question

[DrFeelgoodMD]

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Is it possible to apply to two in-state schools and claim residency in both? I live in Maryland (and would apply to UMDSOM) but I also have family in MA and I am thinking if I could use their address when I apply there. I am not sure if this will work, but clarifications are much appreciated!

J

 

[fpr85]

Is it possible to apply to two in-state schools and claim residency in both? I live in Maryland (and would apply to UMDSOM) but I also have family in MA and I am thinking if I could use their address when I apply there. I am not sure if this will work, but clarifications are much appreciated!

J

What would you do in an interview if they asked you about where you lived in MA and you weren't that familiar with the area because you had never actually lived there? I live in VA but have family in MD, I'd be screwed if someone from Hopkins asked me "So, how's life dodging bullets in Prince George's county?"

 

[MissMary]

i think (correct me of im wrong since i haven't applied yet) they ask you a series of questions to determine residency. my co-worker told me when he requested residency in NC they asked questions like: in which state are you registered to vote? which state DL do you have? things like that. so i think it would be beyond which address in used when applying.

 

[baylormed]

Is it possible to apply to two in-state schools and claim residency in both? I live in Maryland (and would apply to UMDSOM) but I also have family in MA and I am thinking if I could use their address when I apply there. I am not sure if this will work, but clarifications are much appreciated!

J

I think that would fall under the category of ILLEGAL.
You can't claim residence of two states, and they will probably find out anyway and you will be in much much trouble. I say it's not worth it. 👎

 

[frycek]

There isn't any official legal status of residency in a certain state - it's defined differently by the institutions interested in the question. So you'll have to check with the schools in questions as to their definition of residency. Often it involves having lived in the state for a year (years as a student don't count.) I doubt simply being able to use a state address will do it.

And isn't there some place on the AMCAS where you have to write in your state of residence?

 

[Law2Doc]

I think that would fall under the category of ILLEGAL.
You can't claim residence of two states, and they will probably find out anyway and you will be in much much trouble. I say it's not worth it. 👎

The above poster is correct -- you only get one state of residency. But even beyond that, I think MA is one of the trickier states to qualify for residency - they have a whole form that accompanies hte application. So you should check that you even qualify, because they tend to require like 5 years of non-academic related residency to even apply.

 

[ahumdinger]

you declare your residency status on your AMCAS, and that seems to be pretty binding, not only in admissions, but also in financial aid, it seems. I am a WA resident by a technicality (parents moved there after I graduated HS) but I have greater ties to Missouri. So I claimed WA on my AMCAS (I have a WA drivers license and registered to vote there) but I also applied to University of Missouri, citing strong ties to the state. I was granted an interview at Missouri, but when I was there, the Financial Aid guy said something about it being tricky for me to apply for in-state tuition (should I get accepted) because I had declared WA resident. That may vary state by state, and MO is one of the easier states to apply for residency status. Oh, and by the way, when I interviewed at UW, the first thing they said was, "oh so you are barely a resident!!"

 

[spot the cat]

My understanding is that the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and UMass are stricter than most places - in-state admissions only, and residency status is hard to prove. They want to see that you are really from Mass and really plan to stay in Mass. ... tax documents, drivers license, voting registration, etc. Even if you have been living in Mass to attend school, it can be very hard to prove residency.