meara, is the program at UW? We can make Paul show you around! And you can apply and totally go Seattle over Portland.

(Portland generally rocks, though, so I can see the appeal of it, and I would, were I not a selfish meara hog, be pushing you in that direction.)

meara, if you have time in Denver for a drink or dinner or lunch type thing, e me at my profile. It'd be great to meet you f2f.

Woo-hoo, vw! Go you!

Oh, I got my official GRE results Saturday, too!

Mom's unthankful. I gave her plague. Bad daughter, no biscuit!

Yup, Plei--UW public health program. It's very well respected. But...Portland is so cool! Except their program is...less respected. And I've never been to Seattle, maybe it's as cool as Portland? I mean, it does have, like, 1000% more cool people I know (since, um, I know no one in Portland).

Nicole, not sure that I will--am there two days, but have family (aunt/uncle/cousins) in Denver I have to see, since otherwise I never see them (we don't do Chirstmas together anymore since my grandparents died).

it does have, like, 1000% more cool people I know (since, um, I know no one in Portland).

1000% of zero is zero, miss test taking lady.

Nicole, not sure that I will--am there two days, but have family (aunt/uncle/cousins) in Denver I have to see, since otherwise I never see them (we don't do Chirstmas together anymore since my grandparents died).

No worries. I know how that is. Enjoy Denver and pack sweaters. No snow but still quite chilly.

Oh sure, ita, be all...scientific about it!!

Yeah, Nicole, I saw about shutting down the highway...I'm just praying I don't spend the night in O'Hare!

Speaking of grad school: what the heck are they wanting in a "personal statement"? I mean, sure, say "I really want a degree in X, cause it's what I want to do and this is how my past experience is great for that", but...I'm just not sure of the tone/formality/setup.

1. They want to know that you can write in English.

2. They want to see a sensible narrative about how you decided to do this--cuts down on the people who show up with unrealistic expectations. Make sure that your goals match theirs.

3. They want to know you are not a nut. A surprising number of applicants with high GRE's/grades reveal themselves to be inappropriate candidates in the less structured realm of the personal statement. Avoid saying creepy personal things.

So if you edit carefully, tell a reasonable story, and say nothing cringe worthy, the exact content and tone won't matter much.

I think that it's a great program at UW. Some of my training overlapped with the M.P.H training there.

I know no one in Portland

My best friend the ESL teacher and her husband the tattoo artist live there. Portland is cool (or, well, it was five years ago, anyway).

You know, it's a slightly unsettling thing to realize about myself, how much happier I am with low expectations. Not that I want to be complacent, but I like feeling that I have a good shot at excelling, rather than a possible shot at not failing. This is the sort of thing I don't plan to tell possible bosses. But "Mostly, just don't say anything creepy and personal" is the kind of thing that soothes me and makes me feel better about my prospects (and do better, I think. I'm not good under pressure).

"Mostly, just don't say anything creepy and personal"

Perhaps, once I've mastered this in the real world, I'll give another shot at grad school.