Taking a year off to get resident status

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BYUIDoctor

BYUIDoctor

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Has anyone ever heard of anyone, or done this themselves.....

I'm considering taking a year off and moving to to Indiana in hopes to gain resident status.

Would anybody recommend this? If so, would it be smart to apply this year to see if I would get accepted before I make the move? Or would that hinder my chances of getting in next year?
 
Check with the school to make sure that will actually work for you. I know that Oregon has the policy that if you move to the school for the intent of education, you are a non-resident. Whether they'll work in that extra year and count it as you just really wanting to live in that state... I'm not sure.
 
I've thought about this as well for some schools. The problem is, you don't know if you'll even get into that school. If you're pretty set on one school, have an honest chance, and wouldn't mind reapplying, I guess it should be do-able.

I think some of the basic requirements are living in the state for at least a year, have some utilities in your name, as well as show financial independence/income for that time you're there. It sounds like you really have to be living there and intend to stay there not just for school. Worth looking into. I have heard, however, that some students at SUNY and Berkeley have been able to get in-state status after their first year, anyone have any experience with that?



Sources:

http://www.suny.edu/Student/paying_residence.cfm

http://registrar.berkeley.edu/Residency/legalinfo.html
 
JeffChou said:
I've thought about this as well for some schools. The problem is, you don't know if you'll even get into that school. If you're pretty set on one school, have an honest chance, and wouldn't mind reapplying, I guess it should be do-able.

I think some of the basic requirements are living in the state for at least a year, have some utilities in your name, as well as show financial independence/income for that time you're there. It sounds like you really have to be living there and intend to stay there not just for school. Worth looking into. I have heard, however, that some students at SUNY and Berkeley have been able to get in-state status after their first year, anyone have any experience with that?



Sources:

http://www.suny.edu/Student/paying_residence.cfm

http://registrar.berkeley.edu/Residency/legalinfo.html
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Any out of state residents may qualify for in-state tuition after 1 year at SUNY. I heard it's quite easy.
 
BYUIDoctor said:
Has anyone ever heard of anyone, or done this themselves.....

I'm considering taking a year off and moving to to Indiana in hopes to gain resident status.

Would anybody recommend this? If so, would it be smart to apply this year to see if I would get accepted before I make the move? Or would that hinder my chances of getting in next year?
Click to expand...

This is a poor decision, IMHO.

If you are admitted to a school, just go. In almost all cases, the amount of money that you will make in that one extra year working as a doctor will be far in excess of what you'll save by waiting a year to save on a year or even two years worth of tuition expenses. That also doesn't consider the fact that tuition may (likely) continue to rise year after year.

If you get admitted, go to school.
 
You better research this quickly. Indiana is one of the hardest states to gain resident status in. I don't think you would qualify by spending a year in Indiana. I know other states are much easier to do this in.
 
KHE....


I agree that the money I will make in my first year will be quite a bit, however the school I am interested in is Indiana:

in-state $13,447
out-of-state $28,724

In tuition alone I would save over $60,000. I would also work full-time and probably make somewhere around $30,000 (at least).

Being $60,000 may not sound bad knowing that I could make up to $80,000 my first year in practice, but what about the interest that comes with that? The fact that I will want to buy a home after school and begin a private practice would mean paying that money off would take years!

You're right though, it may still be a poor decision, especially knowing how difficult it is to get in-state tuition in Indiana. It's a big risk!

Thanks for your input.
 
BYUIDoctor said:
KHE....


I agree that the money I will make in my first year will be quite a bit, however the school I am interested in is Indiana:

in-state $13,447
out-of-state $28,724

In tuition alone I would save over $60,000. I would also work full-time and probably make somewhere around $30,000 (at least).

Being $60,000 may not sound bad knowing that I could make up to $80,000 my first year in practice, but what about the interest that comes with that? The fact that I will want to buy a home after school and begin a private practice would mean paying that money off would take years!

You're right though, it may still be a poor decision, especially knowing how difficult it is to get in-state tuition in Indiana. It's a big risk!

Thanks for your input.
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Maybe I'm misunderstanding but I think your calculation of a $60000 difference in tuition is incorrect because you would not be paying $15000 difference in all 4 years, only in one or may be 2. So at most, you are talking about a $30000 difference in tuition. Are you expecting that if you DONT do this one year residency thing that you will be charged out of state tuition all 4 years?

I don't know what kind of a job you have now but I'm going assume that you make less than what a starting OD would make. As such, you are "making" $15000 + whatever you can earn at a job in your year off. Unless that amount comes out to MORE than what you could make as a 1st year OD, it is a poor decision. Just go to school.
 
Indiana's website has every year broken down to the exact tuition cost for in-state and out-of-state, along with corresponding equipment for each year.
Here is what the totals came out to be:

$131,219 --- out of state
$67,274 --- in state

Difference of ---- $63,945

Yes, I will probably make more than that my first year of practice, but after considering the costs of a mortgage and everything else, I obviously won't be able to make up that kind of debt in one year. Like I said, it would take years to pay off the additional amount---wouln't it? I'm not saying that I am going to try to do this for sure, but I think to cut the cost in half it's at least worth looking into isn't it?

I'm still open for help in understanding, especially considering your senior status with SDN, as well as the fact that you are a SDN mentor.
 
BYUIDoctor said:
Indiana's website has every year broken down to the exact tuition cost for in-state and out-of-state, along with corresponding equipment for each year.
Here is what the totals came out to be:

$131,219 --- out of state
$67,274 --- in state

Difference of ---- $63,945

Yes, I will probably make more than that my first year of practice, but after considering the costs of a mortgage and everything else, I obviously won't be able to make up that kind of debt in one year. Like I said, it would take years to pay off the additional amount---wouln't it? I'm not saying that I am going to try to do this for sure, but I think to cut the cost in half it's at least worth looking into isn't it?

I'm still open for help in understanding, especially considering your senior status with SDN, as well as the fact that you are a SDN mentor.
Click to expand...


You should definitely call student administration and talk to the financial representative. She could at least get you to someone who would know the answer. I don't know how you could legitimately say you moved to the state for any other reason than going to Opt school. It is a great school though, and you're making a great choice. I wouldn't count on finding a good job in Indiana. We are completely oversaturated with ODs. Indiana and surrounding states contain 5 of the 16 US optomtery schools!
 
BYUIDoctor said:
Indiana's website has every year broken down to the exact tuition cost for in-state and out-of-state, along with corresponding equipment for each year.
Here is what the totals came out to be:

$131,219 --- out of state
$67,274 --- in state

Difference of ---- $63,945

Yes, I will probably make more than that my first year of practice, but after considering the costs of a mortgage and everything else, I obviously won't be able to make up that kind of debt in one year. Like I said, it would take years to pay off the additional amount---wouln't it? I'm not saying that I am going to try to do this for sure, but I think to cut the cost in half it's at least worth looking into isn't it?

I'm still open for help in understanding, especially considering your senior status with SDN, as well as the fact that you are a SDN mentor.
Click to expand...

I can't make any statements as to what the residency requirements are to establish residency in the state of Indiana.

But even if you have to pay a year or even two of out of state tuition, you would still be paying in state tuition for the final two years. So therefore the total amount you would be saving would be 32000 if you were "out of state" for two of the four years and only 16000 if you were "out of state" for only one of the four years.

If you are going to make $75000 as a first year OD, you would need to make at least $59000 at whatever job you take during your year off to establish residence to make the plan you are considering even worthwhile.
 
KHE said:
But even if you have to pay a year or even two of out of state tuition, you would still be paying in state tuition for the final two years. So therefore the total amount you would be saving would be 32000 if you were "out of state" for two of the four years and only 16000 if you were "out of state" for only one of the four years.
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If this is how it actually works, someone at IU owes me a lot of money. I lived there all four years and paid out-of-state the whole time.
 
KHE makes sense.. "Just go to school!" 😎
 
eyestrain said:
If this is how it actually works, someone at IU owes me a lot of money. I lived there all four years and paid out-of-state the whole time.
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Doesn't work like that. Once you are in school at IU you cannot gain resident status. I've heard some other schools will do this, IU will not. IU's system makes sense. You and your family have not been paying Indiana state taxes at all, let alone years and years.

Even tough the out of state is salty, its still better than a lot of the private schools. I think most would consider IU towards the top of the pack.
 
I moved to San Diego a year before I started my undergrad to get residency status. I saved a ton of money in doing so! 😎
 
So what other schools are like Indiana regarding the out of state/in state thing? This is very disappointing to hear because Indiana is my top choice and I will most likely be moving there for my husband's job just as I'm applying... I mean I'll be excited just to get in, but it'll be a real shame if I have to pay out of state tuition all four years when I would have been living there regardless.
 
alliecat415 said:
So what other schools are like Indiana regarding the out of state/in state thing? This is very disappointing to hear because Indiana is my top choice and I will most likely be moving there for my husband's job just as I'm applying... I mean I'll be excited just to get in, but it'll be a real shame if I have to pay out of state tuition all four years when I would have been living there regardless.
Click to expand...

You should probably talk to the bursar's office about that because in your situation you could probably make the argument that the PRIMARY reason you are moving to Indiana is because of your husbands job. As such, you may only have to pay out of state tuition for a year. But again, consuult the bursar's office.
 
I spoke with IU's registrar's office today. They told me that there is no way to tell me for sure if I will get in-state tuition by moving there a year in advance. I was told that if I just moved there after I graduate in hopes of finding a job then my chances aren't good. On the other hand, if I get a job prior to moving out there then it increases my chances.

We'll see how the OAT goes before I pursue this any further.
 
BYUIDoctor said:
I spoke with IU's registrar's office today. They told me that there is no way to tell me for sure if I will get in-state tuition by moving there a year in advance. I was told that if I just moved there after I graduate in hopes of finding a job then my chances aren't good. On the other hand, if I get a job prior to moving out there then it increases my chances.

We'll see how the OAT goes before I pursue this any further.
Click to expand...


That's unfortunate that nobody has a straight answer for you. I'm sure there a lot of other applicants in your shoes. Good luck and let us know how it turns out.
 
I think KHE makes a good point. It seems to me that you are taking a huge risk for possibly nothing, that you assume that you will get accepted to IU AND get the resident status. Granted I know nothing about IU, but I wouldn't risk it. If you are set on IU, you should apply to other schools as well in case you don't get accepted. Why take such a big chance and a year off to possibly break even, or as you said, save a little money? PCO, the school I will be attending this fall, has agreements with different states. I'm from PA, which means a 6K reduction in tuition per year, I think. However, this amount is lower than people who are from other states. I remember you mentioning a big difference in price between resident and non-resident at IU. OSU is the same way. If I was in your shoes, I'd probably look at other schools that have a lower cost, if that is what you're worried about. It just happened to me that the school I was interested in offered a discount for PA residents. I knew that I'd get a great education from there, so I went for it.
 
I am starting school at IU this fall. I was told very plainly at my interview and visit that it is nearly impossible to gain Indiana residency while attending school. Most students who start as out-of-state students will pay that rate all four years. However, there is one exception that I have spoken to the bursar's office about. My husband will be moving with me to Bloomington and because he will be working full-time there, he will be an Indiana resident after one year. Therefore I will be married to an Indiana resident, and I will qualify for residency and pay in-state tuition after the first year. So if you had any thoughts about getting married now would be a good time (just kidding of course).
 
iowaeyes said:
I am starting school at IU this fall. I was told very plainly at my interview and visit that it is nearly impossible to gain Indiana residency while attending school. Most students who start as out-of-state students will pay that rate all four years. However, there is one exception that I have spoken to the bursar's office about. My husband will be moving with me to Bloomington and because he will be working full-time there, he will be an Indiana resident after one year. Therefore I will be married to an Indiana resident, and I will qualify for residency and pay in-state tuition after the first year. So if you had any thoughts about getting married now would be a good time (just kidding of course).
Click to expand...

Do you mean after one year of living there without going to school?
 
eyestrain said:
Do you mean after one year of living there without going to school?
Click to expand...

No, I mean one year of living there while I am attending school. I will pay out of state for the first year and in state for the last 3. For this to work, your spouse has to be working and not attending school at all. And of course you have to meet other residency requirements such as registered vehicles in the state, state driver's license, etc.
 
iowaeyes said:
No, I mean one year of living there while I am attending school. I will pay out of state for the first year and in state for the last 3. For this to work, your spouse has to be working and not attending school at all. And of course you have to meet other residency requirements such as registered vehicles in the state, state driver's license, etc.
Click to expand...

Well, that's exactly what my situation was and I paid out-of-state the whole time. I'd double check with the bursar because I'm not buying it.
 
iowaeyes said:
No, I mean one year of living there while I am attending school. I will pay out of state for the first year and in state for the last 3. For this to work, your spouse has to be working and not attending school at all. And of course you have to meet other residency requirements such as registered vehicles in the state, state driver's license, etc.
Click to expand...

Hmm, when I was in school I never heard of this working. A lot of the out of state students had working spouses while I was at IU. More power to you if it works.

If anyone has really high GPAs, SCO just started buying these students by offering huge scholarships. They have stolen several top candidates from IU this way.
 
IndianaOD said:
If anyone has really high GPAs, SCO just started buying these students by offering huge scholarships. They have stolen several top candidates from IU this way.
Click to expand...

IndianaOD I know you're going to hate me for this, but SCO is actually one of my top choices--right up there with Indiana. What attracts me most is the price of their tuition and the Hayes Center for Practice Excellence they have their. What attracts me least, however, is living in the slums of Tennessee or having to commute 30 to 40 minutes everyday to school!

Anyway, what kind of GPA (I'm assuming OAT scores too) are you talking about to get "hugh scholarships?"
 
BYUIDoctor said:
IndianaOD I know you're going to hate me for this, but SCO is actually one of my top choices--right up there with Indiana. What attracts me most is the price of their tuition and the Hayes Center for Practice Excellence they have their. What attracts me least, however, is living in the slums of Tennessee or having to commute 30 to 40 minutes everyday to school!

Anyway, what kind of GPA (I'm assuming OAT scores too) are you talking about to get "hugh scholarships?"
Click to expand...

I was hearing around 3.7+, but it wouldn't hurt to ask. Heck, if the tuition was 50k less I wouldn't blame you. I think IU is probably slightly better as a school (much better for research) but both will make you an OD. True, I've definitely heard the location is far from ideal.
 
I'm pretty sure my future roommate is actually doing this at IU. I know she was accepted and deferred for a year. (Trying to get in-state after one year of school definitely won't work.)

But I'm not sure what she did in that year to be considered in-state, because I know Indiana is one of the toughest to do that.

So i guess it's do-able, but tough. Sorry i don't have more info.
 
BYUIDoctor said:
Has anyone ever heard of anyone, or done this themselves.....

I'm considering taking a year off and moving to to Indiana in hopes to gain resident status.

Would anybody recommend this? If so, would it be smart to apply this year to see if I would get accepted before I make the move? Or would that hinder my chances of getting in next year?
Click to expand...

Absolutely NOT! Don't even try it. IU is a good school but when it comes to tuition...they are nazi's. I have friends who go to IU and you have to go before a panel and "plead your case" and most likely...you'll get rejected. People who are married try to claim in-state a yr later b/c their spouses are working and they get a BIG...FAT...NO!

The "tuition" joke @ IU is, "If you want instate tution...marry a Hoosier; but that probably won't work either!" -administration
 
KHE said:
This is a poor decision, IMHO.

If you are admitted to a school, just go. In almost all cases, the amount of money that you will make in that one extra year working as a doctor will be far in excess of what you'll save by waiting a year to save on a year or even two years worth of tuition expenses. That also doesn't consider the fact that tuition may (likely) continue to rise year after year.

If you get admitted, go to school.
Click to expand...

are you serious? "the amount of money that you will make in 1 extra year..."

are you an od?

there is no way this statement rings true if the tuition is >30k. new grads not only have a hard time getting meaningful employment, but there are other quick expenses to follow.

of course its a risk for the OP to move to a state just to acquire residency status, but state schools for in-state residents are easier to get accepted into rather than private.

horrible argument you made for the $$.
 
BYUIDoctor said:
Has anyone ever heard of anyone, or done this themselves.....

I'm considering taking a year off and moving to to Indiana in hopes to gain resident status.

Would anybody recommend this? If so, would it be smart to apply this year to see if I would get accepted before I make the move? Or would that hinder my chances of getting in next year?
Click to expand...


BYUIDoctor, if the money is such an issue for you than don't go to indiana!!!! Try for a school where you can gain resident status after a year, there's atleast a few of them. In the end you're going to have an OD degree and noone really gives a sht where it came from. The issue isn't worth wasting a year for!
 
IndianaOD said:
Hmm, when I was in school I never heard of this working. A lot of the out of state students had working spouses while I was at IU. More power to you if it works.

If anyone has really high GPAs, SCO just started buying these students by offering huge scholarships. They have stolen several top candidates from IU this way.
Click to expand...

I got a scholarship. IU was never on my list of schools. I'm pretty sure that goes with most of my other classmates. Stealing? That is such a derogatory remark.

SCO scholarships are ALL privately funded from alum and vision companies. Tuition money isn't used. And no... Wal-mart/LUX are not donors.

Maybe IU should take a look at its own fundraising campaign?


As far as academics are concerned, they speak for themselves. SCO's 2006 1st time taker passage rate of 98%, new eye clinic with 75 exam rooms + ophth suite (our eye clinic is right next door and not spread out like IU), and a superb patient base. I will give IU credit as a better research school. However, 2 dry eye treatments were recently patented by SCO.
 
blazenmadison said:
As far as academics are concerned, they speak for themselves. SCO's 2006 1st time taker passage rate of 98%, new eye clinic with 75 exam rooms + ophth suite (our eye clinic is right next door and not spread out like IU), and a superb patient base. I will give IU credit as a better research school. However, 2 dry eye treatments were recently patented by SCO.
Click to expand...

What's your point? I don't think IndianaOD was saying that IU is better than SCO.
 
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