Taking a year to establish in-state residency... MY PLAN. Thoughts?

[BTR1208]

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Alright so I simply REFUSE to go into 400k+ debt like some people are nowadays... Do I want to be a dentist? HELL YA. But imo unless I can keep debt under 200k it is not worth it.

So... Here is what I am considering doing.

-Taking the DAT this summer (at the end of my Junior year) Rock it and be done with it.

-Finish my degree next year and apply the first day the cycle opens.

-Move to Denver, CO where I have family living and let's just say a "pretty good" connection with the D-school. Establish residency in Colorado.

-Work at a dental clinic or volunteer during that year; also I should be a professional athlete in my sport by that time so it gives me a year to compete at the professional level and experience all that which would be great!

-Get into Colorado and come out with less than $200k total debt (undergrad+d-school).

BOOM!


Now the problem I may have with my plan...

-I am in a way putting all my eggs in one basket. My connection at the dental school in Colorado is about as good as one could wish for but that still does not 100% guarantee me admittance. I will apply to a few other schools as well but Colorado will be my #1 choice as I REALLY want the in state tuition. I don't get in but get into another more expensive school then I am just one year behind. I know not getting in period is also a possibility and I do not know what I would do then to be honest but let's not think about that. I WILL get in 🙂

I think this is my best option. I get a year off before dental school and at least give myself a chance to get an affordable dental school education.

What do you guys think?


OR do I apply this next cycle as I had planned and pay more? Such a tough decision. I am from Indiana and could get into IU but I do not like PBL..


Current Stats:
3.8 sGPA
3.75 oGPA

 

[futuredoc2019dds]

Colorado isn't that easy to get into. I know a lot of people (in-state residents included) that took 2-3 times to actually get in. Not to be a Debbie Downer, just stating the facts. On the other hand, Colorado is a GREAT school and trying to get residency is a good plan. My only suggestion is that if you are planning on doing this, make sure to talk to someone at the school in regards to establishing residency. A lot of people think it's an easy thing to do and don't seek advice from the residency officer beforehand and cannot get classified as a resident despite their efforts (I know this because I work at a Colorado public university and have seen this happen). Don't hold me to this, but I believe to be classified as a resident you must have all the residency documents dated a year before the start of the application cycle.

 

[BTR1208]

I have already checked on that and all they require is for me to be out there 12 full months before classes start and to have one legal connection to the state. Such as my car registered there or a CO license.

I know I am not guaranteed in regardless and it is a very tough program to get into but I think it is a risk I want to take 🙂

 

[WolfPackSigeEp]

I wish you the best of luck, but I am quite certain you wont be able to establish residency. It takes a minimum of 2 years to make it happen. These schools dive deep into your records.

 

[BTR1208]

I wish you the best of luck, but I am quite certain you wont be able to establish residency. It takes a minimum of 2 years to make it happen. These schools dive deep into your records.

Thank you for the reply but from reading this it states otherwise.. 12 months physically being in the state plus having at least ONE legal connection.

http://www.ucdenver.edu/student-services/resources/CostsAndFinancing/billing/Documents/brochAweb.pdf

 

[customx]

Why not move to Texas and be under $200k in debt? Cost of living is cheap, and there are 3 schools which you can apply to.

 

[LabCoatAndPearls]

Alright so I simply REFUSE to go into 400k+ debt like some people are nowadays... Do I want to be a dentist? HELL YA. But imo unless I can keep debt under 200k it is not worth it.

So... Here is what I am considering doing.

-Taking the DAT this summer (at the end of my Junior year) Rock it and be done with it.

-Finish my degree next year and apply the first day the cycle opens.

-Move to Denver, CO where I have family living and let's just say a "pretty good" connection with the D-school. Establish residency in Colorado.

-Work at a dental clinic or volunteer during that year; also I should be a professional athlete in my sport by that time so it gives me a year to compete at the professional level and experience all that which would be great!

-Get into Colorado and come out with less than $200k total debt (undergrad+d-school).

BOOM!


Now the problem I may have with my plan...

-I am in a way putting all my eggs in one basket. My connection at the dental school in Colorado is about as good as one could wish for but that still does not 100% guarantee me admittance. I will apply to a few other schools as well but Colorado will be my #1 choice as I REALLY want the in state tuition. I don't get in but get into another more expensive school then I am just one year behind. I know not getting in period is also a possibility and I do not know what I would do then to be honest but let's not think about that. I WILL get in 🙂

I think this is my best option. I get a year off before dental school and at least give myself a chance to get an affordable dental school education.

What do you guys think?


OR do I apply this next cycle as I had planned and pay more? Such a tough decision. I am from Indiana and could get into IU but I do not like PBL..


Current Stats:
3.8 sGPA
3.75 oGPA

I don't have anything solid to back this up, but I had a friend who interviewed at Indiana University and apparently they have gotten rid of PBL because the students there didn't like it... so maybe IU is a better choice for you now, knowing this?

 

[BTR1208]

Why not move to Texas and be under $200k in debt? Cost of living is cheap, and there are 3 schools which you can apply to.

I have family I could love with in Denver and ultimately that is where I would like to live. Although I do like TX may check out their residency guidelines as well. Good idea!

I don't have anything solid to back this up, but I had a friend who interviewed at Indiana University and apparently they have gotten rid of PBL because the students there didn't like it... so maybe IU is a better choice for you now, knowing this?

Ohhh was not aware of this.. Will look into it. Thanks!

 

[WolfPackSigeEp]

Thank you for the reply but from reading this it states otherwise.. 12 months physically being in the state plus having at least ONE legal connection.

http://www.ucdenver.edu/student-services/resources/CostsAndFinancing/billing/Documents/brochAweb.pdf

The quoted stats are the minimum requirements. Trust me, just because you meet the standards doesn't mean you will be granted instate tuition. If it appears that you have moved to the state for the sole purpose of attending school, then they have the grounds to deny instate tuition.

I hate to be the bad guy, but this is how it works. The state trains their employees to find these trends, so that they can make money.

either way, I hope it works out well for you.

 

[BTR1208]

The quoted stats are the minimum requirements. Trust me, just because you meet the standards doesn't mean you will be granted instate tuition. If it appears that you have moved to the state for the sole purpose of attending school, then they have the grounds to deny instate tuition.

I hate to be the bad guy, but this is how it works. The state trains their employees to find these trends, so that they can make money.

either way, I hope it works out well for you.

Bad guy? pshh man I appreciate the info! Better knowing this now than after..

Very good to know.

 

[arkenstone]

That was my plan. I've lived there previously and want to return. I'll be done with school this coming summer and was planning on moving back to Denver at that point, around the time I apply. However....here's the CU Boulder explanation of the Colorado law that governs all CU residency situations:

You must be a qualified person for at least one year to be eligible to establish a Colorado domicile and begin the one year domicile period necessary to qualify for in-state tuition. Adults, emancipated minors, graduate students or a married student are qualified persons.

http://www.colorado.edu/registrar/state-tuition/criteria-establish-residency

I sent an email to DDS admissions describing my plan--almost exactly as yours--and they advised that I would still be considered out of state when classes start, even though I would have lived/worked/voted/licensed for 12 months before classes start.

Perhaps you could make a better case if you applied after having lived there for a while. But that's difficult. Each state seems to have different tendencies on this subject, and all the info I've received indicates that Colorado is very conservative in handing out in-sate tuition.

On the other hand, I've also lived in Virginia and North Carolina, and both VCU and UNC have indicated that a similar plan--moving back to VA or NC instead of CO--has success potential for getting residency.

And CU is so expensive as out-of-state, I probably won't apply at all. I'm still trying to decide.

 

[HattoriHanzo]

I have family I could love with in Denver and ultimately that is where I would like to live. Although I do like TX may check out their residency guidelines as well. Good idea!



Ohhh was not aware of this.. Will look into it. Thanks!

i interviewed at iu and i can confirm that they got rid of pbl. all lecture based now. do you think you'll apply next cycle as planned and go to iu? whatever your plan, good luck!

and just outta curiosity, what sport do you play?

 

[wildzodiac]

Just a question for you real quick. You said you would take the DAT this summer and apply the first day AADSAS opens. Correct me if I am wrong, but I am guessing that it will open June 1 like it typically does. Are you going to apply on June 1, then take your DAT?

What sport will you play for professionally? I really want to know!!!

 

[BTR1208]

i interviewed at iu and i can confirm that they got rid of pbl. all lecture based now. do you think you'll apply next cycle as planned and go to iu? whatever your plan, good luck!

and just outta curiosity, what sport do you play?

EXCELLENT! Yes I will apply to IU this upcoming cycle! I would like to get out of Indiana but hey for the in state tuition I will take it.

Not a sport technically but bodybuilding...

Just a question for you real quick. You said you would take the DAT this summer and apply the first day AADSAS opens. Correct me if I am wrong, but I am guessing that it will open June 1 like it typically does. Are you going to apply on June 1, then take your DAT?

What sport will you play for professionally? I really want to know!!!

I would only be able to apply the following year on the first day the cycle opens. So I would have taken my DAT this June and applied next cycle (the following year) the first day it opened. I still will be fairly early but will not be first batch..

 

[jellybean17]

Alright so I simply REFUSE to go into 400k+ debt like some people are nowadays... Do I want to be a dentist? HELL YA. But imo unless I can keep debt under 200k it is not worth it.

So... Here is what I am considering doing.

-Taking the DAT this summer (at the end of my Junior year) Rock it and be done with it.

-Finish my degree next year and apply the first day the cycle opens.

-Move to Denver, CO where I have family living and let's just say a "pretty good" connection with the D-school. Establish residency in Colorado.

-Work at a dental clinic or volunteer during that year; also I should be a professional athlete in my sport by that time so it gives me a year to compete at the professional level and experience all that which would be great!

-Get into Colorado and come out with less than $200k total debt (undergrad+d-school).

BOOM!


Now the problem I may have with my plan...

-I am in a way putting all my eggs in one basket. My connection at the dental school in Colorado is about as good as one could wish for but that still does not 100% guarantee me admittance. I will apply to a few other schools as well but Colorado will be my #1 choice as I REALLY want the in state tuition. I don't get in but get into another more expensive school then I am just one year behind. I know not getting in period is also a possibility and I do not know what I would do then to be honest but let's not think about that. I WILL get in 🙂

I think this is my best option. I get a year off before dental school and at least give myself a chance to get an affordable dental school education.

What do you guys think?


OR do I apply this next cycle as I had planned and pay more? Such a tough decision. I am from Indiana and could get into IU but I do not like PBL..


Current Stats:
3.8 sGPA
3.75 oGPA

Did you think about joining the ARM FORCES? There are some pretty good deals there. I have a friend that went Active Duty after completing her residency program and they helped pay back her loan, plus, the time in is good practice, good hours, decent pay, health benefits and retirement after 20 yrs...If they pay for school and you do your time there is this scholarship, which give you at least 8 yrs toward the 20, and then doing and AGD through the branch of training gives you 9..seriously, It takes about 5-6 yrs of working in practice before you feel comfortable about your skills.( according to some of my friends).. Some practices actual look highly on your training in the military too....Had I known more, I would have absolutely pursued it earlier. I have to still meet up with the recruiter.