MPH 2019: Applied, Waitlisted, Accepted!

Started by el.mo19
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Off of the Columbia website..
"Graduate Research Assistantship (GRA): Departments offer these positions, in which students gain valuable experience working part-time on faculty-run research projects and receive a stipend and/or tuition assistance, on a limited basis. These positions are not available to first year Master's students."

Is it true is it not possible for first year students to get a GRA? Columbia did not even offer me enough loans to cover tuition... so research funding/waivers would be the only way I would be able to attend. Columbia has been off my radar until recently- my boyfriend is receiving several job opportunities in NYC so I figured I should reconsider all of my options. What is the best way to get around Columbia's expenses when given 0 amount of scholarships/grants?
 
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BeHappy97 said:
I never received an email but I had an aid notification in my portal!
Click to expand...

Lool I've been checking my portal and emailing with no luck. Financial aid responded to my emails saying that they don't know how the dual degree thing works but they just as clueless as me.. not very reassuring. Been asking questions since Monday and no answers...😵
 
My thoughts on Visit Emory (note: I already committed, and I haven't visited anywhere else, so take that into account when reading this.):

Academic:
  • Curriculum leaves plenty of room for electives, which can even be taken from schools outside of Public Health (Business, Law, Undergrad, etc.)
  • Focused a lot more on practical experience than classroom studying (could be good or bad depending on your future plans)
  • Certificates give the option for sort of a pseudo-minor
  • At least for BSHE, most classes will have few-to-no tests, and will instead have group projects and papers (can't comment on other programs, since I only know about BSHE).
  • The faculty seems to be very supportive in helping with the Practicum and Capstone/Thesis, and just generally there to help in any way that they can.
Non-Academic:
  • Research opportunities and practical public health experience abound, with a large contingent of people getting a position at the CDC.
  • Student loans abound, but almost everyone gets a job, or continues their education upon graduation (they claim, but I haven't fact-checked that).
  • Cost of living is a bit higher than I'm used to, but Atlanta should still be cheaper than cities where some other top programs are located (Boston and New York come to mind).
  • Everyone seemed really relaxed, and there was a really chill vibe that I got both days I was there. This is a big one for me, since I was looking for the opposite of my experience applying to med school last year.
  • TRAFFIC. I actually once saw a firetruck struggle to get through the traffic when I was there. Not looking forward to that.
Overall, I was really impressed with what I saw there.
 
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Gutterball1234 said:
My thoughts on Visit Emory (note: I already committed, and I haven't visited anywhere else, so take that into account when reading this.):

Academic:
  • Curriculum leaves plenty of room for electives, which can even be taken from schools outside of Public Health (Business, Law, Undergrad, etc.)
  • Focused a lot more on practical experience than classroom studying (could be good or bad depending on your future plans)
  • Certificates give the option for sort of a pseudo-minor
  • At least for BSHE, most classes will have few-to-no tests, and will instead have group projects and papers (can't comment on other programs, since I only know about BSHE).
  • The faculty seems to be very supportive in helping with the Practicum and Capstone/Thesis, and just generally there to help in any way that they can.
Non-Academic:
  • Research opportunities and practical public health experience abound, with a large contingent of people getting a position at the CDC.
  • Student loans abound, but almost everyone gets a job, or continues their education upon graduation (they claim, but I haven't fact-checked that).
  • Cost of living is a bit higher than I'm used to, but Atlanta should still be cheaper than cities where some other top programs are located (Boston and New York come to mind).
  • Everyone seemed really relaxed, and there was a really chill vibe that I got both days I was there. This is a big one for me, since I was looking for the opposite of my experience applying to med school last year.
  • TRAFFIC. I actually once saw a firetruck struggle to get through the traffic when I was there. Not looking forward to that.
Overall, I was really impressed with what I saw there.
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All these are really so true. I was really impressed and they managed to convince me that it is the best program for me. Most important factor was that they made me feel like my success was their success too. I am definietely going there!! If you have any ideas for house search, please let me know.
 
I'm really torn between Emory's bshe program and Columbia's popfam. Anyone else looking at these programs?

So far my thought is that Atlanta is much cheaper to live in, but I'm not sure the program is as strong as Columbia's, especially when it comes to the core. I also wonder where I will have better opportunities for applied experience. I'm not that committed to the CDC, but I also don't think I'll live in NYC after school.

Any thoughts welcome, I'm struggling to decide :/
 
Hi everyone! Since it is crunch time and I know there are a handful of people who are still deciding or wondering if they made the "right" decision, I wanted to share a quote that I stumbled upon which has really stuck with me and made me feel better with this process and decision making in general:

“If you obsess over whether you are making the right decision, you are basically assuming that the universe will reward you for one thing and punish you for another.The universe has no fixed agenda. Once you make any decision, it works around that decision. There is no right or wrong, only a series of possibilities that shift with each thought, feeling, and action that you experience. If this sounds too mystical, refer again to the body. Every significant vital sign- body temperature, heart rate, oxygen consumption, hormone level, brain activity, and so on- alters the moment you decide to do anything… decisions are signals telling your body, mind, and environment to move in a certain direction.” - Deepak Chopra

Just remember, the right decision is the one that you chose for yourself(for whatever reasons). I am sure you'll all do great and forge your own paths wherever you go! Exciting times ahead 😀
 
wwmmkk said:
Brown and Columbia are very different schools. Feel free to PM me for more info, but here's a basic run down:

Brown: small student body, low student:faculty ratio, flexible curriculum. strong research focus

Columbia: large student and faculty body, resources of NYC, extremely structured curriculum, strong practice focus
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Hi. I'm also between brown and columbia. But I wanna do phd in epidemiology.
If brown has strong research focus, will brown be better for transiting into phd program? thanks a lot.
 
Qetttttttttttttsiyah said:
Hi. I'm also between brown and columbia. But I wanna do phd in epidemiology.
If brown has strong research focus, will brown be better for transiting into phd program? thanks a lot.
Click to expand...
Yes, I think it would. The flexibility of the Brown curriculum means you can focus more on research during your MPH and hopefully get a few publications on your CV before applying to PhDs.
 
So those of you wondering about financial aid package from Tulane, I was able to call them today and got answers that no one in the school of PH has gotten any financial aid/loan package yet and that they are still processing. Since they don't have a deadline for enrollment, they just said students would get the package as soon as possible.

However, the staff was able to give me the amount of loan including federal direct loan and PLUS loan, and work-study if offered. He said this should be the exact amount of "financial aid" that I should be receiving soon and that there will be no changes unless the school mentioned anything about scholarships in the acceptance letter.

I think this ends my decision making process. I will be attending Emory in the upcoming fall!!
 
suecakep said:
So those of you wondering about financial aid package from Tulane, I was able to call them today and got answers that no one in the school of PH has gotten any financial aid/loan package yet and that they are still processing. Since they don't have a deadline for enrollment, they just said students would get the package as soon as possible.

However, the staff was able to give me the amount of loan including federal direct loan and PLUS loan, and work-study if offered. He said this should be the exact amount of "financial aid" that I should be receiving soon and that there will be no changes unless the school mentioned anything about scholarships in the acceptance letter.

I think this ends my decision making process. I will be attending Emory in the upcoming fall!!
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That's awesome to hear! What department are you in?
 
JDGBruin1317 said:
Nice! If you want to discuss Emory among future classes, electives, and living/housing searches you're welcome to DM me! I'm getting nervous yet more excited as the day for my big move to ATL is getting closer! 😀
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Thank you so much! I will definitely do that. I'm also very excited and scared about my big move because I'm from CA.
 
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hollyberry118 said:
I attended Yale's Open House yesterday and completely fell in love.... I'd also love to hear what other attendees thought!?
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I was there too and same, I was very impressed. They really know how to sell it! I still have some thinking to do before I make my final decision but I really liked what they had to offer.
 
So my thoughts on Yale's Open House:
- Really, truly clicked with all of the other prospective students I spoke with
- Immediately felt welcome at coffee portion, lots of current students around to chat with
- New Haven was really nice to walk through when I first arrived, Green was beautiful, downtown seems like a very nice area
- Round Tables were great since you could choose what you wanted to hear about- tables were small enough so you could ask as many questions as possible
- Really impressed with Jen Farkas from Financial Aid and that she literally does it all herself and actually cares about you and your finances
- Curriculum seems super flexible and geared towards your own interests/goals (aside from core courses in semester 1)
- EMD lunch was amazing. All of the Professors were extremely down to Earth and you could tell they wanted to hear about you and your background and current research interests
- All other talks were fabulous, especially the keynote
- Happy hour was fun! Again, talked to several other prospective students. Everyone had a really great attitude and I've never felt so comfortable around people at other Open Houses I have attended

That was lots of word vomit but my honest, positive thoughts! What did everyone else think?
 
Does Columbia give financial aid to international students? I haven't heard back from them about financial aid, and the only thing on the portal is about FAFSA.
 
Hey guys!

For anyone waiting on BU financial aid, make sure you fill out their supplemental application. I had neglected to see the link in one of their emails and just now filled it out. The financial aid officer says it's not first come first serve, but I'm still worried that I won't hear back before April 15th.

Just wanted to pass on the info in case anyone else missed it.
 
Has anyone received financial aid info from Berkeley? It's down to Berkeley and UCLA for me, and I want to see both packages before making a final decision. I've gotten information from everywhere else already and am anxious to finalize my decision!
 
oacljv said:
Has anyone received financial aid info from Berkeley? It's down to Berkeley and UCLA for me, and I want to see both packages before making a final decision. I've gotten information from everywhere else already and am anxious to finalize my decision!
Click to expand...
Financial aid LOL.....i haven't gotten a decision from Berkeley at all still. This just reminded me to call them and see what's up.
 
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oacljv said:
Has anyone received financial aid info from Berkeley? It's down to Berkeley and UCLA for me, and I want to see both packages before making a final decision. I've gotten information from everywhere else already and am anxious to finalize my decision!
Click to expand...

I called Berkeley last week and they said that they will not be releasing financial aid information until June.
 
oacljv said:
Has anyone received financial aid info from Berkeley? It's down to Berkeley and UCLA for me, and I want to see both packages before making a final decision. I've gotten information from everywhere else already and am anxious to finalize my decision!
Click to expand...
I hear you - I've been eagerly awaiting Berkeley's fin aid info as it's one of my choices right now but at the visit day they admitted they might not get that out to us by the April 15th deadline
I'm still going to make my decision based on what feels like the best fit but it's really stressful - I have money coming from other schools and it's weighing on me..
Good luck!!
 
Does anyone know the FB groups for GW or Berkeley? Or any other resource to chat directly with students about questions on the programs/ housing etc.?

P.S. good luck with decisions everyone, these are all great programs! And to anyone still waiting - lots of spots are sure to open up as choices get finalized so don't lose hope
 
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