OOS Schools as TX Resident

[almond7]

Hi y'all,

I have been reading quite a bit over the past year during my career change post-bacc and have learned a lot from the posts. Many details of the path I am on now have been informed by advice from admissions committee members, med students, residents, & attendings here, and I am very grateful.

I am a TX resident applying in 2026 and am now quite aware of the difficulty of gaining acceptance out-of-state. I do plan to apply in-state and understand the amazing benefit of lower tuition & strong in-state bias, but I am hoping for some advice on how to improve my chances OOS.

Specifically, my spouse's immediate family is in Ohio, and being near them during med school would be a *huge* blessing and help since we have a young family of our own. I believe this would count as strong in-state ties for Ohio schools for an average OOS applicant, though probably less so coming from TX.

I attended the Virtual AAMC Fair this spring and downloaded a few packets, but didn't join the Q&A sessions since I didn't have a clear idea of what to ask that couldn't be found on MSAR. I have also attended one Zoom presentation from an OH school, which was helpful in seeing what they value.

Any advice on how to further build my case for attending/receiving scholarship from schools in OH (or possibly in neighboring states)?

I understand that being a competitive applicant in general will help some, and I am working on that now. If it would be helpful, I could share some of my current activities/metrics/goals, but as I haven't taken the MCAT yet, that may be jumping ahead.

Thanks in advance.


Edit: I believe I posted this in the wrong forum. Would someone be able to move this to the correct one for me?

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[wysdoc]

Hi y'all,

I have been reading quite a bit over the past year during my career change post-bacc and have learned a lot from the posts. Many details of the path I am on now have been informed by advice from admissions committee members, med students, residents, & attendings here, and I am very grateful.

I am a TX resident applying in 2026 and am now quite aware of the difficulty of gaining acceptance out-of-state. I do plan to apply in-state and understand the amazing benefit of lower tuition & strong in-state bias, but I am hoping for some advice on how to improve my chances OOS.

Specifically, my spouse's immediate family is in a state in the Midwest, and being near them during med school would be a *huge* blessing and help since we have a young family of our own. I believe this would count as strong in-state ties for that state's schools for an average OOS applicant, though probably less so coming from TX.

I attended the Virtual AAMC Fair this spring and downloaded a few packets, but didn't join the Q&A sessions since I didn't have a clear idea of what to ask that couldn't be found on MSAR. I have also attended one Zoom presentation from a school in that state, which was helpful in seeing what they value.

Any advice on how to further build my case for attending/receiving scholarship from schools in that state or possibly in neighboring states?

I understand that being a competitive applicant in general will help some, and I am working on that now. If it would be helpful, I could share some of my current activities/metrics/goals, but as I haven't taken the MCAT yet, that may be jumping ahead.

Thanks in advance.


Edit: I believe I posted this in the wrong forum. Would someone be able to move this to the correct one for me?

Welcome to SDN
Since we’re incognito here it will help to say which Midwest state you are interested in

 

[almond7]

Welcome to SDN
Since we’re incognito here it will help to say which Midwest state you are interested in

Ohio! Sorry about that, post is now updated.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Ohio public schools strongly favor in-state applicants, so you probably should consider the bigger programs like Ohio State and Cincinnati. CWRU is private and is your other option. Toledo is on the board if you are from Michigan. I'd reach out to schools closest to where your spouse's family is located and field suggestions.

 

[Doodledog]

Hi y'all,

I have been reading quite a bit over the past year during my career change post-bacc and have learned a lot from the posts. Many details of the path I am on now have been informed by advice from admissions committee members, med students, residents, & attendings here, and I am very grateful.

I am a TX resident applying in 2026 and am now quite aware of the difficulty of gaining acceptance out-of-state. I do plan to apply in-state and understand the amazing benefit of lower tuition & strong in-state bias, but I am hoping for some advice on how to improve my chances OOS.

Specifically, my spouse's immediate family is in Ohio, and being near them during med school would be a *huge* blessing and help since we have a young family of our own. I believe this would count as strong in-state ties for Ohio schools for an average OOS applicant, though probably less so coming from TX.

I attended the Virtual AAMC Fair this spring and downloaded a few packets, but didn't join the Q&A sessions since I didn't have a clear idea of what to ask that couldn't be found on MSAR. I have also attended one Zoom presentation from an OH school, which was helpful in seeing what they value.

Any advice on how to further build my case for attending/receiving scholarship from schools in OH (or possibly in neighboring states)?

I understand that being a competitive applicant in general will help some, and I am working on that now. If it would be helpful, I could share some of my current activities/metrics/goals, but as I haven't taken the MCAT yet, that may be jumping ahead.

Thanks in advance.


Edit: I believe I posted this in the wrong forum. Would someone be able to move this to the correct one for me?

Hi. I suggest slipping the words "Muck Fishigan" into your application somewhere and mentioning your hero, Archie Griffin (could go with Woody, but that might be over the top...). From my experience at this, I think the CURRENT bias against strong applicants from Texas being accepted out of state, including Ohio, is overstated on SDN and elsewhere. In any case, make your case clearly throughout. If the schools will accept them, send a letter to them explaining the situation, if not do so along the way at interviews, etc. Good luck. Agree that Cincinnati, tOSU are likely best chances along with CWRU main program and CC. Now time for me to cuddle up with my master to bide the time until football season begins.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

There is also that UTexas v. OSU football game. Kickoff is at noon. Pick the right team. 😀

From the admissions table, maybe the bias is overstated against Texas OOS applicants. Check the MSAR. Maybe more adcoms are starting to admit Texas exiles who are disenchanted with how things are evolving with healthcare there. I'm just not sure that such an exodus is happening. Texas didn't turn bright red Republican last year. Besides, you don't disregard cheap tuition; until they gut TxHES and university funding (further), I just don't see it.

 

[almond7]

Ohio public schools strongly favor in-state applicants, so you probably should consider the bigger programs like Ohio State and Cincinnati. CWRU is private and is your other option. Toledo is on the board if you are from Michigan. I'd reach out to schools closest to where your spouse's family is located and field suggestions.

Thank you! I was thinking that Cincinnati & Ohio State would probably be my best bet as well based on %OOS.

However, I do not have any research experience and am currently not planning to before applications due to my full time scribing, part time class, volunteering, church & family obligations, etc. I know that non trads (especially career change) generally get off easier on the research front, but OSU's "99% research involvement for matriculants" is a bit daunting. I am strongly interested in primary care and am planning to apply to their 3 yr primary care track, so hopefully that would work in my favor. However, I'm thinking that CWRU may be off the table without research experience.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Thank you! I was thinking that Cincinnati & Ohio State would probably be my best bet as well based on %OOS.

However, I do not have any research experience and am currently not planning to before applications due to my full time scribing, part time class, volunteering, church & family obligations, etc. I know that non trads (especially career change) generally get off easier on the research front, but OSU's "99% research involvement for matriculants" is a bit daunting. I am strongly interested in primary care and am planning to apply to their 3 yr primary care track, so hopefully that would work in my favor. However, I'm thinking that CWRU may be off the table without research experience.

I would ask their admissions team if research is a requirement for attending Ohio State or Case. I'm sure they would tell you no, so I would be interested how they address your concern. I also think Case has a Primary Care track, though it's not a 3-year as far as I remember.

Three-Year Medical School? All About Accelerated Medical School Programs - SDN

The Student Doctor Network provides free tools, resources, and advising services to help students become health professionals.

www.studentdoctor.net

 

[almond7]

Hi. I suggest slipping the words "Muck Fishigan" into your application somewhere and mentioning your hero, Archie Griffin (could go with Woody, but that might be over the top...). From my experience at this, I think the CURRENT bias against strong applicants from Texas being accepted out of state, including Ohio, is overstated on SDN and elsewhere. In any case, make your case clearly throughout. If the schools will accept them, send a letter to them explaining the situation, if not do so along the way at interviews, etc. Good luck. Agree that Cincinnati, tOSU are likely best chances along with CWRU main program and CC. Now time for me to cuddle up with my master to bide the time until football season begins.

Haha, thanks Doodledog. It helps to hear that it's alright to be up front with my situation, as I've heard elsewhere that bringing up family can cause committee members some hesitations about an applicant's candidacy for making it through to the end of their studies.

I look forward to delivering a positive update sometime next year!

 

[almond7]

I would ask their admissions team if research is a requirement for attending Ohio State or Case. I'm sure they would tell you no, so I would be interested how they address your concern. I also think Case has a Primary Care track, though it's not a 3-year as far as I remember.

Three-Year Medical School? All About Accelerated Medical School Programs - SDN

The Student Doctor Network provides free tools, resources, and advising services to help students become health professionals.

www.studentdoctor.net

I appreciate the suggestion, and I will definitely follow through with that.

I hadn't examined Case's website before due to my prior assumptions— I was not aware of the standard track. It looks like their class profile has high metrics for research participation, but they are clear that it is not a requirement for the University program. It seems that they are wanting to at least see students' willingness to participate in research after matriculation. I can definitely get on board with that, especially if there are primary care adjacent projects going on.