Demeter

@inn0v8r You're quite welcome. I was a tour leader/admissions liaison for a few years, so I really enjoy talking with students as they make their choices. It's an exciting time. Hope you find the answers you seek.

I have a friend who went to BU and loved it. I also know someone who applied to GWU and loved a lot about it, but chose to go somewhere who had offered her more funding. BU is in Boston, and my friend loved that, and made a lot of connections in her subfield. GWU is in DC, which I think would be helpful for global interests, but, really, global health isn't my area. But if you have any questions about the program at BU, I'm happy to pass them along.

I'm not in your field, but I want to caution you to also very carefully consider other factors than the fit of your major in making your final choices. Things like living situation, weather, location, and the school(s) you could see yourself being happy also impact your success in your major and thus your graduate applications. For example, I had a friend who went to School X because it was objectively best in Y. They ended up being much happier at a different school, that while not as prestigious, was a better fit for her individual context. They got into a highly ranked grad school because they had been happy at their new school, had worked well with professors, and generally found the environment more suited to their needs. I know this post likely wasn't very helpful at all, but at the UG level, just as at the graduate level, there is a lot to consider. When you visit schools, get a feel for your own personal fit, how well you will work with a professor in your major and your advisor. Opportunities to engage in the community and on campus are key for graduate applications, too. Not that this is an endorsement, but I know someone who went to WashU for Engineering. They ended up with a lot of industry connections, but that was their goal. I personally like the area, and found it very suited to college living when I visited them. ETA: I know I wasn't much help, but good luck to you! College is a life changing adventure. Enjoy every second, even the stress laden ones.

Yes, it's very, very common. It's unfortunate, certainly. My UG university spent millions on a new building and the bathroom stall meant for persons with disabilities wasn't even large enough for a manual wheelchair. I wish they had sought the insight of someone with universal design or a committee of people with disabilities of all sorts when considering the designs. I'm glad your UG school is aware of their present limitations and is working to overcome them. My first graduate institution was pretty amazing, overall. They were pretty responsive to concerns. I think it would also surprise people how much little, relatively inexpensive modifications, can do so much for accessibility.

I'm not, but I have a friend who applied, and she got her letter a few days ago. I hope you hear something soon. She did say getting ahold of them took a while.

The university I was visiting wasn't very accessible, and I spent 90% of the visit trying to get to the places they were hosting things. Needless to say, I did not go there. I'm not sure if it was because of what I saw or didn't see.

Oh, and you might also check out the Public Health sub forum found on the menu here. There are lots of people there, too.

@cnkwoc2 I applied to a few MPH programs, just accepted an offer this week. I would just make sure your CV highlights your experience with your internship and your RA-ship. I would also make sure your SOP is tight and really says what you want it to say. If you are applying through SOPHAS, make sure you give yourself enough time for verification and their processes, too. I don't know about making yourself appealing. I'm of the school of thought that the best thing you can do is put as much of yourself on paper so that you feel as though you are presenting yourself as fully as you can. Of course, you want it be positive, but also you want to maintain your sense of authenticity and who you are as a scholar. Feel free to PM or ask any more questions. I'm happy to chat!

@SLPgradstudent My best friend is getting married and asked me to be her MOH. We're working on centerpieces. I think she regrets abandoning her plan to elope! That is to say, good luck with the wedding planning and very best wishes. Wedding mode goes by fast!

@Cat_Robutt The Bon-Ton is a department store like Macy's, or maybe Nordstrom's. It's a department store, you can generally expect them to be clean, and have decent stuff with pretty good sales. I have rarely been in one, but I understand it to be a step above JC Penny. I'm not sure how they rank. Also, thank you. I'm hopeful that whatever deity governs the government funding relating to public health looks favorably upon me. At the very least, I hope the paperwork goes in without glitches.

@The Interdisciplinarian I sent in the form just now. I checked it like five times to make sure I'd checked the correct box. I hope they'll reply that they've gotten my form.

@Neist Yes, it does approach! Thank you also for all of your support and encouragement over the last couple of weeks. It's an awesome community here, and I'm glad you're a part of it. @Pink Fuzzy Bunny Yes, it does. My funding is unofficial at this point, though, and requires some more forms because of the government, you know, and so I don't think I will feel done until that's a done deal. I'm getting there, though.

I got a letter today that I was offered a spot with some pretty decent funding at one of my top choices. I've decided to take the offer, even though admissions decisions have not yet come back for my other top choice, mostly because I think when it comes down to it, I'd still choose school A for a myriad of reasons. I'm excited, but I'm also terrified. I still have a bunch of hoops to jump through with paperwork and whatever until the whole thing is done deal especially related to funding, so is it cool with you guys if I still hang out here? Once this monitoring at work is done, I'm going to be on GC more. That's my reward as I keep focused on paperwork.

@nevermind So many congrats to you. That's outstanding, and very, very, awesome. There is so much good news on this thread that I can't even keep up.

In the gif-fy sprit of this thread, I spent my day looking at my mailbox like this, half afraid it would reveal a letter, and fairly anxious when it did not.