Questions regarding moving out of state for med school

[Azimuthal431]

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Do I have to change my legal state of residency? Will this not be necessary since I am going to a private med school? I don't think my financial aid requires me to be in-state, since it is not a state school.

Can I remain on my parent's health insurance? Again, I will be moving out state. Will I have to come back home to see a doctor?

I will not be getting a car for preclinical. When I do get a car though, will the license plate/my driver's license be of my home state?

How often should I visit? My school is about 4 hours from home, and family is a priority for me. I eventually want to come back and practice in my home state, but I feel like I should move out for a bit to gain some perspective and expand my comfort zone.

 

[mvenus929]

1) No, you don't, because you'll be in school full time. You can if you want, though.

2) Assuming you're less than 26, yes. Whether you have to go home to see a doctor depends on which insurance plan your parents have.

3) If you buy the car in your state, then yes, you will register it in the state you live in. I think you can get a registration that you basically just pay road taxes if you are a resident of another state, but I'm not 100% sure how that works. It might be easier to switch your residency and get a driver's license in the new state, but you aren't required to as a student.

4) However often you want. My dad lives 4 hours away, and I visited him every few months. My mom lived in Italy for most of med school, and I visited her anytime I had a break longer than 1.5 weeks (except after second year). If my mom had lived closer, I probably would've visited once a month or so. I had classmates who would go home every other weekend to spend time with their family. It's all about you.

 

[Azimuthal431]

1) No, you don't, because you'll be in school full time. You can if you want, though.

2) Assuming you're less than 26, yes. Whether you have to go home to see a doctor depends on which insurance plan your parents have.

3) If you buy the car in your state, then yes, you will register it in the state you live in. I think you can get a registration that you basically just pay road taxes if you are a resident of another state, but I'm not 100% sure how that works. It might be easier to switch your residency and get a driver's license in the new state, but you aren't required to as a student.

4) However often you want. My dad lives 4 hours away, and I visited him every few months. My mom lived in Italy for most of med school, and I visited her anytime I had a break longer than 1.5 weeks (except after second year). If my mom had lived closer, I probably would've visited once a month or so. I had classmates who would go home every other weekend to spend time with their family. It's all about you.

Thank you very much for clarifying.

 

[Catalystik]

When I do get a car though, will the license plate/my driver's license be of my home state?

The rules on this vary by state. California, for example, requires you to get a California license and plates, even if you're a student.

Can I remain on my parent's health insurance? Again, I will be moving out state. Will I have to come back home to see a doctor?

Some health plans will require routine care to be given in your parents' area (like HMOs), but will cover more emergent care out of state.

How often should I visit?

Taking 8 hours for travel out of a study weekend + visit time will become difficult. Of course, your family and friends can always come to visit you.

 

[Ismet]

How often should I visit? My school is about 4 hours from home, and family is a priority for me. I eventually want to come back and practice in my home state, but I feel like I should move out for a bit to gain some perspective and expand my comfort zone.

I'm in the same state for med school as my state of residence, but I am 4 hours away from my hometown. As Catalystik said, it's usually not justifiable to spend 8 hours traveling just for one weekend at home. If there's something major going on like a wedding or something, then you make an exception, but for the most part I only went home for Thanksgiving, winter break, spring break, and a couple long weekends here and there. My parents and other family members also came out to visit for my birthday, concerts, etc. Family is very important to me as well, and I'm definitely leaning towards doing my residency back home. 4 hours away is a perfect distance...far enough away that you're not tempted to go home a lot, but close enough that going home is not a huge deal. I can't imagine what it's like for west coast residents at my school, having to book expensive flights for visits home.

 

[Azimuthal431]

The rules on this vary by state. California, for example, requires you to get a California license and plates, even if you're a student.

Some health plans will require routine care to be given in your parents' area (like HMOs), but will cover more emergent care out of state.

Taking 8 hours for travel out of a study weekend + visit time will become difficult. Of course, your family and friends can always come to visit you.

Thank you for your advice.

 

[Azimuthal431]

I'm in the same state for med school as my state of residence, but I am 4 hours away from my hometown. As Catalystik said, it's usually not justifiable to spend 8 hours traveling just for one weekend at home. If there's something major going on like a wedding or something, then you make an exception, but for the most part I only went home for Thanksgiving, winter break, spring break, and a couple long weekends here and there. My parents and other family members also came out to visit for my birthday, concerts, etc. Family is very important to me as well, and I'm definitely leaning towards doing my residency back home. 4 hours away is a perfect distance...far enough away that you're not tempted to go home a lot, but close enough that going home is not a huge deal. I can't imagine what it's like for west coast residents at my school, having to book expensive flights for visits home.

I like the point you make about 4 hours being the perfect distance. I was apprehensive about leaving home at first because I am close with my family but being too close can be distracting.

 

[WingedOx]

The one exception to all this is for OOS students attending Ohio public med schools. As of when I was in med school, Ohio let you become an in-state student for tuition purposes after one year. (and hence why tuition at Medical College of Ohio/UToledo was INSANE for OOS residents... it only counted for one year before being cut in half.)