Wow, it's been a while

Ok.... so one of my New Years resolutions was to update my blog at least once a week.... starting now :).

Well, I had a very nice winter break. I spent a lot of time with family and friends, while "recharging my batteries" after a VERY busy fall semester. Dad's cooking was probably the highlight of the vacation, which included homemade lasagna and pizza. Not to mention the 20+ dozen Christmas cookies he made. I loved all of the great food and company. Thanks Mom and Dad!

I'm back at school now and have finished the first week of the spring semester. This one looks to be much better than last, as far as being less busy. It will be a good way to finish out my degree at Penn State, since I will be graduating in May. I'll actually have some time to relax and have fun. My roommates ski and snowboard, so I've dusted off my equipment and will probably head to Tussey Mountain with them a few times this year. They have good deals for students and the mountain is less than 10 min from State College.

This spring I will also be anxiously waiting to hear replies from the graduate schools I applied to. This is another reason to keep my blog updated :D. Here is the list of schools and programs that I have applied to:

University of Chicago - Medical Physics PhD.
UCLA - Biomedical Physics PhD.
Duke University - Medical Physics PhD.
Harvard/MIT - Radiological Sciences Joint Program PhD.
University of Wisconsin - Medical Physics PhD.
Stanford University - Applied Physics MS
University of Pennsylvania - Medical Physics MS

I've already been invited to visit UCLA for their candidates day at the end of February. This is a good sign, since they must have liked my application. I will get to meet with people from the department, have an interview or two, tour the campus, and learn about the program. The trip will also be on their tab! Free trip to California... Wooohooo!

I really don't have a top pick yet. It is something I'm constantly thinking about, since there are a lot of variables to consider and it is a pretty big decision. However, by the end March most programs want to have a decision sent to them so I will have until then. Any thoughts? Please let me know :).