MPH 2020: Applied, Accepted, Rejected, Waitlisted

[shuney]

Hello Friends! I am a long-time reader here and have benefitted a lot from this forum.

Undergraduate School: International Medical Graduate From Saudi Arabia
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.61/4.00
Major/Minor: Medicine, MBBS
GRE(including date taken): N/A (Waived)

Experience/research:
- Co-founded and chaired the social accountability hub for healthcare initiatives at my university for two years.
- Executive Producer for a healthcare initiative that produced 15+ Health Promotion short films in Arabic.
- One year as a physician in training at a major tertiary hospital.
- Participated in multiple humanitarian missions in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.
- Co-founded and managed a digital marketing agency for one year, which specialized in health communication.

Letters of Rec: Associate dean of public health, Director of Health Promotion at my university who happens to be a professor of pulmonology and critical care, and alumnus of JHU who finished a DrPH in healthcare management.

Interested in: Healthcare Leadership and Management, Healthcare Systems, and Global Health.

Applied: JHU (10/3), BU (10/28) All Verified within 24h
Accepted: JHU (11/1) BU (They said they'd review the applications for Fall in January)

I feel privileged and lucky to be accepted at Hopkins as it's my target school. I posted this to say thank you to everyone who posted in this thread and the forum. I wish you all the best.

Wow, accepted to Hopkins that quickly! You should be very proud of yourself. Congrats!

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[shuney]

Undergrad School: Public Ivy
Undergrad GPA: 3.75
Major/Minor: BA in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience
GRE (including date taken): V156 Q146 AW:4.0 (10/05/19)
Experience/Research:
- Over 3 years of experience as a research assistant in various departments including women's health, psychology, and biology
- Currently working at an admin/research role at the National Academy of Medicine - forming great networks
- Experience working in communities abroad in Peru and Ethiopia
- Co-authored a Medicaid 101 issue brief as a health policy intern
- Over 2 years of mentoring freshman and sophomores
- Formed and led a student organization as a community for students
- Volunteers for over 100 hours at the Psychiatry department of a hospital
- Prior experience in foundational public health courses with exceptional grades in all

Recommendations: 2 letters from high-level leaders at the National Academy of Medicine, 1 letter from an academic advisor who knows my story really well, 2 letters from professors from the Public Health Department - one of which is from the dean of the school's Global Health program.

Interested in: Global health, health policy, and program implementation

Applying: GW (Global Health Policy), Tulane (International Health and Development), Brown (General MPH), Emory (Global Health- Community Health Development), UNC (Global Health), Hopkins (International Health), U of Washington (Global Health)
Accepted:
Rejected:
Waitlisted:

I feel that I have a strong personal statement and experience, but my GRE scores are horrendous. I studied for 3 months especially for the math section, but the real test was much harder than all the practice ones. I'm not retaking cuz I don't have the time to restudy or the money to pay for it again.

Any ideas on safety schools I should apply to? I can't tell if my list is too top-heavy. Any help is appreciated, thanks!

Haven't checked whether you've gotten other replies yet, but you might consider Drexel, USF, and CUNY! I do think your list might be a little top-heavy, but I'm no expert!

Best of luck

 

[cookiemonster333]

Does anyone know if Johns Hopkins does travel grants for accepted students like some other places do?

 

[uk__med]

Does anyone know if applying now (submitted my app last night) can worsen my chances for GWU? Also won't be getting my GRE score back until sometime next week (took it 11/4). I see that people are already getting accepted, so I'm a little worried.

 

[Dmohr21]

Does anyone know if applying now (submitted my app last night) can worsen my chances for GWU? Also won't be getting my GRE score back until sometime next week (took it 11/4). I see that people are already getting accepted, so I'm a little worried.

When I applied to GWU for my MPH in 2017 I did not submit my application until around Thanksgiving and took the GRE again towards the middle of November (I think they got the scores beginning of December) and I was still accepted! I wouldn't think having a "later" application would hurt too much as long as it is in before the final deadline.

 

[uk__med]

Undergrad School: SEC School
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.86 (SOPHAS verified)
Major/Minor: Health Sciences/Pre-Med
GradGPA (if applicable):
Grad Studies (if applicable):
GRE (including date taken) or Other Test (if applicable): 151V/150Q/4.5AWA
Experience/Research (please, be brief):
-1.5 years working w refugees/refugee awareness/setting up volunteering events.
-~2 years in evolutionary biology lab
-6 months in bone marrow transplant research (qualitative)
-6 months of independent study on womens health in the middle east
-esl tutor for immigrants
-mentorship coordinator for program that connects kids at risk of homelessness with college students
-awarded first and second place at 2 different public health case competitions
-Worked as a DSP (one-on-one w special needs kids)


Special factors:
first gen middle eastern american raised in a low income family. bilinugal.


Interested in: global health, sexual/reproductive health
Applied(include the date of application): Harvard (SM) , yale, JHU (MSPH), columbia, UW, emory, GWU, Tulane, BU, UC-Irvine, NYU. all verified 11/7
Accepted: Tulane- MPH: International Health & Development (11/22); GWU- MPH: Global Health Program Design, Monitoring & Evaluation (12/20); Yale MPH: Social and Behavioral Sciences (1/12); NYU MPH: Global Health (1/13); Emory- MPH: Global Health (1/16); JHU: MSPH in International Health (1/25); Columbia: MPH in sociomedical sciences (1/29); Boston Univeristy: Global Health. UC-Irvine: sociocultural diversity with health emphasis.
Rejected: UW; Harvard
Waitlisted: None
Attending: Hopkins!!!!


I made my school list before i completely bombed the GRE. I hope it doesn't discredit my application completely. I made sure my SOP was as strong as possible. im so nervous. also, yes i know i am crazy to apply to this many schools lol. that's how nervous i am...

 

[jjjmha]

Hi All!

Undergrad School: University of Washington (Seattle Campus)

Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.25 (SOPHAS GPA: 3.32)

Major/Minor: Public Health

GRE (including date taken) or Other Test (if applicable): 153Q/152V/4.0AWA

Experience/Research (please, be brief):
June 2019 - Present: Program Manger @ a Healthcare Consulting Firm
8 Months: Program Supervisor @ Largest Youth-Serving NGO in WA.
1.5 Years: Program Coordinator @ NGO
2.5 Months: Internship/Research @ Honolulu Health Department
1 Year: UofW SPH Steering Committee
9 Years: Volunteer & Eventually Volunteer Lead @ NGO

Letters of Rec:
1) VP of Operations @ Current Employer (Former CMO of large FQHC in Harlem, NY, DNP, Former Nursing Instructor at Yale)
2) Health Services Senior Lecturer & MD (Professor)
3) SPH Professor & MD (Professor)

Interested In: Healthcare Management, Health Policy & Management.

Submitted: GWU, NYU, Emory - (Verified 11.11.2019); BU, Tufts, Yale, Brown - (Verified 11.16.2019)
Accepted: GWU (12.12) + $ (12.20); Tufts (1.14); Emory (1.16); NYU + $ (1.17); BU + $ (1.24)
Rejected: Yale HCM (1/12)

Attending: GW Milken Institute SPH - MHA!

 

[SunshineWings]

Haven't checked whether you've gotten other replies yet, but you might consider Drexel, USF, and CUNY! I do think your list might be a little top-heavy, but I'm no expert!

Best of luck

Thanks for the advice! The more I think about safety options, I can't get myself to apply to schools I wouldn't be super excited about attending. Although I'm aiming high I hope my letters of rec and SOP help me stand out. fingers crossed

 

[SunshineWings]

1. If I am waiting on one LoR, do you recommend submitting the app if all other components are ready?
2. I'm slightly confused with the SOPHAS Verified GPA, will that be verified after an app is submitted?

You can definitely submit while waiting on a recommendation. SOPHAS will allow the school to have access to your application but your application will not move forward to the verification stage until the LoR is received.
I would suggest looking at the SOPHAS FAQ for more details on the process

Submitting and Monitoring Your SOPHAS Application

Once you submit your application, monitor the status and follow-up on any necessary actions.

help.liaisonedu.com

good luck!

 

[jjjmha]

You can definitely submit while waiting on a recommendation. SOPHAS will allow the school to have access to your application but your application will not move forward to the verification stage until the LoR is received.
I would suggest looking at the SOPHAS FAQ for more details on the process

Submitting and Monitoring Your SOPHAS Application

Once you submit your application, monitor the status and follow-up on any necessary actions.

help.liaisonedu.com

good luck!

Thank you, likewise!

 

[She-Hulk]

Undergrad School: Large Private University in Utah
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.46/3.77
Major/Minor: Epidemiology (B.S.)
GRE: 161 V (88th), 160 Q (73rd), 5.0 AW (92nd) (Taken 10/11/2019)

Experience/Research/Extracurriculars:
- Co-founder of International Humanitarian NGO working in rural Nicaragua providing clean water systems. Worked on developing implementation program that focuses on local leadership development, family involvement at the village level, and empowerment of mothers
-Some data on the company: over $100k in funding, 1 million gallons of water filtered in the last 3 years, providing sustainable clean water for 1000+ people
-Awarded $15,000 funding for above project from Ballard Center for Social Innovation as award for "Best Venture" and "Best Original Product"
-1 year as Biostatistics TA, nominated and awarded TA of the Year for the Public Health Department
-proficient in SAS
-2 years research assistant, one publication as first author, one paper under review (second author), three poster presentations with two upcoming, awarded "Best Undergraduate Poster Presentation" at Utah Neuroscience Symposium, currently work as data analyst for 3 different professors
-research focuses: school nutrition in minority communities, school lunch debt policy, addiction and mental health correlates,
-6 month internship at county health department, worked as asthma educator doing in home education for clients with severe asthma, managed database of client data
-Currently applying for a university grant to start a project on post-residential treatment outcome in addiction treatment and relapse prevention
Notes: not really applicable but things that make me interesting include, recovered from severe car accident and broken back to finish multiple marathons and trail ultra marathons, climb multiple mountains over 19k feet; over 1000 hours of community service as an undergrad;



LOR: 3 professors, two who employed me as a TA, one who is co-author and PI of multiple research projects (would I benefit from including a fourth reference from professional? I can easily get a recommendation from a board member of the NGO I founded)

Interests: Healthcare Management, Healthy Systems Reform, International Health Policy, Addiction & Substance Abuse

Applying to.... Yale (HCM), Boston (HCM & MBA), GWU (Health Policy), UNC (HCM), Michigan (HCM), Emory (HCM), Tufts

Am I shooting too high? I feel severely under-qualified to be applying to top 10 schools but my ambition is making me go for it. Should I add another back up option in addition to Tufts?

I'd say apply for all the top schools you want to apply for as your application is competitive for all of them!

You'll get into BU and Tufts easily, so realize that you're a competitive there and you could ask them for merit scholarship or something, you'll probably get into GWU as well. The issue with public health schools is that you need to look at tuition and location, realize that US News ranks *every* school they can in order to get people to buy their publications and stuff, and that school faculty rate other schools, so the rankings are based more on just who decides to return evaluations of schools and schools clustered in certain regions will rank each other well.

People on this forum who hire MPHers look at skills, so just going to a name brand school is a self-defeating process if you go to a region you don't want to find a job and if you don't get the skills you need. Public health jobs are all over the map, really, I don't think people doing the hiring are fretting over where you got the degree.

There are solid to really great public health schools not on your list like Harvard, UNC, JHU, Tulane and others, go ahead and apply to whichever ones you are really interested in. A higher tuition doesn't mean you'll get a better education, just means that some schools use their masters programs to subsidize other areas of their budget.

 

[jjjmha]

Undergrad School: SEC School
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.86 (SOPHAS verified)
Major/Minor: Health Sciences/Pre-Med
GradGPA (if applicable):
Grad Studies (if applicable):
GRE (including date taken) or Other Test (if applicable): Unofficial: 151V/150Q (it is what it is)
Experience/Research (please, be brief):
-1.5 years working w refugees/refugee awareness/setting up volunteering events.
-~2 years in evolutionary biology lab
-6 months in bone marrow transplant research (qualitative)
-6 months of independent study on womens health in the middle east
-esl tutor for immigrants
-mentorship coordinator for program that connects kids at risk of homelessness with college students
-awarded first and second place at 2 different public health case competitions
-Worked as a DSP (one-on-one w special needs kids)


Special factors:
first gen middle eastern american raised in a low income family. bilinugal.


Interested in: global health, sexual/reproductive health
Applied(include the date of application): Harvard (SM) , yale, JHU (MSPH), columbia, UW, emory, GWU, Tulane, BU, UC-Irvine, NYU. all verified 11/7
Accepted: TBD
Rejected: TBD
Waitlisted: TBD


I made my school list before i completely bombed the GRE. I hope it doesn't discredit my application completely. I made sure my SOP was as strong as possible. im so nervous. also, yes i know i am crazy to apply to these many schools lol. that's how nervous i am...

In a similar boat! My test scores are far from stellar, but I think your GPA will slightly play in your favor. Oddly, the application process is quite exciting haha. I’m shooting my shot with top programs as well, really hoping my SOP and LORs benefit me. Best of luck!

 

[uk__med]

In a similar boat! My test scores are far from stellar, but I think your GPA will slightly play in your favor. Oddly, the application process is quite exciting haha. I’m shooting my shot with top programs as well, really hoping my SOP and LORs benefit me. Best of luck!

The admissions process is so subjective that it's hard to tell. I'm hoping for the best! Best of luck to you too!

 

[Saud93]

How did you hear back from BU so quickly?

I didn’t receive a decision from BU. It was a notice email saying that they're currently processing Spring applications and that they’ll announce the Fall cycle on January.

 

[Saud93]

Wow, accepted to Hopkins that quickly! You should be very proud of yourself. Congrats!

Thank you for your kind words. It truly means a lot. I believe this forum has helped me tremendously in analyzing the requirments needed, and to prepare everything for the deadlines for each university. And I believe that applying so early is definitely an advantage.

 

[thinkingaboutmph]

When did you apply? (I hear they have rolling admissions)

I submitted my application on 10/29. It was verified the next day and I got an email from GW saying I would hear about the decision within 4-6 weeks. Still waiting to hear about scholarships, but in the acceptance email they said within two weeks (from 11/7).

 

[#godogs]

Hey all! This forum has been incredibly informative to peruse, but now I have a question of my own!!

I'm fairly confident in my stats, but my GRE quant score is lower than I had hoped (or expected), and I don't have much going for me for quantitative or public health specific academics, though I do have some work experience there. I'm applying to mostly epi programs, but given my limited experience and low quant score, I'm wondering if I'm in over my head and should either look at more non-epi options or just take out those top programs (i.e. Columbia and U Minnesota)? Any advice would be helpful, thanks and good luck to everyone applying!!

Undergraduate School: California State University
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.99/4.0
Major/minor: Political Science/French
GRE(including date taken): V-164 (94th %) Q-156 (60th %) AW-6.0 (99th%) (taken 11/2/2019)

Experience/research:
- Research: honors thesis paper/presentation on how governmental structures affect access to clean water
- waste disposal and composting project while studying abroad in Ghana
- three years Peace Corps Volunteer:
2 years teaching (teaching English as a second language, health and youth empowerment clubs, working with teachers on gender equity and violence in schools, organizing HIV testing and education campaign)
1 year Monitoring, Reporting, and Evaluation Support Officer (data analysis, supporting volunteers in MRE in various ways, field data collection for PEPFAR for a two week long campaign)

Letters of Rec: political science dept. chair and professor, another professor who is now a university president's chief of staff, my Peace Corps country director

Interested in: global health, SRH including HIV, gender and health

Applied: Brandeis (MS Global Health Policy and Management/MA Sustainable Int'l Development); Colorado SPH (GLEPI), Columbia (Epi w/ SRH certificate), Emory (GLEPI), GW (GHEDC), Harvard (health and social behavior), Tulane (Epi), OHSU/PSU (Epi), UofA (health behavior/promotion), UMN (Epi), Washington (EPI-Global Track)
Accepted: Brandeis +100% year one +65% year two (MS Global Health Policy and Management/MA Sustainable Int'l Development); Colorado SPH (GLEPI); Columbia +$40k (EPI w/ SRH certificate); Emory +Peace Corps Coverdell Scholarship = 50% +REAL +$2k applied practice experience award (GLEPI); GW +$32k (GHEDC); Harvard (HSB); Tulane (Epi); OHSU/PSU (Epi); UofA (HBP); UMN +$12k (Epi); Washington (EPI-Global Track)
Rejected: By some miracle, nowhere
Attending: Emory!!!

 

[monkeym8]

Undergrad School: UC Berkeley
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.38/3.85 (Verified)
Major/Minor: Public Health
GRE (including date taken): 153V(60%) 156Q(60%) 4.5(81%)
Experience/Research:

• 4 months of research with the school of Public Health- took video footage and administer surveys to characterize exposure to turf rubber crumbs
• 7 months with the SPH- measured food waste in aggregate to assess whether or not school lunch intervention programs were effective; transcribed interviews; helped clean up data for processing
• REU- Did a summer research project in Chemistry--> got to present at the ACS National Conference
• Served on the board for a Public Health Club on campus

Special factors: First gen, have a hearing loss and ADHD, low-income

Interested in: Health Policy (Mostly) and Epi
Applied(include the date of application): Boston University (HPM), Johns Hopkins (MSPH and MHA), University of Michigan (MPH and MHSA), Yale (HPM), UCLA (HPM), UC Berkeley (Epi) Cornell (MHA) All submitted on 11/20
Interview: JHU MSPH (12/5), JHU MHA(12/12)
Accepted: TBD
Rejected: TBD
Waitlisted: TBD

I know my list is top heavy. Any critiques and schools I should add or omit?

 

[OMGhanna]

Anybody hear from Emory? My application was verified by SOPHAS on October 14th and I haven't received any correspondence signaling that they have received my application- no OPUS login or anything. Is this normal? I emailed them several days ago and I'm still awaiting a response.

 

[Dmohr21]

Anybody hear from Emory? My application was verified by SOPHAS on October 14th and I haven't received any correspondence signaling that they have received my application- no OPUS login or anything. Is this normal? I emailed them several days ago and I'm still awaiting a response.

If I remember correctly it took nearly two months for them to say that they received my application and that it was complete and with my department. This was when I applied in 2017 but I doubt much has changed in the way that they run their admissions timeline.

 

[sclason1]

I'd say apply for all the top schools you want to apply for as your application is competitive for all of them!

You'll get into BU and Tufts easily, so realize that you're a competitive there and you could ask them for merit scholarship or something, you'll probably get into GWU as well. The issue with public health schools is that you need to look at tuition and location, realize that US News ranks *every* school they can in order to get people to buy their publications and stuff, and that school faculty rate other schools, so the rankings are based more on just who decides to return evaluations of schools and schools clustered in certain regions will rank each other well.

People on this forum who hire MPHers look at skills, so just going to a name brand school is a self-defeating process if you go to a region you don't want to find a job and if you don't get the skills you need. Public health jobs are all over the map, really, I don't think people doing the hiring are fretting over where you got the degree.

There are solid to really great public health schools not on your list like Harvard, UNC, JHU, Tulane and others, go ahead and apply to whichever ones you are really interested in. A higher tuition doesn't mean you'll get a better education, just means that some schools use their masters programs to subsidize other areas of their budget.

Thank you! I like the way you focus on the skills. I'm drawn towards Yale for that exact reason.

I am applying to UNC as well after getting my GRE scores back. I'm working hard to try to find faculty that work in the areas I'm interested in. There are some major draws to Yale and Boston for the exact reasons you state, the Northeast is an area where I'd love to live and work. I'm really looking for a program that fits my desires, like you said. I've got some current mentor connections who have steered my list to where its at. Plus, coming straight from undergrad keeps me from applying to JHU and Harvard Anyway, thank you for your help!

 

[jjjmha]

I totally botched it and didn't catch a few supplemental questions on an app and ended up submitting it. Will this affect my overall application? The questions weren't labeled as *required* like some are so I'm hoping it's not too big of a deal. Would y'all recommend reaching out to the admissions office or will they reach out if they are in need of those answers? Thank you!

 

[jjjmha]

Hey all! This forum has been incredibly informative to peruse, but now I have a question of my own!!

I'm fairly confident in my stats, but my GRE quant score is lower than I had hoped (or expected), and I don't have much going for me for quantitative or public health specific academics, though I do have some work experience there. I'm applying to mostly epi programs, but given my limited experience and low quant score, I'm wondering if I'm in over my head and should either look at more non-epi options or just take out those top programs (i.e. Columbia and U Minnesota)? Any advice would be helpful, thanks and good luck to everyone applying!!

Undergraduate School: California State University
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.99/4.0
Major/minor: Political Science/French
GRE(including date taken): V-164 (94th %) Q-156 (60th %) AW-6.0 (99th%) (taken 11/2/2019)

Experience/research:
- Research: honors thesis paper/presentation on how governmental structures affect access to clean water
- waste disposal and composting project while studying abroad in Ghana
- three years Peace Corps Volunteer:
2 years teaching (teaching English as a second language, health and youth empowerment clubs, working with teachers on gender equity and violence in schools, organizing HIV testing and education campaign)
1 year Monitoring, Reporting, and Evaluation Support Officer (data analysis, supporting volunteers in MRE in various ways, field data collection for PEPFAR for a two week long campaign)

Letters of Rec: political science dept. chair and professor, another professor who is now a university president's chief of staff, my Peace Corps country director

Interested in: global health, SRH including HIV, gender and health

Applying: BU (global program design, M&E), COSPH (GLEPI), Columbia (Epi), Emory (GLEPI), GW (GLEPI and disease control), Harvard (health and social behavior), Tulane (Epi), OHSU/PSU (Epi), UofA (health behavior/promotion), Minnesota (Epi), Washington (GLEPI)

I have a friend that recently graduated from UCLA's EPI program and she had similar stats. I know she entered right out of undergrad so you may have a decent chance considering your GPA/GRE and experience. The whole process is so subjective and I truly think your SOP and LORs will play an integral part in the decision making process. If EPI is your interest and passion, I personally wouldn't waste money and time applying to non-epi options. I'm extremely nervous about this whole process as well so know you're not alone! Best of luck

 

[mph_md2021]

Hi guys,

How long does SOPHAS take to process and verify the documents before sending them out to individual universities? One of my recommender is yet to send a letter!

 

[canind]

Hi guys,

How long does SOPHAS take to process and verify the documents before sending them out to individual universities? One of my recommender is yet to send a letter!

Most people, myself included got verified in 1-3 days so far! I submitted on 10/28 and got verified on 10/29. Once your recommenders sends the letter the complete package will become available to your universities.

 

[jjjmha]

Most people, myself included got verified in 1-3 days so far! I submitted on 10/28 and got verified on 10/29. Once your recommenders sends the letter the complete package will become available to your universities.

The three apps I have submitted thus far were all verified within 12-24 hours. I too am waiting on my third letter so the programs, which require three simply Emailed me stating that they were not going to review the application until the third letter is forwarded by SOPHAS.

 

[jjjmha]

Thank you!! Sure - I submitted 10/14 and was verified 10/25!

Hey congratulations on your acceptance! Out curiosity, were you Emailed or did you have to access a portal? Should I be expecting an Email from GWU stating that my app has been received? Thank you!

 

[#godogs]

I have a friend that recently graduated from UCLA's EPI program and she had similar stats. I know she entered right out of undergrad so you may have a decent chance considering your GPA/GRE and experience. The whole process is so subjective and I truly think your SOP and LORs will play an integral part in the decision making process. If EPI is your interest and passion, I personally wouldn't waste money and time applying to non-epi options. I'm extremely nervous about this whole process as well so know you're not alone! Best of luck

Thanks for your response and the example of your friend, but you're right it often really does seem subjective. Definitely nervous too but we're all nervous together, good luck!

 

[uk__med]

I totally botched it and didn't catch a few supplemental questions on an app and ended up submitting it. Will this affect my overall application? The questions weren't labeled as *required* like some are so I'm hoping it's not too big of a deal. Would y'all recommend reaching out to the admissions office or will they reach out if they are in need of those answers? Thank you!

If they weren't required, it's fine. I didn't answer all of the questions. Just the required ones.

 

[piper26611]

Undergraduate School: Small liberal arts college in Midwest
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.9
Major/minor: Environment Science (B.S)
GRE(including date taken): V-158 Q-157 AW-4.5 (Taken 8/8/19), V-161, Q-156, AW-5 (Taken 11/4/19)

Experience/research:
-1 semester conducting independent research on second-hand smoke exposure and VOC blood concentrations
-1 summer internship volunteering at a hospital in Sierra Leone
-1 summer internship working at STEM camps with an NGO in Vietnam
-1 summer conducting research on malnutrition and malaria in Sierra Leone
-3 years on award-winning Model United Nations team (+1 summer leading conferences in India)
-1 year as president of my international sorority
-2.5 years as a resident assistant

Letters of Rec: professor in charge of Model UN program, public health professor (also my research supervisor), and head of environmental science department

Interested in: global health, environmental health, climate change and health, malaria

Applying: UMich (Applied 11/11), Yale (Applied 11/18), Notre Dame (MS, Applied 12/2), Emory (Applied 12/2)
Accepted: UMich + 50% tuition (11/22), Notre Dame + $17.5k (12/20), Yale + $32k (1/9), Emory + $15k (1/17)
Attending: UMich!!

Super worried about my chances of getting accepted because I feel like I'm applying to a lot of really competitive programs...I tried taking the GRE again to improve my scores without much luck, so I'm hoping that my letters of rec and personal statement will be enough to get me in.

 

[rap15]

Hey congratulations on your acceptance! Out curiosity, were you Emailed or did you have to access a portal? Should I be expecting an Email from GWU stating that my app has been received? Thank you!

I got an email from GW the same day I was verified in SOPHAS (11/4). They let me know they had received my application and I’d hear back in 4-6 weeks (though based on what others have said, I could hear back tomorrow or Thursday - eek!)

 

[jjjmha]

I got an email from GW the same day I was verified in SOPHAS (11/4). They let me know they had received my application and I’d hear back in 4-6 weeks (though based on what others have said, I could hear back tomorrow or Thursday - eek!)

Thanks! I was verified on 11/11, but no Email yet; however, I spoke with an admissions rep and she confirmed that my application was received. Hope they get back to me soon! You got this!

 

[deleted990564]

Anybody hear from Emory? My application was verified by SOPHAS on October 14th and I haven't received any correspondence signaling that they have received my application- no OPUS login or anything. Is this normal? I emailed them several days ago and I'm still awaiting a response.

When I went to the Destination Public Health event at Emory, I spoke with some people in admissions. They said they start reviewing applications in November and start notifying applicants in December. I applied in August and haven't heard anything. They said I'll be in the first wave of notifications so with you applying in October, you may not hear back until a little later. Maybe January.

 

[mph_md2021]

Most people, myself included got verified in 1-3 days so far! I submitted on 10/28 and got verified on 10/29. Once your recommenders sends the letter the complete package will become available to your universities.

Thank you for your responses!

Just curious, are University of California campuses such as UCLA/UC Berkeley/USC interested more in GPA/GRE scores or prior public health experiences?

 

[She-Hulk]

Hey all! This forum has been incredibly informative to peruse, but now I have a question of my own!!

I'm fairly confident in my stats, but my GRE quant score is lower than I had hoped (or expected), and I don't have much going for me for quantitative or public health specific academics, though I do have some work experience there. I'm applying to mostly epi programs, but given my limited experience and low quant score, I'm wondering if I'm in over my head and should either look at more non-epi options or just take out those top programs (i.e. Columbia and U Minnesota)? Any advice would be helpful, thanks and good luck to everyone applying!!

Undergraduate School: California State University
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.99/4.0
Major/minor: Political Science/French
GRE(including date taken): V-164 (94th %) Q-156 (60th %) AW-6.0 (99th%) (taken 11/2/2019)

Experience/research:
- Research: honors thesis paper/presentation on how governmental structures affect access to clean water
- waste disposal and composting project while studying abroad in Ghana
- three years Peace Corps Volunteer:
2 years teaching (teaching English as a second language, health and youth empowerment clubs, working with teachers on gender equity and violence in schools, organizing HIV testing and education campaign)
1 year Monitoring, Reporting, and Evaluation Support Officer (data analysis, supporting volunteers in MRE in various ways, field data collection for PEPFAR for a two week long campaign)

Letters of Rec: political science dept. chair and professor, another professor who is now a university president's chief of staff, my Peace Corps country director

Interested in: global health, SRH including HIV, gender and health

Applying: BU (global program design, M&E), COSPH (GLEPI), Columbia (Epi), Emory (GLEPI), GW (GLEPI and disease control), Harvard (health and social behavior), Tulane (Epi), OHSU/PSU (Epi), UofA (health behavior/promotion), Minnesota (Epi), Washington (GLEPI)

I think you'll get into most (if not all) of the programs you apply to as you've got work experience and your gpa and GRE scores are overall quite excellent! The average quantitative score for even the Emory MSPH program is 159, the GLEPI says 1/4 of admitted students have a 155 or lower, anyway, admissions are very hollistic, and a lot of people, maybe half of admitted students to all the MPH programs at Emory don't even have work experience, so you're fine. Obviously a fourth of the GLEPI is making it to graduation at Emory, so if you want Epi go for it!

Definitely leave in any and all top programs you want to apply for, realize that you are competitive and don't go to second tier programs like BU, GW, OHSU/PSU or others without a good sized merit scholarship I would say. You have a really good work experience and Poli Sci/French background, adding a hard skill like Epi to your toolbox would be great to improve your breadth of competency/understanding in public health.

Personally, if I was you I'd add MPH Epi programs at Harvard, UNC and JHU and just wait and see what happens, at those programs along you'd probably get into 2 or all of them anyway. Go to a top tier school for Epi as you'll be with other students who have slight more experience with math-related work and you can learn from them too, at many schools your Quant would be above average for admitted students despite you being concerned about it.

 

[rap15]

Is anyone else considering applying (or has already applied) to Brown? I am considering applying to their Maternal/Child Health program. I visited in August and I love Providence, but I am not sure that the program is worth uprooting my entire life (my job, significant other, etc. are all in DC). I know their program is "relatively" new and that the tuition is very high.

I'd prefer to stay in DC because I could keep my job...but would Brown be worth the move?

Anyone have any thoughts OR is anyone facing a similar dilemma with other schools?

 

[jjjmha]

Is anyone else considering applying (or has already applied) to Brown? I am considering applying to their Maternal/Child Health program. I visited in August and I love Providence, but I am not sure that the program is worth uprooting my entire life (my job, significant other, etc. are all in DC). I know their program is "relatively" new and that the tuition is very high.

I'd prefer to stay in DC because I could keep my job...but would Brown be worth the move?

Anyone have any thoughts OR is anyone facing a similar dilemma with other schools?

I'm somewhat torn as well. With the amount of time and money I've invested into this application process, I am wondering if applying to Brown is worth another $50-100. If I am to be completely honest, Brown's name appears to be more enticing than the program itself. With it being fairly young, I'm unsure how much the university has invested in developing meaningful and worthwhile curriculum. It does not appear to be a program of choice for many, but I also don't think there is a lot of information out there regarding personal experiences with the program. I have friends that say a school's name can open doors, which may true to an extent, but I personally value the experience(s) a lot more.

 

[sweetsailormercury]

I personally think that, especially for MPH programs, getting caught up in a school's name or reputation as an institution is a common mistake that people make when applying to MPH programs. The reality is that MPH programs are less selective and admit a higher percentage of applicants when compared to undergraduate admissions and the more selective master's programs. The decision of where to go for your MPH should be based on the unique aspects of the program which you believe will be beneficial for you in the long term, overall cost, and location of where you wish to work following graduation, in that order. Go to a reputable program that aligns with your interests and has high job placement rates after graduation, not just the programs with the biggest names. Don't waste money to apply to schools where you cannot see yourself going or that don't interest you, there will be a lot of money to throw at your school fees once you enroll in a program!

 

[Dmohr21]

I'm somewhat torn as well. With the amount of time and money I've invested into this application process, I am wondering if applying to Brown is worth another $50-100. If I am to be completely honest, Brown's name appears to be more enticing than the program itself. With it being fairly young, I'm unsure how much the university has invested in developing meaningful and worthwhile curriculum. It does not appear to be a program of choice for many, but I also don't think there is a lot of information out there regarding personal experiences with the program. I have friends that say a school's name can open doors, which may true to an extent, but I personally value the experience(s) a lot more.

I agree that experiences should be values over a name in most cases. If Brown does not offer specialized courses that interest you or offer research if you plan to pursue a PhD then that school would likely not be a fit. I am SO glad that I stayed at my state school instead of going to Yale or Emory. I was able to find a research position that allowed for me to mentor students, run my own projects, attend numerous conferences, and publish a number of manuscripts. I feel like attending a "better" school would have hurt my chances for PhD programs due to the limited research opportunities. But every school and program is different, this is only my take on it.

 

[lolawmph]

Hello, I have a unique situation. I am currently a 3rd year law student -getting my JD- and I am applying to MPH programs for health policy and government. I haven't come across anyone else with a similar scenario, but if anyone knows of someone please let me know!

Undergrad: University of California 3.63
Law School: Top 20 law school 3.33
(no clue what my SOPHAS would be)
Major: Environmental Systems & Technology
Law Concentration: Healthcare & IP
GRE: taking it in two weeks, but on my first diagnostic to see what the test was about I scored a 160V, 156 Q, I have been studying since then and scoring in the 160+

Experience
-corporate experience at large technology company before law school
- big law/corporate law internship focusing in technology, finance, and life sciences
-Fortune 500 tech company internship focusing in artificial intelligence for medical device companies
-immigration law clinic fellow - currently representing children being detained in detention centers at the border
-Teaching Assistant in law school
-leadership positions in law school and undergrad + campus wide awards
-first generation

Interested In: Health Policy and Government
Applied/applying: Yale, Harvard, Dartmouth, Columbia( first choice but lol), UCLA, Berkeley, Brown, UPenn, San Diego State, NYU

Any help or feedback would be great!

 

[She-Hulk]

I agree that experiences should be values over a name in most cases. If Brown does not offer specialized courses that interest you or offer research if you plan to pursue a PhD then that school would likely not be a fit. I am SO glad that I stayed at my state school instead of going to Yale or Emory. I was able to find a research position that allowed for me to mentor students, run my own projects, attend numerous conferences, and publish a number of manuscripts. I feel like attending a "better" school would have hurt my chances for PhD programs due to the limited research opportunities. But every school and program is different, this is only my take on it.

There is a big difference in the research offered at a variety of public health schools, so it pays to figure out what a specific school does well and if that interest overlaps with what your interests are. MPH schools are less selective, so I think that rankings matter much less, unless you go to the top 3 or 4 schools in your concentration and feel comfortable with the school and the school's tuition, it probably pays to look at tuition costs, graduation placement, research opportunities, and geographic location over perceived reputation. I get a feeling that schools that are concentrated in urban areas might crowd each other out too.

 

[rap15]

These emails from GW are such a tease!! I don’t need to know about Saturday tours - tell me if I got in!!

 

[thinkingaboutmph]

These emails from GW are such a tease!! I don’t need to know about Saturday tours - tell me if I got in!!

Agreed! I woke up to the "webinar - funding your graduate education" email and was so excited for the half second I thought it was about scholarships

 

[uk__med]

Just got notified that my application is under review at NYU. Does anyone know how long it takes for them to send a decision?

 

[vzr05]

Just got notified that my application is under review at NYU. Does anyone know how long it takes for them to send a decision?

I got a notification from NYU today as well. I spoke to someone in admissions through the chat on their website and they said they do rolling admissions! Hopefully that helps.

 

[jgcolleen]

Figured I jump in and post because I'm sending in my applications today

I have a wide range of interests but my end goal is to become a program evaluator and work in population health. I really want to go to the Pop Fam department at Columbia. I'm being picky with where I am applying but I figure why go somewhere and spend hella $$$ if I don't want to go there. I'm most uncertain about my quant score.

Undergrad: University of Washington, 3.74
Major: Public Health
GRE: 168V, 156Q, 4.5W
LOR: One from an undergrad professor who I did an internship with, two from leadership at my work who are pretty established in the field

Experience:
- For the past two years I've been working at a Tribal Epidemiology Center, first as associate and now as a manager
- I am an author on a research paper that was just accepted by a journal, have supported the creation of multiple reports, and am currently working on a qualitative research project that I wrote about quite a bit in my SOP
- I'm currently on a transportation advisory board with my city


Interested In: Health of minority populations, Urban health, evaluation
Applied/applying: Columbia Pop Fam, Harvard, UW

 

[GW_2008]

I am a senior in college, applying to matriculate directly to an MPH program!

Undergrad: Top 20 University
Major GPA/Overall GPA: 4.00/3.30 (SOPHAS verified)
Major, Minor: Sociology, Biochemistry and Cell Biology
GRE: 169V, 160Q, 5.0AW
LOR: Supervisor of the program at the state department of health that I interned with, a sociology professor who knows me well, statistics professor who also knows me well (with whom I discuss epidemiology and public health)

Experience
-Worked in a wet lab, doing research into antibiotic-resistance in hospital-acquired infections
-Interned at my state department of health with the HIV/AIDS team, mostly focused on running programs
-Volunteered with elementary-school children and homeless individuals in my University city

Interested In: Epidemiology

Applied/applying: Minnesota (12/23, SOPHAS verified 12/23), UNC (12/23, SOPHAS verified 12/23), South Carolina (12/23, SOPHAS verified 12/23), UIC (12/22, SOPHAS verified 12/23)

Any help or feedback would be great!

 

[kelsiliu]

Hey Everyone,

I have a question regarding Columbia's Applicant Status Portal.

I sent my GRE score to The Mailman School of Public Health in September and e-submitted my application yesterday through SOPHAS. In addition, my application was verified by SOPHAS this morning.

However, according to the Columbia Applicant Portal Page, all of my materials are missing/awaiting. I contacted SOPHAS this morning and they told me they sent my application, and they suggested that I contact the school directly. I am waiting for a reply from Columbia now.

Does anyone know why or have a similar experience?

Thanks.

 

[Dmohr21]

Hey Everyone,

I have a question regarding Columbia's Applicant Status Portal.

I sent my GRE score to The Mailman School of Public Health in September and e-submitted my application yesterday through SOPHAS. In addition, my application was verified by SOPHAS this morning.

However, according to the Columbia Applicant Portal Page, all of my materials are missing/awaiting. I contacted SOPHAS this morning and they told me they sent my application, and they suggested that I contact the school directly. I am waiting for a reply from Columbia now.

Does anyone know why or have a similar experience?

Thanks.

Some schools only update their portals one or twice a week. Columbia might update on Wednesday or Friday if this is the case.

 

[kelsiliu]

Some schools only update their portals one or twice a week. Columbia might update on Wednesday or Friday if this is the case.

Thank you so much for answering!