Aceflyer

You should go to the program that fits your interests and passions better. Don't go to a program just on the basis of its reputation or 'prestige'. However, at the same time, I think you shouldn't be afraid to consider switching to a new project/new adviser. If you do get into Minnesota's BME program, I would recommend looking at the faculty pages and going for a visit to see whether there is anything there that turns you on. Take a good look at both Minnesota and Iowa and then go where you feel you would be happier. Don't stay at Iowa just because you could continue working on your current project; don't go to Minnesota just on the basis of reputation. Rather, consider all the factors and the pros and cons at each place and then go from there. Best of luck!

The UNC program (I'm assuming you're talking about UNC BBSP) is perhaps somewhat better known, but as you may have read already, the most important factor when it comes to choosing a school is 'fit'. Do both schools have multiple faculty members whose research not only interests, but genuinely excites, you? Are the two programs comparable in terms of coursework requirements? Some people like having to take more courses (more structure), some people prefer to be able to just get right in and be able to focus on research.

I'm at Yale also and can second cogneuro's post. I just wanted to add that if you are deciding between an "ivy and non-ivy top 10'er," you should attend the program that you feel offers the better fit - and this is something that you can get a good sense of at interview/recruitment visits. What are the current students in the program like? What are the faculty like? What do the students love about the program, and what do they dislike about it? Would you feel comfortable spending ~5 years of your life around these people?

I left Facebook recently due to much the same reasons Jakrabite did. I initially joined to help keep connected with my friends, but over time I found that I didn't need Facebook to keep in touch with my 'core' (or 'actual') friends anyhow, and friending acquaintances on Facebook didn't really help me get to know them better. Plus I had to constantly keep a close eye on things to make sure nothing embarrassing or confidential was leaked, and had to keep fiddling with what information to make available to whom. It also didn't help that 'netiquette' dictated that rejecting someone else's friend request was considered to be rude, so I ended up with a few Facebook 'friends' who I would have preferred to stay further away from. So in the end I decided Facebook was a time and energy drain that was not worth any small benefits it may have given me, so I deactivated my account. (On an interesting note, I did remember to change my Facebook account to use my permanent email address (instead of my school email address) just before deactivating the account, so that I can retain the option of reactivating my account in the future.)

I nominate New Haven, CT for best city to go to for grad school. The food there is unparalleled this side of New York (and New Haven isn't nearly as expensive to live in as NYC!), and the city itself is just large enough to be interesting. Plus, it is an easy commute to NYC via Metro-North for those times when one desires the 'big-city' bustle.

Eh? Lesse... Stanford University: Named after Leland Stanford Jr. Harvard University: Named after John Harvard Yale University: Named after Elihu Yale Cornell University: Named after Ezra Cornell Johns Hopkins University: Named after (surprise, surprise) Johns Hopkins I could go on...

I agree. My philosophy is not to post unless I actually have something useful to contribute to the discussion.

I agree. I recommend using all of the ETS materials - especially the PowerPrep software. For Verbal, really the only thing to do is to buckle down and study those word lists like mad. For Quant, figure out what areas you are having trouble with, and then dig out those old math books and drill. For Writing, there's no substitute to just sitting down and writing answers (under timed conditions) to the writing prompts provided on the ETS website. If you have a hard time with independent studying, you may want to look into taking a test-prep classroom course. (If you can be self-organized and self-motivated though, there's really no need to take a classroom course.) Best of luck!

I second cogneuroforfun's post. I would further add that a rank of 8 vs. a rank of 16 doesn't seem to be that huge a difference to me... but this is just from the biological sciences perspective, though. It may be different in the Public Health world. I know that for law schools, for example, US News ranking matters a hell of a lot when it comes to getting the top jobs and internships. It does seem though that internships are important... so if Yale's program is better at getting you that experience and better at getting you a good job after graduation, I'd go with that, personally. Especially given that you also say that Yale's program has a better research fit for you.

Yep, it's very slick and stylish for sure. Honestly, though, this topic really is terrible. Even excusing the fact that the very notion of ranking the "best overall universities" at the graduate level is stupid to be frank, the answer options provided by the OP are sadly lacking and seem to be heavily skewed by 'traditional' notions of private school prestige. Where are great public schools like UCB, UCSF, UIUC?

Hmm. Was the problem with your subject GRE or with your general GRE, or both? If the problem was with your subject GRE, I'd say you're probably set now given that you will have completed a research Master's program. If the problem was with your general GRE, you might want to look into retaking it and getting a better score...

I must say that I've never heard of an applicant being rejected due solely to his/her GRE score being too low. Did the programs you previously applied to actually tell you that your GRE score was the sole reason they didn't accept you? Or are you just assuming that you were rejected because of your GRE score?

I sent a hand-written thank you card to each of my recommenders.

Well, the precise laws and punishments vary by state. In Texas, for example: