Gap year(s?), establishing residency, application timeline?

[mental1]

My, perhaps naive, plan used to be to move out of state after my BS, establish residency, then apply to med school in state. I would love to go to colorado, but alas with only one med school, the chances seem slim that I'd be accepted. Is it possible to apply to medical school, defer enrollment, and then establish residency? Should I just move, wait a year, try applying in state + 20 other OOS schools? Seems like a gamble, and if i didn't get in IS then that year could be spent elsewhere... thoughts?

To put things into perspective, I'm taking the MCAT in Aug or Sept, graduating in May, and I hope to take at least one gap year in order to continue to build my resume. My main concern with applying OOS is financial. I've wanted to get out of OK since HS, but ended up having to stay IS for undergrad b/c of financial limitations... /:

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[resiroth]

I think for most schools you have to be in the state for a year before applying for reasons other than going to school. So a research job could work for ex. it's a great idea during gap year to change your residency if you're from California or a state you don't want to stay in.

 

[mental1]

I think for most schools you have to be in the state for a year before applying for reasons other than going to school. So a research job could work for ex. it's a great idea during gap year to change your residency if you're from California or a state you don't want to stay in.

So is establishing residency in CA a poor choice? Its another state I've considered, hoping to stay on the west side of the country. CA is the state with the most med schools in the region, but I suppose chances of getting in are fairly slim because of the large IS population?

 

[gyngyn]

Very few CA and CO students end up at their own state school. @gyngyn once said it's something like 16% IS matriculation for CO and 15% for CA (correct me if I'm wrong). Pick a better state if you're just doing this to get into med school, probably one on the east coast.

You are right.
CA: 14.7% (870/5920). CO: 15.7% (117/744).

CA is the largest exporter of pre-meds, 1436 matriculated OOS. I cannot recommend establishing residence in a state where there is only an IS preference in two schools (one of which only has 25 seats for non-UCR grads!)

The western state with the highest IS matriculation is NM with 30.9%, followed by NV with 22%.