Hi, 

I got word that I was accepted into both UBC and UW's 3 year MLA program. I am really excited about having the option to choose both places to live and learn, and because of this I am not so sure what would be a greater fit for me. I have a master's in public health and I want to get a landscape degree, because my focus in my previous masters studies was on health and the built environment. I realized that many of the topics I was interested in in-terms of population health and well-being aligned really well with the fields of planning and ecological design. 

I have a better understanding that U Washington has a great public health program and that's equally important to me even though I am not going to school for that anymore. I want to know that the university has great resources for me to bridge the two fields and I know that UW;s architecture and public health schools even have cross-listed courses or at least one... as well as faculty working on projects in this exact area. 

However, for UBC I am not as familiar with their programs in public health and whether they provide opportunities to explore a deeper connection to public health and landscape. But many people I ask say UBC is both a great school in general and a great landscape school. Is this true? why is it true? 

I like both places but perhaps I just need a few more pieces of information to sway me one way over the other. I like the idea of living in and studying in Vancouer but I don't want to miss out on a program that could potentially be better suited to my interest. Does anyone have some advice for me? Does UBC have an equally strong background or focus on health and landscape? Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thank you, 

Chris