The "Easy states" for applying

[tenable2]

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I've done a search for this to no avail, so I hope it's ok for me to ask this.

I'm seriously considering moving to a different state to establish residency so that I can have an "easier" time when I apply to allo schools. Right now, I'm a FL resident, which is pretty brutal. I know it's tough everywhere, but does anyone know which states are the "easiest" in regards to the admissions process? (Please, no lectures on semantics; I used quotation marks. )
I heard Texas was a good state so I'm considering that. Please help!

 

[drizzt3117]

I've done a search for this to no avail, so I hope it's ok for me to ask this.

I'm seriously considering moving to a different state to establish residency so that I can have an "easier" time when I apply to allo schools. Right now, I'm a FL resident, which is pretty brutal. I know it's tough everywhere, but does anyone know which states are the "easiest" in regards to the admissions process? (Please, no lectures on semantics; I used quotation marks. )
I heard Texas was a good state so I'm considering that. Please help!

Why do you think Florida is brutal? It's one of the better states to have residency in... A lot of state schools (USF, UCF, Miami, FSU, UF) that heavily favor in state residents and even help them out by taking postbac into account (Miami)... Texas is nice because it has cheap tuition but I'm not sure the chances of getting in there are higher given the higher population. A lot of OOS people apply to TX schools too. The best states are probably low population ones with one state school that accepts almost 100% IS.

 

[LandSpeed]

I've done a search for this to no avail, so I hope it's ok for me to ask this.

I'm seriously considering moving to a different state to establish residency so that I can have an "easier" time when I apply to allo schools. Right now, I'm a FL resident, which is pretty brutal. I know it's tough everywhere, but does anyone know which states are the "easiest" in regards to the admissions process? (Please, no lectures on semantics; I used quotation marks. )
I heard Texas was a good state so I'm considering that. Please help!

I'm thinking about doing the same thing. The states I'm looking at are Florida, Vermont, and Arizona. I'm from California, though, so to me, Florida looks pretty good. Florida state looks easy to get into, to me.

 

[DrMidlife]

Impossible question to answer, as described in this thread: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=451407

 

[LandSpeed]

A lot of state schools (USF, UCF, Miami, FSU, UF) that heavily favor in state residents and even help them out by taking postbac into account (Miami)...

Hi Dr Izzit, what do you mean about "taking postbac into account" ?? Do you mean that Florida schools have a preference for postbac students from schools like the U of Miami and U of North Florida, similar to the preference they give for in state residents? I'm thinking about going to the U of Miami postbac, and I'm from CA, so this is an issue for me. Thanks 😀

 

[Hell and Back]

According to the MSAR for this year, the best state that I could find is...........KENTUCKY. The two state schools there (U of Louisville and U. of Kentucky) enroll a whopping 55% of the TOTAL applicants. And that's not counting the people in that state who were accepted at either of these two schools, but later accepted elsewhere.

A total of 355 people from KY applied last year. Of those, over 2/3s were interviewed EACH by U of L and UK. Finally, U of L enrolled 114 people, and UK enrolled 79 people.

That's 114 + 79 = 193 out of 355 state applicants were awarded spots at either institution. That's 55%. If you throw in an extra 15 or so people (could be higher) for people who were accepted at either institution but went elsewhere, you could be looking at a total state applicants accepted to any US allopathic school of around 60% or higher.

Florida is also NICE -- out of approx. 1,340 FL applicants, 468 state residents were accepted to a FL school. That's a generous 35%. ANd that's not accounting for the people in FL who went elsewhere. I'd say the rate of FL residents attending any allopathic school in the US was probably around 40-43%. Not bad at all!

Stays were ya' are!

HAB

 

[Yourmother]

According to the MSAR for this year, the best state that I could find is...........KENTUCKY. The two state schools there (U of Louisville and U. of Kentucky) enroll a whopping 55% of the TOTAL applicants. And that's not counting the people in that state who were accepted at either of these two schools, but later accepted elsewhere.

A total of 355 people from KY applied last year. Of those, over 2/3s were interviewed EACH by U of L and UK. Finally, U of L enrolled 114 people, and UK enrolled 79 people.

That's 114 + 79 = 193 out of 355 state applicants were awarded spots at either institution. That's 55%. If you throw in an extra 15 or so people (could be higher) for people who were accepted at either institution but went elsewhere, you could be looking at a total state applicants accepted to any US allopathic school of around 60% or higher.

Florida is also NICE -- out of approx. 1,340 FL applicants, 468 state residents were accepted to a FL school. That's a generous 35%. ANd that's not accounting for the people in FL who went elsewhere. I'd say the rate of FL residents attending any allopathic school in the US was probably around 40-43%. Not bad at all!

Stays were ya' are!

HAB

I'd stay in Florida too!

Kentucky med school's admissions has a quota to admit from a county with a history of lower admissions. In order to get the really good consideration, you'd have to move WAY out in the sticks....besides Kentucky sucks and I've been trying to get out of here for years.

I'd be happy to switch states with you! There is N-O-T-H-I-N-G to do here, air quality is bad, schools are bad, people are rude, fat and we have more smokers, obesity, cancer and heart disease than any other state.

 

[tenable2]

I don't know how I missed that thread. (Thanks, Dr Midlife)

I should really modify my question-- what states are "easiest" for nontrads? Specifically, nontrads with uncompetitive GPAs but with good MCAT, postbac/SMP work?

The reason I say FL is unfavorable for me is because with the exception of Miami, I think they're rigid about GPA requirements and I probably wouldn't even get any secondaries if I applied. I guess I'm looking for states that would look at MCAT, posbac and SMP work and not screen you out based on a GPA right off the bat.

But then again, this issue might be like trying to find the corner of a circle. Thank you everyone for replying. 🙂

 

[drizzt3117]

As far as Miami and the postbac thing, I was referring to a post that DrMidlife posted a few months ago...

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=441127

 

[Hell and Back]

In fairness to KY, only 18% of its class was compromised of Pepp County residents (Man Power Shortage). One out of every three enrollees actually came from Jefferson County -- the state's biggest. Avaerage GPA for the two schools was 3.6, average BCPM was 3.5, and average MCAT was 29. Comparitively to some other states -- I'd still say it was pretty sweet.

JMO. 😎

HAB

PS: Tenable -- you need to clarify your "low GPA" statement. How low?

 

[drizzt3117]

All medical schools are pretty strict about GPA, meaning you need about 3.0 to really be competitive. Only 2% of MD applicants with less than 3.0 GPA gained acceptance last year. I would wager many of those people were URM or disadvantaged.

DO schools are somewhat less strict about it, having somewhat lower mean GPAs and the AACOMAS counts only the latest grades for each class while AMCAS averages all retakes.

If you have over 3.0, do well in a SMP, and do well on the MCAT, you should have a good shot at MD schools regardless of your state of residence.

 

[apoptos]

All medical schools are pretty strict about GPA, meaning you need about 3.0 to really be competitive. Only 2% of MD applicants with less than 3.0 GPA gained acceptance last year. I would wager many of those people were URM or disadvantaged.
DO schools are somewhat less strict about it, having somewhat lower mean GPAs and the AACOMAS counts only the latest grades for each class while AMCAS averages all retakes.

If you have over 3.0, do well in a SMP, and do well on the MCAT, you should have a good shot at MD schools regardless of your state of residence.

Are you sure? 3.0!? That seems very low for med schools, even most DO schools. At any rate it's certainly not competitive. Unfortunately, that's pretty much what I have as a non-trad. so I'm looking mostly at the Caribbean (which for me is a lot less culture shock than Kentucky).
To the OP, if you're willing to move OOS, why not just move THOOTC? (the hell out of the country)?

 

[njbmd]

I've done a search for this to no avail, so I hope it's ok for me to ask this.

I'm seriously considering moving to a different state to establish residency so that I can have an "easier" time when I apply to allo schools. Right now, I'm a FL resident, which is pretty brutal. I know it's tough everywhere, but does anyone know which states are the "easiest" in regards to the admissions process? (Please, no lectures on semantics; I used quotation marks. )
I heard Texas was a good state so I'm considering that. Please help!

I seriously doubt if changing your state residency is going to make a significant difference in your competitiveness for medical school. That being said, there are state schools that have a preference for their residents in terms of admissions but these schools are not "searching for applicants". In short, if you are not competitive, moving in itself is not going to make you more competitive. In short, there are no "easy" states.

 

[RxnMan]

With respect to njbmd, when I was investigating this same question, Texas was what I found. Large number of state schools, all preferring state applicants. Small tuitions, too. The effect size I'm talking about 31 vs 29 MCATs - not a huge difference. Google "Texas medical school application service" to get an idea.

 

[viostorm]

With respect to njbmd, when I was investigating this same question, Texas was what I found. Large number of state schools, all preferring state applicants. Small tuitions, too. The effect size I'm talking about 31 vs 29 MCATs - not a huge difference. Google "Texas medical school application service" to get an idea.

.

 

[BSN2DOC]

UNSOM admits a huge percentage of Nevada residents -- they also heavily consider those individuals from the western states with no current medical schools (there are only a few of them).

I have read past numbers as high as 70% in-state students are admitted. On the flip side, they have a relatively small class size (maybe 60 or a bit more).

 

[drizzt3117]

Are you sure? 3.0!? That seems very low for med schools, even most DO schools. At any rate it's certainly not competitive. Unfortunately, that's pretty much what I have as a non-trad. so I'm looking mostly at the Caribbean (which for me is a lot less culture shock than Kentucky).
To the OP, if you're willing to move OOS, why not just move THOOTC? (the hell out of the country)?

If you read my post, I said that a 3.0 GPA, success at a SMP, and good MCAT score (with great letters, PS, and ECs) would make a competitive candidate.

Going to the Carribean (even to SGU) is going to severely impact your chances of getting residencies you want in the US. I'd advise taking the time to make your application competitive for a DO/MD school in the US.

 

[Flopotomist]

If you read my post, I said that a 3.0 GPA, success at a SMP, and good MCAT score (with great letters, PS, and ECs) would make a competitive candidate.

I would say the applicant you described MIGHT have a fighting chance, but is far, far from being competitive. A 3.0 GPA is an extreme uphill battle.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

If you're really curious, I'd suggest buying a copy of USNews and looking at their stat. They will tell you how many instate applicants each school gets, how many are interviewed and how many accepted. IMO, their data is better than the MSAR because the MSAR only tells you the number of matriculated students, not accepted students, and that can be a big difference. Also, there are no DO schools in the MSAR.

I still think moving's a little far-fetched, but it'll give you much better data than the subjective experiences of various premeds. And Texas, while easier than some other states, is not super easy. If you have a low GPA, it'll be an issue there, too.

 

[Hell and Back]

DoctorBagel: Can you specify which US NEWS to get? Is it the green one now on the stands (America's Best Colleges?), or is there some other version that has the medical schools in it.

I like what you said about accepted vs. matriculated....big difference.

- HAB

 

[Doctor Bagel]

DoctorBagel: Can you specify which US NEWS to get? Is it the green one now on the stands (America's Best Colleges?), or is there some other version that has the medical schools in it.

I like what you said about accepted vs. matriculated....big difference.

- HAB

It's the graduate school edition. I don't know its color, but I know it's not the one without ugrad rankings. You can buy it online by going to their site, or you could be cheap and try to browse it at Barnes & Noble without buying it. 🙂 The website is www.usnews.com.

 

[Isoprop]

my vote is for ohio. for low GPAers:

-5 state MD schools and 1 state DO school

-2 SMP programs (toledo and cincy).

 

[Kthanksbye]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but some of these states that have the best odds for instate applicants are also some of the most difficult states to gain residency in. I would recommend the OP explore exactly what it would take to establish residency in the chosen "easy" state before making any moves.

 

[Sol Rosenberg]

And Texas, while easier than some other states, is not super easy. If you have a low GPA, it'll be an issue there, too.

Yup. While Texas Schools are cheap, they are not easy, and if the OP is looking for schools that are more tolerant of low GPAs, look elsewhere. For whatever reason, most TX schools seem to prefer applicants with high GPAs, but not necessarily high MCAT scores (average GPA ~ 3.65, average MCAT = 27 or something like that....)

 

[Isoprop]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but some of these states that have the best odds for instate applicants are also some of the most difficult states to gain residency in. I would recommend the OP explore exactly what it would take to establish residency in the chosen "easy" state before making any moves.

good point. ohio requires one year in-state residency (including for education) prior to application before being considered in-state. some states require less, but generally, they will require at least 1 year of physically living in the state.

 

[crazydiamond]

Also look closely at the requirements at the schools in the state you're planning on moving to.

My state, NM, has only one med school and you pretty much have to be a state resident to get accepted. Sounds good, no? But if you look closer at the school literature, it also says that having state residency is not enough. You MUST prove you have long-term ties to the state. It's designed this way because NM has a huge physician shortage, particularly in the rural areas, and they want to make sure that you won't just take off once it's all said and done.

 

[tenable2]

Yeah, so it looks like it doesn't really matter what state you're in until you're competitive, GPA wise... There's a postbac/SMP program at Ucinn that is one year, so I'm wondering if that year counts for that year requirement for residency. I think it does.

Thank you everyone for posting. I guess I won't be busting out the UHaul and hauling my stuff to TX just yet. 🙂

 

[ChubbyChaser]

Honestly idk about The littler states, Vermont, Kentucky, but IMO i would say the top 4 would be Texas, Ohio, Florida, and Illinois. and then maybe VA

 

[LadyWolverine]

Also look closely at the requirements at the schools in the state you're planning on moving to. My state, NM, has only one med school and you pretty much have to be a state resident to get accepted. Sounds good, no? But if you look closer at the school literature, it also says that having state residency is not enough. You MUST prove you have long-term ties to the state. It's designed this way because NM has a huge physician shortage, particularly in the rural areas, and they want to make sure that you won't just take off once it's all said and done.

This is a really good point. Admissions committees read your application. They see where you grew up, where you went to high school, what county your parents live in (even if you are non-trad - it doesn't matter), where you went to college. Even if you have established residency in a state, they will realize that you moved there in hopes that it would boost your chances at gaining admission. I'm sure that just by being a resident and paying taxes to that particular state, you will experience some sort of preferential treatment. However, I believe that this treatment will be minimal compared to other applicants who were born/raised/went to school in that particular state. At my school, this part of the application is taken seriously - the committee is very familiar with the state of Maryland, and which areas are underserved (there have been applicants who, for example, would list their parents' summer home adress on the Eastern Shore as their primary residence, in order to look like they came from an underserved county, while their application reflects that they went to high school in Montgomery County. 🙄 The people reviewing your application are likely to see through this immediately).

My point is that admissions committees aren't full of people who were born yesterday. If you move to a new place, establish residency, and then apply ASAP, they will likely see right through your motives. I believe that a more constructive approach would be to work for at least 2 years in that state, and show that your interests in the state extend beyond just their medical school. However, that would require taking some time off, which is something that many pre-meds seem to think is unacceptable.

 

[EM_Rebuilder]

I would agree that 'just living in a state for a year to establish residency' is not really what schools are looking for. I think it could possibly help get your foot in the door, but its far from a golden ticket.

The best schools in Texas, such as Tech, UTMB, UT-SA, A&M are out there to help Texas revitilize the number of physicians in state. When you show up and say uh yeah I am from NYC and I moved here for a year to establish residency....that could be a big nix.

Make sure you can formulate or stretch some type of legitimate reason for moving to whatever state you move to.....

 

[QofQuimica]

I've done a search for this to no avail, so I hope it's ok for me to ask this.

I'm seriously considering moving to a different state to establish residency so that I can have an "easier" time when I apply to allo schools. Right now, I'm a FL resident, which is pretty brutal. I know it's tough everywhere, but does anyone know which states are the "easiest" in regards to the admissions process? (Please, no lectures on semantics; I used quotation marks. )
I heard Texas was a good state so I'm considering that. Please help!

Dude, I don't know where you're getting your info from, but you need to get yourself a new counselor. FL is one of the best states to be a resident of, not "brutal"! Especially now with the planned openings of new medical schools at UCF and FIU, the odds are going to get even better for future Floridians than they were for those of us who applied in the past.

All of the FL schools are very open to nontrads, assuming that you have met the requirements and have a competitive app. You should consider making an appointment with REL Larkin, the head of admissions at the new UCF school, for pre-app advice on how to strengthen your app. Robyn Sheppard at UF and Robert Hinkley at U Miami also are willing to meet with students and give advice. I met with all of them three years ago before I applied. You may also want to look into applying to the two FL DO schools as well as all of the MD schools, particularly if you have retaken classes and performed better in them the second time around.

Feel free to PM me if you have any more questions about applying to FL schools as a nontrad FL resident.

 

[NonTradMed]

I seriously doubt if changing your state residency is going to make a significant difference in your competitiveness for medical school. That being said, there are state schools that have a preference for their residents in terms of admissions but these schools are not "searching for applicants". In short, if you are not competitive, moving in itself is not going to make you more competitive. In short, there are no "easy" states.

I don't know about that. I've lived in four different states and knew friends from many more. It does seem to make a difference between states. Californians seem to get screwed more often than other states. The mid-west states and southern states seem to be more welcoming as a whole. The difference isn't even in stats. The average cali school may still accept someone with seemingly average stats, but they also seem more likely to reject people with 'average' stats (randomly). It seems some schools are better at accepting students as long as they are academically sound whereas there is none of that guarantee for people in more competitive states.

Here in the midwest, we get a lot of Californian transplants. And I've heard that states like Mississippi and KY seems pretty good with their instaters in that as long as you have competitive stats and you aren't screwed up, your chances are high. Not so much on the Western coast states such as WA, OR or CA.

Also, if you are part of the WICHE states, that's actually good since you are eligible for multiple state schools (since your state has no state school). So reality may dictate those states without medical school has being your best shot.

Ohio is also good simply because they have so many public med schools. Also, obscure states such as Nebraska may be good. I remember meeting a couple of people, one from California, who were refugees from their respective states who went to Nebraska to get instate residency and apply there for med school after rejection from their own instate med school.

my vote is for ohio. for low GPAers:


-5 state MD schools and 1 state DO school

-2 SMP programs (toledo and cincy).

Yeah, lucky bastards. 😀

 

[Lokhtar]

Ohio does seem to be pretty good. PA sucks. Our "state school" has like 60% OOS. But we do have PCOM, which I believe does give significant advantage to IS, though not nearly as much as some state schools in other places.