Fall 2012 Doctoral Applicants

Just read some of you are applying to 15+ schools....and I only applied to 1. I better get lucky! Unfortunately, I'm not really mobile so I needed a public health school in baltimore.

I'm a DrPH applicant for fall 2012 - still getting all of my SOPHAS materials togethor and only applying to one school. Good luck everyone!

What, no love for PHD/DrPH programs? We know you're out there!

I just e-submitted SOPHAS today. Good luck everyone, let us know your results!

We're here! Congratulations on e-submitting today, Vayu! I've got most of mine submitted, and am plugging away at a couple more. I hope to finish before the end of the year, but am seriously running out of steam.

I know. SOPHAS is terrible! I hope you can finish up before the weekend and enjoy some time off before the new year. What schools/programs are you applying to?

Thanks, Vayu. I updated my signature with some basic stats and a list of public health programs I'm applying to. You're applying to one program, right? Who's the lucky one?

I've applied to the Colorado School of Public Health UC Denver campus for a DrPH in Community and Behavioral Health. I'll be moving to Denver for work anyway and want to continue my training. Cross your fingers for me, they are a relatively new yet accredited school of public health, and I believe this is their third cohort of graduate students. They keep admissions low, but I'm taking my shot for better or worse.

I submitted applications to DrPH/PhD programs at Harvard (Global Health and Population), UAB (Health Care Organization & Policy), Univ of Texas ( Health Services Organization), and Tulane (Global Health Systems and Development).

Did anyone apply to these programs?

I'll start:

MPH in epi, working in epi research the last 2 years.
GPA and GRE were decent


Applied for epi: Emory, UNC, Harvard, Pitt, UIC


Just got notified yesterday that I got an interview at Emory!

You'll start what? There is already a PhD thread for this year

Wow, that was a little rude. Where? The applied/accepted thread is almost entirely MPH.

WantAnMPH said:

Wow, that was a little rude. Where? The applied/accepted thread is almost entirely MPH.

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It's on the front page...

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=856786

Not sure what about a smiley face is rude, I was only letting you know that the info you were seeking was already available.

applying for epi programs as well (cancer epi specifically)

Applied: USC, UCLA, Cal, UCSF, UCI, University of Texas

Just wanted to check in to see if there are any updates on doctoral admissions? I've been invited to come to Pitt for an interview but other than that I haven't heard anything yet. Anyone receive any interview invitations or acceptances yet?

I am still waiting. I applied to JHU, UCB and a Pharm Outcomes and Policy program at UF..still waiting...patiently...now I feel like I applied to too few schools. BTW SOPHAS is very stupid

I haven't heard anything yet. I do know that Emory epi sent out interview invites.

I had a phone interview with UNC epi on monday. (I'm an international applicant)
The professor said they're going to make a decision within this week(it may differ by concentration though. I'm not sure). It's really hard, waiting for the result...!!!

Other than UNC, nothing either.

Invitation to recruitment day (i.e., interview) at Brown; silence from the others...

What department at Brown CarobPudding?

JMM051 said:

What department at Brown CarobPudding?

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Health services research.

Good luck to all of you with upcoming interviews in the next coming weeks!

Here are some tips that I wish I had when I was interviewing for my PhD several years ago:

-Remain confident: You've gotten this far. The school is trying to impress you with its research portfolio and facilities as much as you're trying to impress them.

-Dress comfortably: You may think that a suit is necessary. Not so. Faculty want to meet YOU. Dress in a way that represents who you are as a person and the way you want to project yourself. The more comfortable you are, the more confident you can be during the interview.

-Do your research: Impress the faculty you'll be interviewing with by knowing their research, current and past. Know what their current interests are and read up a few of their most recent (<5 years old) first and last authored papers. It'll help facilitate your discussion with these individuals

-Talk about your research and your future directions: Talk about what research you've done in the past, talk about what led you to wanting to apply to this current program, talk about why you need this training, and most of all, talk about your future goals. Don't do cliches. Don't talk too about classwork (nobody cares about your classwork), don't talk about miniscule events that happened when you were 10 years old, and don't talk about how science or Einstein/Currie/Pasteur impacted your life.

-Relax: These days should be an informative session for the faculty as well as yourself. You should get to enjoy the company of each other. This interview will not be as hard or as grueling as you think it is. Enjoy it

Any other questions? Feel free to ask! And most of all, Good Luck!!!

I tell you, this limbo period is the worse; reminds me exactly of the limbo period when I was waiting for admission to Pharmacy school. Nevertheless it does not make it better. I met my Enviro. Econ professor from my MBA and he and I both shared a laugh as he knew too well the limbo period. I guess its all part of it; as well as the impatience=). UCB and JHU had deadlines in early December, and still not a peep. UF deadline was Jan 15th so I don't expect to hear from them soon, but the other two sure put you through a character building test LOL.
Oh well Good luck to everyone here, I hope it all works out for you all

Thanks for the advice Stories.

Wonderful advice--thank you, Stories.

I am currently applying to Biostatistics PhD programs from Fall 2012. Has anyone heard back from any programs yet (interviews, acceptance etc.)?

zxcv0, is UNC epi interviewing everyone by phone or only international applicants? I visited in the fall and was told they don't do interviews (phone or in person).

I have a friend who got into UW for biostats and has an interview with Harvard.

Stories, thank you for the advice!

WantAnMPH, I really don' know. He asked a few simple questions and that was it, though he did mentioned that the admission is highly competitive. It was very informal,(actually hard to call it an interview) and the professor said he 'just wanted to talk'. I'm still wondering what the purpose of that call would be.

I wonder if it's a standard thing for international students to make sure you speak English (not sure where you're from, zxcv0). Excited to hear they're making decisions, though! I've been told by current students and a prof when I visited in the fall that decisions come in late February/early March, so late January would be awesome!

I also thought it can be my English they actually wanted to check.
Oh and yes, January is awesome!! So much faster than I expected!

zxcv0 said:

I also thought it can be my English they actually wanted to check.
Oh and yes, January is awesome!! So much faster than I expected!

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Hi Zxcv0,

when did u submit ur UNC application?? I am also an international applicant, but a late submission at UNC on 26th dec.

I submitted on 30th Nov.

I was accepted to GWU PhD in epidemiology My first choice!

mattelevy said:

I was accepted to GWU PhD in epidemiology My first choice!

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Congrats! I didn't apply to GW b/c they only have a DrPH in my area of study but I really like DC and the GW campus.

mattelevy said:

I was accepted to GWU PhD in epidemiology My first choice!

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Welcome to the DC-area! It's a pretty great place to live, I've really enjoyed my time here so far

mattelevy said:

I was accepted to GWU PhD in epidemiology My first choice!

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Congrats! I went to GWU for my MPH...always liked the epi department folks!

Thanks! I went to the the University of Maryland for undergrad so I'm pretty familiar with D.C. and excited to move back! (I'm currently a high school teacher in Los Angeles Unified School District and also VERY excited to leave secondary education). Also, anyone on here who's thinking of applying directly to PhD programs in public health without a MPH/MS, there is hope! I was told on here that it was extremely unlikely, but I had an otherwise strong application and met informally with a faculty member.

zxcv0 said:

I submitted on 30th Nov.

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Thanks zxcv0.. Its just waiting time for me

mattelevy said:

Thanks! I went to the the University of Maryland for undergrad so I'm pretty familiar with D.C. and excited to move back! (I'm currently a high school teacher in Los Angeles Unified School District and also VERY excited to leave secondary education). Also, anyone on here who's thinking of applying directly to PhD programs in public health without a MPH/MS, there is hope! I was told on here that it was extremely unlikely, but I had an otherwise strong application and met informally with a faculty member.

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Hi Mattelevy,

I have applied to Pittsburg and Boston for PhD directly.. Just waiting.. ..I do not have an MPH. My degree is MBBS. Any gudiance on school selection.. I guess all deadlines are over.

I applied to three PH PhD programs and one Family Studies and Human Development Program (which was and is my first choice). I heard by phone today that I was accepted to the Family Studies and Human Development program! So excited that my first response was an acceptance to my first choice program. Good luck to everyone waiting!

JMM051 said:

I applied to three PH PhD programs and one Family Studies and Human Development Program (which was and is my first choice). I heard by phone today that I was accepted to the Family Studies and Human Development program! So excited that my first response was an acceptance to my first choice program. Good luck to everyone waiting!

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Congrats!

I realized I never posted any info about myself so thought I'd chime in! Seems like some of the departments I've applied to don't always conduct interviews, which has increased my anxiety levels! Second time applying to doctoral programs, but this time hasn't been quite so stressful. For anyone who applied to UIC, check your app status online- might have been updated! Seems like there aren't that many people applying to doctoral programs in public health on here...anywho- good luck to you all!


Applied: Emory, UNC, Univ MD, Univ SC, Tulane, Univ South FL, GSU, JHU, UIC
Rejected: JHU (official letter), UIC (unofficial online)
Interview: Univ of South FL (phone & on campus)
Accepted: nada

MPHandPsych, what departments are you applying to?

JMM051 said:

MPHandPsych, what departments are you applying to?

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I'm all over the place....I'm generally interested in women's health so I had to apply to various departments depending on the school & professor research interests matching my own.

Emory: Behavioral Sciences and Health Education
UNC: MCH
UMD: MCH
USC: Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior
USF: Community & Family Health
Tulane: Global Community Health and Behavioral Sciences
JHU: Population, Family & Repro Health
UIC: Community Health Sciences

Has anyone applied to the DrPH program at BU or have any insight on when applicants usually hear back?

Thanks, MolBio and Stories for your advice. I'm currently starting my practicum and have managed to wrangle a GA position as well but I think I will wait till next year to apply for the PhD programs.

I was wondering though, to everyone here, how did you guys find research assistantships? I noticed some of you stated that you spent a couple of years simply on research. Any ideas?

Thank you!