ecemag

Dear Ms. X seems pretty safe. I personally use "Greetings Ms. X" or similar. It all depends on you style. Either way is appropriate and respectful. I generally close with "Regards, John" or "Regards, John Doe"

AP, some (or most) schools have on their website information on their student medical insurance program with respect to cost, coverage, etc. Sometimes you have to dig around for it though. Most schools offer subsidized coverage for student employees (research assistants, etc.) and often they have an on-site medical clinic which may also be able to provide some sort of support. In general, if you have concerns about disability accommodations, health benefits, etc., be sure to reach out to your schools and ask questions. They generally don't mind answering questions, and are there to help. For those concerned about admission, be sure to discuss your unique challenges in your admission essays as appropriate. Some schools have a Diversity Essay or similar, which is separate from the Statement of Purpose or Research Statement. In that case, the Diversity Essay would be the best place to bring up these challenges and how you've overcome them.

Most US schools respect the April 15th rule. That is, they all agree to not require a decision prior to April 15th to accept or decline financial support in the Fall semester. https://cgsnet.org/april-15-resolution Apparently, admission decisions do not fall under this resolution. I think most schools give you until April 15th to accept admission anyway, but perhaps that is changing. Most likely, your program wants to know right away so that they can make offers to other students in case you decline. I recommend that you request an extension of this deadline. Worst case is that they don't grant the extension, and you will have to make a decision by their deadline.

Thanks! And good luck on your admissions! I'm in a similar situation as you. Working at a decent job. But I'm 10 years post-bachelors, so if I want to go back to school, now is the time before I forget everything.

I've applied to Purdue, UIUC, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio State and Mizzou for a PhD focusing on electromagnetics. I only applied to Midwest schools for family reasons. So far, I've gotten admission offers (no mention of funding yet) from Ohio State and Mizzou. I've been invited to open-house type visits (with funding for travel and interviews with faculty) to Michigan, Wisconsin, and the ESL at Ohio State, but they all fall on the same dates. I made plans to visit Michigan before I was invited to the other two. I've been contacted by individual professors from Purdue and Mizzou. The only school I haven't heard back from yet is UIUC, which is ironic because it's my Alma Mater. I think it's still fairly early in the process though, so don't worry if you haven't heard anything yet.