thetemp

So let's talk about bugs. How big of an issue are they? Is it mostly just ants and roaches? And what might one expect to spend over a year to deal with them? Other than cost this isn't a concern of mine, but my wife on the other hand...

It's tough to say. My experience with the housing market here in Pittsburgh is that folks looking for apartments immediately around Pitt or CMU typically sign leases 4-6 months (and sometimes more like 8) in advance of move-in. Usually it's like Feb-March that is the busiest time for finding apartments. For example, my kid brother is a Pitt and signed a lease for an apartment in north Oakland in early March for an August move-in. He was a little late among his friends in finding a place. I can even think of instances where friends found an apartment around Christmas time for a move-in the following summer. So the bulk of the action may have already happened. That said, DON'T FREAK OUT. Apartments always open up throughout the year because of course things change, people move, etc (e.g. I've signed my last 2 leases in within weeks of move-in, both in October/November however). It's just that now there might be fewer options and, consequently, the available options may not move as quickly since there are relatively fewer people on the hunt. So that's a positive. Maybe other Pittsburghers on the board have a different impression or experience.

I've been looking on Zillow and elsewhere and have been surprised to not see a ton of listings in Carrboro, at least relative to what I was expecting. Do you have a sense of when we might expect to see more available apartments in Carrboro/CH (with definite preference for Carrboro; we loved the area when we visited a couple weeks ago)? My wife and I are hoping to find a 2-3 bedroom apartment under $1,500/month. Ideally we'd love a house/townhouse with garage, but at least a dedicated parking spot would be great. Also open to Durham though I don't know much about the apartment situation that way. Any suggestions at all would be greatly appreciated!

Still on the waitlist at JHU and Michigan (both for HPM). I plan to make my final decision before April 15.... hoping to decide by the 12th. My final visit day is this week (Minnesota) so hoping I can take this weekend and early next week to figure things out!

Hm, I can't say I'm familiar with that particular area. That said, it's really close to the heart of Regent Square (just slightly south on S Braddock) which is a pretty nice area. I drive through Frick Park on Forbes Ave sometimes and take the right on S Braddock so that's as close as I've been to your potential apartment. If I had to make a guess though this would be a safe area. When people talk about Wilkinsburg being dangerous, they typically think of the area closer to Penn Ave and especially north of Penn Ave towards Homewood. You're welcome! Happy to give my two cents as more questions come up too. Unfortunately I'm probably leaving Pittsburgh in the fall for school, but I definitely intend to move back once I'm done. Pittsburgh is such an awesome place to live. But don't just take it from me... https://fitt.co/pittsburgh/pittsburgh-best-city/ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/18/pittsburgh-health_n_4339476.html https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/11/what-millennials-love-about-pittsburgh/383074/ http://time.com/pittsburgh/ (this is a fantastic video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9dxURkKoVU (EDIT: here's another good video)

Agreed that Squirrel Hill, Shadyside, and Lawrenceville are nice places to live and have lots to offer, but they are probably the most expensive neighborhoods in the city. Lots of good restaurants and bars in each of those, but Shadyside and Squirrel Hill have the edge in my book because there are more bus routes and they have good grocery stores. Lawrenceville is probably more interesting though. I highly recommend looking at Bloomfield. It's basically between Lawrenceville and Shadyside, but generally much cheaper. This is Pittsburgh's "Little Italy" and there's a nice mix of older folks who have been there forever and young professionals. I've lived in Pittsburgh my entire life and Bloomfield the last 5 years. I work in Oakland and can walk to the office or take a 10 minute bus ride (54). Plus there's an awesome and massive Italian festival every summer :). I'd also suggest looking into Highland Park, Friendship, and Polish Hill (which will likely satisfy your desire for somewhere eclectic and with a sense of community). I disagree slightly with the poster above regarding East Liberty, North Side/North Shore, and Oakland. There are some great areas of East Liberty and I know many people who live there. While there are certainly bad parts (i.e. high crime, crack houses, etc), sections are quite nice thanks to a ton of gentrification over the last few years. Stick to the areas that are closer to Shadyside, and avoid East Liberty near Larimer and Garfield. The North Side/North Shore are where the Pirates and Steelers play so there's a lot of action, but there are some nice areas (near the Mexican War streets) and I know that a number of graduate students and faculty live there. Plus the 54 starts its route on the North Shore and continues through Oakland. As far as Oakland, there are some fine places to live in North Oakland, but definitely avoid south Oakland unless undergrads, house parties, and slumlords are your thing. I would personally avoid the South Side, but lots of young professionals and students live there. There are an insane number of bars here and it's pretty crazy on the weekends. I know some grad students who live in Greenfield as well (not as many amenities here as the other areas, but close to campus). Areas to definitely avoid: Wilkinsburg, Larimer, Garfield, Homewood, the Hill District, Mt Oliver, and South Oakland.

That's tough and depends on a number of personal factors. If I was in a similar situation, it would all hinge on funding... if I didn't get funding at either Pitt or Hopkins, I'd reapply next year. Hopefully I'd have a sense of why I didn't get into my top choice and would do everything I can to ameliorate that issue before reapplying (if there is such an issue). On the other hand, if I got funding at Pitt I'd likely attend because there's always the chance that I wouldn't get into my top choice again next year, and the very thought of the stress of going through the process again coupled with my loss aversion would lead me to settle now. I'd also consider that the cost of living is night and day between LA and Pittsburgh so life as a student wouldn't be so bad at Pitt. NB: I say this as a life-long Pittsburgher who was also admitted at Pitt (in HPM) but I'm likely going elsewhere. Feel free to shoot me a PM if you have questions about the city. I happen to think it's a fantastic place to live.

I was told by the program director at Michigan HPM that there's about a 30% chance I could make it in off the waitlist. Don't know if that reflects my own position on the waitlist or a general likelihood of one or more of their admitted students turning them down.

I was just waitlisted at Johns Hopkins HSR&P. Maybe that means they're sending out the last batch of waitlists/acceptances today.

Thanks! I applied to the Health Services Research and Policy concentration.

Anyone else who interviewed with Johns Hopkins (HPM) still waiting on a decision from them?Have you tried reaching out to anyone at JHU to see if they have a sense of when we might hear? I emailed twice last week and didn't get a response. At this point it's easier for me to assume it's a rejection so I can limit my choice set and focus on the schools I've already been admitted to, but I'd still love to have some closure...

Still haven't heard back from: JHU HPM (phone interview 1/11), Harvard Health Policy (inevitable rejection), or Wharton (inevitable rejection). I think I saw 1 JHU acceptance on the results page so not sure what to make of that... maybe I'm just waiting to be rejected there too. I just wish I knew for sure! The waiting game is exhausting.

Are you sure they've all been sent out? I don't see any acceptances on the results page, and was told last week from somebody at JHU that decisions are coming soon.

I didn't get the email, though I have already been admitted. From talking with them, they aren't sure what's going on with AHRQ funding but it sounds like they have a backup plan for those admitted so far. So maybe they're hoping to admit a few more if AHRQ comes through.

It's definitely impacting decisions, particularly for schools that rely on AHRQ to fund their doctoral students (and faculty research grants, for that matter). There's just a ton of uncertainty so, as a response, I think we're seeing schools admit fewer students than they would have typically admitted. Bad timing for us, unfortunately!!