MPH Fall 2018: Applied, Accepted, Waitlisted, Rejected!

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N'Orleans said:
Hello all,

I had a question that I wanted to pose to the group. I was accepted to Drexel this weekend and to LSUHSC today. I'm still awaiting 4 decisions and, in the meantime, grappling with the decision of where to go. I'm wondering what people think about going to the place with the cheapest degree (including any aid and scholarships) vs. going to the place with prestige in the field. It's hard for me to decide whether I should take $40,000 in loans to go to a better school or go somewhere like LSU and take no loans... Thoughts?
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Wanted to chime in because I had the same questions as you and we're on the same boat. I am still waiting for more acceptances.
I know an epidemiologist at my state university who went to a very "mediocre" (her words, not mine) MPH program in middle of nowhere. She got her MPH from a small program (not a full School of Public Health) that mostly had physicians or other degree holders who wanted to add MPH next to their name. She chose this school over other prestigious programs because of her personal circumstances. Despite this, she worked with a professor from a bigger university in a different state AND received funding from CDC to do research in South America. She had no problem getting a job after she finished her MPH and eventually started PhD at a big, renowned SPH (within top 5).

Her advice was that wherever you go, focus on your experiences rather than the name of the school. Yes, if you could get cheaper tuition at one school over the other that's awesome and you should definitely consider the cheaper school if money is a big factor for you. If it's a school that offers both generous funding AND prestige, then that is super ideal and awesome. I think you should definitely wait until you get all of your acceptances then lay out your options, still got some time to think!
 
Cici A said:
Does somebody know anything about the quality of the Vanderbilt MPH program (beyond whats on the website)? How well is the program structured, research specialties, etc. ?
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For what it's worth, I live in Nashville and met several of the Vanderbilt PH faculty before deciding to pursue an MPH, and I was really impressed. If you haven't already, I would recommend exploring the faculty's various research interests since that's probably my biggest draw to the program, apart from location.
 
Kakaangela said:
I submitted on 1/12 and my application was considered complete and sent to review on 1/18.
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Congratulations! Did they send you an email or did you check your portal and see the decision?
 
Hi, all and congratulations to everyone who has been accepted so far!

I've been lurking for a while and decided to post after receiving some acceptances-- Maybe to give someone else who's lurking with similar stats some hope

Undergrad School: Private medium-sized university
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.69
Major/Minor: Health Science (heavy on Physical Therapy) and Spanish
GRE (including date taken): Taken 10/27/17
160V 157Q 5.0W
Experience/Research (please, be brief):
- [Current] Health Education Specialist at nonprofit (same one as public health internship)
- One semester public health internship at nonprofit to develop new programs, Tool Kits, and social media "Wellness Wednesday" posts
- 1 year Intern at TASC, Inc. where I translated for caseworkers and clients receiving prenatal care, developed a prenatal class curriculum that covered taboo subjects, reviewed the efficacy of established programs

(Unrelated to public health)
- President of Community Service and many more positions for social sorority
- Executive board member for St. Jude's Up Til Dawn event
- Foreign Language honor society
- Greek Life Leadership honor society
- Dean's list 7/8 semesters

Applied(include the date of application): University of Minnesota- Community Health Promotion (11/19), George Washington University- Health Promotion (11/28), Emory University -Behavioral Sciences and Health Education (12/5), Boston University- Program Management (12/8)
Accepted: GW (12/11), U of Minnesota (12/22), Boston (1/22)
Rejected:
Waitlisted:

Still anxiously waiting for Emory!
 
For the Epi people, has anyone heard back from Minnesota regarding scholarships? Also, has anyone received more information from Drexel about scholarships as well besides what was given with the acceptance?
 
Hey guys, just completed an informational interview with JHU's MSPH Policy program; they said we should be getting decisions by the end of next week (I applied 1/13). Also was offered an interview with UM's MPH Policy program, has anyone interviewed with them? What was it like?
 
flash17 said:
Hey guys, just completed an informational interview with JHU's MSPH Policy program; they said we should be getting decisions by the end of next week (I applied 1/13). Also was offered an interview with UM's MPH Policy program, has anyone interviewed with them? What was it like?
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Does an informational interview mean that you reached out to faculty in the department?
 
Cici A said:
Does an informational interview mean that you reached out to faculty in the department?
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No, they reached out to me to set up an interview about a week ago, but it was basically a one-on-one info session just answering my questions about the program. They didn't ask any questions about my application at all, just said it looked good.
 
Branch394 said:
For the Epi people, has anyone heard back from Minnesota regarding scholarships? Also, has anyone received more information from Drexel about scholarships as well besides what was given with the acceptance?
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Haven't heard any more from MN Epi either
 
rockclimbermph said:
I'm dying to hear from UCLA...they are likely my first choice due to the fact that they're a great program, but I would also be able to get in-state tuition...checking my email 5000 times per day.
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Do you know when they are sending out decisions?
 
phaspirant said:
Hey, I'm in a very similar situation, but I think it's probably because I've been submitting very close to the deadline in most cases. The wait is beginning to get to me now though. Hope we get some good news soon!

EDIT: Just got an email for an interview with Michigan (Health Policy and Management)! This is my first interview. Can someone tell me how theirs went? Do you think I'd need to prep for it?
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Also got the interview notification, and the same track! I am curious about what "Faculty are notified of their interview schedules 2 days in advance and may or may not reach out ahead of time" means, does it mean both the faculty and I won't know who we are going to talk to until two days before the interview? One of my senior suggest me learn about the research or background of the faculty I will chat with, but at present I still have no idea who he/she is🙂 May I ask when your interview will be?
 
rockclimbermph said:
I saw on last year's thread that they sent out decisions the first week of February. Sooo nervous to hear back! What department did you apply for?
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I applied for epi! What about you? I'm on the east coast and applied to mostly all east coast schools, but I wanted to have at least one option out west 🙂
 
Congratulations to everyone so far on acceptances! It’s been a real pleasure reading through everything people have done and hearing what’s next for them 🙂

Undergrad School: “top ten”
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.2
Major/Minor: biology and global health double major
GRE (11/10/17): 156 v (73%), 152 q (47%, lol), writing 5.5 (98%)
Experience/Research:
-2 years full-time work experience as a public health analyst for an international research institute focusing on US domestic health policy (contracted by CMS, promoted to task lead roles)
-awarded a competitive undergraduate grant to conduct global health research in Ghana for 3 months
-studied global health abroad in India, South Africa, and Brazil
-1 year wet lab undergrad research in a neurobio lab
-tutored ESL students for 4 years in college (I speak Spanish)
-fun leadership activities: alumni interviewer, university tour guide, orientation leader

Special factors:
Hispanic, first generation to attend college

Interested in: global health and infectious disease
Applied: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (MSc control of infectious disease), Harvard (MPH global health), Johns Hopkins (MSPH global disease epi and control), University of Washington (MPH global health)
Accepted: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (1/17/18), University of Washington +$$$ (1/16/18), Harvard (SM global health, 2/8/18)
Rejected:
Waitlisted:
Waiting: JHU
 
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MarcusAureliusAntoninus said:
Random question, but have any of you considered the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine? Particularly their MSc Public Health and MSc Epidemiology programs. Their tuition is only around $30,000 for US citizens which is way cheaper than many of the top US schools, and the degrees are only one year rather than the traditional 2, but the thought of being in expensive London and under the completely different British education system makes me a bit hesitant .
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Yes! I was recently admitted to LSHTM for the MSc control of infectious disease. I’ve talked to many alumni of the school and talked with global health professors from my university about it, and general consensus is LSHTM is amazing and a really great opportunity because it’s a world renowned, niche global health school.
 
Branch394 said:
For the Epi people, has anyone heard back from Minnesota regarding scholarships? Also, has anyone received more information from Drexel about scholarships as well besides what was given with the acceptance?
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I’m EPI and received UMN scholarship info 1/9. Applied 11/9 and was accepted 12/15. Hope this helps! You might have to wait a bit longer if you applied later.
 
Sunflowerz said:
Congratulations to everyone so far on acceptances! It’s been a real pleasure reading through everything people have done and hearing what’s next for them 🙂

Undergrad School: “top ten”
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.2
Major/Minor: biology and global health double major
GRE (11/10/17): 156 v (73%), 152 q (47%, lol), writing 5.5 (98%)
Experience/Research:
-2 years working as a public health analyst for an international research institute focusing on US domestic health policy (contracted by CMS, held lead roles)
-awarded a competitive undergraduate grant to conduct research in Ghana for 3 months
-studied global health abroad in India, South Africa, and Brazil
-1 year wet lab research in a neurobio lab
-tutored ESL students for 4 years in college (I speak Spanish)
-fun leadership activities: alumni interviewer, university tour guide, orientation leader

Special factors:
Hispanic, first generation to attend college

Interested in: global health and infectious disease
Applied: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (MSc control of infectious disease), Harvard (MPH global health), Johns Hopkins (MSPH global disease epi and control), University of Washington (MPH global health)
Accepted: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (1/17/18), University of Washington (1/16/18)
Rejected:
Waitlisted:

I am still waiting to hear back from Harvard and Hopkins, but the catch is that I have to make a decision by 2/14 whether I accept my offer to LSHTM or not. I’ve seen on this thread that others have already heard back from Hopkins, and have been told by friends who go to Hopkins Bloomberg that they received offers about 2 weeks after they applied. My application wasn’t processed until the very last day of the deadline (1/15), so I’m hoping I’ll find out soon if the 2 weeks holds true. Harvard said they will try to expedite my decision but cannot guarantee it. What have others’ experiences been hearing back from these schools? I am about 70% convinced I will accept LSHTM’s offer regardless because it’s a top program in the world for global infectious disease studies. My end goal is to pursue a PhD and become a professor. Would love opinions/advice from others about this decision though!
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I applied to Hopkins MSPH GDEC also (in October) and I emailed the program director earlier this month and she said she was hopeful to have the first set of decisions out by the end of Jan. I'm not sure if you'd be in that group if you submitted Jan 15th. From what I understand, each department is different so the 2-week turnaround isn't guaranteed (especially for this program).
 
Sunflowerz said:
Congratulations to everyone so far on acceptances! It’s been a real pleasure reading through everything people have done and hearing what’s next for them 🙂

Undergrad School: “top ten”
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.2
Major/Minor: biology and global health double major
GRE (11/10/17): 156 v (73%), 152 q (47%, lol), writing 5.5 (98%)
Experience/Research:
-2 years working as a public health analyst for an international research institute focusing on US domestic health policy (contracted by CMS, held lead roles)
-awarded a competitive undergraduate grant to conduct research in Ghana for 3 months
-studied global health abroad in India, South Africa, and Brazil
-1 year wet lab research in a neurobio lab
-tutored ESL students for 4 years in college (I speak Spanish)
-fun leadership activities: alumni interviewer, university tour guide, orientation leader

Special factors:
Hispanic, first generation to attend college

Interested in: global health and infectious disease
Applied: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (MSc control of infectious disease), Harvard (MPH global health), Johns Hopkins (MSPH global disease epi and control), University of Washington (MPH global health)
Accepted: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (1/17/18), University of Washington (1/16/18)
Rejected:
Waitlisted:

I am still waiting to hear back from Harvard and Hopkins, but the catch is that I have to make a decision by 2/14 whether I accept my offer to LSHTM or not. I’ve seen on this thread that others have already heard back from Hopkins, and have been told by friends who go to Hopkins Bloomberg that they received offers about 2 weeks after they applied. My application wasn’t processed until the very last day of the deadline (1/15), so I’m hoping I’ll find out soon if the 2 weeks holds true. Harvard said they will try to expedite my decision but cannot guarantee it. What have others’ experiences been hearing back from these schools? I am about 70% convinced I will accept LSHTM’s offer regardless because it’s a top program in the world for global infectious disease studies. My end goal is to pursue a PhD and become a professor. Would love opinions/advice from others about this decision though![/QUOTongratul
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Congratulations on LSHTM! I am slightly interested in their program but had the same reservations as some other people. How much is the application fee?
 
Cici A said:
Congratulations on LSHTM! I am slightly interested in their program but had the same reservations as some other people. How much is the application fee?
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Thank you!! I’m really excited about it, it’s been a dream of mine since getting into global health. It’s free to apply! I really have talked to a bunch of people about the school and am happy to discuss reservations with you.
 
Has anyone heard from Colorado? If so, when was your app completed/verified? I know they said a couple weeks after the priority deadline but I'm so excited and anxious!
 
JDGBruin1317 said:
Has anyone heard from Colorado? If so, when was your app completed/verified? I know they said a couple weeks after the priority deadline but I'm so excited and anxious!
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I heard from them yesterday, I was verified on 11/16/17! Crossing my fingers for you that you hear soon! 🙂
 
JDGBruin1317 said:
Has anyone heard from Colorado? If so, when was your app completed/verified? I know they said a couple weeks after the priority deadline but I'm so excited and anxious!
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Not yet! It's my top school so I'm starting to freak out a little, keep refreshing my email every 3 minutes waiting for something
 
Sunflowerz said:
Congratulations to everyone so far on acceptances! It’s been a real pleasure reading through everything people have done and hearing what’s next for them 🙂

Undergrad School: “top ten”
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.2
Major/Minor: biology and global health double major
GRE (11/10/17): 156 v (73%), 152 q (47%, lol), writing 5.5 (98%)
Experience/Research:
-2 years working as a public health analyst for an international research institute focusing on US domestic health policy (contracted by CMS, held lead roles)
-awarded a competitive undergraduate grant to conduct research in Ghana for 3 months
-studied global health abroad in India, South Africa, and Brazil
-1 year wet lab research in a neurobio lab
-tutored ESL students for 4 years in college (I speak Spanish)
-fun leadership activities: alumni interviewer, university tour guide, orientation leader

Special factors:
Hispanic, first generation to attend college

Interested in: global health and infectious disease
Applied: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (MSc control of infectious disease), Harvard (MPH global health), Johns Hopkins (MSPH global disease epi and control), University of Washington (MPH global health)
Accepted: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (1/17/18), University of Washington (1/16/18)
Rejected:
Waitlisted:

I am still waiting to hear back from Harvard and Hopkins, but the catch is that I have to make a decision by 2/14 whether I accept my offer to LSHTM or not. I’ve seen on this thread that others have already heard back from Hopkins, and have been told by friends who go to Hopkins Bloomberg that they received offers about 2 weeks after they applied. My application wasn’t processed until the very last day of the deadline (1/15), so I’m hoping I’ll find out soon if the 2 weeks holds true. Harvard said they will try to expedite my decision but cannot guarantee it. What have others’ experiences been hearing back from these schools? I am about 70% convinced I will accept LSHTM’s offer regardless because it’s a top program in the world for global infectious disease studies. My end goal is to pursue a PhD and become a professor. Would love opinions/advice from others about this decision though!
Click to expand...


I was hesitant to apply to any program at LSHTM because I saw these prerequisites on the website;
A student must normally satisfy the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine general entrance requirements and the additional programme specific entrance requirements as follows:

The normal minimum entrance qualification for registration at the School on a Master's programme is at least one of the following:

  • a second-class honours degree of a UK university, or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard, in a subject appropriate to that of the course of study to be followed
  • a registrable qualification appropriate to the course of study to be followed, in medicine, dentistry or veterinary studies
 
Cici A said:
I was hesitant to apply to any program at LSHTM because I saw these prerequisites on the website;
A student must normally satisfy the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine general entrance requirements and the additional programme specific entrance requirements as follows:

The normal minimum entrance qualification for registration at the School on a Master's programme is at least one of the following:

  • a second-class honours degree of a UK university, or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard, in a subject appropriate to that of the course of study to be followed
  • a registrable qualification appropriate to the course of study to be followed, in medicine, dentistry or veterinary studies
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I didn’t see the second requirement for the 2 programs I applied to (1st choice control of infectious disease 2nd choice epi), but I can speak to the first one. I was confused about it too when I applied, but it’s the equivalent of a bachelors degree with 3.0 or above in the states in something related to whatever you apply for.
 
Sunflowerz said:
Thank you!! I’m really excited about it, it’s been a dream of mine since getting into global health. It’s free to apply! I really have talked to a bunch of people about the school and am happy to discuss reservations with you.
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Did you say free?? (happy dances). Okay, one of my concerns is not meeting their second-class honors requirement (I have a 3.2 GPA, possibly a 3.5 with a couples class I will finish retaking by the end of May). However, I see you have a 3.2 so I am wondering how they determine international students' qualifications based on those prerequisites. I am also concerned about moving to another country! Do they help with finding accommodation, roommates, etc.? Do they give scholarships? I understand you may not have all the answers. I should probably talk to a program rep.
 
mrmoghi said:
Not yet! It's my top school so I'm starting to freak out a little, keep refreshing my email every 3 minutes waiting for something
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Haha same! Hopefully we hear good news soon! When did you submit your app? What program did you apply to?
 
JDGBruin1317 said:
Congrats! Thanks! What program did you apply to?
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Thank you!! I applied for Environmental Health...EHS seems like it's in its own little world sometimes, I seem to hear things on really strange timelines separate from everyone else. Who knows!?

Speaking of which, are there any other EHS people on this board?
 
Cici A said:
Did you say free?? (happy dances). Okay, one of my concerns is not meeting their second-class honors requirement (I have a 3.2 GPA, possibly a 3.5 with a couples class I will finish retaking by the end of May). However, I see you have a 3.2 so I am wondering how they determine international students' qualifications based on those prerequisites. I am also concerned about moving to another country! Do they help with finding accommodation, roommates, etc.? Do they give scholarships? I understand you may not have all the answers. I should probably talk to a program rep.
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Hahah yeah the free app thing is soliddd!! Yeah I hear you, I was worried about my GPA too, but it worked out 🙂 I think they are looking for experience over anything (and also that you didn’t get below a 3.0). Oh yeah they are super helpful with the moving situation!! I am constantly in contact with like 8 different department people at the school trying to figure this all out because I’m a planner and they are all very helpful. They have a website/student board dedicated to helping students find housing and roommates, and they also have university owned houses and residence halls that you can apply for. They do not give scholarships to US students for the most part (unless you applied for a Marshall scholarship or Fulbright and get it in which case it’s full funding). Basically what I’ve decided is that it potentially could be cheaper (albeit I don’t know if I could get a RA-ship that would pay my tuition in the states) than any school I applied to in the states bc it’s only 1 year vs 2 (so only 1 year of no income paying for living expenses and tuition). It basically comes out to you needing 60k (30k for tuition and 30k for living expenses).
 
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skcolley said:
Thank you!! I applied for Environmental Health...EHS seems like it's in its own little world sometimes, I seem to hear things on really strange timelines separate from everyone else. Who knows!?

Speaking of which, are there any other EHS people on this board?
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Which school are you considering to attend? Is Colorado one of your top choices?
 
Hey y’all,

I was snooping on these forums for a while but then I figured I’d ask some questions some people could answer. I’ve been accepted to Columbia and GW, and while Columbia is my top choice (tied with UW), I wanted to see if anyone had heard anything about scholarships and financial aid from Columbia or GW. I am still waiting to hear back from my other choices on acceptances (then of course scholarships and aid). I would love to go to the admitted student event in March for Columbia if I did choose there. It seems that Columbia released some acceptances earlier than previous years so maybe scholarships and aid are a little behind?

Undergrad School: Public Ivy
Undergrad GPA:3.58
Major/Minor: BSPH Environmental Health Sciences, Second Major in Psychology
Grad GPA (if applicable): N/A
Grad Studies (if applicable): N/A
GRE (including date taken): 164Q, 160V, 5.0W (taken 5/13/2016)
Experience/Research (please, be brief):
  • Currently, I work as a project and account manager/executive administrative assistant at a large geriatric medical practice
  • Volunteer regularly at a local LGBT center in my area
  • Research assistant for about one year in college which includes a summer undergraduate research fellowship award for LGBT studies (project on stress and coping in LGBT populations)
  • Undergraduate thesis on HIV rates in rural south (presented at queer studies conference)
Recommendations:
1. Academic: Professor in undergrad who I took two classes under (adviser on thesis)
2. Volunteer: Assistant director of LGBT center
3. Professional: Team leader at work

Special factors: Nothing more than a solid academic record in an undergraduate program in a school of public health. I am queer and very active in my community and I emphasize how that has affected my past research and future career interests

Interested in: Intersection of social justice and program/policy implementation/evaluation, intersection of qualitative and qualitative analysis, LGBTQ and other minority health

Applied(include the date of application):
  • Columbia for SMS (submitted 11/27, verified 12/5)
  • George Washington for COPC (submitted 12/12, verified 12/19)
  • UW in Seattle for Health Services, Health Systems and Policy Track (submitted 11/27, verified 11/29) (side note: considering applying for COPHP if I get into HS for a dual degree)
  • UC Berkeley for HPM (applied 11/27, verified 12/19)
  • Boston University for Community Assessment and Program Design (submitted 1/3, verified 1/9)
Accepted: Columbia (1/22), GW (12/21)
Rejected:
Waitlisted:
 
numbersloth said:
Where on the portal was the acceptance?
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The portal will change and the "Admission Decision" will appear on the left side if you receive a decision even though it's the same link as you check for application status/materials.
 
phclarinetist said:
I was snooping on these forums for a while but then I figured I’d ask some questions some people could answer. I’ve been accepted to Columbia and GW, and while Columbia is my top choice (tied with UW), I wanted to see if anyone had heard anything about scholarships and financial aid from Columbia or GW.
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I did some snooping on last year's thread, and it looks like a whole bunch of people got scholarship notification from GW in early February. I don't know about Columbia, though.
 
c@mbo said:
I applied for epi! What about you? I'm on the east coast and applied to mostly all east coast schools, but I wanted to have at least one option out west 🙂
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I applied to Epi as well! I think UCLA is great, if I get in I can almost say for sure I'll end up there. Good luck!! Maybe we'll be classmates 😛
 
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