Ah, if only it were as simple as that. You would think that after spending my entire life in the state of Idaho that there would be no question of my residency. You would think it would be easy to prove my residency in the event that someone did question it. Yes, you would think that, but you'd be wrong.
There are many hurdles involved in applying to medical school. It is a challenging and grueling process, not to be taken lightly. But of all the possible roadblocks, I never once thought that this would be the one to stop me. The University of Washington School of Medicine was my first choice of medical school, and the WWAMI program was going to help me get there. UW is the only medical school in all of Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho (WWAMI), so the school reserves a select number of seats for each state's residents. When you apply, you simply fill out the residency paperwork, submit it to the residency officer in your state, and wait to see if you are going to fill one of those reserved seats. I submitted my application. I was invited to fill out the secondary, more specialized, application. I wrote the essays. I paid the fees, I submitted my residency paperwork, and I waited. I didn't have to wait long. My paperwork was promptly returned to me "for completion."
With my original form, I had attached photocopies of my Idaho driver's license, the lease agreement for my Idaho apartment, the bank statement for my Idaho checking account, and my marriage certificate. I sent copies of vehicle registrations for my car, our 5th wheel, and our 4-wheeler, all registered in Idaho. I got it all notarized. Now, they wanted to know the date my checking account was opened, the original date of registration for all vehicles, and the original date my driver's license was issued to me. Oh, and they wanted a copy of a bank statement from over a year ago. I spent the rest of the day getting in touch with offices all over the state to obtain the information. It was no trouble until I called the DMV about my license.
"Hi, my name is Lindsey Smith and I was wondering if you could tell me the date that my driver's license was originally issued to me."
"What could you possibly need that information for?"
"I need it for my residency paperwork for medical school."
"We generally don't give out that information. You need it for medical school?" she asks skeptically.
"Yes. I'm applying to University of Washington but I get in-state tuition if I'm an Idaho resident because we don't have a medical school. First, I have to prove my Idaho residency and they would like to know the date that my driver's license was originally issued."
Silence. And then:
"What is your driver's license number?"
I tell her.
"What is your name?"
"Lindsey Smith."
"How do you spell your middle name?"
"K-A-Y-E."
"What is your address?"
I give her the one listed on my license.
"What color are your eyes?"
"Hazel."
Is this a matter of national security? Seriously, why is it such a big deal for them to provide me with the date they certified me as a competent driver in their state? Finally, begrudgingly, she gives me the information I was seeking. I read over the returned paperwork to make sure I wasn't missing anything else and discovered that I needed to provide either a voter registration card from a year ago, or documentation certifying my abandonment of my previous domicile. I wasn't registered to vote, so that left me with proving abandonment. I called the residency officer to find out how to go about this. She told me the state of Idaho accepts three things: proof of sale of your home, confirmation that your previous lease was completed, or bills for moving expenses. I did not sell a home. I only moved 10 blocks and I used my own truck. I didn't have a lease because I was living with a friend. What was I supposed to do? She basically told me I was out of luck. There are different sections of the form, and you can use any of them to show your residency. I was attempting to use section V. She suggested I try another section. Why couldn't I just provide a copy of my Idaho taxes from last year? Because I didn't pay Idaho taxes last year. I didn't work, and my husband was traveling around California for his job. Consequently, though our residence was not in California, he paid California state taxes last year. Why couldn't I check that I was attending this institution immediately following graduation from an Idaho high school? Because I graduated nine years ago.
So I ask, "What are my options?"
"I don't know what to tell you."
How can I NOT be a resident of the state I reside in? Because the system is flawed. I am an Idaho resident. I love Idaho, and, with the exception of leaving for med school, I never want to live anywhere else. But apparently, that doesn't count. It doesn't matter that I've maintained a permanent residence in the state for 27 years, or that I have appropriate documentation for everything that it's possible for me to document. It's about the money. I didn't work or pay taxes to them last year, and this is my punishment. The Idaho that I've known and loved my whole life has turned its back on me because of a technicality. Thanks a lot.
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