Gap year in another state?

[deleted941290]

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Hi all,

I'm from Florida, and I am currently going to a school near where I live. However, I'd to go to a medical school on the west coast (like in CA). Would it be advantageous to take a gap year scribing in California to increase my chances of getting into a medical school in California? Would this hurt my chances at my state school?

Thanks

 

[Phile98]

I don't think your state of residency would change. You will still be a Florida resident. This will give you no added advantage for Cali schools.
Read further:
"California is one of the tougher states in which to gain residency. You would not be considered a California resident until after you had worked (not attended school) one year in California. You would have to get a California driver’s license and register to vote at the very beginning of that first year, too. Thus, you could not call yourself a California resident while applying even if you were living and working in the state. Your odds of acceptance at a state medical school would improve if you had a job of two year’s duration: you would be a California resident while applying during the second year of that job.While the California schools are an attractive option because of the price, there are more Californians applying to medical school than residents of any other state. The competition would be very tough even if you became a “real” resident. This is a long way of saying that it might be wiser to retain your residency in Pennsylvania, which you could still do even if you were working a year or two in California unless, of course, love or money intervenes (as they often do)."
From Princeton: Questions About State Residency | Health Professions Advising

 

[deleted941290]

Lol no. Being a CA resident is hard for those who already have it. CA is the largest net exporter of med students. I haven’t checked into CA residency requirements but before changing residency, you always want to look before leaping. That being said, for most states, it is not as hard to switch residency. It’s all about timing.

As for affecting chances at your state school, well you can only claim one state as residency. So if you are referring to FL schools, yes it will affect your chances as you will no longer be claiming residency in that state. If you are claiming CA schools, it will sort of affect your chances. CA has so many premeds that unless you are already a really outstanding candidate, having residency won’t be a big help in your application. You’ll still be competing against ridiculous masses.

Personal take, keep the FL residency. West coast schools can be nice, but your best chances are in FL. It’s considered one of the luckier states.

Also GL being able to afford living in CA anywhere that scribing is a viable option. You will be making minimum wage ($11/hr in CA I think), which is not realistically a living wage unless you live with many roommates.

I'm not trying to gain residency per se, but I was thinking that scribing at a hospital in California would expose me to the population/demographic in CA, thus giving me better insight into healthcare in CA.

I know that CA is very competitive so I was wondering if this would give me any sort of "advantage" being OOS (even if it is small)

Also I would have housing figured out as I have family in CA!