Out of Staters

[Barton]

Hey all. I am just curious. I see that many people are applying to state schools in states where they don't hold residency. Granted, some of these schools (i.e. Michigan, Vermont, etc.) accept a fair number of out of staters, but for the most part, applying to one of theses schools is throwing money down the drain if you don't go there. For example (from the MSAR) East Carolina had 841 out of state apps last year. They never admit anyone from out of state. It's a permanent policy. Yet 841 people spent $30 by having their AMCAS sent there. Do people just not do any research? What is the deal? U of M Duluth has a policy of not accepting anyone from outside MN (except a few Northern WI counties, Manitoba, and URMs), yet they got 576 out of state apps last year. I'm not saying that applying out of state is stupid per se (personal circumstances can have an effect) but the sheer numbers of people doing this is mind boggling. Any insight?

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[moo]

For the most part, I agree. A lot of people do not do any research. One of my friends (a Canadian, like me) is stupid enough to have U of Washington (among other state schools)on his list. Luckily, I told him to remove it because they rarely accept out of state Americans, let alone Canadians. So, yes, there are a lot of people who just don't do ANY research at all. They might look at the avg stats of a school and say that "hmm... since I have a 3.8 and so and so state school has an avg of only 3.5 and MCAT avgs of 8's and 9's and I have MCAT's of 12, 12, 12, I have will get into this state school for sure, even though I'm not a resident." These are the 800 or so out of state people that apply to East Carolina State each year and get rejected.

 

[mpp]

Some of the those out-of-state applicants are URMs or are applying for MD-PhD programs. However, I'm sure a lot of money is wasted by out-of-state applicants applying to these schools.

 

[Hopkins2010]

You have to remember that at some of those schools, 300-600 are MD/PhD applicants.

I dont know of a single school whose MD/PhD program will only take state residents or even one that has a stated preference for state residents.

 

[racergirl]

You got a point Baylor 21, but so does Barton. His Duluth example is particularly apt. Duluth is a teeny-weeny school, has no MD/PhD program, and absolutely does not accept applicants from outside the area. If he's right that they get almost 600 out-of-area apps a year, then these people must be making their application choices with a dart board.

On the other hand, I applied to Mayo, and realistically I don't have a prayer there. I applied because they don't automatically reject on resident status, and with all their financial aid getting accepted would be like winning the lottery. I figured it was worth the 30 buck to dream. You never know, I might just get accepted (then again, monkees might just fly out of my butt--possible, but not likely!).

 

[Barton]

Mayo doesn't actually offer any advantage to in-state residents with regards to admission. It's just as tough to get admitted from MN as it is from any other state. You do, however, automatically get a wicked scholarship if you're from MN, AZ, or FL (the home states of the three major mayo clinics). The whole thing is a crap shoot. I only know one person who got accepted there, and she didn't go. Mayo is a great place, though, so you might as well give it a shot. Good luck!

 

[Jon Davis]

While researching out of state schools, what qualifications or qualities should you look for? (ie. number of seats available)

 

[Cobragirl]

I wouldn't say the number of seat "available", I say number of out-of-staters ADMITTED! U of South Florida takes ZERO out-of-staters, and yet they get 800+ apps each year too. UF, FSU, and Miami (private) DO take out-of-staters, but even then, they are looking for STRONG ties to Florida (you were born here, grew up here, family is here, etc)...but even then, the number of out-of-state seats is so small (5-10) that you'd have to be pretty darn stellar to get in!

Look at it this way...there are MANY people that just "throw a dart". Those are the people that probably won't get in ANYWHERE, let alone out-of-state. If they are so haphazard in choosing their schools, then the rest of there app can't be much better (that's my theory anyway!)