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WaveFunction

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Hello,

I am a Washington State resident and an MS2 at a school in Pennsylvania. I went to undergrad out of state as well. During my med school application cycle I applied to UWSOM, and put together a UW state residency application to officially establish my status as a Washingtonian despite my education-related absence. It involved proof of my state drivers license, bank account, voter registration, etc. I was approved by the state residency status office (https://registrar.washington.edu/students/residency/) and offered in-state tuition.

I decided to attend a different institution, but still have aspirations of returning to my native state for internship / residency once I graduate.

Does anyone know whether official state residency status (i.e., being recognized as an in-state resident) matters for the application process / match, and whether registering to vote in Pennsylvania threaten this status? If it DOES matter, I'm planning to maintain all my official ties to Washington. If it DOESN'T matter, I'm thinking about registering to vote in Pennsylvania because it's such an important state in the upcoming election.

I'm trying to get in touch with the state residency status office, but it's their peak application season.

Thanks in advance for your input!
 
"Ties" probably matter more than official residency status. You have to change your resident status when you start residency anyway, just like you would for any other job.

This is correct.

Schools care about residency inasmuch as they use state tax dollars, and sometimes because state law requires it. GME (mostly) relies on Medicare for funding, so they won't care. A residency will care about why you're interested in their program, and geography plays a role in that.