yourself about the whole process. But definitely go to the library check out books, internet search, talk to friends. The process is such a crap shoot that you need everything to be weighed in your favor.

Best of luck,
M
http://www.aas.duke.edu/trinity/prehealth/

 

[DrBodacious]

Sunni,

Even if you qualify for residency in more than one state--and it sounds like you have a good chance of qualifying as a CA resident--you can only claim residency in one state on your AMCAS application. Since CA schools are tough to get into from in state, let alone out-of-state, you might want to choose that as your state of residency. You'll have to ask somebody if you qualify for sure though... I'm not sure who specifically you'd ask. G/L w/ that.

I was in the no-committee boat this year. I made the mistake of not requesting some of my letters untill my fall semester began. Even with almost three months notice a couple of my profs were down to the wire in getting my LORs in. I was an August MCATer so it dind't hold me back too much, but it was still the limiting factor in getting my apps complete. If you are an April MCATer you definately want to request LORs at the end of this semester. Try to get your professors to write them and save them untill they will need to be sent, at which time you just give them the addresses. If you're and August MCATer you should at least request them over the summer, but you may as well request them at the end of this semeseter as well.

Hope that helps.

 

[Wednesday]

If you are a student in another state, but still have a CA drivers lisence, pay taxes there, go back for summers, etc, than you should still be a resident of CA. The thing is that if you ARE a resident of another state it may be in your best interest to NOT try to get your CA residency back. It is probably easier for you to get into the state school where you are currently (unless it's a handful of states that are just as hard as CA) than it will be to get into a UC. The California schools don't really seem to care if you were a resident all your life (at least in my experience) if you aren't one now. You can always apply to UCs as an out of state applicant (but some don't take any so don't spend your money on those--check MSAR). The private schools are also available to you and actually may care that you have ties to the state more than the UCs do.

 

[DrBodacious]

Originally posted by Wednesday
If you are a student in another state, but still have a CA drivers lisence, pay taxes there, go back for summers, etc, than you should still be a resident of CA. The thing is that if you ARE a resident of another state it may be in your best interest to NOT try to get your CA residency back. It is probably easier for you to get into the state school where you are currently (unless it's a handful of states that are just as hard as CA) than it will be to get into a UC. The California schools don't really seem to care if you were a resident all your life (at least in my experience) if you aren't one now. You can always apply to UCs as an out of state applicant (but some don't take any so don't spend your money on those--check MSAR). The private schools are also available to you and actually may care that you have ties to the state more than the UCs do.

True, it is a trade off between having a better shot at UC schools, albeit not as much as an advatage as you would have at your other state. What is your other state by the way, that will make the differance.

 

[LoneCoyote]

There were people at the two UC interviews I have had who had not lived in the state for awhile, were older and working and not dependents, and who were using their parents' address and applying is California residents. I agree with what the other posters have said about California schools. Depending on what the other state it is worth evaluating your record and figuring out if you think you have a good shot at a UC school or not because they are all tough schools to get into. Good luck.