I am a Virginia resident with average stats (3.7, 511). I started pre-med requirements 2 years after getting a degree in Econ after enjoying volunteering as an EMT. I plan on taking a gap year when I finish classes next Spring to ensure I’m fully prepared for the application process. During this time I plan on working as a scribe and/or doing research.
Since I’ll be working for a year before applying, I’ve began to consider establishing residency in a better state for a med school applicant. Texas, in particular, stands out to me due to their lower tuition and number of students with average stats that are admitted. My brother lives in Texas, and I could stay with him while looking for work but other than that I have no ties to the region. I have visited Houston, Dallas and Austin several times each and could see myself living/practicing there, but it is far from most of my family.
I’d like to hear other people’s thoughts on the matter. My concern would be that I move there, admissions committees see that I don’t have ties to the state which raises a red flag, and I don’t get in. But at the same time, I’ve heard from people applying to schools in my state (VCU, EVMS) which make me believe that it’d be just as much of a toss up if I don’t get in anywhere in-state here so I don’t know what to do.
I’ll apply broadly (to MD and DO) regardless but I want to put myself in the best position for tuition and admittance purposes if I can. Thanks for your help.
I don’t think they’ll care what ties you have to the state if you actually meet the requirements to be considered for in state tuition. Rules for tuition vary by state, so make sure it really is just one year prior to matriculation. The “ties to the area” questions are more for schools to assess why you want to move here for school and whether that area is a good fit for you (like is the probability high you’ll go there if accepted and sometimes to see if you’ll maybe stick around and give back to the local community).
With the residency system the way it is, schools don’t really expect many students to actually stay at the school for all of their training, and maybe not even come back to the school area to practice.
Just my opinion as a guy who applied mostly out of state.
My original motivation for moving to Texas was because I’d always wanted to work at the world renown MD Anderson Cancer Center and study Bioinformatics. Unfortunately, that dream turned into a nightmare for reasons I won’t elaborate on here, but I digress!
I was also VERY aware that there were many other reasons for making Texas a great options for me including:
- A severely medically underserved population of people, ie minorities.
- The opportunity for my kid to study her specialized area of engineering in college.
- FAR lower COL compared to the Metro DC area.
- Numerous research opportunities due to the high number of medical schools in the state.
- Strong URM representation in the medical school population.
- Strong academic support for medical/graduate students.
- MUCH lower tuition compared to other states.
- Southern hospitality.
- GREAT food!! * Okay, maybe that’s not such a good one, obesity is “normal” in Texas.
- Great state to be a business owner.
- The nicest people I have EVER met in my ENTIRE life and I’ve lived in other states and visited almost every major city in the US.
I could go on forever, but needless to say I’m very much enjoying living in Texas and kinda regret I didn’t move here sooner when I had the opportunity. The only downsides have been that my allergies/asthma went into SEVERE over drive (only recently under control after ~3 years) and I’m far from family and close friends. But being far away has allowed me to get my former fear of flying under control.
All that said, I can’t see myself EVER living in ANY other state, and I’ll be happy to practice here as a Physician one day!
Be careful that you can actually meet the residency requirements. I believe Texas assesses residency at the time of application, while others do it at the time of matriculation.
@bennard wrote:
Be careful that you can actually meet the residency requirements. I believe Texas assesses residency at the time of application, while others do it at the time of matriculation.
I actually found it rather difficult to establish residency in Texas even after starting a business here. So I think a good rule of thumb is to be here (living, working, ect) at least 2 years before you try to claim residency status. That may seem like a long time, but I think it would be more than worth the wait!
Agreed with what was said. Be careful with residency requirements. Texas is certainly great.
At my school, all out of state applicants are given a $1,000 grant which de facto qualifies them for in-state tuition. However, to be admitted out of state you have to be super competitive. I am sure other schools do the same, except perhaps Baylor (but they are private).
I think it is definitely worth to establish residency here for the purpose of going to Med School. So read carefully and take ALL the appropriate step. It is also worth checking with schools if you are not sure, once you are more advanced in the process.
Good luck.
I am totally thinking of doing the exact same thing! I read on some website that the public medical schools are required by law to have 90% of students be in-sate Texas residents. That is why it’s so hard for out of state applicants - there are so few spots for those guys. Look up residency requirements - you have to live in state for 12 consecutive months but I’m unsure if it’s regarding time of application or matriculation. This link says prior to enrollment…
http://unt.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/331/~/how-do-i-qualify-as-a-texas-resident-for-tuition-purposes%3F
Also, Texas schools require more pre-reqs - stats class, more biology, and a biochem class.
It looks like you just need to have lived there for the 12 consecutive months prior to the deadline of the TMDSAS application which is listed as November 1