I have the option of starting Med school next Fall in my state (at a private school, so no, I wont get cheap tuition!). My application is part of a special program for students in rural areas, so it is guaranteed acceptance as long as I maintain a high GPA in my prereqs.However, I hate the state I live in
with a passion. I have my heart and mind set on moving to Florida permanently, so I’d like to attend med achools there. Unfortunately, I don’t stand a chance at at Florida med schools due to my not being a Florida resident, and the competetion is even stiffer.
So, instead of going to the med school where I live, I was thinking about doing a 1 year Master’s at Barry in Miami, which from what I’ve researched, has a very good rep. Of course, it’s not a sure thing, but the odds are pretty good that after a year, I’d get into some DO or MD program in FLorida.
I know it seems illogical to give up a “guaranteed acceptance” for something that’s not, but for personal and family reasons, I have a strong desire to be in Florida. Any thoughts on what you would do?
Find out more about whether your year at Barry would actually improve your odds. Past conversations on this topic have sounded pretty discouraging about the topic of relocating in general. Specifically, moving to another state for educational purposes does not usually make you a resident of that state, and thus you would not be part of the in-state applicant pool. For many states (I know Virginia and Texas are in this category), you have to live AND WORK in a state, and PAY TAXES, for at least a year prior to trying to invoke resident status for educational purposes. Maybe Florida is different, I don’t know.
If you actually have a “bird in the hand,” I do think it would be very short-sighted to pass that up, but no one else can really appreciate just how much you may want to be elsewhere.
Mary
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
I made the worst decision of my professional career ignoring this advice. Go to medical school where you have your acceptance. In a couple of years, you can do some rotations down in Florida to see if you like it, and eventually move.
I have to say I disagree a bit with the advice to stay no matter what. You’re talking about a program where you go from undergrad right into med school–something that takes like 5 or 6 years?
That’s a long time to be in a place you don’t like. I think it would be worth it to research Florida residency laws to find out if you’d qualify after a year. If not, well, at least you’ll know. You could also contact admissions advisors at some of the FL med schools to see what they say about your prospects for admission in a couple years.
Hmm…I feel for you, I really do. I’m trying to imagine getting admitted to a med school in Lousiana, where, fortunately, I don’t live right now. It would suck, what with the hot humid air sucking EVERY SINGLE FREAKING MOLECULE OF AIR out of your lungs the second you open your FREAKING DOOR.
Ahem.
So I have a sense of what that might be like.
But, honestly, unless I had bitter memories or a dreaded ex-spouse or something, I’d probably grab the admission with both hands and just get all the away rotations I could. You probably won’t see the light of day for the first two years, anyway. 
Good luck with your decision.
“A bird in the hand” is worth none in the bush if you aren’t happy. I passed up med school a few years ago to be there for my father as he was dying of cancer. And even though I’ll have to retake the MCAT in August (after my mediocre performance in April), I havn’t once looked back.
I’m a strong believer that if something is meant to happen in your life then it will.
Follow your heart.
Thank you all for taking time to respond to my dilemma.
I’ve been up all night debating the pros and cons. I should clarify that the “guaranteed” acceptance in the school where I live is actually not a sure thing. I still have to do extremely well in the 1st semester in order to get officially accepted. I was researching and discovered that
there is a similar 1 year Masters program at NSU DO in Florida, which accepts a great number of students if they do very well. That’s basically the same opportunity I have where I am now: it all hinges on how well I do in my classes. The main difference is that the IL program is geared towards minorities and entails actual enrollment in Med school for 1 semester on a provisional basis, whereas the programs in FL are Masters In both cases, I 1) must do extremely well to be officially admitted, and 2) I take some classes with med students as well. So, I am strongly leaning towards forgoing the opportunity in IL and applying to the programs at Nova and Barry. What do I have to lose? I can always come back to IL if it doesn’t work out and re-enter the program. I think some things in life are worth taking a chance on. Sorry for the long post, I needed to muse out loud and rationalize my choices. Replies still welcome, either for or against!
Ah! So you have two maybes, one stronger than the other, but the less sure maybe is in the place where you’d much rather live. It sounds like there’s no wrong choice here! Good luck with everything.
Do check in Florida, though, because it is my understanding that it is also one of the states that accept very little, if any non-resident students.
Kathy
I’m actually faced with a similar situation…although I can’t say I hate the state I’m in, but it’s not where I ultimately want to be. As I’ve heard of medical school admissions, beggars can’t be choosers…and I’m really tempted to go with the safer bet and trying to do my residency/fellowship in the the state I want to be in…of course, this depends on scoring a residency there. If I were you, I’d look into the match list of your sure thing school and even try to get a sense from some residencies you might like of your chances of placement from that particular school. Good luck!