MadtownJacket

I was in pretty important meetings both times when I saw the emails show up on my phone with obvious headlines that I got accepted. Nevertheless, I was useless during the rest of the meetings.

Done with waiting for grad schools...now I need to learn how to cope with the torture of waiting to leave my job and to start graduate school. Not sure which is worse.

No idea. All I know is that you had to have a 3.15 GPA to get honors.

Got accepted to UNC's MHA program.

Waiting time varies, but I'm pretty sure most people find out by April 15th. I had an interview at the beginning of January and heard back from them in mid-January. I also just had another interview today and they said they'll let us know within a week for sure, so once again it depends on the program.

I'm in the same situation. My academic advisor from undergraduate school convinced me to apply to an additional school, even though I couldn't really see myself anywhere other that my top choice.

Used to pull them quite often during undergraduate. Now I pull about 1 every week at my full-time job.

I'm not applying to MPH schools, but I'm applying to MHA programs which are similar. The admissions process is considered to be holistic, so you're correct on that, but that only applies after you meet the bare minimum requirements (ex: minimum GPA is 3.0). It wouldn't hurt to try applying to graduate school, but honestly with your stats, I would work extra hard at raising those GRE scores up and getting more experience. That would separate you from your uGPA. In fact, my GPA was barely above 3.0, but no one blinked twice at it after seeing my work experience that I gained just from taking 1.5 years off.

Tanning beds are bad in general, but they can really help you out with the seasonal affective disorder. At the minimum, take Vitamin D pills. Everyone up here in Wisconsin does, even if they were born and raised in this type of weather. Snow is gorgeous the first month or so, but then it gets tiring after the 3rd and 4th months. Schools also get cancelled up here, but only because the temps are so low. In fact, they're cancelled tomorrow because the "real feel" temp is -50 F. I actually applied to UNC and if I get accepted, that's where I'm definitely moving to. This cold weather is just not for me.

I'm getting this one a lot now: "Oh, you got into School A? Well that means you'll definitely get into School B!" Yeah, sure.

My high school doesn't give extra GPA points for AP classes. What you get is on the same scale as everyone else. If it was consistent across the country, then I'd be okay with having AP on a 5.0 scale, IB on a 6.0 scale, etc.

When I see someone with a GPA of 4.8, I think of grade inflation. Maybe that's definitely not the case.

Once you realize that you need to obtain an additional certificate, you'll apply to 6 different programs for that.

Applied to two schools for undergraduate, and doing the same for graduate. Been accepted to all so far, which I think it's because I was able to spend time making both applications as strong as possible.

Not sure what's worse, waiting to get an acceptance or waiting to leave my job for graduate school.

Psh, everyone knows Wisconsin's the best

Admitted to Johns Hopkins for MHA.

Seriously? A GPA of 3.15 at my school was honors, and that was hard enough to get.

Good to know. Thanks!

I'm not familiar with loans, but I may need to take some out for graduate school. Do they limit how quickly you pay off the loans?

I don't want to think about not getting accepted anywhere after getting interviews to both schools that I applied to. That would be horrifying and depressing. If that does happen, I would stick with my job (in which people said I would be stupid to leave in the first place) and either try again next year or find a job closer to family.

Wow, great blog post. Wish I saw that prior to posting this thread! Another thing to add: Don't forget to email your interviewer(s) after the interview thanking them for the opportunity. I try to do this the night of the interview, but preferably should be done within 24 hours. Just a short and simple email would suffice.

I figured it would be helpful to compile some feedback on what to NOT do during interviews as many of us are approaching those within the next few weeks and months. It seems like you have a good shot of getting into a school if you've got an interview invitation, but like applications, there are still big no-no's that would cause you to leave a weak impression on their minds. I'm making my list based off of what I learned from undergraduate school and experiences interviewing with potential employers. I'm also asking for input from those who have been through interviews, regardless of program type, so that others and myself can prepare ourselves for interviews. Also, some of these (if not all) may make you think "Well duh, why would anyone ever do that?!" Well, folks, people have done it, and some will continue to do it. 1. If you know you're interviewing with a specific person(s), don't forget their names. Also, don't forget the names of the people that you've already talked with at their program. It gets really awkward when they ask "Oh, you already talked to a student here? What's her name?" and you can't remember. Awkward, awkward, awkward. 2. Don't be late. I got lucky in getting a job offer from my current employer for being 45 minutes late, but I know for sure that wouldn't be the case at most other places. If you have to take a cab for your interview, get there thirty minutes early. If anything, that gives you time to prep while onsite. 3. For research programs, don't forget to read up on your PI's research. 4. Don't dress sloppily. Borrow a friend's outfit if you have to. 5. Don't speak about controversial/sensitive topics. 6. Don't talk too much, or talk too little. 7. Don't forget to introduce yourself. 8. Don't give weak handshakes. Work on this with friends, family, coworkers, etc. if you need to. 9. Don't lie/exaggerate about your accomplishes. 10. Don't be dull. I've learned that it helps break the ice by introducing myself before talking about the weather, sports, or something. I've been told to keep it 10% personal, 90% business.

That's really interesting to see how some committees go through applications. I read a book in high school that also portrayed the application process from an adcom member's perspective, and it wasn't anything like the above. I'm not sure if the programs I applied to have "rolling admissions", but I got interview invites within two weeks of pressing the "submit" button, and I'm really glad that my application wasn't compared with everyone else at the same time.

Working 60+ hours a week and sleeping all weekend helps pass the time.