Question for University of Kansas students

[Engineer2MD]

Where should I do my post-bacc work? At KU-Lawrence or at Rockhurst's formal post-bacc program?

All I need is the orgo, bio, and upper level bio. (I have 2 engineering degrees).

We're moving to Kansas this spring, my husband just took a new job in Leavenworth. We're KC natives. So, I will have Kansas residency either way.

KU is MUCH cheaper and the pre-med advisor said he would advise me. Rockhurst's formal program seems like there's more hand-holding and help along the way.

Any thoughts?

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[Trepp]

Where should I do my post-bacc work? At KU-Lawrence or at Rockhurst's formal post-bacc program?

All I need is the orgo, bio, and upper level bio. (I have 2 engineering degrees).

We're moving to Kansas this spring, my husband just took a new job in Leavenworth. We're KC natives. So, I will have Kansas residency either way.

KU is MUCH cheaper and the pre-med advisor said he would advise me. Rockhurst's formal program seems like there's more hand-holding and help along the way.

Any thoughts?

Hello! I am a 4th year at KU right now. I think that you probably don’t need an “official” post-bac if you are only missing a few classes. If it was up to me I would probably gop to KU-Lawrence and take the classes there. It is such a large school I am sure you would have many options for class times/etc which can help it work with your schedule.

Good luck!

 

[JDMD243.0]

I'm a non traditional type and did the informal post bacc at KU. No complaints. O chem is pretty well taught and its reasonably graded--the professor is pretty helpful. I learned enough to well on the MCAT without it being overkill. Most of the biology courses are pretty well taught too--I'd recommend Mamm Phys (646), Genetics (350), Micro (400), Cell Bio (416), and Biochem (600) for the MCAT in addition to the intro courses.

Double check on the in-state tuition. I grew up in KC (on the MO side) and left the area for college and military service. They made me wait a year after I had moved back to KC (KS side) before granting me instate tuition. They are pretty finicky about granting in state unless you have lived in KS all your life. There's an office in Strong Hall where you can talk to someone about it.

 

[Wizard of Oz]

They are pretty finicky about granting in state unless you have lived in KS all your life.

Agree big time. Native Kansan here who has been banished.

Don't do an official post-bac program if KU is the only school you want to go to. If you're re-establishing residency, though, why move to a state with only one medical school?

 

[Engineer2MD]

THANK YOU, you guys are the best.

Here's the short story: My husband and I are native Kansas Citians - from the MO side. We LOVE KC. We went to school at U-M-Rolla. I was pre-med for awhile, but chickenend out when it came to the whole "stay in school how much longer?" idea. We left Missouri for 3 years to try the engineer thing in Albuquerque. Turns out, it really stinks and I realize I made a big mistake leaving what I wanted to do in the first place. Chris (husband) just accepted a position back in KC, in Leavenworth KS doing DoD civilian software stuff. It's his DREAM job.

Basically, we LOVE Kansas City and while I'm open to other schools, I *really* want to go to KU. I've looked at UMKC and the SOM, and neither seems "as good". So I figured, we have to move anyway, Chris is working in Kansas, why not establish residency there. From the conversations I've had with KU, they do not consider any Missouri counties as "in state" for admissions or tuition. This puts me at a big disadvantage even if I lived in Platte or Clay counties. But, MU still considers KCK as in-state for admissions (from what I can tell). So I *think* moving to Kansas is the best idea. We will see.

Which brings me to the post-bacc. I basically just need the orgo and biology and the MCAT prep. KU, even if they make me pay out-of-state, is still way cheaper than Rockhurst.

As for the sticky in-state tuition thing, it looks like there is a form for "my husband was transferred to Kansas" for a "resident fee privilige". They may not approve it, but it's still cheaper.

So, any advice is GREATLY APPRECIATED.

By the way, I'm 3 months from 27, does that make me old?

 

[JDMD243.0]

I'm 31 and starting med school in the fall so you aren't THAT old 🙂 When I moved back to KC I decided to move to the KS side for the same reasons as you. As for the residency application, its a pretty long form that asks you to write down all of your previous residencies, reasons for moving back, family ties to the area. You also have to provide proof of residence in the form of voter id, driver's license, mortgage payments etc. My guess is that they'll make you wait a year like me so make sure that you get all of the required stuff and turn in the form ASAP so they can either approve you now or get the clock ticking for your med school application. Feel free to shoot me any other questions. Good luck!

 

[JDMD243.0]

p.s. if you are looking at places to move, I live out by the KS Speedway/Village West which is about 20 minutes from leavenworth, 20 minutes from the med center, 30 mintues from lawrence. There's a ton of new developments going in around there and its worked out pretty well for me commuting to lawrence/KU Med (volunteering) and its a lot cheaper then johnson county.

 

[Wizard of Oz]

Which brings me to the post-bacc. I basically just need the orgo and biology and the MCAT prep. KU, even if they make me pay out-of-state, is still way cheaper than Rockhurst.

Here is my advice to you (again, being from Kansas). If you take classes and pay oos tuition, stay half-time or less.

If you pay oos tuition as a greater-than-half-time student in say 2007-2008, then you are, by personal admission, agreeing that you have relocated to Kansas for educational purposes. If you were then to matriculate at KU Med in say 2008, I would give 90% odds that they'd say "greater than half time last year at nonresident tuition equals medical school at nonresident tuition for four years." You must have a full year of half time or less, and if you take the classes AT KU, then the jury will have already ruled on your resident status the day you started taking classes there. It is virtually impossible to change resident status with no year-long break in your greater-than-half-time studies.

If you can take classes at KU at an in-state rate via the same privelege as your hubby or by being married to him right now, you are golden.

KU Med WILL determine your residency status for you during the admission process despite what you declare to AMCAS.

I'll tell you this much--I met their residency requirements at KU and was interviewed by my childhood GP. They STILL didn't think I was enough of a Kansan to be treated as in-state for admission purposes though my MCAT was way over their average for matriculants, and I was a native with a Kansas HS diploma and a K-State degree.

I'm having a vision of Dorothy tapping her heals. Kansas wants Kansas doctors. Kansas wants Kansas doctors. Kansas wants Kansas doctors. They'll even give you a full ride if you agree to be a primary care doc there in an underserved area. Admitting somebody that may not practice there is viewed as a big risk to them.

If I were you, I would FIRST arrange a meeting with the residency determiners on Rainbow BLVD before taking any classes. I would also talk to NR who you can find on this forum:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=357839

She is super nice 😍 and I think that she is both a MO resident and was interested in the primary care scholarship.

Back to your OP. I'd take your classes at Johnson County if your GPA is already sound overall. What matters most is how well you know the material on your MCAT, especially if you are looking to stay local. If your knowledge of the material is reflected by a high MCAT score, then schools will talk to you.

 

[123165]

I agree about the establishing residency in Kansas. Why establish residency when there is only one medical school. I am going to UMKC (awesome school by the way, really awesome. The medical school is another story though) and living in Kansas. I still get in-state tuition, and hopefully I will get a little Missouri preference as well because of going to school there and some of my family lives there as well.

I am not sure about the Johnson County CC business, I never really liked the school. I would personally stay at a 4 year.

 

[JDMD243.0]

Here is my advice to you (again, being from Kansas). If you take classes and pay oos tuition, stay half-time or less.

If you pay oos tuition as a greater-than-half-time student in say 2007-2008, then you are, by personal admission, agreeing that you have relocated to Kansas for educational purposes. If you were then to matriculate at KU Med in say 2008, I would give 90% odds that they'd say "greater than half time last year at nonresident tuition equals medical school at nonresident tuition for four years." You must have a full year of half time or less, and if you take the classes AT KU, then the jury will have already ruled on your resident status the day you started taking classes there. It is virtually impossible to change resident status with no year-long break in your greater-than-half-time studies.

If you can take classes at KU at an in-state rate via the same privelege as your hubby or by being married to him right now, you are golden.

KU Med WILL determine your residency status for you during the admission process despite what you declare to AMCAS.

I'll tell you this much--I met their residency requirements at KU and was interviewed by my childhood GP. They STILL didn't think I was enough of a Kansan to be treated as in-state for admission purposes though my MCAT was way over their average for matriculants, and I was a native with a Kansas HS diploma and a K-State degree.

I'm having a vision of Dorothy tapping her heals. Kansas wants Kansas doctors. Kansas wants Kansas doctors. Kansas wants Kansas doctors. They'll even give you a full ride if you agree to be a primary care doc there in an underserved area. Admitting somebody that may not practice there is viewed as a big risk to them.

If I were you, I would FIRST arrange a meeting with the residency determiners on Rainbow BLVD before taking any classes. I would also talk to NR who you can find on this forum:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=357839

She is super nice 😍 and I think that she is both a MO resident and was interested in the primary care scholarship.

Back to your OP. I'd take your classes at Johnson County if your GPA is already sound overall. What matters most is how well you know the material on your MCAT, especially if you are looking to stay local. If your knowledge of the material is reflected by a high MCAT score, then schools will talk to you.

I grew up on the MO side of KC and left the area for college/military for about 10 years. I moved back to the KS side to do post bacc work full time at KU Lawrence and they gave me in-state tuition after I'd been back for a year taking classes. I got accepted at KU Med and they granted me in state for tuition. There's a lot of factors involved in how they make the decision and I don't claim to be the expert but in my case, I'd guess the fact that my family is in the area, I own a house in KS, and I was not getting income from out of state (i.e. not a dependent of parents living out of state) was in my favor.

 

[Wizard of Oz]

I grew up on the MO side of KC and left the area for college/military for about 10 years. I moved back to the KS side to do post bacc work full time at KU Lawrence and they gave me in-state tuition after I'd been back for a year taking classes. I got accepted at KU Med and they granted me in state for tuition. There's a lot of factors involved in how they make the decision and I don't claim to be the expert but in my case, I'd guess the fact that my family is in the area, I own a house in KS, and I was not getting income from out of state (i.e. not a dependent of parents living out of state) was in my favor.

If you left the area for college/military, then I suppose that it's true that you never established a true domicile in another state as an adult. Home ownership is a plus, but I would still have put my money on them declaring you MO just because I know how strict Kansas is. If your family moved to KS before you established a true domicile as an adult, then I might buy that as a valid reason. Either way, I've never heard of anybody changing residency status in the middle of being a full-time student until now.

 

[Engineer2MD]

THANKS!!!!
I understand the "Kansas wants Kansas doctors" thing certainly. It makes sense. Also, I'm pretty sure that the second I'm back in Kansas City I'm never going to leave ever ever again! There's no place like home! 😍

Wizard by "meet with the residency determiners on Rainbow Blvd" I'm assuming you mean actually go down to KU Med and meet with their residency specialist. Correct? OK, on my list of things to do.

Now -- where did you guys do your volunteering and shadowing? I had a few places lined up, but they were on the Missouri side, and now I want to make SURE they are in Kansas.

 

[Wizard of Oz]

Wizard by "meet with the residency determiners on Rainbow Blvd" I'm assuming you mean actually go down to KU Med and meet with their residency specialist. Correct? OK, on my list of things to do.

Yeah I think that the med school is on Rainbow:

http://www.kumc.edu/studentcenter/registrar.html

I went to high school with the second guy on the list. He was handling residency status last year. I'd drop him an email.

Other point--there are mock interviews offered either at KUMC or in Lawrence. I know nothing about them other than the fact that many of the interviewees I met had been exposed to them.

 

[lilnoelle]

THANKS!!!!
I understand the "Kansas wants Kansas doctors" thing certainly. It makes sense. Also, I'm pretty sure that the second I'm back in Kansas City I'm never going to leave ever ever again! There's no place like home! 😍

Wizard by "meet with the residency determiners on Rainbow Blvd" I'm assuming you mean actually go down to KU Med and meet with their residency specialist. Correct? OK, on my list of things to do.

Now -- where did you guys do your volunteering and shadowing? I had a few places lined up, but they were on the Missouri side, and now I want to make SURE they are in Kansas.

Thanks Wizard... 😛 You really have a way of making my day. (I'm the nr he referenced earlier, my ID has been changed recently from noelleruckman to lilnoelle)
Concerning shadowing.... you can shadow at KU if you feel the need to shadow in Kansas, but I can't imagine that shadowing in Missouri would be considered against your residency status.
I can't help you a whole lot concerning what you need to do to be considered a Kansas resident. I'm a Kansas City, MO resident and didn't really do my research about becoming a Kansas resident for tuition purposes because by the time I was accepted, I figured I was out of luck. In retrospect, I should've moved to Kansas before applying, but obviously I didn't know that I'd end up at KU and so I stayed in Missouri.
I would follow Wizards advice and remain less than a half time student for a year to help your chances at being considered a Kansas resident. That may postpone your application, but paying ~$20K for four years vs ~$36K for four years will make it worth it.
If you have any questions about KU, be sure to ask me and I'll try to help you out. I've only been there for half a year, but I'll do my best.🙂

 

[JDMD243.0]

I volunteer in the ER at KUMed and LMH (Lawrence). I think its a good way to see a wide variety of cases and having the volunteer ID is usually a good ticket into being able to shadow just about anything. If there was an interesting case that came into the ER, I just asked the doc if I could watch. One guy came in with an artificial hip that was displaced and the orthopod had me help hold him down while they tried to pop it back in place. Even though they had the guy drugged it was still a struggle to keep him down and they couldn't get it back in, so then they let me follow the case into surgery. Saw a little bit of everything at KU from gun shot wounds to mangled fingers to cardiac emergencies. One of the nurses even had me help prepare a body to be transferred to the morgue. LMH is a little bit more calm but they also will write you a recommendation after you have volunteered 40 hours.