Question about residency for UC Davis.

[nyanko]

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Hi everyone. I've posted here a few times and keep going back and forth about whether I actually want to apply for a DVM or not. Basically I want to do research in canine genomics and know already that I am going to go for a PhD in Genetics at UC Davis. I'm going to apply for next Fall and (not to sound arrogant) I will likely get in with some good refs and knowing the right people as well as my undergraduate record. Right now I live in FL and am a resident of this state, but will be moving to Davis in September with my boyfriend, who is starting a PhD program in Computer Science there in the Fall. Anyway my question is this:

If I wanted to apply to the DVM program as well as the Genetics PhD program, would I be able to be considered a resident for admissions purposes if I will have lived there for one year prior to the start of classes (but not to the application submission), or will it only count for financial purposes after I got in? (I'm not likely to get in out of state)

This will play a very large part in determining whether I will apply or not, so I'd appreciate anyone's insight on my situation. Thanks!

 

[kate_g]

If you're going to live and work in CA for the year before you matriculate (i.e. *while* you're applying) then you should be counted as an in-state applicant. You might want to just get a job and not take any post-bacc classes or anything during that year, just so nobody can throw the "educational purposes" caveat at you. You should also note that the PhD program will most likely *require* you to apply for resident status after your first year - they're paying the tuition, after all, and they don't want to pay the nonresident fee if they don't have to. I did this at UC Berkeley and it was pretty easy to get residency as a grad student (provided you don't let your parents claim you as a dependent on their taxes and you stay in town during term breaks). So, if you get into the PhD program and *not* the vet school this year, and you want to apply to the vet school again the next year, then you'll pretty definitely be an in-state applicant at that point.

All that said, you should call whoever the coordinator is for the DVM/PhD dual degree program, because they do applications for that somewhat separately from the DVM-only program, and they might have specific advice on residency (and other important information like your options if you get accepted for the PhD and not the DVM this cycle).

 

[nyanko]

If you're going to live and work in CA for the year before you matriculate (i.e. *while* you're applying) then you should be counted as an in-state applicant. You might want to just get a job and not take any post-bacc classes or anything during that year, just so nobody can throw the "educational purposes" caveat at you.

Yes that was definitely the plan anyway. I plan on working as a post undergraduate researcher in a lab at UC Davis for the next year, with any luck it will be with a professor I'm interested in working with for the PhD but really any kind of research position will do as far as I'm concerned. It will be nice to take a year off of classes. 🙂

You should also note that the PhD program will most likely *require you to apply for resident status after your first year - they're paying the tuition, after all, and they don't want to pay the nonresident fee if they don't have to. I did this at UC Berkeley and it was pretty easy to get residency as a grad student (provided you don't let your parents claim you as a dependent on their taxes and you stay in town during term breaks). So, if you get into the PhD program and *not* the vet school this year, and you want to apply to the vet school again the next year, then you'll pretty definitely be an in-state applicant at that point.

Yeah I figured as much for that too. My parents haven't claimed me on their taxes for a few years (it's how I got residency in FL) and we actually plan on buying a house near Davis - so we'll be sticking around most definitely!

All that said, you should call whoever the coordinator is for the DVM/PhD dual degree program, because they do applications for that somewhat separately from the DVM-only program, and they might have specific advice on residency (and other important information like your options if you get accepted for the PhD and not the DVM this cycle).

Thank you very much for your response, I probably will call them sometime after I defend my undergrad thesis this summer (hard to get anything else done with that looming!). 🙂