<p>Hey all, I’m planning on taking a gap year during the application cycle. Is it possible to establish residency for admission purposes in a new state if I move the summer that I apply? Also, I’m interested in doing research at the school where I hope to go. Should I try to find labs at the school or apply to a postbac program?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>There are number of issues involved. (Have researched them because one kid is facing the same problem.)</p>
<p>There are a couple of hitches. Every state has different standards for judging residency. In fact, residency requirements often are different for different schools in the same state. So any blanket advice I offer may or may not apply.</p>
<p>The other issue facing you will be listed as a dependent on your parent’s tax return your senior year of college. If you are then you can’t establish an independent new state residency during that year. </p>
<p>After you’ve relocated, you can begin to make the necessary changes like changing your voter and car registration, establishing bank accounts in your new state, but you will need to be able to demonstrate full self-support (including paying for your own health insurance) and pay taxes (if required) as an independent in your new state. These are the minimums required to demonstrats an ‘intent to make a permanent domicile’ in your new state.</p>
<p>It would be difficult to apply to med school immediately after college graduation and have your new state residency stick. (One glide year scenario.) However, if you are willing to wait a full year after graduation to apply to med school, then your new state residency would most likely be in effect. (Two glide years scenario)</p>
<p>BTW, most RA positions at med school’s/university’s require a 2 year contract.</p>
<p>A post-bacc is an educational program. Attending a post-bacc by definition excludes you (in most cases) from state residency eligibility. You must be a self-supporting and working to qualify for state residency in most cases.</p>
<p>Addendum now that I’m not running out the door: doing a post-bacc or working as a RA at particular med school will not give you any boost–or perhaps just a tiny one-- at admission at a particular med school. (The adcomm may know your recommenders and therefore trust their reccs a bit more.)</p>
<p>(Possible exception: if you’re applying to a MD/PhD program and you’ve established yourself with a particular research group.)</p>
<p>But regardless of whether you do grad studies or work as an RA, your stats and other qualifications need to match the school’s.</p>
<p>One more thing-- determination of your legal state residency is done by the school. On AMCAS, you can claim any state you want as your legal residence. There’s no verification by AMCAS. However, if you are accepted by a state med school, you will need to prove your state residency to their statisfaction as part of the matriculation process. It’s possible that you won’t be able to meet residency requirements, in which case you will be reclassified as OOS for tuition purposes.</p>
<p>For the school I’m interested in, I would be able to meet residency for tuition purposes. My main concern is being considered in-state for admissions. Secondary to that is finding an interesting non-Walmart job, preferably flexible for interviews. I did foresee an issue with actually going through a postbac, so thank you for confirming.</p>
<p>If you would be residence resident for tuition I assume you would be resident for admissions.</p>
<p>I can vouch for wowmom’s exception. When I was looking for a gap year job as an MD/PhD applicant I was encouraged to try and get one at a school I wanted to attend.</p>
<p>I’m not currently interested in MD/PhD—I just would prefer a research job in the state.</p>
<p>If you have a particular school in mind, I strongly urge you to look at the required proof of residency for that school as the requirements are all over the place.</p>
<p>If you’re eligible in-state tuition, you’re likely a state resident. </p>
<p>(Unless your in-state tuition derives from your parent’s employment. There’s a few odd situations in my state. The CA Board of Governors manages some scientific facilities here and because employees of those facilities are employed by the UC system, their dependents are considered ‘in-state’ for tuition purposes at all UCs although neither the employees nor the dependents actually are residents of California.)</p>
<p>WowMom is right, as usual. Each state and each school have their own requirements. The fact that the application cycle takes a year also complicates your changing states. In many states you need to become a resident 24 months before you would matriculate. For DDs school, she could list a state address, but the school would not even review her application until the residency department had made their determination. She had to be a 12 months resident at the time of application.</p>