The Group

         The group experience forms one of the most important pieces of the whole trip, at least that's what I've been told by the program. There will be thirty-five students (including myself) on the trip, one traveling IHP fellow (an alum from a couple of years ago), and two traveling faculty members. The students all come from a variety of backgrounds and interests and I'm really excited to meet the other kids in my group. Strangely (in my opinion, at least), I'm the only student on the trip from a college in the Midwest, as most of the students attend colleges on the east coast and a couple hail from the west coast. However, in terms of hometowns, the group is spread all over the country.
          In terms of interests and experiences of the kids, it's a pretty mixed bag. Some students have very strong public health experiences in and out of the classroom. Others, like me, have studied a fair amount of "hard" science, but not much public and global health, and a few others are curious English majors or other social science majors. Many students are interested in attending medical school one day (a few are already accepted into medical schools through early-admission programs), but at the same time others plan to work in the fields of public and global health. Overall, I'm really impressed with the group. Everybody looks to be an a really interesting and accomplished student.
          One interesting note is the gender imbalance of the group. Of the thirty five students, only five of them are male. I like girls and get along with them well, but that's a lot of estrogen for four months. I just hope I get along well with the other guys. I'll find out soon.