Please help a fellow Californian {almost}!!

[CaMD]

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So here's the deal:

Last May (2003) I moved to California and have been working here since. I plan on paying CA taxes this spring. From May-Aug I was subletting from a friend and at the end of Aug I signed my own lease and since then have PG&E bills etc in my name. I finally got a driver's license in October. (So the super CA resident stuff didn't start til the fall, but I do have lots of receipts, and a summer sublet "lease" dating me from last May.)

My question is, when I apply this coming June, can I apply as a CA resident? When does the clock towards my being a CA resident start ticking? When I began working in CA or when I officially registered to vote, etc?

If I put down on AMCAS that I am a CA resident, will they ask for verification then, or will I not need to prove myself until I matriculate in the fall of 2005?

Someone told me they are sticklers for giving resident to current students, but as a fulltime employee I shouldn't have a hard time getting residence. Does anyone have experience with this?

Thank you in advance for any advice or stories!!!!

 

[kiernin]

I'm not sure how long you need to live in CA prior to attending school to qualify as a resident, but you can claim CA residency when you submit your AMCAS app and you will not need to provide verification.

Just as a cautionary note, are you sure you want to be a CA resident for application purposes? CA has some wonderful state med schools, but it's harder to gain acceptance to your state schools as a CA resident than it is from nearly every other state. There are simply way too many CA residents applying to medical schools. I, for one, really regretted that I had no other option besides being a CA resident. I think I would have had an easier time in any of the other 3 states I have lived in earlier in my life. I'm not the biggest superstar applicant, but I thought I was decent, with a 32 MCAT and a 3.7 GPA, interesting life experiences and 10 years of exposure to the medical field. But I got rejected pre-secondary from UCSF, UCLA, and UCSD. Davis gave me a secondary but no interview. Did not apply to Irvine. Throughout my 9 interviews, I met many many people with similar stories: CA residents, no love from any of the UC's. If you end up getting into a UC, more power to you, but just beware that the numbers are not in your favor if you're applying as a CA resident.

 

[exmike]

since you will have been domicile and working in CA for a year when you apply, you should qualify for CA residency.

 

[LoneCoyote]

you'll be fine. even if they didn't count your year up to this point because of the sublets, DL, etc. (which i doubt would happen), you'll have lived here a year before the residency determination date for fall 2005. make sure you've gotten rid of any out-of-state bank accounts and switched them to california. all they really ask you on the forms is what day you entered the state, the date of your DL and vehicle reg, your bank accounts, any professional licenses in the state, employment, etc. if you want residency be sure you apply as a resident because if you apply as a non-resident it is very hard to get it changed over before you start school.

and seriosuly think about what the other poster said about applying in this state. it is tough and with tuition going up and up, it's something to think about, esp if you think you could be happy at a state school elsewhere. good luck

 

[CaMD]

Thank you for the responses. I know that applying as a CA resident is hard. I guess my idea was that CA is hard, even as a resident, but if I could get in that would be great. And then for the other 2 states which I have connections to (grew up in one, attended college in another) I would be an "out-of-state" applicant but with a slight edge because I have reason for wanting to go to and stay in one of those states. Am I completely off my rocker?

My parents are residents of MN, so there might be a way I could apply as a MN resident, but now that I'm no longer classified as a dependent, and have been working out of state, and paying taxes out of state, etc, I'm not sure MN would have me back. Plus, to be perfectly honest, I don't want to go back to Minnesota. If it was between that and not getting into medical school, obviously I would choose MN, but I was hoping to avoid that... Have I screwed myself over?

I thought my 3.8/32 would be enough to get me into at least *one* UC but now I'm sort of scared by kiernin. I am, of course, planning to apply to lots of other private/out of state friendly schools. My situation is made more complicated by trying to coordinate with a significant other...

 

[exmike]

Originally posted by CaMD

I thought my 3.8/32 would be enough to get me into at least *one* UC but now I'm sort of scared by kiernin. I am, of course, planning to apply to lots of other private/out of state friendly schools. My situation is made more complicated by trying to coordinate with a significant other...

Honestly, there is almost no GPA/MCAT that guarantees a UC acceptance, let alone an interview. You do have a good shot though. It will be interesting how they view your residency situation. Good luck.

 

[LoneCoyote]

I grew up in CT and my mom is from here so my family moved out here awhile back. So I have technically been a California resident for about 4 yrs. I understand your not wanting to go back to your former state. I feel the same way, especially now that my whole family is here. I must say that UConn was very friendly to me in this process. I applied there VERY late. I sent them my AMCAS the last possible day in Dec. after I freaked out because I had not heard from most of the UCs yet. They immediately sent me a secondary and fairly soon after that an interview which I ultimately declined because I got into Davis. Someone I know from high school did a similar thing applying as an out-of-stater and got in to UConn. So MN might be nicer to you than you think, and if you apply as a CA resident you might want to use it as a back-up school since you clearly have ties to the state.

As exmike said there is no guarantee. This is a tough state and there are people with very strong applications who get no UC interviews. I feel really lucky to have gotten into a UC school and to have had 3 interview in California. My GPA is 3.9+ and my MCAT is medicore at best (29). So you really never can tell. You definitely have a good shot but don't count on it. This whole process is so bizarre, especially the UCs. Good luck

 

[Deuteronomy]

...with a 32 MCAT and a 3.7 GPA, interesting life experiences and 10 years of exposure to the medical field. But I got rejected pre-secondary from UCSF, UCLA, and UCSD.

tell me you're kidding..please!!!

No secondary...How can they do that!!!