MPH Fall 2016: Applied, Accepted, Waitlisted, Rejected!

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
Welp. I'm looking at all of these applications and I'm just excited no one so far (that I noticed) has mentioned UT-SPH Houston ;)
Undergrad School: University of Houston System
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.87 in the last 60 hours, but my lower levels are going to tank this :arghh:
Major/Minor: double major psychology/anthropology
GradGPA (if applicable):
Grad Studies (if applicable): I'm taking 2 graduate level classes as an undergrad--maybe this counts?
GRE (including date taken) or Other Test (if applicable): Coming up in less than 2 weeks! Avg 159 V and 151 Q (I don't think this will be enough)
Experience/Research (please, be brief):
Mine is just work experience (crisis mental health intake) for 2+ years. Possibly moving to a case manager position after graduation in December.
Interested in: Applying for a dual degree MSW/MPH. Mental health is my interest currently, but I do want to explore hospice social work at some point. In PH, I'm looking at epidemiology, but not sure if my education/experience will qualify...
I'm really throwing a lot into one chance, since everything else I'm planning on applying for are MSW programs.
Applied: pending applications for UHouston (MSW) and UT-SPH (MPH)
Accepted:
Rejected:
Waitlisted:


I'm applying to UT-Houston SPH for their PhD in epidemiology! I just didn't mention the specific schools where I am submitting PhD applications since I didn't want to clog up the MPH thread. Looking to submit my app for the program today actually.

Members don't see this ad.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Undergrad School: Small liberal arts college in NY
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.45
GRE: 157V, 155Q
Applied: BU, Columbia, Dartmouth, Tufts, Stony Brook
Accepted:
Rejected:
Waitlisted:


Chances?
 
Last edited:
Are you guys prioritizing contacting faculty in your programs of interest? I'm surrounded by PhD students, and naturally they had extensive contact with their prospective advisors. I've written to a couple whose research projects stood out to me, but I'm wondering how important it is for MPH applicants to contact people from each program they apply to. Any input would be great! :)
Just wondering, because I haven't heard of MPH applicants doing this, but my professor told me I should... Because you never know who is going to be reading applications, and saying, "Oh! I know this person, he/she already contacted me!" So, what should you say in this email? Because it's certainly a lot different from contacting people from PhD programs...
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Just wondering, because I haven't heard of MPH applicants doing this, but my professor told me I should... Because you never know who is going to be reading applications, and saying, "Oh! I know this person, he/she already contacted me!" So, what should you say in this email? Because it's certainly a lot different from contacting people from PhD programs...

So I've contacted a couple of people at Berkeley who are faculty in the area of study I want. In general, I just told them I was applying for the MPH program and might be interested in helping out with their research when I'm there. I got very positive responses from them, but I imagine this varies based on school, time of year, etc.

Now that I'm going to apply to a couple more places, I plan to reach out to faculty at Washington and Columbia, too. I know Washington specifically says you should contact someone with whom to discuss your application.

Even if we don't get replies from anyone, at least we did the legwork, y'know? :)
 
So I've contacted a couple of people at Berkeley who are faculty in the area of study I want. In general, I just told them I was applying for the MPH program and might be interested in helping out with their research when I'm there. I got very positive responses from them, but I imagine this varies based on school, time of year, etc.

Now that I'm going to apply to a couple more places, I plan to reach out to faculty at Washington and Columbia, too. I know Washington specifically says you should contact someone with whom to discuss your application.

Even if we don't get replies from anyone, at least we did the legwork, y'know? :)
Hmm, you make a great point. Thanks for the advice. =)
 
Undergrad School: University of Washington
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.79 Overall; 3.99 Major
Major/Minor: Psychology B.A.
GradGPA (if applicable): n/a
Grad Studies (if applicable): n/a
GRE (including date taken) 7/23: Verbal 161, Quant 159, Writing 4.5
Experience/Research (please, be brief):
  • 1 year research assistant - topics: juvenile justice, mental health
    • 2 publications, 1 poster presentation
  • 4 months research assistant - topics: homelessness, chemical dependency, harm reduction
  • 6 months municipal court volunteer
  • 1 quarter TA (bio-psych course)
  • 1 year AmeriCorps
  • 3 months public health outreach specialist (expected to continue to fall 2016)
  • 10 months non-profit vice president (expected to continue to fall 2016)
  • Misc: 1 year study abroad, intermediate Spanish, multiple volunteer experiences with underserved populations, college honors/honorary societies, college club president.
LORs: I'm hoping my letters are strong: 1 from a professor I researched under, 1 from a professor I TAd for, and 1 from my AmeriCorps supervisor.

Interested in: All MPH programs. I'm interested in disaster epidemiology and working with immigrants and refugees. My dream is to live and work abroad!

Applied: Emory-GLEPI (12/5), Columbia-EPI (12/1), Tulane-EPI (11/18), Boston-U (11/18), George Washington U-Global.Enviro (11/18), UCLA-EPI (12/2), Johns Hopkins (12/5), Harvard-Global (12/6)
Accepted: Tulane (11/24), George Washington U + $$$ (12/11), Boston University +$$$ (12/18), Johns Hopkins (1/18), Columbia (2/11), Emory + $ (2/15), UCLA (3/29).
Rejected: Harvard (3/17).
Waitlisted:
Final decision: Johns Hopkins MPH

Any feedback is appreciated. Good luck to everyone!
 
Last edited:
Undergrad School: University of Washington
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.79 Overall; 3.99 Major
Major/Minor: Psychology B.A.
GradGPA (if applicable): n/a
Grad Studies (if applicable): n/a
GRE (including date taken) 7/23: Verbal 161, Quant 159, Writing 4.5
Experience/Research (please, be brief):
  • 1 year research assistant - topics: juvenile justice, mental health
    • 2 publications, 1 poster presentation
  • 4 months research assistant - topics: homelessness, chemical dependency, harm reduction
  • 6 months municipal court volunteer
  • 1 quarter TA (bio-psych course)
  • 1 year AmeriCorps
  • 2 months public health outreach specialist (expected to continue to fall 2016)
  • 8 months non-profit vice president (expected to continue to fall 2016)
  • Misc: 1 year study abroad, conversational Spanish, multiple volunteer experiences with underserved populations (incarcerated individuals, immigrants, low-income communities, individuals with disabilities, etc.), college honors/honorary societies, college club president.
LORs: I'm hoping my letters are strong: 1 from a professor I researched under (and did my own undergrad research project), 1 from a professor I TAd for (and got 4.0's in each class I took with her), and 1 from my AmeriCorps supervisor.

Interested in: All MPH programs. I'm interested in disaster epidemiology and working with immigrants and refugees. My dream is to live and work abroad!
Applied: Emory GLEPI, Columbia EPI, Tulane EPI, Boston U (Epi cert), George Washington U (Gl-Enviro)
Accepted:
Rejected:
Waitlisted:

Any feedback is appreciated. Good luck to everyone!


Your stats sound amazing! Good luck!!
 
Hey everyone. Kind of new to SDN (I made an account before on my friend's suggestion, but never bothered to do anything, partially because I'm usually not interested in online forums and had no idea what SDN really is.) But having seen it a bit recently, I figured it is a place I can contribute. I know that many people are anxious about this application cycle, and I was too, when I decided to apply to MPH schools (pretty late, started applying in mid January) all of a sudden because I still was not sure what aspect of health I wanted to go to. I actually got accepted to several schools, but deferred my acceptance (non-conditional, non-binding) to apply to medical school. I'll actually be attending medical school next fall now, so I will withdraw my application from MPH, but I'll post my stats, in case anyone wanted to use them as a reference.

Undergrad School: School in the midwest
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.3/3.1
Major/Minor: Biology
GradGPA (if applicable): N/A. Did an additional year of post-bac studies, but mine actually count for undergrad GPA.
Grad Studies (if applicable): N/A
GRE (including date taken) or Other Test (if applicable): 1/14/15 - 161Q/157V (I had decided to apply late, so I needed to take my GRE quick. So I signed up for the earliest date I could, which gave me 2 days to study. In retrospect, I probably should have studied more and aimed for a higher score, but this was satisfactory). I also took the MCAT (actually, I took it 1/15, which is the day after my GRE, in order to take the last old version), but will not post my MCAT score, since I didn't use it for my MPH application.
Experience/Research (please, be brief):
  • I don't have much research experience - only did one summer of clinical research back home overseas, focusing on genetic mutations and its application to clinical stem cell therapy.
  • Heavily involved in working with the autistic - been working for 12+ years with them, teaching music, sports, and other activities.

Interested in: MPH Programs. I believe I applied mostly on behavioral science/health education aspects of MPH, but I think for a couple, I applied for Epi.
Applied: UIC, U. of Arizona - Tucson, George Washington University, Emory University, UT-Houston, University of Pittsburgh (withdrew)
Accepted: UIC, U. of Arizona - Tucson, George Washington University, Emory University, UT-Houston.
Rejected:
Waitlisted:


I don't think I have particularly amazing stats or activities (maybe except for my work with the autistic), but one thing that I believed I did have was good letters of recommendation. Of course, I don't know for sure because I never seen my letters, but all of my professors were more than willing to write me one. I asked a total of five professors - two who taught me in undergraduate upper level science classes, one with whom I took an advanced clinical psychology class, one who taught my clinical medical studies class, and one who taught my surgery & protocols class. And I also spent time writing a good personal statement, focusing on why I wanted to study public health, but I'm sure that you all will spend time on that and write great personal statements!

That's it for me - just wanted to contribute. If any of you guys have questions, feel free to ask (PM or on this forum)!
 
Last edited:
Undergrad School: UC Riverside
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA:
3.06
Major/Minor: History
GradGPA (if applicable): 2.6 according to SOPHAS- academically disqualified after failing a class due to illness
Grad Studies (if applicable): History
GRE : 161 V/139 Q 3.5W

Experience/Research (please, be brief):
  • Long career in fundraising/non-profit management
  • No Research
  • Extensive personal experience in the health care system
Interested in: MSW/MPH Programs- clinical social work with health/social behavior and education with a focus on cancer survivorship and patient safety/medical trauma.

Applied: University of Michigan (Submitted 11/01, Verified 11/16), Berkeley (Submitted 12/01), WUSTL (Submitted 11/29, SOPHAS previously verified)


Accepted: WUSTL (2/16)

Rejected: University of Michigan (1/26)

Waitlisted:


I reduced my MPH applications after my terrible GRE scores came back. I submitted to UMich before I took it, so I had to just go with it. Shocked that I have an MPH admit at all!
 
Last edited:
I submitted my SOPHAS application about a month ago, but is anyone else having trouble getting their transcript to SOPHAS? My registrar supposedly mailed it WITH the request form about 3.5 weeks ago but I've called SOPHAS and they still haven't received it, so I sent another one on Monday, but I'm worried something is happening in between. Does it normally just take a long time for SOPHAS to process the transcript? At what point should I start to really worry?
 
Last edited:
Welp. I'm looking at all of these applications and I'm just excited no one so far (that I noticed) has mentioned UT-SPH Houston ;)
Undergrad School: University of Houston System
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.87 in the last 60 hours, but my lower levels are going to tank this :arghh:
Major/Minor: double major psychology/anthropology
GradGPA (if applicable):
Grad Studies (if applicable): I'm taking 2 graduate level classes as an undergrad--maybe this counts?
GRE (including date taken) or Other Test (if applicable): Coming up in less than 2 weeks! Avg 159 V and 151 Q (I don't think this will be enough)
Experience/Research (please, be brief):
Mine is just work experience (crisis mental health intake) for 2+ years. Possibly moving to a case manager position after graduation in December.
Interested in: Applying for a dual degree MSW/MPH. Mental health is my interest currently, but I do want to explore hospice social work at some point. In PH, I'm looking at epidemiology, but not sure if my education/experience will qualify...
I'm really throwing a lot into one chance, since everything else I'm planning on applying for are MSW programs.
Applied: pending applications for UHouston (MSW) and UT-SPH (MPH)
Accepted:
Rejected:
Waitlisted:

I'm applying to UT-SPH! Specifically for their MPH in Community Health.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Hi I am an IMG from India, GPA 3.81, GRE 30, AWA 4.0, I applied to Minnesota, Boston, Tufts, Thomas Jefferson, UMass Amherst , Temple and Claremont.
I got into Minnesota, Boston , Thomas Jefferson , Temple and Claremont.
Still haven't heard from UMass and Tufts.. really confused where to go .. Please help
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Undergrad School: Large Public School
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.41 (SOPHAS verified 11/16)
Major/Minor: Biology/Chemistry
GradGPA (if applicable): N/A.
Grad Studies (if applicable): N/A
GRE (including date taken): V: 162 Q: 155 W: 4.5 (9/21)

Experience/Research (please, be brief):
  • +3 year as lab techinician
  • 6 months as research assistant
  • trip leader for medical trip to Dominican Republic
  • summer abroad in France
  • health internship abroad in Mexico
  • 2 years in public health education project in Central America
  • honors research thesis in public health field
Interested in: Global Health Programs
Applied (10/30): University of Washington, Berkeley (Infectious Disease), Tulane, Emory, Boston, Johns Hopkins (reach!)
Accepted: Tulane (11/23), Johns Hopkins (1/8), UCBerkeley (1/8) +$10,000 Fellowship (2/19), Boston (1/14 $15,000), Emory (1/22) +Coverdell Fellowship 50% tuition, $2,000 Practicum Award, $8,000 REAL award (2/25)
Rejected: UW (2/25)
 
Last edited:
Undergrad School: State school
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.39 / 3.68
Major/Minor: Health Science / minors in Biology and Public Health
GradGPA (if applicable): n/a
Grad Studies (if applicable): n/a
GRE (including date taken) or Other Test (if applicable): taking 11/13
Experience/Research (please, be brief):
  • Currently working as a research assistant at Indiana University School of Medicine in pediatric global health research. All of the projects I work on are studying pediatric HIV/AIDS in Kenya.
  • Internship as a clinical research assistant in the cardiovascular genetics department at Riley Children's Hospital in Indianapolis, IN.
  • Completed a funded senior thesis on college students' behavior and perceptions related to infectious disease threats. Presented this at an undergraduate research symposium and am currently seeking publication in a peer-reviewed journal.
  • Volunteered in Kenya with an international medical relief organization.
  • Grant review panel member for the inter-department grant program at my undergraduate institution.
  • Served as the treasurer for a global health philanthropy organization at my undergraduate institution.
  • Assisted a faculty member with his research on reproductive health in India. Presented research at an undergraduate research symposium on menstrual misconceptions among female adolescents in rural India.
  • Student intern (volunteer) at a level 1 trauma center. I shadowed physicians and also assisted in triage when the ED was extremely busy.
Interested in: University of Michigan (Global Health Epi), Indiana University (Epi), Pitt (Epi), Boston (Epi), Emory (Global Health), Colombia (Epi), George Washington (Epi)
Applied:
Accepted:
Rejected:
Waitlisted:
 
Last edited:
Hi everyone. I've been a long time lurker but decided to make a post and join y'all on this journey towards grad school!

Undergrad School: The University of Texas at Austin
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.33/~3.55
Major/Minor: Nutritional Sciences/Dietetics
GRE (including date taken) or Other Test (if applicable): 10/21/15........151V, 158Q, 4AW
Experience/Research (please, be brief):

-Global Medical Brigades: got to to travel to Honduras and do a week long of clinic work with the community. Also worked with the organization on campus as vice president and aided in planning and recruiting ~1.5 years
-volunteered at the milk bank for a semester
-food service/nutrition assistant at a large pharmaceutical company ~ 3 months
-interned abroad at a public health government agency ~3 months
-interned with a dietitian startup company ~3 months

I know GPAs for most schools are usually 3.0 minimum, but judging by other applicants and other average stats, I don't know if my grades are the most competitive and it doesn't really help that my GRE verbal score is a bit low. Also concerned that most of my job experiences are not long-term and usually end within a semester.

My first real choice is UT-SPH due to convenience being in Texas, but I included some reach schools, cause you never know! If anybody has any insight of.. my chances (i.e. shooting too high, too many schools, etc), please free to comment.

Interested in: MPH in ... Health Promotion/Education, Community, Nutrition depending on the schools. Looking at UNT, UMich, Emory, BU, Tulane and some other reach schools such as Berkeley, UNC, Columbia....
Applied: ALL VERIFIED on 11/13!! UT-SPH (Community Health, submitted 11/ 2), UCLA (Community Health submitted 11/2), UMich (HBHE & Nutrition, submitted 11/5), UNT (Community Health, submitted 11/5), Berkeley (Nutrition, 11/5), UNC (Health Behavior 11/6), Emory (BS&HE 11/8), Columbia (Sociomedical 11/9), Tulane (Nutrition 11/9), BU (11/8)
Accepted: Tulane (11/17), BU (12/19), UNT (12/23), UMich for HBHE (1/8), UMich for Nutrition (1/15), UT (1/15), Emory (Checked OPUS on 1/25... dunno how long my acceptance was sitting there... No email either)
Rejected: UNC (2/1), UCLA (2/20), Berkeley (2/24), Columbia (2/24)
Waitlisted:
 
Last edited:
Undergrad School: state university in PA
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.91/4.0
Major/Minor: Anthropology/minor Biology
GradGPA (if applicable):
Grad Studies (if applicable):
GRE (including date taken) or Other Test (if applicable): 152V/152Q (taken today, 11/4)
Experience/Research:
Current Research assistant at a Community and Behavioral Health Institute
Independent research on health behaviors of college students (presented at three conferences, one National)
Interested in: Behavioral and Community Health at PITT, UMD, WVU and Global Health at GWU and George Mason
Applied: In the process of submitting
Accepted:
Rejected:
Waitlisted:


I'm kind of worried about my GRE scores....I took them late in the game and not sure if I can take them again before the deadline 12/15 for UMD and GWU. Will those scores lower my chances?

UMD is my top choice, as it is close to my home (in-state tuition if I do not get any scholarships outside UMD or an assistantship).
 
Hey everyone,

I just made the payment for my applications via SOPHAs, and although SOPHAS has received all my documents (WES transcript evaluations and evaluations from my supervisors/profs), under the Manage Programs --> Program Status tab, the "Awaiting Materials" button is in yellow (not green). With I click on the small "i" button, it indicated that all my materials have arrived, only the verification has not been completed. In that case shouldn't the "Awaiting Materials" button be green and the "Verifying" button be yellow? (I've attached a picture)

I'm confused - anyone else who wondered the same thing?

Thanks!
 

Attachments

  • SOPHAS.png
    SOPHAS.png
    85.6 KB · Views: 83
Hey everyone,

I just made the payment for my applications via SOPHAs, and although SOPHAS has received all my documents (WES transcript evaluations and evaluations from my supervisors/profs), under the Manage Programs --> Program Status tab, the "Awaiting Materials" button is in yellow (not green). With I click on the small "i" button, it indicated that all my materials have arrived, only the verification has not been completed. In that case shouldn't the "Awaiting Materials" button be green and the "Verifying" button be yellow? (I've attached a picture)

I'm confused - anyone else who wondered the same thing?

Thanks!

It was exactly the same for me. It took a couple of hours for the "Awaiting Materials" to go from yellow to green, after I made the payment. So just check back in a bit and it should be all good. Hope this helps!
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Guys I have been admitted into JHSPH !!:soexcited:
 
  • Like
Reactions: 7 users
Undergrad School: The Ohio State University
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.67/3.78
Major/Minor: Public Health
GRE (including date taken) or Other Test (if applicable): V:155 Q:150 AW: 4
Experience/Research (please, be brief):
  • 2 summer internships with large healthcare company
  • Research Assistant regarding health marketing
  • A little research stint in lean tactics in health systems
  • HR intern in OSU's benefits office
Interested in: Health Management/Policy
Applied: Emory University and Drexel University (11/19) and University of Washington(MHA)
Accepted: Emory (HPM) & U Washington (MHA)
Rejected:
Waitlisted:
 
Last edited:
Hi I am an IMG from India, GPA 3.81, GRE 30, AWA 4.0, I applied to Minnesota, Boston, Tufts, Thomas Jefferson, UMass Amherst , Temple and Claremont.
I got into Minnesota, Boston , Thomas Jefferson , Temple and Claremont.
Still haven't heard from UMass and Tufts.. really confused where to go .. Please help
If you got accepted to above program. Why you get confused?
 
Undergrad School: University of Florida
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.5/unknown
Major/Minor: Biology, minor in Public Health and Psychology
GradGPA
(if applicable): N/A
Grad Studies (if applicable): Graduate Certificate
GRE (including date taken) or Other Test (if applicable): 155V/154Q/5AW
Experience/Research:
-Paid experience working on federal grant on domestic violence
-Current independent research project on refugee migration
-Two published papers, 8 poster presentations on violence
-Carter Foundation Intern
-Leadership positions addressing children coping with cancer and breast health
Applied: Columbia (epi 10/27), Emory (glepi 10/27), UPitt (epi 10/27), UNC (maternal/child 11/22), GW (epi 10/27), Harvard (global health/pop 10/27) , BU (epi 10/27), Yale ( social/behavior 11/27), Michigan (global epi 11/27). All Verified 11/12 or immediately after submission
Accepted: GW (11/17), BU with 18k (12/18), UPitt (1/22), Emory (GLEPI, 2/3) Yale (2/18), Columbia (2/25)
Rejected: Harvard (2/26)
Waitlisted: Michigan (1/13)
Interviews: UNC MCH program (emailed 1/28)

Very worried about my GRE scores and wondering if I should retake before the deadlines. I am sitting right at the average for each of these schools

Edit: If you are applying for a later cycle, don't let your GRE worry you. Write a very compelling personal statement and only apply to about 7 schools max. Personally, I should not have applied to Pittsburgh as they give no funding and Michigan and UNC were not truly good fits for me
 
Last edited:
Hi everyone. I've been a long time lurker but decided to make a post and join y'all on this journey towards grad school!

Undergrad School: The University of Texas at Austin
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.23/~3.55
Major/Minor: Nutritional Sciences/Dietetics
GRE (including date taken) or Other Test (if applicable): 10/21/15........151V, 158Q, 4AW
Experience/Research (please, be brief):

-Global Medical Brigades: got to to travel to Honduras and do a week long of clinic work with the community. Also worked with the organization on campus as vice president and aided in planning and recruiting ~1.5 years
-volunteered at the milk bank for a semester
-food service/nutrition assistant at a large pharmaceutical company ~ 3 months
-interned abroad at a public health government agency ~3 months
-interned with a dietitian startup company ~3 months

I know GPAs for most schools are usually 3.0 minimum, but judging by other applicants and other average stats, I don't know if my grades are the most competitive and it doesn't really help that my GRE verbal score is a bit low. Also concerned that most of my job experiences are not long-term and usually end within a semester.

My first real choice is UT-SPH due to convenience being in Texas, but I included some reach schools, cause you never know! If anybody has any insight of.. my chances (i.e. shooting too high, too many schools, etc), please free to comment.

Interested in: MPH in ... Health Promotion/Education, Community, Nutrition depending on the schools. Looking at UNT, UMich, Emory, BU, Tulane and some other reach schools such as Berkeley, UNC, Columbia....
Applied: UT-SPH (Community Health, submitted 11/ 2, waiting on verification **Also actually wanting to look more into Health Promotion & Education but I'm considering the dietetic internship route and "Community Health Practice" is just a routing system for SOPHAS, so I would apply for HPHE later after acceptance), UCLA (Community Health submitted 11/2, waiting for verification), UMich (HBHE & Nutrition, submitted 11/5), UNT (Community Health, submitted 11/5), Berkeley (Nutrition, submitted 11/5), UNC (Health Behavior, submitted 11/6)
Accepted:
Rejected:
Waitlisted:

I can't speak for all your schools cz I didn't apply to all of them, but in general, I don't think your academics would necessarily rule you out. I also applied and got accepted to UT-Houston and Emory last cycle, and although your GRE is lower than mine, your GPA is higher than mine. I've seen people with a WIDE range of stats get into great MPH programs (think every MPH programs in the top 20 or so), so I don't think it should be too much of a worry. There are other aspects of your application that are just as important - your LOR, personal statement, etc. If you have a convincing story, I think you can still match into some great programs.
Also, I don't know exactly what qualifies as a "reach"...but from what I think, you do have a lot of those (e.g. UMich, Emory, UNC, Columbia, etc). Not that its a bad thing, but know that you are definitely aiming high. Texas schools are also great.
 
Undergrad School: University of Florida
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.5/unknown
Major/Minor: Biology, minor in Public Health and Psychology
GradGPA
(if applicable): N/A
Grad Studies (if applicable): Graduate Certificate in Geospatial Technology
GRE (including date taken) or Other Test (if applicable): 155V/154Q/5AW
Experience/Research:
-Paid experience working on federal grant on domestic violence
-Current independent research project on refugee migration
-Two published papers, 8 poster presentations on gun violence
-Carter Foundation Intern
-Leadership positions addressing children coping with cancer and breast health
Applied: Columbia (epi), Emory (glepi), UPitt (epi), UNC (maternal/child), GW (epi), Harvard, BU, UPitt
Accepted:
Rejected:
Waitlisted:

Very worried about my GRE scores and wondering if I should retake before the deadlines. I am sitting right at the average for each of these schools

Personally, unless you feel like you can substantially improve your GRE score (and by improve, I'm talking like...at least one section scoring 160 or higher), I don't think it's really worth retaking your GRE. Your GRE may be average, but you have really great experiences and your GPA isn't bad at all - I think, with enough effort and time (and assuming you have good LORs), you can make a great application that appeals to these programs and possibly get an acceptance. Of course though, I don't know how long you studied for the GRE, so it's up to you if you feel like you can study more and score higher. But know that MPH schools are pretty good at looking at the whole picture of who you are too.
 
I can't speak for all your schools cz I didn't apply to all of them, but in general, I don't think your academics would necessarily rule you out. I also applied and got accepted to UT-Houston and Emory last cycle, and although your GRE is lower than mine, your GPA is higher than mine. I've seen people with a WIDE range of stats get into great MPH programs (think every MPH programs in the top 20 or so), so I don't think it should be too much of a worry. There are other aspects of your application that are just as important - your LOR, personal statement, etc. If you have a convincing story, I think you can still match into some great programs.
Also, I don't know exactly what qualifies as a "reach"...but from what I think, you do have a lot of those (e.g. UMich, Emory, UNC, Columbia, etc). Not that its a bad thing, but know that you are definitely aiming high. Texas schools are also great.


Yes that is what I am worried about. The research I want to do is very specific and it seems like only the top schools have professors who are doing this work. Any other suggestions on what I could do?
 
I can't speak for all your schools cz I didn't apply to all of them, but in general, I don't think your academics would necessarily rule you out. I also applied and got accepted to UT-Houston and Emory last cycle, and although your GRE is lower than mine, your GPA is higher than mine. I've seen people with a WIDE range of stats get into great MPH programs (think every MPH programs in the top 20 or so), so I don't think it should be too much of a worry. There are other aspects of your application that are just as important - your LOR, personal statement, etc. If you have a convincing story, I think you can still match into some great programs.
Also, I don't know exactly what qualifies as a "reach"...but from what I think, you do have a lot of those (e.g. UMich, Emory, UNC, Columbia, etc). Not that its a bad thing, but know that you are definitely aiming high. Texas schools are also great.

Thanks for the insight :)
 
I have received an acceptance letter from UNT despite that my application is still in verification phase ! is this possible ?!!

Hi, was your acceptance for spring 2016? I received an email saying that they were not reviewing fall 2016 applications at the moment?
 
Undergrad School: Small liberal arts school in Texas
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.55 cumulative/4.0 major
Major/Minor: psychology major/biology minor
GradGPA (if applicable): N/A
Grad Studies (if applicable): N/A
GRE (including date taken) or Other Test (if applicable): Taken 11/07/2015: 160V, 157Q, AWA 5.0
Experience/Research (please, be brief):
-150+ hours shadowing cardiology in both in and outpatient settings
-3 summers working full time at an outpatient pediatric clinic
-Vice President Psi Chi psychology national honors society
-Intern at hospice for fall 2015
-board member of non profit organization
-Alpha Chi national college honors society inductee
-Went on 2 medical mission trips providing pro bono maxillary reconstructive surgeries in central and south america
-Research in biometric parameters of various Texas watersheds and soil sources

Interested in: global health, child and maternal health
Applied: Brown (#1 choice!), Dartmouth, Drexel, Boston University, Columbia, U or Maryland, UPenn, Tulane, Texas A&M, U of Buffalo, Tufts, Northeastern, U of Miami, and Colorado. (Will be sending all apps out today!)
Accepted: TBA (hopefully something soon!!)
Rejected: TBA
Waitlisted: TBA

Good luck to everyone and always remember to keep your chin up!! Shout out to @neuro_nerd for starting this thread, I had been looking for a fall 2016 one for a while!
 
Last edited:
Hey guys,

Undergrad School: Public Ivy
Undergrad GPA: sophas 2.88
Double Major: Bio and Psychology
GRE: 161 V , 156 Q , 3.5 AW

Interested In: Tufts, BU, Ohio St, Columbia (huge reach), NYU, Emory, UNC (HB), UPitt, UPenn, Vanderbilt, GW, UMD, UIC
Top Choices: Columbia, Tufts, BU and Yale
Applied (SOPHAS verified): Columbia (SMS - 12/1), UMD ( BCH - 12/15), GW (Epi - 12/15), Vanderbilt (Epi - 12/16), Yale (SBS - 12/19), BU (Epi - 12/19), Pitt (BCHS - 12/20), Emory (BSHE - 12/21), UIC (Epi - 12/21), Tufts (Epi - 12/21)
Accepted: Tufts (1/11) , Pitt (1/13), UMD (2/18), BU (2/29), UIC (2/4), Emory (3/7)
Rejected: GW (1/4), Columbia (2/16), Yale (3/10), Vandy (3/15)
Waitlisted: None
Attending: Emory
 
Last edited:
Hey guys,

Undergrad School: Public Ivy
Undergrad GPA: ~ 2.9 :nailbiting: (after 6 semesters - current senior)
Double Major: Molecular and Cellular Bio and Psychology
GRE: 161 V , 156 Q
Experience/Research:

-Experience at 4 different hospitals (including a free health clinic which made me want to pursue public health and epi)
-Exec board of highly selective student organization
-1 yr of neuro lab research

Interested In: Tufts, BU, Ohio St, Columbia (huge reach), NYU, Emory, UNC (HB), UPitt, UPenn, Vanderbilt, GW, UMD, UIC
Top Choices: Columbia, Tufts, BU and Pitt
Applied: in the process currently
Accepted:
Rejected:
Waitlisted:

I basically did badly in all of my chemistry courses and was far more passionate about my psych than mcb courses. I'm applying to Epi programs - specifically interested in neuro and cardio epi - and am really worried about my GPA. I talked to one officer and they told me that they will look at my science and math courses more closely when evaluating which scared me even more. I should have decent letters of rec (free health clinic, PI and professor). I know that all of the programs in which I'm interested are highly ranked and highly selective but those are the ones that most interest me. Worried I won't get in anywhere because lacking in public health experience and low gpa. Tips and chances?
Hi I would say that you should just try to convey your passion in your personal statement really well! My GPA was around 3.2 when I applied (my science GPA probably 3.0), and I didn't have much experience at all. Yet here I am at Columbia! And I got into all 4 schools that I applied to! So don't give up hope!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Hi I would say that you should just try to convey your passion in your personal statement really well! My GPA was around 3.2 when I applied (my science GPA probably 3.0), and I didn't have much experience at all. Yet here I am at Columbia! And I got into all 4 schools that I applied to! So don't give up hope!
That's so awesome! Congrats! What were your gre scores like if you don't mind me asking?
 
That's so awesome! Congrats! What were your gre scores like if you don't mind me asking?
Verbal was 155, Quant was 164, and AWA was 5.0! I think my GRE scores really made up for my slacking grades. That being said, my verbal score isn't that great
 
Hopefully this eventually helps some prospectives for next year!!
Undergrad School: Big Ten State School
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.29, SOPHAS GPA 3.37
Major/Minor: Anthropology/Pre-Vet
GRE V:160 Q:155 AWA: 5.0
Experience/Research
(please, be brief):
- 3 yrs research experience towards thesis doing ethnographic research on infectious diseases (REU grant
- 3 years working as a veterinary assistant
- undergraduate research mentor and leadership positions in many organizations

Applied: University of Florida Environmental Health, Yale Epi of Microbial Diseases, UCLA Epi, Boston Environmental Health, George Washington Epi, Minnesota Environmental Health (infectious diseases) , UMich Health Behavior, Ohio State Veterinary Public Health-MPH, and Columbia Environmental Health-ID
Accepted: GW (12/3), BU (12/18), UF (12/21), Minnesota (1/3), OSU (1/20), UCLA (2/8), Yale (2/15)
Rejected: Columbia (2/16), UMich (2/23)

Submitted SOPHAS on 11/9, verified 11/19
 
Last edited:
Undergrad School: Private liberal arts in Massachusetts
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.50
Major/Minor: International Studies and Foreign Languages (Spanish and French)
GradGPA: n/a
Grad Studies: n/a
GRE: Qual 148/ Quant 144 / Writing 3.5 ** Retaking the exam in one week, fingers crossed my scores go up by 6-7 points each.
Experience/Research:
  • 6 months as a quality improvement data specialist to improve care integration for a top teaching hospital's most complex patients
  • 1 year as a assistant in a complex care outpatient clinic at a top pediatric teaching hospital
  • 3 months as a policy intern for the Governor of Massachusetts
  • 3 months as a program intern for the Peace Corps
  • 3 month course in Maternal, Adolescent and Child health through LSHTM
  • 1 year as president of my undergrad college's student body
  • International public health field experience in a complex care center in Peru
  • International travel experience in Guatemala
  • Study abroad in Spain
  • Award for character and focus on the poor and marginalized

Interested in: Global maternal and child health; children with special health care needs; disability studies
Applied: George Washington University (MCH), UNC (MCH), BU (Interdisciplinary), Duke (MSc-GH), LSHTM (Demography and Health)
Accepted:
Rejected:
Waitlisted:

 
Hi, was your acceptance for spring 2016? I received an email saying that they were not reviewing fall 2016 applications at the moment?
I received an email as well saying that they (UNT) were not reviewing applications either! Hopefully they will start soon!
 
Yes that is what I am worried about. The research I want to do is very specific and it seems like only the top schools have professors who are doing this work. Any other suggestions on what I could do?

Haha, I commented separately on your post (a different comment than the one you responded to), but at this point, I think you should focus on really making your application look as good as possible, rather than focusing on the grades/scores. Your academics are not unbelievably bad - if anything, I'd say they are just neutral. But you have great extracurricular activities that you can talk about. With some work, I can see you having a strong personal statement too, so that combined with your activities and LORs, should be able to get you some good acceptances. Of course, I don't want to make any guarantees, but have some faith - your application is really not as bad as you think and MPH schools, even the top ones, really want to see more than just good academics. Show yourself and your interests as a good candidate, and you are bound to get some interest.
 
Hi, was your acceptance for spring 2016? I received an email saying that they were not reviewing fall 2016 applications at the moment?

I received an email as well saying that they (UNT) were not reviewing applications either! Hopefully they will start soon!

Hello guys, I've applied to the fall 2016 MPH. and received the acceptance letter around one month back. I don't know about the spring admissions, but for the fall definitely they have started reviewing and accepting obviously.
 
Last edited:
Undergrad School: large public university in Florida
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.5
Major/Minor: major psychology, minor criminology.
GradGPA (if applicable): 3.8
Grad Studies (if applicable): MA psychology and MA criminology
GRE (including date taken) or Other Test (if applicable): 151V, 152Q, 4.0A
Experience/Research (please, be brief):
  • 7 years of research experience
  • 10+ publications (2 first author) and 30+ posters/presentations

Interested in: health behaviors of young adults and consequences of use
Applied: All PhD in public health: UF, Brown, VCU, GSU, USF
Accepted: lets hope at least one!
Rejected: lets hope no more than four!
Waitlisted: ugh, this is the worst outcome I feel.
 
Undergrad School: California State University
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.3 (3.78 Jr/Sr years)
Major/Minor: Anthropology and Biological Sciences
GradGPA (if applicable):
Grad Studies (if applicable):
GRE (including date taken) or Other Test (if applicable): Q: 155 V:157 AW:3.5 Didn't have enough time to prepare, and thought it was too late to retake :(
Experience/Research (please, be brief):
  • Microbiology research (will be published soon)
  • 4th year tutoring high school students
  • Various brief public health experiences including work with the federal government
  • Numerous leadership positions in school organizations
Interested in: Infectious diseases, and global health
Applied: Berkeley (11/12), University of Michigan Epi (11/15), , Yale EMD (11/12), Emory Global health emphasis in Infectious diseases (11/12), Columbia Sociomedical sciences (11/12), UCLA CHS (11/15)
Accepted: UC Berkeley IDV MPH, UofM Global Epi, Emory, Yale EMD
Rejected:
Waitlisted:


Anyone know how long it is currently taking to get your application verified? I am afraid that I might have applied too late to Berkeley.

Good luck Everyone!

*Edit: SOPHAS application was verified two weeks after so I made my deadlines! I also added community-based programs.
 
Last edited:
Undergrad School: Small Liberal Arts School
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.32
Major/Minor: International Relations (French Literary Studies minor)
GradGPA (if applicable):
Grad Studies (if applicable):
GRE (including date taken) o
10/2: 152 Q (48th) 154 V (63rd) 4 AW (56th)
11/3: 150 Q (40th) 159 (81st) 5 AQ (93rd)

Experience/Research (please, be brief):
Interested in: Health Policy and Management
Applied: UW, GW, Tulane, UCLA, Columbia, NYU, UC Berk, Emory
Accepted: Tulane
Rejected:
Waitlisted:
 
Last edited:
Hi, everyone!

To my surprise, nobody has created an MPH Fall 2016 thread yet! I joined this site just to start one because I think they were valuable resources to applicants in previous years. So, let the fun, anxiety & night terrors begin! Best of luck to you all, entering class of 2016!!!!

I'm copying stuff over from previous years because I lack originality (and why invent the wheel twice?)
And let's try keep this strictly about the application process for simplification. If information changes, please come back to the thread and keep us updated.

View attachment 196509
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Undergrad School:
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA:
Major/Minor:
GradGPA
(if applicable):
Grad Studies (if applicable):
GRE (including date taken) or Other Test (if applicable):
Experience/Research (please, be brief):

Interested in:
Applied:
Accepted:
Rejected:
Waitlisted:


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Me first, yay!

Undergrad School: Private liberal arts in California
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.55/3.86 (butchered my first year grades, came back strong)
Major/Minor: Neuroscience and Psychology double major/Philosophy minor
GradGPA: n/a
Grad Studies: n/a
GRE: Taken in 2014 with minimal studying, so I'm scheduled to take it again in a couple of months with adequate preparation. Either way, my scores from last year are 160V/157Q/4.5W. (Yes, I realize that these are moderately good scores. I just want to challenge myself and feel like I did my best.)
Experience/Research:
  • 2.5 years as psychology research lab manager
  • 1 year as president of academic psychology club president
  • 1 independent summer research project on stress hormones funded by research grant
  • multiple volunteer experiences in mental health settings (special ed. classroom, autism behavioral training, at-risk youth mentoring)
  • multiple poster publications and a 1st place research presentation prize for work on stress hormones at regional conference
  • Misc. - member of a few honor societies in psychology and science, studied abroad with Semester at Sea, and received highest achievement award for a graduating senior in my academic department
No work experience or journal publications or extensive international experience :(

Interested in: If you can't tell by now, I really like studying mental health. My interest in public health is very specific in global mental health. (Please wish me luck that I'll somehow find a job in the future in this nearly nonexistent, poorly funded field.) So, the schools I'm applying to specialize in this field, and some of them aren't even MPH programs. Oh well, let's just go with it!
Applied: Johns Hopkins (MHS), NYU (MPH), Columbia (MPH), UCL (MSc), LSHTM (MSc), Duke (MSGH), U of Glasgow (MSc), U of Melbourne (probably going to drop this one), U of Denver (MA), McGill (MSc)
Accepted:
Rejected:
Waitlisted:

Your turn!

Hey neuro_nerd! Quick question about your Columbia application: are you considering your psych work as "public health-related" for the program-specific question in SOPHAS? I'm trying to decide and am of two minds. I'm afraid that not counting it would make them think I don't have any relevant experience, when I know that I've seen psychology (esp social psychology) listed as a related field to public health. On the other hand, I worry that counting it when it isn't relevant enough would make me look bad.

Anyway, just wanted to pick your brain! :)
 
Undergrad School: California State University
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.3 (3.78 Jr/Sr years)
Major/Minor: Anthropology and Biological Sciences
GradGPA (if applicable):
Grad Studies (if applicable):
GRE (including date taken) or Other Test (if applicable): Q: 155 V:157 AW:3.5 Didn't have enough time to prepare, and thought it was too late to retake :(
Experience/Research (please, be brief):
  • Microbiology research (will be published soon)
  • 4th year tutoring high school students
  • Various brief public health experiences including work with the federal government
  • Numerous leadership positions in school organizations
Interested in: Infectious diseases, and global health
Applied: Berkeley (11/12), University of Michigan Epi (11/12), San Diego State Epidemiology (11/12), Yale EMD (11/12), Tulane MPH in Tropical Medicine (11/12), Emory Global health emphasis in Infectious diseases (11/12)
Accepted:
Rejected:
Waitlisted:


Anyone know how long it is currently taking to get your application verified? I am afraid that I might have applied too late to Berkeley.

Good luck Everyone!

Oh no, don't say that! I still haven't submitted for Berkeley. :uhno:
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Undergrad School: Florida State University
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.42/unsure; 3.45 upper division
Major/Minor: Economics/Statistics; Certificate in SAS Programming and Data Analysis
GradGPA (if applicable):
Grad Studies (if applicable):
GRE: 157 V, 151 Q, 4 AW
Experience/Research (please, be brief):
-Health Research and Data Analyst
-professional experience with advanced regression analysis
- professional working paper to be published by January
-economics and statistics tutor
-Academic Honor Policy board member
-academic honor policy appellate committee member (appointed by VP of university)
-student conduct board member
-career center mentor for 1+ years
-receptionist in dorm

I only recently made the decision to attend grad school, so here I am.

Interested in:
Epi
Applied (or will be soon): Yale (12/18), Columbia (12/18), GW (12/16)
Verified: 12/22
Accepted: GW Epi (1/28), Columbia Epi + Public Health Research Methods certificate (2/25)
Rejected: Yale (3/10)
Waitlisted: N/A
 
Last edited:
Undergrad School: FSU
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.3/unsure but should be about the same
Major/Minor: Biology/Chemistry
GradGPA (if applicable):
Grad Studies (if applicable):
GRE (including date taken) or Other Test (if applicable): 157V (74%), 150Q(40%), AWA 5.0 (93%) Retaking to bring up quantitative score!
Experience/Research (please, be brief):
-1 year at local health department
-1 year of sexual health research with the College of Medicine
-Teaching Assistant for Medical Sociology course
-Receiving a certificate in Emergency Management and Homeland Security
-Medical mission trip member to Guyana
-200+ hours of community service
-Orientation Leader
-University Ambassador

I hoped to have more public health experience, but I only recently found out about MPH and how much it fit my interests in infectious disease. Hopefully what I have is enough, I hope to play up campus involvement/public speaking skills? I am hoping to really bring up my GRE so that my lower GPA doesn't bring me down. Really hoping to go to Emory, but the cost is really hard to get over. Having in state tuition for USF is tempting. But also really intrigued by Berkeley's infectious disease program. I have to submit my apps in a month, so I am only applying to four schools. Is this too risky? I am afraid that I am aiming to high :(

Interested in:
Global Health/Infectious Disease/Maybe Epi
Applied (or will be soon): Emory (Global Health-Infectious Disease), UC Berkeley (Infectious Diseases), USF (Global Health-Communicable Diseases), UT Houston (Epi)
Accepted:
Rejected:
Waitlisted:

Fellow Nole! Holla!
 
Top