SublimePZ

I would say the next step to complete your portfolio, as it were, is to take the GRE and get LoRs. If possible, try and get research that you can continue either over the summer during your internship or into your senior year. Since you say you don't have any close professors to write you letters, try becoming close to 1 or 2 starting this semester/quarter. Were you close to your supervisor in your first internship? If so, ask them to write you a letter (if applicable). From the schools that I applied to (different discipline, so YMMV), almost all said that a letter from one internship supervisor was acceptable. I also got a letter from a professor whose class was not related at all to my intended field, but they were able to comment very strongly about my work ethic and other motivational/general capabilities.

On the topic of crazy Texas v. Florida, Jon Stewart does a pretty good segment on his show: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/05/jon-stewart-texas-florida_n_6619634.html

Man a lot of people burn their rejection letters... Memorial University Of Newfoundland English, PhD (F15) Rejected via Postal Service on 23 Mar 2015 ♦ I 23 Mar 2015 report spam The letter smelled lovely when I burned it... It was very curt, verging on rude.

As poweredbycoldfusion said, if you really don't like this place it will leak out into your work, your interactions with faculty and peers and really end up hurting yourself. Not saying you haven't done this, but if you peruse this forum, you'll see the word "fit" littered everywhere. That's because it is genuinely one of the most important factors to consider. From all the various things that you stated above that let to this school being a "low ranking" in your mind, it clearly is not a good fit. Weigh being unhappy with your research, your work, and your general location for 5-7 years versus being able to reapply and get into another "better" school.

I haven't started yet and i'll be 23 when I start my PhD as well, but I would say don't worry about it if others think you look young - it's your work that matters more than how you look. If they respect you less for being young, prove them wrong by knocking your MPH out of the park (so to speak)! And if you REALLY can't get over looking too young, dressing professionally (I am a guy so I would say collared shirts + slacks every day) certainly would help. But again - your work > how you look.

FWIW, my two acceptances sent me emails at 9 AM and 3 PM. I don't think they have a set time to send out emails, just gotta keep waiting. Don't give up!

This. Replacing all of those sugary, delicious drinks (looking at you Starbucks, soda, etc.) with just water is a really healthy choice and pretty easy to make. A couple of small decisions that you can make can also make a difference such as: trying to always take the stairs when possible (instead of escalators, elevators), spending that extra 20 minutes to walk to places around your house instead of driving, etc. can really make a difference as well.

To answer your question, it impacts them in the sense that they will hear back from the school sooner and have more time to make a decision (if it's an acceptance). I agree with TakeruK though in that you should really do what's best for you. I'm sure at this point you've quasi-ranked the 7 programs that you've been accepted to in your head, so if you have the luxury of declining any of them, it would speed things up for those on the waitlist.

*Hug* Time heals all. Take some time to do things you love to do and appreciate you for yourself. Be confident in your choices, UChicago is a great school and sounds like a good fit.

I remember my roommate in undergrad got called for jury duty in California (Bay Area) and was able to get out of it by calling them + emailing proof of him being a student. Mind you, this was undergrad, but it should still work. Or this.

Keep your head up! Your credentials sound good, you will definitely get in somewhere. If not this cycle, don't despair. Take the next year to destress from the application process and get the motivation to apply again.

DukeEconomics, PhD (F15)Rejected via E-mail on 19 Mar 2015A Ahhh that feeling of getting that last rejection, and you're just like "YESSSSS! Yeah yeah yeah! It's finally over!" And that is when you know that you have a deep sickness I giggled. I guess we all have this deep obsession huh?

I was at work when I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket. As I was in lab I couldn't really answer but when I checked my voicemail, I did one of those really excited *silent* screams (because ya know, i'm at work ). Very excited feeling!

This times a million. Especially in Chicago, as someone said before, neighborhoods can vary pretty greatly in safety and convenience.

Working full time and playing a lot of soccer on the company team until the end of June, then treating myself to a trip with friends somewhere (Puerto Vallarta maybe?). Then moving from CA to the east coast wooooooo.

2.85 uGPA, Q:165,V:161, AW:5.0 with 3 internships in industry, working at a biotech company during my gap year. Accepted to 2 biomedical science PhD programs. There's always hope, people!

I've recently gotten into watching The Daily Show and Last Week Tonight (Jon Stewart and John Oliver, respectively) and i've become so frustrated with the corruption and unnecessary crap that goes on behind the scenes. Edit: Also, Achilles tendonitis grrrr please go away. Soccer is my one true love! (lol.)