Switching to Colorado residency.... good idea?

[thelarson]

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Hi everyone,

I'm a junior in undergrad, and I've decided to take some time off before vet school, most likely to do the Peace Corps and/or travel. The other day, I thought of the idea to, when I return from overseas, move to Colorado before I apply to vet school and establish residency there, as I would absolutely love to go to CSU, based on the credentials of the school (especially equine), the location - mountains, family nearby, etc., and the *very* cheap in-state tuition. I have a few questions:

1) Do I have to be a Colorado resident when I apply to be considered in the in-state applicant pool and for in-state tuition, or just be eligible when I actually start vet school (the latter meaning I could move there the summer before I apply and pass the year-mark of domicile before starting classes the following fall)?

2) I know CSU is very competitive. I currently have Ohio residency, which I don't necessarily want to give up as they accept so many in-state people per year, but if I got into CSU, I would go, bar-none. Just as a brief overview, I have a 3.8 GPA, double major in Animal Science and Zoology with a minor in International Development. I have about 1200 hours of vet experience (350 small animal, 700 research, 50 emergency, 50 equine, 10 wildlife) and will accumulate probably another 2,000 hours of equine this summer at Peterson & Smith Equine Hospital. I have about 1800 hours of animal experience (kennel work, 8 years of riding/horse experience, marine biology field research). If I do the Peace Corps in animal husbandry, this will add 2 years of experience working in animal health in a foreign country (encouraging/giving vaccinations, improving nutrition, teaching people proper husbandry and simple procedures (castration, hoof trimming...), etc.) Extracurriculars: pre-vet association, study abroad in South Africa, fundraising climb up Kilimanjaro for a hospital in Tanzania, Tufts Adventures in Veterinary Medicine program, involvement in a couple of African-focused organizations, and working on an international development project through my university. (okay, sorry, that wasn't very brief, hahaha!)

So what do you think? Reasonable idea and reasonable chance of admission if I go out there, or should I stick with Ohio residency and apply as out-of-state to CSU?

 

[No Imagination]

I really don't see the point. Sure you would rather go to CSU, but you already have OH residency. You can only state one residency on your VMCAS application. If they question your residency (which they may, as they have $$ riding on it as well) - you may be screwing yourself out of any chance at getting into an IS school.

 

[sumstorm]

I understand what your asking, and I understand the desire. I think the thing you will have to decide is which school do you want into the most and which do you have the best chance to get into.

Do either allow establishment of residency for the second year? That might be a way of hedging your bets.

As I understand it, you will have to chose one or the other as you can not apply at IS to both.

One thing to remember, unless it has changed since I graduated, is that Peace Corp does not guarantee assignments. That means that you apply, and it can take a while to process that, approve and assign you. Generally, 3-6 months, and the committment is for 27 months (3 months training, 2 years of service.) You can state your preferences such as region and assignment but it isn't guaranteed. If you have a field of expertise, they do try to match you....but it isn't a sealed deal that you will be working with animals. My friend, an arts/education major, ended up working on water purification systems. She was fluent in spanish and portugese, but ended up assigned to Africa.

Now, I am NOT discouraging you from the Peace Corp...I have a great admiration for those who join... but it is kind of like the military....it may not be quite what is imagined (or mentioned.) I am a big advocate of foreign experience and education, especially when conducted as a worker or researcher rather than as a tourist.

There are international vet trips that you could join, as it sounds like you know about. There are also non-profit organizations in most countries that would appreciate your assistance and volunteerism many of which could guarantee you work with veterinarians and/or animals.

best wishes!

 

[aeneas07]

You can only be a resident of one state and while it may be different for each school, it is generally 1 year prior to the start of classes. So yes you could move the summer before you apply, however you would give up your ohio residency.

If you really want to go to CSU, you are much better off going IS as their acceptance is around 30% (75/235) vs 2% (25/1267) for OOS.

Not to say you wouldn't get in with your background, but the odds are heavily in your favor if you were to move.

 

[Caninerepro]

If I might be of help here, I moved to CO 3 years ago to establish residency here, finish a bachelors and also ended up doing CSU's masters program here as well. I will say, CSU is on to the fact that MANY people come here to establish residency before applying to the vet school. That is almost considered the norm. Also, they are not really all that big on animal science degrees -- equine science may well be a different matter. Why not transfer here as an undergrad and do their second to none equine science bachelors degree? While I am not a horse guy myself, I have toured many other vet schools and will say, CSU's equine program is far and above better than any other like program in the country. It is BIG, and their facilities are beyond huge -- they actually have another small campus about 3 miles away from the main campus built exclusively for their equine program, and next door to their world famous reproductive campus.
Now, I have to tell you that CSU is a research school, and wants applicants with research experience. Also, no matter what they may try to publish as to median GPA's, a 3.8 is just an average undergrad GPA for the accepted class. In my MS program that was built around the needs of pre-vet and pre-med students, only 3 of the 26 animal based students who applied to CSU this year were accepted. They claim to accept 75 in state students, but the truth is, they only take 35 - 40 Colorado people, the rest are WICHE students from surrounding states. I had a 3.4 undergrad GPA, a 3.94 last 45 credit GPA, a 1560 GRE score, a letter of rec. from a past president of the national vet specialty association in my chosen field and did not even get wait listed at my "home school". I have gotten in to several other, out of state schools however, so that is not all that big of a deal to me. In fact, CSU and MO were the only schools I applied to that did not waitlist or at least give me an interview, so consider the source. 😛

Inorder to get in-state status, I drove out here in March, got a PO box, and applied to undergrad through that address. I had also previously gone to CSU for the first part of my BS degree a few years ago. For the VMCAS, you would at the very least need to use a CO address on it in order to be considered as a CO resident for application purposes. Once accepted as out of state, you are not allowed to change your residency status here at CSU -- in fact several CO residents each year accept out of state slots (an option here if you do not get in on an in state position). They simply pay OS for 4 years for the great honor of a CSU diploma on the wall. CSU knows all too well that is CSU, the #2 vet school in the country. That said, I too am a proud ram, and I love CSU like no other. This IS my home school, even if the DVM diploma on my wall will not read Colorado State.

Kai

Kai

 

[Caninerepro]

One other thing I noticed I forgot to inculde, the entering class size here is 135, not the 100 you would get if you added up the totals from a previous poster. This really is a big school in terms of class size, so much so that for years 3 and 4 you go to another campus, where the VTH is located. They are also building a lot of new buildings onto that campus -- it alone is bigger and more impressive that most 4 year campuses. The school is huge, well funded, and all around excellent -- it is CSU afterall. They have no problem telling you that here! But, it is also located in Fort Collins, one of the best, most livable towns in the entire country, home to more microbreweries per capita than any other city in the country, including New Belgium, brewers of Fat Tire beer. A very cool town built around the college and the music scene.

Kai

 

[catlover]

They claim to accept 75 in state students, but the truth is, they only take 35 - 40 Colorado people, the rest are WICHE students from surrounding states.

Actually, they do accept 75 CO residents. The WICHE students are separate. In 2008 there were 75 CO residents, 34 WICHE and 25 OOS.

http://www.cvmbs.colostate.edu/cvmbs/profile.htm

 

[CBRGrl]

Not sure how much my advice will help, but I don't see anything wrong with moving to CO if CSU is really your dream school. I moved to CO solely to establish residency and attend the vet school here. (Though my IS does not have a vet school).

I was rejected on my first application cycle (I had been living in CO for exactly one year), but after that, I did the Master's Program at CSU and was accepted (I guess Im one of the 3 Caninepro is talking about?). You have good experience and a great GPA (despite what other people here have said, 3.8 is NOT average for accepted people...heck, my GPA was 3.2 for UGrad and 3.9 for MS and I got in...though, in fairness, the admissions process is fickel and finecky!).

I do agree wit the other poster that CSU does look favorably on research experience, so maybe you could fit that into your plans for the next few years before you apply. Also, they are one of the few schools that DO NOT allow people to change their residency status after school starts. So if you start as OOS, you remain OOS for all 4 years.

Once piece of advice I can give you tho is to try to take a full load of classes while you're in CO to prove to the adcoms that you can handle their calibur of upper division courses (Im definately an advicate of the MS-B program here as long as you take it seriously and get straight A's). A good GPA is impressive, but good vet experience, research experience, and a good GPA in a full load of upper division science courses can make your application.

I guess, my main point is that residency is residency. If CSU is your dream school it may be worth it to you to try to get in as an IS student especially if you have the time to make it happen. Ive never heard of anyone being given favorable/disfavorable treatment because of the amount of time they have been a resident of the state.

 

[No Imagination]

Once piece of advice I can give you tho is to try to take a full load of classes while you're in CO

Is that wise? I was always under (mistaken?) impression that if you moved to a state, and enrolled in school, (Undergrad or not) you would not be allowed to change your residency. You would fall into a category of "Declaring residency for educational purposes".

I very well be 100% wrong about this, but I was under the impression you had to live in a state for +1 year without attending school.

Also, I love the fact that State Residency doesn't even exist outside of the academic world.

You can work in one state, 'live' in another, have your "Home" in a third, Vote and get a drivers license in either of the two. As long as you pay your taxes to the right "states" no one cares how you label yourself.

Yeah, there are some things that get iffy, like X-state line insurance, but you know what I mean

 

[CBRGrl]

Is that wise? I was always under (mistaken?) impression that if you moved to a state, and enrolled in school, (Undergrad or not) you would not be allowed to change your residency. You would fall into a category of "Declaring residency for educational purposes".

I very well be 100% wrong about this, but I was under the impression you had to live in a state for +1 year without attending school.

This is a really good point, and I think it differs depending on the state. I attended school while establishing my residency in CO, but you have to make sure you pay out of state tuition until you are granted residency. Even if you are eligible for cheaper tuition thru the state you are moving from (through WICHE or WUE..etc), pay out-of-state or they will not grant you residency! Here's some links to useful info:

http://highered.colorado.gov/Finance/Residency/faq.html
Go here, about 3/4 down the page you'll find this quote:
"Q. Can I establish "in-state" status while a student?
A. Yes, but the mere fact that you are a student, part-time or full-time, is not alone sufficient evidence to consider you an "in-state" student. You must still demonstrate your physical presence and intent before you can be considered "in-state.""


Also, here is what CSU PVM specifically requires:

http://sfs.colostate.edu/I26000.cfm



Hope this helps!

 

[nyanko]

Is that wise? I was always under (mistaken?) impression that if you moved to a state, and enrolled in school, (Undergrad or not) you would not be allowed to change your residency. You would fall into a category of "Declaring residency for educational purposes".

I very well be 100% wrong about this, but I was under the impression you had to live in a state for +1 year without attending school.

As CBRGirl said, it depends on the school and state, and also sometimes on your level of schooling. Many states allow you to gain residency as a graduate student but not as an undergrad after attending school full time for a year.

 

[sumstorm]

Is that wise? I was always under (mistaken?) impression that if you moved to a state, and enrolled in school, (Undergrad or not) you would not be allowed to change your residency. You would fall into a category of "Declaring residency for educational purposes".

I very well be 100% wrong about this, but I was under the impression you had to live in a state for +1 year without attending school.

Also, I love the fact that State Residency doesn't even exist outside of the academic world.

You can work in one state, 'live' in another, have your "Home" in a third, Vote and get a drivers license in either of the two. As long as you pay your taxes to the right "states" no one cares how you label yourself.

Yeah, there are some things that get iffy, like X-state line insurance, but you know what I mean

I think that in many states (each one is different) you have to also work and earn X amount or be employed for X months. It really varies (as I have learned from establishing residency in 6 states now.)

Oh, don't assume that state/county/municipality residency doesn't occur outside of the academic world. It happens in some governnment positions as well, especially in cities on state borders. For most jobs it doesn't matter, though...except for tax purposes. And in some states for car insurance/registration/etc.

 

[Caninerepro]

Well I did not have much trouble changing to CO residency, but I am a bit over 23. CSU is an awesome school, I love it here. But, it is a tough school to get into. I wish you excellent luck. So does Enzo (the puppy pictured, who is now 7).

Kai