State Residency Issue

[FlowRate]

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Not sure if this should go in WAMC or not, please move if it should.

I can claim either CO or NV residency. I am almost positive I'm not applying to U of NV MD school anymore (long story) and I think I would like to go to U of CO. In order to get in-state tuition at CO, I must apply as a resident of CO. I'm trying to figure out how CO residency would affect my chances re: uniqueness, class diversity, etc. to other schools and whether or not NV would be advantageous in that regard. This is because, according to MSAR, U of CO only accepts 15% of students straight from undergrad so, although I would very much like to go there, it seems like my chances are relatively low at U of CO, so I may want to maximize my chances at other schools that I'm interested in. (it does sound to me like going CO residency is a good idea atm)

Input is greatly appreciated, especially from our super-helpful adcomm friends!!
Thanks!

 

[mvenus929]

Just so you know, CU has some rather stringent residency requirements. I qualified for state residency for undergrad, but the first time I applied, I highly doubt I would've been considered an in-state resident. So, don't assume that you can just pick a residency and make it work. It can be a little more complicated than that.

 

[flip26]

Not sure if this should go in WAMC or not, please move if it should.

I can claim either CO or NV residency. I am almost positive I'm not applying to U of NV MD school anymore (long story) and I think I would like to go to U of CO. In order to get in-state tuition at CO, I must apply as a resident of CO. I'm trying to figure out how CO residency would affect my chances re: uniqueness, class diversity, etc. to other schools and whether or not NV would be advantageous in that regard. This is because, according to MSAR, U of CO only accepts 15% of students straight from undergrad so, although I would very much like to go there, it seems like my chances are relatively low at U of CO, so I may want to maximize my chances at other schools that I'm interested in. (it does sound to me like going CO residency is a good idea atm)

Input is greatly appreciated, especially from our super-helpful adcomm friends!!
Thanks!

It would be highly unusual if you really qualify for state residency in 2 different states. Reason being med schools (and colleges) rely on things like where you hold a drivers license, where you have earned income and paid taxes, where you are registered to vote, how long you have lived in the state financially independent of your parents, etc. And it is illegal to hold licenses in 2 states, or to be registered to vote in 2 states...

If you are claiming state residency because you are a financial dependent of your parents, they will ask for a copy of your parents' income tax return, and you must be listed as a dependent there. And if you have one parent living in CO, and one in NV, and assume you can pick between them, well, you can't - only one parent can claim you as their dependent for income tax purposes...

AMCAS will accept whatever you tell it, but be aware that when it comes to claiming residency for med schools, they will make you produce the proof, and you could find yourself being treated as a non-resident in a state you thought you were a resident in...my state schools had a special section that had to be filled out in addition to the secondary to establish residency (because they need to know which pool - IS or OOS - I qualified for before they could offer me an interview).

 

[Hoody]

thanks for some insight, but if you did have a choice, would you choose NV or CO....and why?

 

[mvenus929]

thanks for some insight, but if you did have a choice, would you choose NV or CO....and why?

I'm partial to Colorado, and know nothing about NV, but CU is an amazing school. It's just really, really hard to get in, and is grossly underfunded. You won't get much in the way of financial support if you qualify for in-state residency. If you don't... you're even worse off.

 

[FlowRate]

Just so you know, CU has some rather stringent residency requirements. I qualified for state residency for undergrad, but the first time I applied, I highly doubt I would've been considered an in-state resident. So, don't assume that you can just pick a residency and make it work. It can be a little more complicated than that.

I've heard the stories. I feel really bad for the people who lived in CO all their life, moved away for two years, and couldn't get residency status when they came back.

I'm partial to Colorado, and know nothing about NV, but CU is an amazing school. It's just really, really hard to get in, and is grossly underfunded. You won't get much in the way of financial support if you qualify for in-state residency. If you don't... you're even worse off.

I really like the folks here so far. I figure that IS tuition is low enough that taking out loans wouldn't be the worst thing in the world (compared to places with 2-3x higher tuition).

thanks for some insight, but if you did have a choice, would you choose NV or CO....and why?

If U of NV was as cool as U of CO, I'd stay in NV at this point... but U of NV... like I said, it's a long story, but I'd rather not go there. I realize I'm pretty much not anonymous to anyone from NV or CO right now, but it's cool.

If you are claiming state residency because you are a financial dependent of your parents, they will ask for a copy of your parents' income tax return, and you must be listed as a dependent there. And if you have one parent living in CO, and one in NV, and assume you can pick between them, well, you can't - only one parent can claim you as their dependent for income tax purposes...

AMCAS will accept whatever you tell it, but be aware that when it comes to claiming residency for med schools, they will make you produce the proof, and you could find yourself being treated as a non-resident in a state you thought you were a resident in...my state schools had a special section that had to be filled out in addition to the secondary to establish residency (because they need to know which pool - IS or OOS - I qualified for before they could offer me an interview).

Thanks for the info. I am the financial dependent of one parent (only one works) and he will have all this CO residency stuff done at about the time I apply. I probably need to double (and triple) check the residency case with CU's admissions, but when we chatted with 'em today, they said that you could only get IS at a school if you applied as a resident of that state (at least that's how it works at CU) and so I could not claim both, which makes sense and I am totally cool with.

What I'm really thinking about is whether or not applying to my other however many schools would be better as a resident of NV or a resident of CO. i.e. maybe there are more competitive applicants coming from CO, or maybe it is less "diverse" or "interesting." Not that I'm trying to game the system but... well, yeah.. we all are. Especially given the fact that CU is such a hard place to get into!

Thanks for the replies so far, ya'll!

 

[Hoody]

From the 2014 thread, BB elaborated some, but Im sure he'd be able to elaborate more if you asked or PM'd him...

It would definitely benefit him to apply as a CO resident to Colorado, or he would be paying $70k in tuition every year. I applied MSTP, so it didn't matter for me (I find MSTPs usually take a disproportional amount of in-state kids for a supposedly bias-free process, but that's probably because they get way more applications from there). As far as class diversity, being OOS doesn't really help that by much and you can't really control that. I think the OP would get in as a IS resident (if he gets CO residency) anyway.

As far as NV vs CO, I think Nevada has a state school that's a bit easier to get into (and cheaper?) and also the WWJD program or whatever its called thats affiliated with UW, so idk. i think the program requires the student to serve in his/her home state though

 

[mvenus929]

Thanks for the info. I am the financial dependent of one parent (only one works) and he will have all this CO residency stuff done at about the time I apply. I probably need to double (and triple) check the residency case with CU's admissions, but when we chatted with 'em today, they said that you could only get IS at a school if you applied as a resident of that state (at least that's how it works at CU) and so I could not claim both, which makes sense and I am totally cool with.

And there's your rub. CU doesn't consider your parent's residency. You're the only one that matters... they don't need your parent's information at all. This is why, despite being considered an in-state resident for undergrad (my mom's been a resident of Colorado since, like 1995), I'm not sure I would have qualified. Being considered in-state for admissions purposes and in-state for tuition purposes are two very different things... the admissions committee takes your word for it that you are a Colorado resident if you put CO as your state on AMCAS. The financial aid office requires that you prove it.

 

[sustentacular]

What I'm really thinking about is whether or not applying to my other however many schools would be better as a resident of NV or a resident of CO. i.e. maybe there are more competitive applicants coming from CO, or maybe it is less "diverse" or "interesting." Not that I'm trying to game the system but... well, yeah.. we all are. Especially given the fact that CU is such a hard place to get into!

Thanks for the replies so far, ya'll!

I could be wrong (and I'm sure someone will correct me if I am), but I think that your state residency is probably one of the last factors that comes into play when adcoms are considering class diversity.

My opinion is that you know you don't want to go to school in NV, but you still need the "in state" advantage at least somewhere. So claim CO and worry about residency for tuition purposes when the time comes.