"good" applicants who got rejected the first time...

[beastmaster]

So much for just being yourself...... Seriously, though, I hope you get in.

They can't handle someone "being themselves." 99% of applicants come in with a fake facade -- helping people this, volunteering in a free clinic that. They get deluded into believing that this is true. I told them straight up why I wanted to go into medicine (not arrogantly, just honestly), and they couldn't handle the reality. At least I left with my dignity. I'm happy where I am now, and my goals remain the same.

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[Lindyhopper]

Move to Oklahoma. Enjoy our very low cost of living for a year, then apply as an instate applicant to our not very competitive for an allopathic medical school, or our excellent but even less competitive osteopathic school.

Does anyone know if this works? Are suspiciously transplanted new residents given the same in-state deference as long time residents? Besides Oklahoma, it seems Ohio or Florida might be good states for a aspiring applicant to move to.

 

[NontradICUdoc]

It depends on the state. I asked this question to a representative of WVSOM. Her reply was that it is quite obvious that you are moving to the state in order to go to the school.

However, UMDNJ-SOM just requires a NJ lease agreement and you are christened a NJ resident.

Talk to the school. There is no substitute for the horse's mouth.

 

[jebus]

Does anyone know if this works? Are suspiciously transplanted new residents given the same in-state deference as long time residents? Besides Oklahoma, it seems Ohio or Florida might be good states for a aspiring applicant to move to.

I've wondered that, too. I know in NM the med school (whose matriculants have some of the lowest academic credentials in the country) spots this stuff a mile away. And even if you have a(n ostensibly) legitimate reason or comply with the requirements they may give you a hard time
Depsite being born in Albuquerque and living here until age 18, I was told informally by a former adcom member and a current MD/PhD adcom member that my going out of the state for my undergraduate education (while maintaining NM residency - driver's license, voter reg, bank account, paying NM income tax and property tax) would hurt a potential application - even after I moved back and lived here for 2 years.
I agree with EMT2ER-DOC, get it from the horse's mouth. I certainly regret moving back here when I could have moved somewhere like IL or NY and established residency. I could have done just that if I had just asked the right people ahead of time.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

Does anyone know if this works? Are suspiciously transplanted new residents given the same in-state deference as long time residents? Besides Oklahoma, it seems Ohio or Florida might be good states for a aspiring applicant to move to.

In Oklahoma, you have to live and work there for a year without going to school before becoming a resident. I doubt they're that suspicious provided that you actually fulfill the residency requirement. The thing is that the schools are legislatively required to have something like 95% of their class be Oklahoma residents. If you're a particularly strong applicant, the admins aren't going to question their luck because the instate mandate has to make recruiting a little more difficult. Other states might be more suspicious, but it probably works out if you state a good reason for being there aside from just applying to schools.

So, yeah, living in a state that Oklahoma or Arkansas, etc. does make life easier, but I guess the process is still subjective. Even Oklahomans with pretty strong credentials might not get in, so I'm starting to think it's not worth it to relocate. Anyway, I'm rambling.

 

[NonTradMed]

My opinion of the process is that it's mostly a crapshoot unless you have instate schools that are 'nice' to you---and by that I mean it's not California or any state where there's few spots available for their instate apps. Even for people with 'nice' instate schools, the process can be daunting. All you need is one misstep...as others have noted, one mistake in undergrad can mean spending twice as long to rectify it. And even when you have all your ducks lined in a row, you still need to spread around your apps, strategically apply to schools high and low, far and wide and THEN interview well and you may get in.

I won't go so far as to say the entire process is a crapshoot because some people come from states with instate schools that are pretty protective of their instate applicants but it's not just a matter of getting a 3.5 and 30 that guarantees admissions to many people.