MHA Fall 2015: Applied, Accepted, Waitlisted, Rejected!

[wwwwwhs]

Hi, I interviewed last week (1/27) and haven't heard back as of yet. From last year's thread, it seems like they take longer to follow up post interview than other schools.

Thanks for the info, hope you get the decision soon!

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[MHA_APPLICANT]

Hey all! Since I'm waiting to hear back, instead of waiting I'd like to be more active. Are any of you aware of scholarships available for students like us? thank you in advance

 

[AYJ25]

Hello,
I have an interview for VCU MHA program on February 13th. Does anyone know the chances of being accepted to the VCU program if offered an interview? I heard that they tell you their decision on the day of the interview. Is that still true? In addition, any help/tips/recommendations that could help me prepare for the interview would be awesome.

Thanks

 

[tarheel15]

@AYJ25 I have no idea of the chances of being accepted after offered an interview, but it is true that they have let a few people know of their acceptance the day of. This is the exception, though - most don't hear back for a couple weeks. Good luck!

 

[MHA2015]

MHA or MBA only, no MPH, use the MPH thread

Follow this format:

 

[MHA2015]

School:Top ranked Indian government dental college and hospital
Top of the class,
GRE:310( lack of preparation had only 15 days ..Nevertheless, hate the score )
Major: Bachelor of Dental Surgery
Experience: 3 yrs in a prestigious government hospital as a Dental Surgeon including 1 yr rotatory internship, 1 yr as an Assistant Administrator of a post graduate Dental School And Hospital, 1 yr as a lecturer in a Dental School and Paramedical School, clinical and social volunteering in slums and rural area( Care India, Udaan, Special Olympic, Help care society, RedCross etc.)1 yr as a Dentist in private practice , Managed trauma care teams and pediatric dental teams etc.
Applied: UNC-Chapel Hill(12/16/2015)
Interview:3/2/2015
Accepted:3/3/2015
Attending:[/QUOTE]

 

[mhabound15]

Interviewing with UMich and UNC in the next couple weeks. Can anyone provide some information on what the interview experience was like?

 

[koohoop]

Accepted to Cornell with 8k scholarship and assistantship!

 

[Viejo89]

I just logged into my Wolverine Access account to check on my MHSA application and found a new link - "View Admission Recommendation." Here's what it says:

"You have been recommended for admission to the University of Michigan School of Public Health by Health Management and Policy. Your admittance will become official upon certification by the School of Public Health's Office of Academic Affairs. Once your recommendation has been verified and confirmed, you're status will be updated. Please note that you are not officially admitted until that verification has taken place."

I'm cautiously optimistic. Here's my timeline for anyone who's interested:

- Oct 4th: Submitted to SOPHAS.
- Oct 22nd: UMich application date.
- Jan 14th: Received invite to Visit Day via e-mail.
- Feb 12th: E-mail received advising me that I've been officially accepted by SPH.

Here's hoping we start seeing more good news soon. Best of luck to all of you...

 

[Pat827]

Just to update..
Accepted into JHU.
Received a merit scholarship from GWU.
Haven't heard a thing from VCU. Waiting to hear back on UMich.
Good luck everyone!

 

[FutureMHAer]

@AYJ25

I will be attending VCU this fall. I don't know the exact chances of being accepted after being offered an interview, but I would imagine the chances are similar to any of the top schools. My best guess is that about 50% of interviewees are offered admission to top programs, but I could be wrong.

The interview process at VCU is pretty basic. You will have three one-on-one interviews that will last about 30 minutes each. VCU is looking for students who are dedicated to heath care as well as students who have leadership potential. VCU places a large emphasis on leadership potential. If you show that you have those traits, you will do just fine.

I chose VCU because of its ability and history of producing successful hospital executives. At this point, I am not interested in consulting. Let me know if you have other questions. Good luck!

 

[Pat827]

Interviewing with UMich and UNC in the next couple weeks. Can anyone provide some information on what the interview experience was like?

I had the visit day with UMich. It's an entire day (9-3) with many opportunities to speak with people, including faculty, alumni, and current students. I think that they want to observe how you interact with people as there is a group presentation they have applicants do. As for the interview itself, it was about a half an hour with a faculty member at the end of the day. General interview questions. Everyone was nice, and even though on paper it seems like it would be a stressful day, it flowed well and wasn't nerve wracking.

 

[jh08241]

Accepted to Tulane. May wait and hear from USC and South Carolina, but man it feels good to get the first acceptance.

 

[wwwwwhs]

Just accepted to Columbia. Had the alumni interview last Friday. Anyone going to any of the visit days?

 

[mhabound15]

Updates:

Accepted: Johns Hopkins, Cornell (w/scholarship), Columbia (w/o an interview...not sure how that happened)
Withdrew/Declined: University of Minnesota, Ohio State, VCU, Rush
Scheduled Interviews: Michigan (next week), UNC- Chapel Hill (the week after)

Curious to know what everyone's top choices are and for what reasons.

 

[le_93]

Updates:

Accepted: Johns Hopkins, Cornell (w/scholarship), Columbia (w/o an interview...not sure how that happened)
Withdrew/Declined: University of Minnesota, Ohio State, VCU, Rush
Scheduled Interviews: Michigan (next week), UNC- Chapel Hill (the week after)

Curious to know what everyone's top choices are and for what reasons.

@mhabound15 I actually have the same exact acceptances as you and I am also interviewing for Michigan and UNC in the next upcoming weeks. At this point in time, JHU is by far my top choice. I feel that the 11 month residency is something that puts the program as my favorite. I also feel the value associated with such an experience cannot be gained from just a summer internship between your first and second years.

That being said, I am still very open to Michigan and UNC. I will definitely know for sure after my interviews. Anyway, just my two cents. Everyone else feel free to add their own input!

 

[BMckey]

Hey guys, I'm already in the MPH thread but thought I'd add my stats here and give some hope to those with a less than stellar profile.

School: Temple University
GPA: ~3.3 , Neuroscience major
GRE: Q: below 50%, V: Above 50%, W: 4.5
Applied: In addition to MPH programs with an HPM focus, Georgetown MHSA (12/8), Johns Hopkins (12/8) MHA, UMD College Park MHA (12/8)
Rejected: patiently waiting for Hopkins to send me my rejection letter lol
Accepted: 2 MPH programs with HPM focus, Georgetown (2/10)
Interview: Georgetown has you upload a video interview using likelive as a part of your application
Attending: unsure.

I haven't heard from University of Maryland which is starting to bug me because I saw on grad cafe and on the MPH thread that ppl have started receiving decisions. I didnt think Georgetown would accept me, I had pretty much completely wrote them off. But I do think I had excellent letters of recommendation and my statement of purpose was pretty good (in my biased opinion lol). Also, unlike most of you, Im coming directly from undergrad (I graduate in May) so I dont have a ton of practical "real world" experience. I did complete an awesome internship this past summer where I conducted research in health policy on the implementation demographic data standards that were outlined in the PPACA.

but here is my dilemma with Georgetown..it is a dream school but its soooooo expensive. I have 0 debt from undergrad, so I dont take too kindly to the thought of being in debt. Georgetown is ~45k a year which is insane. However, I was formerly premed and so I would have likely been in 2X the debt had I gone that route. I dont want money to keep me from attending and end up settling for a public state school that doesn't have as good a program just for the sake of saving money, but I do admit Im hesitant to commit to Georgetown. I think I'm going to contact some of their graduates and ask them for their take on it.
Anyone else in a similar situation where finances have you second guessing a top choice?

 

[tarheel15]

Also accepted to Georgetown! Had my Columbia interview today as well so I'm hoping to hear back soon... I'm having a hard time deciding my top choice but I'm slightly leaning towards JHU as of right now.

 

[chi23]

Hey Everyone,

I've been following this thread pretty closely (I've also read through the previous year's thread), and I finally decided to create an account and post for myself.

It seems like the most reputable rankings for MHA programs come from the U.S. World News & Report. As we know, many of the big name schools (i.e. Hopkins, Cornell, & Columbia) are ranked lower than lesser-known schools that boast high-ranked programs (i.e. Minnesota, VCU). I've received interviews for every school I've applied to except Michigan (still pending): JHU (accepted), Ohio State, VCU, Columbia, Cornell, Minnesota. I've begun deliberating some of my options (assuming my interviews go well), and I've struggled to figure out the brand vs. program rank dilemma. Hopkins undoubtedly has the most reputable name is medicine and health care, although its rank is 11 (granted, these rankings were last updated in 2011 and may have changed). I've done research on all the programs (curriculum, placement trends, etc.), and although some schools have more comprehensive curricula, I'm convinced that a school like Hopkins has tremendous networking potential with the best of the best across the country.

I was curious to see what your guys' thoughts were on my assessment.

Additionally, if you have any questions regarding the schools I've mentioned, I'd be happy to help!

Hey do you have any tips for the VCU interview/ how was your interview experience there, what were some of the questions they asked ?

 

[dr_phoenix]

Rejected from Hopkins as well...looks like Tulane is the only viable option for me right now...!!!

Anyone heard back from the Rush University lately...???

 

[MHAstudent123]

I was recently offered a GRA at St. Louis and really considering it. (only have two weeks to reply) I also was accepted to Columbia today without an interview?! Sucks that you don't receive financial aid information till late February or early March for Columbia. Also, knowing Columbia is not accredited kind of makes me not want to go there. What are other peoples thoughts on Columbia and has anyone else checked out St. Louis?

 

[dr.mha]

Accepted to Columbia, yale, UMinn, JHU.
How many accepted to hopkins r planning to go there? From what I have heard the first 9 months r totaly cramped up plus Baltimore is not all that appelaing to me. I think I'm gona put down my deposit for columbia

 

[wwxx]

Accepted to Columbia, yale, UMinn, JHU.
How many accepted to hopkins r planning to go there? From what I have heard the first 9 months r totaly cramped up plus Baltimore is not all that appelaing to me. I think I'm gona put down my deposit for columbia

Do you mind telling me why u are choosing Columbia over the others?

 

[dr.mha]

my only considerations were jhu and columbia, columbia because better networking options, new york, plus hopkins didactic period is a joke....4 terms of 40 classes each...frankly if im gona do this id rather go the whole two years.

also to add to above- columbia is more focused on the management part and less so on policy and public helath

 

[mhabound15]

Columbia's Mailman School is Top 5, but my two reservations about the program were: 1) The CAHME accreditation. The school only recently created the MHA program, which used to be an MPH program with a health care management focus. 2) The 350 student class size (with only 20 full-time faculty members)– if I'm going to pay top-dollar for an Ivy league institution, I would want more one-on-one focus (smaller class size).

Wanted to bring this two points up to anyone who may be considering the program!

 

[mhabound15]

Hey do you have any tips for the VCU interview/ how was your interview experience there, what were some of the questions they asked ?

It's a three-part interview with a current student, alumnus, and current faculty member. You can expect the typical questions: why an MHA, why VCU in specific, short and long term goals, etc.

My advice for interviews is to understand the program's focus. Some programs are tailored to producing health care executives (such as VCU), while others have a consulting focus.

Good luck!

 

[mhabound15]

I had the visit day with UMich. It's an entire day (9-3) with many opportunities to speak with people, including faculty, alumni, and current students. I think that they want to observe how you interact with people as there is a group presentation they have applicants do. As for the interview itself, it was about a half an hour with a faculty member at the end of the day. General interview questions. Everyone was nice, and even though on paper it seems like it would be a stressful day, it flowed well and wasn't nerve wracking.

Great to hear that you had a pleasant experience! My visit day is next Monday, so I'm excited to learn more about the program.

Just out of curiosity– how strongly are you considering the program/what's your top choice and why? Since admissions are flowing in for many people, I'm trying to start a discussion about people's rationales for choosing schools so we can better evaluate our respective decisions.

 

[Viejo89]

Just out of curiosity– how strongly are you considering the program/what's your top choice and why? Since admissions are flowing in for many people, I'm trying to start a discussion about people's rationales for choosing schools so we can better evaluate our respective decisions.

UMich is my top choice for the following reasons:

- Their MHSA program is ranked #1 in the nation by US News and has been since 1993. Even if one questions the validity of these rankings and the methodology used to create them, that's an impressive run. One year at #1 could be a fluke, three years a nice little run, but 20+ years implies institutional excellence.

- I like the fact that UMich has had its own dedicated school of public health, with its own dean, since 1941. Other MHA programs I looked at are embedded within the med school or even the business school. The benefit of having one's own dean and thus one's own resources cannot be overstated. The fact that UMich's regents established the SPH almost 75 years ago speaks volumes about their vision and foresight.

- I went to the Prospective Student Day and the Visit Day. During those visits, I was impressed by the warmth of the faculty and the enthusiasm of the students. During the Visit Day, I got the distinct impression that SPH looks at their students as the lifeblood of their program. They are proud of their faculty and the research they do, but they seem to take the greatest pride in what their alums have done and are doing. While Visit Day had a friendly and professional vibe, I sensed we were being studied very closely in terms of 'fit' personality-wise. The fact that they dedicate a six hour day to that assessment gives you some idea of how much they value the role their students play in their program.

- The Michigan/Midwestern ethic agrees with me. On GradCafe I read some pretty interesting anecdotes about other schools' visit days and admissions processes. Some schools have mixers in which alcohol is served, and other schools press hard to get a sense of one's (or their parents') financial situation. Neither of these make sense to me within a professional academic context, but different strokes for different folks. The understated, professional tone of UMich's visit day matched my personality perfectly. It was very Midwest in that sense.

Your mileage may vary...

 

[kc1223]

Hey guys, I'm already in the MPH thread but thought I'd add my stats here and give some hope to those with a less than stellar profile.

School: Temple University
GPA: ~3.3 , Neuroscience major
GRE: Q: below 50%, V: Above 50%, W: 4.5
Applied: In addition to MPH programs with an HPM focus, Georgetown MHSA (12/8), Johns Hopkins (12/8) MHA, UMD College Park MHA (12/8)
Rejected: patiently waiting for Hopkins to send me my rejection letter lol
Accepted: 2 MPH programs with HPM focus, Georgetown (2/10)
Interview: Georgetown has you upload a video interview using likelive as a part of your application
Attending: unsure.

I haven't heard from University of Maryland which is starting to bug me because I saw on grad cafe and on the MPH thread that ppl have started receiving decisions. I didnt think Georgetown would accept me, I had pretty much completely wrote them off. But I do think I had excellent letters of recommendation and my statement of purpose was pretty good (in my biased opinion lol). Also, unlike most of you, Im coming directly from undergrad (I graduate in May) so I dont have a ton of practical "real world" experience. I did complete an awesome internship this past summer where I conducted research in health policy on the implementation demographic data standards that were outlined in the PPACA.

but here is my dilemma with Georgetown..it is a dream school but its soooooo expensive. I have 0 debt from undergrad, so I dont take too kindly to the thought of being in debt. Georgetown is ~45k a year which is insane. However, I was formerly premed and so I would have likely been in 2X the debt had I gone that route. I dont want money to keep me from attending and end up settling for a public state school that doesn't have as good a program just for the sake of saving money, but I do admit Im hesitant to commit to Georgetown. I think I'm going to contact some of their graduates and ask them for their take on it.
Anyone else in a similar situation where finances have you second guessing a top choice?

I also got in at Georgetown. I would love to go, but the sticker shock of that tuition alone is definitely a bit terrifying.

 

[BMckey]

I also got in at Georgetown. I would love to go, but the sticker shock of that tuition alone is definitely a bit terrifying.

I know !! I dont have any debt from undergrad thankfully but I just dont think im willing to take on that much. Its absolutely ridiculous and it sucks because I would love to go there as well. It was a reach school for me. What other programs are you considering?

 

[MHAstudent123]

I know !! I dont have any debt from undergrad thankfully but I just dont think im willing to take on that much. Its absolutely ridiculous and it sucks because I would love to go there as well. It was a reach school for me. What other programs are you considering?

I haven't heard back from Georgetown yet. Did you guys have an interview?

 

[BMckey]

I haven't heard back from Georgetown yet. Did you guys have an interview?

No. the likelive interview that was required as part of the application serves as your interview. They restructured their application, in previous years they did in person interviews but now you just submit that video of yourself answering the questions they list online.

 

[MHA_APPLICANT]

I got accepted to USC today. So excited! received the merit scholarship. I am beyond happy.

 

[jh08241]

I got accepted to USC today. So excited! received the merit scholarship. I am beyond happy.

When did you submit your app?

 

[Bcmdnc]

Got into Univeristy of Iowa with a graduate assistantship!

Tution assistance, stipend, health insurance assistance!

 

[coolron90]

Just got in at Columbia (MHA) and Yale (MPH-HCM). I will most likely end up choosing Yale.

Feel free to PM for my stats. I just don't feel comfortable sharing it to open public.

 

[wwxx]

Just got in at Columbia (MHA) and Yale (MPH-HCM). I will most likely end up choosing Yale.

Heyyy, what are your reasons of choosing Yale? I'm likely gonna choose Yale too!!

 

[Pat827]

Accepted to Columbia, yale, UMinn, JHU.
How many accepted to hopkins r planning to go there? From what I have heard the first 9 months r totaly cramped up plus Baltimore is not all that appelaing to me. I think I'm gona put down my deposit for columbia

I think I will most likely choose Hopkins. My reasons include the 9 month accelerated program. I think this depends on how people learn, and I learn and retain relatively quickly. It also means working one year sooner. I'm not fresh out of undergrad and this appeals to me. Another reason is the networking opportunities it affords both in the Mid-Adlantic region (where I live) and nationally should I choose to relocate. I haven't yet paid my deposit, but at this point I feel pretty set on it.

 

[Pat827]

Great to hear that you had a pleasant experience! My visit day is next Monday, so I'm excited to learn more about the program.

Just out of curiosity– how strongly are you considering the program/what's your top choice and why? Since admissions are flowing in for many people, I'm trying to start a discussion about people's rationales for choosing schools so we can better evaluate our respective decisions.

UMichigan has an established program and it seems like the culture of both the university and Ann Arbor are great. My sister in law lives in Ann Arbor so I already know about it from a non- college student standpoint. The networking would definitely be an asset, as would be having tremendous institutional support. Plus, I think it would be fun to attend some football and basketball games.

I'm from Southern CA. My spouse is from Michigan and I've visited something like 15 times in a 3 year time span to have a well informed view of the lifestyle of Michiganders.... If I turn it down it will solely be because of geography.

At this point my top choice is Hopkins. This may change and as such I haven't yet paid my deposit.

I've been contacted to interview with VCU- but I'm not sure if I feel like attending. Thoughts? Interviewed and accepted at GWU, JHU, UMich. I don't want to be restricted to Richmond for the internship year.

 

[cgaiu001]

I got accepted to USC today. So excited! received the merit scholarship. I am beyond happy.

Congrats! I've been calling them and asking about the status of my app! I submitted my app towards the end of October so I could meet the dec 15 scholarship deadline! When did u submit your app?

 

[coolron90]

Heyyy, what are your reasons of choosing Yale? I'm likely gonna choose Yale too!!

Hi, I am glad you have chosen Yale as well.

1. Class size - much smaller than that of Columbia
2. Grading system - I won't have to study just to excel on exams, or to compete against classmates.
3. Cost of living in New Haven compared to NYC.
4. I am a city person, NYC is a bit too much.
5. It's Yale...

 

[wwxx]

Hi, I am glad you have chosen Yale as well.

1. Class size - much smaller than that of Columbia
2. Grading system - I won't have to study just to excel on exams, or to compete against classmates.
3. Cost of living in New Haven compared to NYC.
4. I am a city person, NYC is a bit too much.
5. It's Yale...

Haha..I can't like your reasons more! See ya there!

 

[soccer93]

Has anyone who interviewed with Columbia this week heard back yet?

 

[koohoop]

Has anyone who interviewed with Columbia this week heard back yet?

I interviewed on Monday and heard back the next day!

 

[Bcmdnc]

So I got into both Yale and University of Iowa. I really would love to go to Yale (class size, grading system, atmosphere, etc.), but I received a GA position from U of Iowa. Doing quick math... I'd save $85,300 over two years if I went to U of Iowa.

Would I be crazy to go to Yale? I don't think there is a way to really justify going to Yale. (All this obviously assumes I do not receive any funding from Yale.)

Thoughts? I mean U of Iowa isn't a bad school at all. Technically ranked the same as Yale.

 

[cgaiu001]

So I got into both Yale and University of Iowa. I really would love to go to Yale (class size, grading system, atmosphere, etc.), but I received a GA position from U of Iowa. Doing quick math... I'd save $85,300 over two years if I went to U of Iowa.

Would I be crazy to go to Yale? I don't think there is a way to really justify going to Yale. (All this obviously assumes I do not receive any funding from Yale.)

Thoughts? I mean U of Iowa isn't a bad school at all. Technically ranked the same as Yale.

I'd go to Iowa. I mean we all know Yale is a nice school. But I wouldn't go to yale because it's yale (if that makes sense) ...I would look at both schools from a holistic stand point

 

[BMckey]

Iowa

So I got into both Yale and University of Iowa. I really would love to go to Yale (class size, grading system, atmosphere, etc.), but I received a GA position from U of Iowa. Doing quick math... I'd save $85,300 over two years if I went to U of Iowa.

Would I be crazy to go to Yale? I don't think there is a way to really justify going to Yale. (All this obviously assumes I do not receive any funding from Yale.)

Thoughts? I mean U of Iowa isn't a bad school at all. Technically ranked the same as Yale.

You just said you would save over $80K. this shouldnt even be a thing. I'd go to Iowa. Sure you will likely have to work a bit harder and network your tail off in order to get some of the offers that may perhaps just be given to you at Yale, but I think its worth it to save that kind of money. But I do understand the whole wanting to go to your dream school...at the end of the day its your decision.

 

[Viejo89]

So I got into both Yale and University of Iowa. I really would love to go to Yale (class size, grading system, atmosphere, etc.), but I received a GA position from U of Iowa. Doing quick math... I'd save $85,300 over two years if I went to U of Iowa.

Would I be crazy to go to Yale? I don't think there is a way to really justify going to Yale. (All this obviously assumes I do not receive any funding from Yale.)

Thoughts? I mean U of Iowa isn't a bad school at all. Technically ranked the same as Yale.

It sounds like your bottom line calculation lies in determining whether the benefit or additional personal reward of going to Yale is worth $85K.

If you decide it is, go for it. If not, go to Iowa and don't look back. Iowa is a fine school and the Big-10 is a very highly regarded conference academically. As somebody already said, it has to be your decision though. That's essential to it being 'right' for you.

 

[mhapplicant2015]

How important is the Columbia phone interview? I don't think mine went too well and Columbia is my dream school.

Are all applicants offered an interview?

 

[MHA_APPLICANT]

When did you submit your app?

I submitted it in early December