Please help me decide if/where to move

[startingover84]

I plan to apply for matriculation in Fall of 2015. I want to spend 2012/2013 and 2013/2014 doing post-bac studies, then submit my applications June 2014.

I currently live (own a home) in Utah. The University of Utah School of Medicine will not consider applicants who have previously matriculated to medical school. I wrote them a petition to consider me anyway, and they declined.

Should I move to a state with a state school that I can apply to? I feel that this would improve my chances of acceptance and save me money on my medical education.

Or, should I stay put? Do my two years of informal post-bac at the University of Utah and apply to private schools?

Also, if I move, I would like to apply to formal post-bac programs for the 2013/2014 school year. Currently, I am strongly considering Penn and Temple due to PA's residency requirements. Any ideas on additional post-bac programs that I would be a good fit for?

I have already completed all of my pre-requisites and earned my BS in 2006. I earned a 35Q on the MCAT in 2005 (which I see that a lot of post-bac programs will accept). My current cGPA is 3.493 and sGPA is 3.336. By the end of the 2012/2013 school year I'll have over 200 clinical volunteer hours.

I am totally open-minded and would love any advice you can offer. Thank you.

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[wanderedtoolong]

texas! multiple high quality cheap in state med schools. That's probably the only state I would move to just to improve my application chances.

 

[rguil15]

I would have said Texas but apparently the Post Bacc program at UT Dallas is having some problems. Shame though because with that many good state schools at those prices, it's hard to not want to go there. However, I think residency there requires owning a home or working for a certain amount of years.

 

[LifeTake2]

I plan to apply for matriculation in Fall of 2015. I want to spend 2012/2013 and 2013/2014 doing post-bac studies, then submit my applications June 2014.

I currently live (own a home) in Utah. The University of Utah School of Medicine will not consider applicants who have previously matriculated to medical school. I wrote them a petition to consider me anyway, and they declined.

Should I move to a state with a state school that I can apply to? I feel that this would improve my chances of acceptance and save me money on my medical education.

Or, should I stay put? Do my two years of informal post-bac at the University of Utah and apply to private schools?

Also, if I move, I would like to apply to formal post-bac programs for the 2013/2014 school year. Currently, I am strongly considering Penn and Temple due to PA's residency requirements. Any ideas on additional post-bac programs that I would be a good fit for?

I have already completed all of my pre-requisites and earned my BS in 2006. I earned a 35Q on the MCAT in 2005 (which I see that a lot of post-bac programs will accept). My current cGPA is 3.493 and sGPA is 3.336. By the end of the 2012/2013 school year I'll have over 200 clinical volunteer hours.

I am totally open-minded and would love any advice you can offer. Thank you.

Nobody can answer this without more details on how you ended up not finishing the first time. I would have to assume that ANY school is going to have an issue with this; and if you lost an appeal at your state school before you move anywhere I'd make sure the school will consider your application.

Not just from a 'sure we will accept your secondary $$', but that they will actually consider you when you failed to finish previously.

 

[startingover84]

Nobody can answer this without more details on how you ended up not finishing the first time. I would have to assume that ANY school is going to have an issue with this; and if you lost an appeal at your state school before you move anywhere I'd make sure the school will consider your application.

Not just from a 'sure we will accept your secondary $$', but that they will actually consider you when you failed to finish previously.

I've e-mailed over a dozen private schools and they have no problem with my application with regard to my past. In addition, I have an MD (she is in academic medicine) that is mentoring me that will be writing me a letter of recommendation. Finally, I've spoken directly to an adcom member at a school I would be thrilled to go to, and she said she would love for me to apply. That I should give her a call (gave me her direct line) when I have submitted so she can look out for my application.

And NO, you don't really need to know why. This could be a generic question regarding which state is it best to move to if you could move anywhere. But thanks for the bump.

 

[DrMidlife]

Your post history has the story. I think Utah's pretty dumb to let that block you.

Keep in mind that the really hard parts for you will be getting tons of A's in your postbac, and financing that postbac. Wherever you move, you'll be out-of-state for tuition purposes. Tuition costs are increasing dramatically everywhere because of state/fed budget cuts that are really just getting started. Regardless, with a bachelors in hand, it's very difficult to get funding for more undergrad now in the best of circumstances.

If I were taking on my sub-3.0 comeback now, I'd be looking for a situation where I could get an on-campus job with benes including free tuition, and expect to spend 3+ years at it (full time work, part time school). I'd then be looking for a funded traditional masters instead of an SMP.

There's no doubt in my mind that accumulating high-5 or 6 figure student debt, federal or private, before starting med school, is a dealbreaker. Yesterday I ran the numbers for my state's cheap public school, and COA for 4 years with interest amortized hits $250k. This is a very big deal. IMHO student debt dwarfs concerns about Medicare/Medicaid/Tricare reimbursement 10 years from now.

More to the point, none of my concerns are about the ACA. Those impacts are at the macroeconomic level and are just not relevant for any decisions by people not yet in med school. Legislation that truly changes the economic game for US MD/DO grads is unwritten and 100% in the future.

Best of luck to you.

 

[startingover84]

Thank you DrMidlife for your post. And, forgive me, but what does ACA stand for?

Edited to add this: I notice some states let you attend school during the 12-month residency establishment period, and some do not. This is a factor in my decision. Also, what do you all think about moving the summer I submit my application? That entire year, I can take off from school while continuing to volunteer. That would give me 12 months, which is all most states require.

Right now, I am leaning toward Ohio, just because there are seven state-funded medical schools there and my husband can easily transfer his job to Ohio. There is actually a need.

Can anyone offer any insight about Ohio?

 

[startingover84]

I thought about Texas, but my stats are on the low-end for their schools.

I haven't run across UT Dallas's postbac program yet. What do you mean by the statement that they are having problems. Can you be more specific?

 

[DrMidlife]

what does ACA stand for?

The Affordable Care Act. The thing the Supreme Court recently mostly upheld. Some people call it Romneycare or Obamacare.

Edited to add this: I notice some states let you attend school during the 12-month residency establishment period, and some do not. This is a factor in my decision.

The only state I know of that allows you to become a resident by being a full time student is Ohio. Even Ohio requires you to live in the state for a year before you get instate tuition.

I have no idea if Ohio is this lenient at the undergrad level as well as for med school. It's my understanding that the Ohio state legislature lightened the burden of establishing a domicile in order to get docs to stay in Ohio.

Also, what do you all think about moving the summer I submit my application? That entire year, I can take off from school while continuing to volunteer. That would give me 12 months, which is all most states require.

To overgeneralize, there are two points in the application process where your residency is determined. The first one is when you submit AMCAS - this is the unverified basis by which schools will consider you instate or out-of-state. Later, either during the interview process or after you are accepted or waitlisted, you then will have your state of residence verified by submitting a requested list of documentation that goes back multiple years (regardless of how many years you think they should care about). The required documentation varies by state. This is not a transparent process, and petitioning for reconsideration when your record is misunderstood is not straightforward.

Right now, I am leaning toward Ohio, just because there are seven state-funded medical schools there and my husband can easily transfer his job to Ohio. There is actually a need.

Ohio's a great choice. Note that there are no guarantees of state policies, ever, and particularly not during budget crises. Which we're in now and for the foreseeable future.

I thought about Texas, but my stats are on the low-end for their schools.

Um, if your stats are low for Texas, you're not going to find a state where your stats aren't low-end. There are no low-stats states.

The low-GPA comeback part of your story is quite a bit more important to your story than the pursuit of a public med school.

I haven't run across UT Dallas's postbac program yet. What do you mean by the statement that they are having problems. Can you be more specific?

UTD's premed postbac isn't degree-granting, and it is no longer able to get any funding through the UTD financial aid office (according to reporting in the postbac forum). Until now, the program presumably was eligible for the $12,500 Stafford you can get after you have a bachelors.

As I mentioned before, you'll find that this is the case everywhere for everything. By which I mean any way you try to take more undergrad coursework after you have a bachelors, you're going to find it to be:
a) very expensive and rising in cost
b) very difficult to finance through student loans, and/but if you can finance it, very difficult to reconcile with the increasing cost of med school

Best of luck to you.

 

[startingover84]

Thanks again DrMidlife. Raising my GPA is definitely my focus right now.

 

[Chip N Sawbones]

DrMidlife brought up some good points about financial issues. Make sure you look at the cost of undergrad plus medical school when you're shopping around. North Carolina might also be a good choice for you. If paying for undergrad will be a serious issue, you can take quite a few classes over the summer. State colleges in some states, including Oregon, Alaska, Washington, Nevada and Idaho give instate tuition for everyone over the summer.

 

[kami333]

Right now, I am leaning toward Ohio, just because there are seven state-funded medical schools there and my husband can easily transfer his job to Ohio. There is actually a need.

Ohio will grant you residency (for tuition purposes) immediately if your spouse moves to the state for a job.

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]If my parents or spouse move to Ohio, when am I eligible to become a resident?
You may be eligible for "instant residency" , C(3), if you are dependent upon a parent who is working full-time and has established domicile in Ohio before the beginning of a quarter. You may be eligible if you are a dependent spouse of a person who has begun working full-time and established domicile in Ohio for reasons other than gaining the benefit of a state-supported education. Refer to C(3) in the residency guidelines for information on how to apply for this type of residency..
(Obviously can depend on the school so I'd double check before committing)

My SO and I moved from Utah to Ohio 2 years ago due to our jobs but the medical school prospects was a huge tie breaker since we also had offers if we stayed. In addition to the in-state medical schools, there's a bunch in PA (PA doesn't hugely favor in-state) and private schools in Chicago/VA as well as postbacc friendly schools like Wayne State and MSU. Compare that with Utah where you have the U, then CO and Rocky Vista, then you have to go out to SLU or CA for the next closest ones.

I will say that I always thought the U was sort of light on evening/morning classes for being such a commuter/non-trad heavy undergrad but OSU it's even less. I finished most of my postbacc work (78credit hours, yay for staff tuition reduction) before moving so I haven't felt a huge need to take more classes so I've resorted to just taking a couple here and there at the CC (full tuition reimbursement), just less important ones like stats though.

 

[startingover84]

Ohio will grant you residency (for tuition purposes) immediately if your spouse moves to the state for a job.

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]If my parents or spouse move to Ohio, when am I eligible to become a resident?
You may be eligible for "instant residency" , C(3), if you are dependent upon a parent who is working full-time and has established domicile in Ohio before the beginning of a quarter. You may be eligible if you are a dependent spouse of a person who has begun working full-time and established domicile in Ohio for reasons other than gaining the benefit of a state-supported education. Refer to C(3) in the residency guidelines for information on how to apply for this type of residency..
(Obviously can depend on the school so I'd double check before committing)

My SO and I moved from Utah to Ohio 2 years ago due to our jobs but the medical school prospects was a huge tie breaker since we also had offers if we stayed. In addition to the in-state medical schools, there's a bunch in PA (PA doesn't hugely favor in-state) and private schools in Chicago/VA as well as postbacc friendly schools like Wayne State and MSU. Compare that with Utah where you have the U, then CO and Rocky Vista, then you have to go out to SLU or CA for the next closest ones.

I will say that I always thought the U was sort of light on evening/morning classes for being such a commuter/non-trad heavy undergrad but OSU it's even less. I finished most of my postbacc work (78credit hours, yay for staff tuition reduction) before moving so I haven't felt a huge need to take more classes so I've resorted to just taking a couple here and there at the CC (full tuition reimbursement), just less important ones like stats though.

Thank you for sharing your personal experiences. This is very helpful. So how do you like Ohio? Feel free to send me a PM. I'm very curious as I haven't visited yet.

 

[kami333]

Thank you for sharing your personal experiences. This is very helpful. So how do you like Ohio? Feel free to send me a PM. I'm very curious as I haven't visited yet.

My gf was originally from Ohio and I went to school in PA so I was somewhat familiar with the area but it was a transition.

city (bigger city than SLC), culture and people, location (Baltimore and Chicago are 7hr drives)
geography (too flat, I get lost since there are no mountains to orient me), climate (humid in the summer, cold and rainy in the winter and Ohio drivers can't drive in the snow)

I really miss Utah especially in the summer when the relative humidity reaches 80% and you feel like you are in a swamp. Overall we feel like there are more people here who share our interests whereas in Utah people followed one of two religions, LDS or outdoors (we like car camping in National Parks, not slogging through the San Rafael Swell for a week). There's been some things I've been able to do because it was Ohio, like get involved in ski patrol whereas in Utah it was too much of a commitment. Overall it's been a positive change for us.