want to pursue medicine and no support. thinking of moving out of state for postbacc. advice?

[tj1987]

Sorry for the long-winded post. I am probably going to sound like I'm rambling and I apologize! I'm pretty tired and feeling really discouraged. let me know if any more info is needed.

I just graduated with my bachelors in Psychology in May and have decided that I want to pursue medicine. my cGPA is 3.88 and my current BCPM is 3.60 (I still have lots of classes to take). It took me 5 years to get my bachelors. I was pre-med the first three years of college and got a few of the requirements out of the way, and I want to do an informal post-bacc in order to complete those requirements. I had made a plan of work with the pre-med advisor at my school earlier this semester and things looked great in terms of me finishing the requirements in about 2 semesters or so. The only problem is that my parents do NOT support me at all (they are actually kicking me out of the house in the next month), and I am just working a minimum wage job. I don't want to go into full detail, other than I have a pretty much toxic relationship with the both of them, and they have never really supported me in anything, other than financially. I am thinking of moving out of state (to Arizona- I live in Michigan right now) in August in order to do an informal post-bacc at ASU to finish my requirements, although I am unsure if this would affect me negatively in some way when it comes time for applications. I do have a friend living there and her family is welcoming me with open arms basically, rent free.

I probably would have to start taking classes winter semester and work while taking classes. I guess my real concern is that when I am actually applying, if moving out of state to work on my post-bacc will affect me negatively in terms of admissions, as in why did I move out of state and reasons behind it, etc. I also have finished a thesis and done a lot of research at my current university, but I don't feel a strong connection towards it, and have been thinking about this for the past six months. I guess, TLDR, my question is what is the best method of going about this? Would going out of state be worth it, or will it hurt me in the long run, especially since I've done a lot at my current university?

classes I still need to take:
pre-calc
physics 1 and 2
orgo 2 and analytical chem
biochem
cell bio
anatomy (these are requirements at my current university, but I'm unsure about the requirements elsewhere).

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I am sorry if this post isnt making a ton of sense right now.

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[ChE04]

The only way I can see it hurting you is if you are wanting to return to Michigan for med school, and if said schools have a specific in-state quota for each class (ie, by law, 90% of matriculants to Texas state schools must be Texas residents). Even so, you may be able to make an argument for maintaining your "official" Michigan residence if you move down there only for school. If this is the case, you should check with the AAMC since they will ultimately be deciding which state you are a resident of.

 

[GreenDuck12]

You will likely pay out of state tuition while you take your post-bac classes. Additionally, because you are taking classes, you may not be able to establish residency at the same time (look up specific requirements on the school site). Then, when you go to apply to medical schools you will not be able to claim Michigan as your state of residence. Michigan is one of the better states to be a resident of when it comes to medical admissions because of the high number of medical schools that accept mostly in-state applicants.

 

[daivimarga]

Sorry to hear about the lack of support. You'll def be paying out of state tuition because you need to live somewhere for enough time to claim it. My brother has been in that process in Cali for two years. However I think if you maintain your home base in Michigan (namely file your taxes as a Michigan resident). Applying as a 2nd degree BA will help you lower tuition and also qualify you for loans.


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[DrMikeP]

Why do you need to move out of state? Any university will do. Usually a distant different city is sufficient to get away from parents and some parents just want their kids out at a certain age doesn't matter what.

Med schools on average do have state preferences (not requirements), so move to whatever state you'd like to go to med school in.

 

[timephone]

Your "finished thesis" (with regard to your psych BA?) and research don't go away just because you decide to do your post-bacc classes at another uni. Your BA and faculty connections from the Michigan school will remain valuable during your med school admissions process. As others have said above, the only way it affects you is in determining Michigan (or Arizona) state residency. That's a technicality that you'll have to research yourself.

Moving states, especially as drastic of a move as from Michigan to Arizona, can broaden your perspectives. It removes you geographically from the influence of your parents. Not only that, you seem to be implying that it'll be overall cheaper to do the post-bacc in Arizona due to housing.

Before you make a decision, you should carefully consider which option is best for your financially. I would give serious thought to pursuing the path that is most sustainable for your current and future pocket book.