University of Washington School of Medicine OOR with STRONG Ties

[sylvester500]

I have asked questions similar to this one before, but wanted to reach out again.

Has anyone applied to the University of Washington School of Medicine as a technically out of region applicant, with the caveat that they have really strong ties to the region (i.e. grew up their entire life there, all family members still there, plan to become educated, practice and die in the region)?

Still struggling to grasp essentially being barred from returning to my home state for medical education simply because I moved away for my undergraduate education.

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[sylvester500]

...You can put your home state as your home state. You don’t need to put your undergrad’s state as your home state

Sorry, never have seen the actual AMCAS interface. So, you're saying there is some place in the AMCAS application to notate your home state, despite having a current mailing address in, say, Illinois? I live OOR right now, and graduated from college in May 2019.

If so, do you have any idea if this puts you in a separate bin than an OOR applicant with NO ties to the region?

 

[sylvester500]

You can put your home state as Washington (if that is the state you grew up in) and you will be in the instate category (I dont remember the exact interface because I applied 5-6 years ago, but there is a way to denote your home state)

If you assign yourself as an Illinois applicant, then you are OOS with strong ties for UW

Any idea of these "strong ties to WA" count for anything as far as admissions is concerned? Are you a current / previous UWSOM student?

 

[DarklingThrush]

1) Ties to state DO NOT help for admission to UW

Eligibility as WWAMI or Out of Region | UW Medicine

www.uwmedicine.org

”While we appreciate that applicants with legal residence outside of the WWAMI region may have ties here and/or are interested in practicing here, we do not take this into consideration during the screening or review processes”

2) I am fairly sure that AMCAS has a permanent address and a mailing address section. Going away to college does not change your legal state residency

Additionally, if you are an undergraduate, your parent(s) live in WA and file you as a dependent on their taxes, you are a resident of WA I believe.

 

[sylvester500]

Additionally, if you are an undergraduate, your parent(s) live in WA and file you as a dependent on their taxes, you are a resident of WA I believe.

I'm currently a graduate (as of May 2019). Any idea if this still applies?

 

[deleted1009115]

I'm currently a graduate (as of May 2019). Any idea if this still applies?

I would look up UW’s specific policies for who qualifies. I’m in a similar situation (with a different state), but no longer qualify as in-state because I paid taxes elsewhere. I’m planning to move back home to reestablish.

 

[Sky138]

If you’re that concerned just send the registration office an email.

 

[sylvester500]

If you’re that concerned just send the registration office an email.

Yeah I'm just going to try to get ahold of them. I kind of already know the answer, but don't want to miss out because I'm misinterpreting.

 

[Sky138]

Yeah I'm just going to try to get ahold of them. I kind of already know the answer, but don't want to miss out because I'm misinterpreting.

Even if you do miss out, are you not going to take your shot? You might not have the inside track but you still probably have a slight advantage over other OORs which in my opinion, makes it a moot point whether you’re instate or not. It is what it is. If you don’t get instate here you’ll get it elsewhere so whatever happens happens.

 

[sylvester500]

Even if you do miss out, are you not going to take your shot? You might not have the inside track but you still probably have a slight advantage over other OORs which in my opinion, makes it a moot point whether you’re instate or not. It is what it is. If you don’t get instate here you’ll get it elsewhere so whatever happens happens.

True that I will have in state status elsewhere. However, UW is much more desirable (to me at least) than Mizzou (which, as of now, is my legal state of residence for admissions purposes).

 

[DarklingThrush]

I'm currently a graduate (as of May 2019). Any idea if this still applies?

Did you file taxes elsewhere? Or are your parents still claiming you as a dependent?

 

[sylvester500]

Did you file taxes elsewhere? Or are your parents still claiming you as a dependent?

Taxes in MO where I have made income since 2016. Yes on dependency claims.

 

[imbesrs]

I would list your AMCAS address as your Washington address... that is your permanent address. I would not use your undergrad address as your AMCAS permanent address as it is only temporary in nature (the time period of school then you're moving back regardless of if you get in or not). There is not much of a physical paper trail during the whole process, everything is email/portal based anyways

 

[Goro]

I have asked questions similar to this one before, but wanted to reach out again.

Has anyone applied to the University of Washington School of Medicine as a technically out of region applicant, with the caveat that they have really strong ties to the region (i.e. grew up their entire life there, all family members still there, plan to become educated, practice and die in the region)?

Still struggling to grasp essentially being barred from returning to my home state for medical education simply because I moved away for my undergraduate education.

The bolded is what counts; the others are mere words.

 

[GreenDuck12]

I'm currently a graduate (as of May 2019). Any idea if this still applies?

Generally speaking, once you are earning an income and supporting yourself (more than 50% of your living expenses for the year) you can no longer be classified as a dependent for tax purposes. Since you just graduated in May 2019, you should check with your parents to determine how you will both file your taxes. If you are claimed as a dependent, then your state of residence would be where your parents live. If you file taxes as an independent filer then your state of residence will be where you currently reside.

Where things get tricky is you did not return to WA after completing your degree. Some programs have requirements about showing continuous enrollment for educational purposes while you are out of state to maintain your resident status. By the time you will submit your applications, you potentially will have been living out of state for 13 months or more without being a student (link, another link, final link ). Your 2020 tax filings will also almost certainly list you as an independent living in MO. Working through these issues is tough when you aren't familiar with the regulations. I highly recommend calling UW SoM's registrar office to ask these questions. They will quickly be able to help you understand whether you would be considered a resident and what documents you will likely be asked to provide to demonstrate it.

As a side note, I do not believe it is particularly challenging to reestablish residency in WA should it be determined that you are not a resident and would like to be considered one. I believe they require that you reside in the state 12 months prior to the term in which you want to claim resident status. If you were to move 12 months prior to the start of term, you should be ok.

 

[UWIdahoan]

The fact that you have filed taxes in Missouri may kill you on this, but I would contact admissions for a more specific idea on what they require for your specific situation (your parents claiming you as a dependent may save you). While you can say whatever state you want is your state of residence on your AMCAS application, UW will very likely make you go through a lengthy process to prove it before they invite you to interview. This includes pay stubs for the last year and tax returns (or your parents' if they claim you as a dependent), voter registration, driver's license, + more. It is a much more intensive process than other schools require in order to be considered "in state."

As said by others, as an OOS applicant, they do not care about your ties to the state, they care if you fit their mission.

 

[sylvester500]

The fact that you have filed taxes in Missouri may kill you on this, but I would contact admissions for a more specific idea on what they require for your specific situation (your parents claiming you as a dependent may save you). While you can say whatever state you want is your state of residence on your AMCAS application, UW will very likely make you go through a lengthy process to prove it before they invite you to interview. This includes pay stubs for the last year and tax returns (or your parents' if they claim you as a dependent), voter registration, driver's license, + more. It is a much more intensive process than other schools require in order to be considered "in state."

As said by others, as an OOS applicant, they do not care about your ties to the state, they care if you fit their mission.

Thank you.