HELP! am i not a resident in ANY state?

[maitai]

i've been a florida resident all my life, even throughout college in massachusetts and living a year in france. this past november i moved to indiana to be with my boyfriend. i didn't switch my license, registration, title, and voter's registration until the end of april 2002, when my car insurance expired and i had to buy new insurance in IN and was told i had to switch everything. i was told that anyone who lived in IN >1 month had to switch all their documentation. now i might end up at USF, but no longer have FL documentation. will having switched all that stuff 3-4 months before school starts cause me to lose FL residency? my family lives in FL but i'm independent and was working in IN. i wouldn't be eligible for in-state tuition in IN either, because i won't have lived here 12 months. the medical admissions guy is trying to find out some info for me, but i thought i'd check with others who've been through the process. has anyone else been in this situation? what happened? what should i do? am i screwed no matter what? PLEASE HELP!!!

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[squeek]

Hi--

I had the same problem as you. I was an Alaskan resident all my life, and I maintained it through all four years of college. I got married right out of college, though, and stayed in Seattle (where I went to school) for the 9 months prior to starting med school. As I was married and living in Seattle, I had to re-register my car in Seattle and get a new driver's license--making me a Washington state resident.

What happened regarding med school applications? Well, I couldn't apply to Univ Wash as a WA student, as I'd only been a Wash "legal resident" for a few months prior to submitting my apps (even though I'd lived in Seattle for the previous 4 years), and I couldn't apply to UW as an Alaskan resident through WAMI, as I'd just become a legal WA resident. Basically, I was out of luck.

Unfortunately, you might be out of luck, too, depending on Florida state school residency requirements. As it stands, you aren't a resident of "nowhere"--you're a legal resident of Indiana if you have an Indiana driver's license.

What did I do? I'm at a private med school.

Good luck, though! I hope it works out!

 

[paean]

In some states, you can become a resident after one year of med school unlike undergrad, because you are considered independant. I know that in Ohio and California you can, and Oregon you can't. So call the financial aid office at the schools you are considering and ask. Maybe you will hear good news.

 

[maitai]

nevermind! usf said i can still be a FL resident because of my circumstances, and i got in! thanks for your info anyway! it might help someone else out. or at least let them know it's risky to move to another state in the year before med school.

 

[Bikini Princess]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by squeek:
[QB]Hi--

What happened regarding med school applications? Well, I couldn't apply to Univ Wash as a WA student, as I'd only been a Wash "legal resident" for a few months prior to submitting my apps (even though I'd lived in Seattle for the previous 4 years), and I couldn't apply to UW as an Alaskan resident through WAMI, as I'd just become a legal WA resident. Basically, I was out of luck.

QB]••••That is lolo!! if anything you should have qualified for BOTH residency programs, how frustrating.

 

[stoleyerscrubz]

Does anyone know what the rules are for Illinois? I grew up there but now have residency in NY. I may go back home to Illinois for med school. Thanks!

In some states, you can become a resident after one year of med school unlike undergrad, because you are considered independant. I know that in Ohio and California you can, and Oregon you can't. So call the financial aid office at the schools you are considering and ask. Maybe you will hear good news.

 

[edmadison]

I would like to clear something up, unfortunately, it may not actually help anyone. Once you move to a new state with the intention to reside there indefinately, that state imediately becomes your domicile (residence). You must then change your car license, registration and auto insurance. Almost no one (myself included does this right away). If you don't do this, you can be cited with driving without a license or operating an unregistered motor vehicle. We used to do this in the County Attorneys office where I worked. Certain benefits, particularly instate tuition, don't accrue until you've lived there for a certain period. I think the greatest is Massachusetts at 5 years.

The important thing here is what the OP determined. Although the rules of domicile is fixed by state law, your school determines your eligibility for instate tution/application. Thus, if you have an interesting story then ask them -- they may help you out.

Ed

 

[Vincristine]

Does anyone know what the rules are for Illinois? I grew up there but now have residency in NY. I may go back home to Illinois for med school. Thanks!

For the University of Illinois, you are considered a resident if your parents still live here (irregardless of how old you are, I think). It didn't matter that I had a Massachusettse liscense or had been paying Massachuettes state income tax (and not Illinois) for the previous 4 years. There might be some other way by which you can get Illinois residency, but if your parents still live here, you're done. Feel free to extrapolate this to other Illinois schools.

 

[stoleyerscrubz]

perfect. Thanks!

For the University of Illinois, you are considered a resident if your parents still live here (irregardless of how old you are, I think). It didn't matter that I had a Massachusettse liscense or had been paying Massachuettes state income tax (and not Illinois) for the previous 4 years. There might be some other way by which you can get Illinois residency, but if your parents still live here, you're done. Feel free to extrapolate this to other Illinois schools.