MPH 2020: Applied, Accepted, Rejected, Waitlisted

[philippesandwich]

hey all

I just applied to Dartmouth's MPH 11 month program

I have a 4.0 in public health and a 3.82 in Pre-med and wrote about my desire for emergency medicine healthcare reform

they waived the GRE because of COVID so I have no score

What are the odds this pans out in light of the current situation and how close it is to the deadline?

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[leejh129879]

Hello, after stalking this forum for weeks and learning about where everyone was going. I finally decided to commit to George Washington for their Health policy program. I saw a few ppl here like rap15 who also committed to GW and I'd love to get in touch when the semester starts .

RN I'm worried about settling into a city I've never been to, I know DC housing is pretty competitive and unfortunately I won't be able to go down and start looking until well into July.

 

[jjjmha]

Hello, after stalking this forum for weeks and learning about where everyone was going. I finally decided to commit to George Washington for their Health policy program. I saw a few ppl here like rap15 who also committed to GW and I'd love to get in touch when the semester starts .

RN I'm worried about settling into a city I've never been to, I know DC housing is pretty competitive and unfortunately I won't be able to go down and start looking until well into July.

Congrats! If you decide to create a group chat please add me! I too am worried about the move, especially with current times. I’m planning to leave late June but may extend until late July. I’ve heard the city is crazy expensive so I’m considering living outside of the city but near a metro line.

 

[jjjmha]

I reached out to UC Berkeley MS in Epidemiology just out of curiosity as to why they rejected my application. They said they split the number of slots between PhD and masters students, and that they normally accept *0* students for the MS in Epi program, but this year they accepted *2*. Of course I wouldn't have applied if I had known this!! I figured this would be interesting info for anyone else who was rejected or especially anyone who is considering applying next year!

If you are really set on getting an MS in EPi from Berkeley then you should apply but if you're like me where you weren't so set on specifically an MS, consider applying for the MPH instead. Just wanted to let anyone know, especially since the SOPHAS + UC application + sending GRE scores cost me $200 total. Perhaps they made it clear somewhere that this program is so small, but I didn't see it so I want to get the word out.

That’s crazy—they allow prospective students to apply but generally accept “0”? Take your talents elsewhere!

 

[hujkw]

That’s crazy—they allow prospective students to apply but generally accept “0”? Take your talents elsewhere!

Right??? I suppose I technically had a chance to get in but who would apply knowing only 2 max get in. Really bummed because it was the closest program to home for me, but at least now other people can have this info for the future.

 

[KBPsych]

hey all

I just applied to Dartmouth's MPH 11 month program

I have a 4.0 in public health and a 3.82 in Pre-med and wrote about my desire for emergency medicine healthcare reform

they waived the GRE because of COVID so I have no score

What are the odds this pans out in light of the current situation and how close it is to the deadline?

I have applied to the Dartmouth program in February. I would call the school and ask how that impacts your application. They are pretty helpful.

 

[HomoSapienSapien]

I reached out to UC Berkeley MS in Epidemiology just out of curiosity as to why they rejected my application. They said they split the number of slots between PhD and masters students, and that they normally accept *0* students for the MS in Epi program, but this year they accepted *2*. Of course I wouldn't have applied if I had known this!! I figured this would be interesting info for anyone else who was rejected or especially anyone who is considering applying next year!

If you are really set on getting an MS in EPi from Berkeley then you should apply but if you're like me where you weren't so set on specifically an MS, consider applying for the MPH instead. Just wanted to let anyone know, especially since the SOPHAS + UC application + sending GRE scores cost me $200 total. Perhaps they made it clear somewhere that this program is so small, but I didn't see it so I want to get the word out.

To me, what they did makes no sense. Assuming these two matriculate at Cal, what would they be able to achieve without a cohort? Quite a bit of the educational experience comes from interacting with those going through the same program as you. Why fund an entire program when you only admit two people?

 

[mph55105]

To me, what they did makes no sense. Assuming these two matriculate at Cal, what would they be able to achieve without a cohort? Quite a bit of the educational experience comes from interacting with those going through the same program as you. Why fund an entire program when you only admit two people?

I have a friend who goes to Berkeley who told me that the MS in Epi program is mostly people who already were at Berkeley and already working with Professors. And they’re not really funding a separate program since the people probably take the MPH and PhD classes which are already being held.

I think there used to be more info on the website about it being a very limited program—that’s how I knew not to apply. I think they removed it. They really need to communicate it better!

 

[upstreamist]

The (what I assume was an automated) email about Visit Emory I got this morning made me sad all over again that all our admitted students events got cancelled but also I'm confused as to why I got that same email 4 times

 

[rap15]

Congrats! If you decide to create a group chat please add me! I too am worried about the move, especially with current times. I’m planning to leave late June but may extend until late July. I’ve heard the city is crazy expensive so I’m considering living outside of the city but near a metro line.

@jparky @leejh129879 about to send you a message!

anyone else committing to GW, please reach out and we can start a groupme

 

[wingstwitch]

Hi everyone, I’m trying to access my financial aid for Columbia (supposedly it has been posted on my account) but am unable to see it.. I have refreshed and logged onto my student viewer page, and checked under “status updates” on the graduate portal. Was anyone in a similar situation that has advice?

 

[#godogs]

Hi everyone, I’m trying to access my financial aid for Columbia (supposedly it has been posted on my account) but am unable to see it.. I have refreshed and logged onto my student viewer page, and checked under “status updates” on the graduate portal. Was anyone in a similar situation that has advice?

There’s a separate financial aid portal you need to access to see your aid information. Under the “Financial Aid Information” tab there’s a link to it, and you use your CUID # to login.

Hope this helps!

 

[wingstwitch]

There’s a separate financial aid portal you need to access to see your aid information. Under the “Financial Aid Information” tab there’s a link to it, and you use your CUID # to login.

Hope this helps!

Thank you for your reply! Yes, I have logged in but only see a generic statement about aid and loan repayment, nothing about my financial aid award

 

[#godogs]

Thank you for your reply! Yes, I have logged in but only see a generic statement about aid and loan repayment, nothing about my financial aid award

Wow sorry I wasn’t helpful at all! This might be more of what you already have tried, but did you click on the menu on the top left? That brings you to where you can find the awards page and I know I didn’t see it at first.

 

[DPM20]

This is a little random, but did anyone here apply to NYU Wagner's MPA in Health Policy and Management? I personally didn't apply to their school of public health, so I was wondering if anyone else was considering Wagner!

 

[nfrockwell]

does anybody have any contacts in admissions for UCLA? I've reached out a few times via email because it's been over 4 months since I applied and haven't received an update, and no one's responding to me.

 

[abi5876]

Anyone have any insight between NYU for Health Policy vs George Washington... most likely leaning towards GW but would love any insight

 

[BelieveMCH08]

I just declined my admissions to GW. I've decided to attend Boston University! Anyone else attending BU? Let me know because I would love to get to know you!

 

[tynnguyen92]

does anybody have any contacts in admissions for UCLA? I've reached out a few times via email because it's been over 4 months since I applied and haven't received an update, and no one's responding to me.

I emailed the admissions office (in particuar, S. Sagoo) for Epi in the beginning of March, end of Feb and got NO response until I finally received an acceptance letter on 3/20.

 

[TD2018]

does anybody have any contacts in admissions for UCLA? I've reached out a few times via email because it's been over 4 months since I applied and haven't received an update, and no one's responding to me.

Try following up on your email. I followed up on an email this week and admissions apologized because they are working from home now and didn't have access to their previous emails.

 

[vzr05]

I officially committed to Columbia for HPM!
I ended up deferring for a year because of the pandemic, but I hope to see some of you in New York next year.

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone for all the help throughout the application cycle, I probably would have gone more insane than I already did if I didn’t have this forum to help along the way. Good luck with your decisions!!!

 

[jjjmha]

Anyone have any insight between NYU for Health Policy vs George Washington... most likely leaning towards GW but would love any insight

Can’t beat DC for Policy haha!

 

[nfrockwell]

I emailed the admissions office (in particuar, S. Sagoo) for Epi in the beginning of March, end of Feb and got NO response until I finally received an acceptance letter on 3/20.

Try following up on your email. I followed up on an email this week and admissions apologized because they are working from home now and didn't have access to their previous emails.

I followed up with S. Sagoo for epi yesterday. Here's hoping I get a response before the weekend. Thank you both!

 

[HomoSapienSapien]

does anybody have any contacts in admissions for UCLA? I've reached out a few times via email because it's been over 4 months since I applied and haven't received an update, and no one's responding to me.

You may want to contact Michelle Garcia or follow up with your previous email.

 

[sweetsailormercury]

Honestly as a person who have already been to grad school, that’s how many masters programs are.Truthfully, every school is going to have issues, no matter what. If it is not a failed program, it would be something else. I believe a person should pick a school based on their own set of standards, and not just use others opinions of the school as a justification. I know the program that I attended for my first masters did not have any advertised issues, but it definitely had serious administrative problems, despite it being high “ranked”. I understand what you are saying about the CC program, but honestly I believe those types of issues are MUCH more common than you think in grad school across the board. Also I disagree in saying that BU is only known in Boston. I actually believe BU is a very well known school, and I live in the DC metropolitan area.

BU is a pretty well known school, for some reason this She-Hulk person seems weirdly obsessed with hating on the program, I wouldn’t listen to any advice they give about any MPH program unless you’ve heard it from other reputable sources as well.

 

[rap15]

Anyone have any insight between NYU for Health Policy vs George Washington... most likely leaning towards GW but would love any insight

I chose GW because I don’t have to move and so I can keep working full time. Plus, DC is a great place for health policy!!

I don’t know too much about NYU. I think you should think about if you want to live in NYC or in the DC area (I live in Virginia), who gave you more $$, etc.

 

[Pubhealth1234]

Hello! So I'm kinda freaking out now that none of the actual visits are happening because I have no idea how to decide. I got accepted to UNC, Yale, BU, UIC, and Emory. Cost wise, UIC is by far the cheapest but I'm having a hard time finding information from past students, so would appreciate any feedback on them (also is there an admitted students facebook page??)!! Also, just a general question, Yale ends up being 63k (while the rest are $53-$59k, and UIC is $34k)... is an ivy league MPH education worth the investment? Any other feedback on the schools (or cities they're in because I haven't been to any of them HAHA) I listed would be SO appreciated

 

[LiveTheMoment98]

I officially committed to Columbia for HPM!
I ended up deferring for a year because of the pandemic, but I hope to see some of you in New York next year.

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone for all the help throughout the application cycle, I probably would have gone more insane than I already did if I didn’t have this forum to help along the way. Good luck with your decisions!!!

Congratulations! Did you choose defer directly or did you accept and then contact them?

 

[HomoSapienSapien]

Thanks for the helpful feedback! I just submitted an appeal, and I'll post an update when I know whether it's been successful or not.

Update: I appealed for a scholarship and was successful.

 

[hujkw]

Update: I appealed for a scholarship and was successful.

Congrats that's amazing!! Was this at JHU? And when did you appeal? I did on Tuesday, and I haven't heard anything yet.

 

[HomoSapienSapien]

Congrats that's amazing!! Was this at JHU? And when did you appeal? I did on Tuesday, and I haven't heard anything yet.

Correct. Appealed on Wednesday. Who did you email?

 

[hujkw]

I emailed [email protected]. Did you email the same address? We applied to different departments so maybe that's why I haven't received a response yet.

 

[vzr05]

Congratulations! Did you choose defer directly or did you accept and then contact them?

Originally I had accepted in the portal but hadn't put my deposit down yet, then I changed it to "I would like to request a deferral" and updated my portal. It took a couple of days for them to accept and a new "status update" was posted to my portal saying I had officially deferred. I still had to submit the deposit so if you decide to defer after accepting I'm sure you could send them an email!

 

[Dkernest]

Hello! So I'm kinda freaking out now that none of the actual visits are happening because I have no idea how to decide. I got accepted to UNC, Yale, BU, UIC, and Emory. Cost wise, UIC is by far the cheapest but I'm having a hard time finding information from past students, so would appreciate any feedback on them (also is there an admitted students facebook page??)!! Also, just a general question, Yale ends up being 63k (while the rest are $53-$59k, and UIC is $34k)... is an ivy league MPH education worth the investment? Any other feedback on the schools (or cities they're in because I haven't been to any of them HAHA) I listed would be SO appreciated

Hey! I was also admitted to UIC but for Epidemiology! It has been the cheapest option for me as well, but like you mentioned, I'm having a tough time getting info about the program from current students.

My current public health/epidemiology professors at UC Davis seem to think that the MPH program at UIC is pretty good (they judged it based on curriculum and location - Chicago). Also, I did find a UIC Graduate School of Public Health group on Facebook and got accepted to it just yesterday! I would recommend requesting to join that group, it may be helpful with getting info on whichever concentration you are pursuing!

Cheers!

 

[biotopubhealth]

Looks like Emory's started handing out institutional awards - I just got an email about a 20K award.

 

[m2p0h_20]

Just got an institutional award from Emory too!!

 

[mosicles]

Hope everyone is doing as well as can be expected in these crazy times!
Like many of you, I am really struggling to decide between schools.. I do eventually plan on getting a PhD

I did have someone (who went to UNC for her MPH and has since worked at Harvard, Dartmouth, and CDC) tell me that ranking of your MPH program is the first thing that PhD admissions committees look at and is the most important.. it just all felt kind of elitist and I'm hoping that's not really accurate? wondering if anyone has any insight on that?

I am torn between Drexel and UNC- I am not familiar with the Philly/Drexel area and will not be able to visit before making a decision because of everything that is going on with COVID-19 so I would love to get any insight that people many have on the school/area- I do like that it is right between NYC and DC.

Drexel- I have received a merit scholarship and fellowship which means I would only have to take out $20k or less in loans for the entire program- I really like some of the faculty that I could potentially be matched with and the fellowship allows me to do research on the same project for the entire 18month duration of the program- Which I would imagine would be a major benefit when applying to PhD programs

UNC- I LOVED the campus when I visited and really enjoyed all of my conversations with faculty and staff. I think that it has everything that I am looking for and I could absolutely see myself living there but I am not sure I am willing to commit the extra money. I have no idea when I would be able to secure research (funding), worst case scenario I would have to take out $91k, best case I would be taking out $43k.. so best case scenario it is two times as expensive, I keep getting caught up on the rankings and the fact that I could absolutely see myself living there but I just don't know if the extra money is worth it if I don't even know what my research portfolio would look like leaving..

Hi! I'm considering attending UNC as well, but for the Health Behavior MPH track. Have you attended a virtual visit day? If not, there is one coming up next week. I think you can google Experience Gillings to register for the upcoming date. I've had a few virtual Zoom chats with the Health Behavior department already, and there seems to be plenty of GSI/GSR/hourly paid opportunities for MPH students. They don't recommend working during your first semester, but it seems like if you want to get some form of funding (either hourly or partial tuition remission for RA positions) you can find them easily. It's also very rare for a student to not get residency for their second year, so this would greatly reduce your tuition costs.
I was unable to visit UNC due to COVID-19, but I'm glad to hear you loved the campus! I'm hoping to get a better idea of what the faculty and current students are like at the virtual visit day next week.

 

[beyrutibu]

I was wondering if anyone is thinking about what happens if COVID-19 continues and affects the fall semester, making it also online instead of in-person. Do you think any of the programs would reduce tuition because of this? Has anyone heard anything?

 

[mph_student_2020]

I was wondering if anyone is thinking about what happens if COVID-19 continues and affects the fall semester, making it also online instead of in-person. Do you think any of the programs would reduce tuition because of this? Has anyone heard anything?

i know yale said yesterday during the virtual chat that they’re intending on having classes on campus in the fall but noted that the situation is fluid. i really hope we can have classes in person. distance learning my last semester of undergrad has been difficult enough, cannot imagine doing that for my first semester of grad school

 

[SM97]

Hi! I'm considering attending UNC as well, but for the Health Behavior MPH track. Have you attended a virtual visit day? If not, there is one coming up next week. I think you can google Experience Gillings to register for the upcoming date. I've had a few virtual Zoom chats with the Health Behavior department already, and there seems to be plenty of GSI/GSR/hourly paid opportunities for MPH students. They don't recommend working during your first semester, but it seems like if you want to get some form of funding (either hourly or partial tuition remission for RA positions) you can find them easily. It's also very rare for a student to not get residency for their second year, so this would greatly reduce your tuition costs.
I was unable to visit UNC due to COVID-19, but I'm glad to hear you loved the campus! I'm hoping to get a better idea of what the faculty and current students are like at the virtual visit day next week.

Thank you for sharing all of this!
It has definitely been helpful to hear more from current students about what it is like to get funding (esp. RA tuition remission funding) once you get to campus.. I will also be attending the virtual Experience Gillings day and am looking forward to learning more.
I'm sorry you weren't able to see campus, I absolutely understand that this makes making a decision on where you want to spend the next two years of your life even more challenging.. I would definitely recommend checking out maps and pictures of campus. It is a beautiful campus with a decent amount of green space. The main Gillings building is right across the road from a small cafe and the med library, all of this is very close to campus center (bookstore, student center etc.) and Gillings is surrounded by other advanced degree/professional schools which I think is nice.

 

[uk__med]

I was wondering if anyone is thinking about what happens if COVID-19 continues and affects the fall semester, making it also online instead of in-person. Do you think any of the programs would reduce tuition because of this? Has anyone heard anything?

Also wondering this! I wish I deferred.

 

[SM97]

This may be a naive question but I haven't been able to get ahold of UNC financial aid..
federal student loans interest rates are at "0%" right now.. I will be taking out loans for the school year starting in August. What happens after Sept 30 2020 (when interest starts accruing on all previous fed loans again)? Can the interest rate for the loan that you took out for the 2020-2021 school year change? if so, is there any way of knowing what it will change to?
Any insight is helpful, I haven't been able to find much online for new loans that are taken out in this period and what happens to them after the economy recovers..

 

[GW_2008]

Hello! So I'm kinda freaking out now that none of the actual visits are happening because I have no idea how to decide. I got accepted to UNC, Yale, BU, UIC, and Emory. Cost wise, UIC is by far the cheapest but I'm having a hard time finding information from past students, so would appreciate any feedback on them (also is there an admitted students facebook page??)!! Also, just a general question, Yale ends up being 63k (while the rest are $53-$59k, and UIC is $34k)... is an ivy league MPH education worth the investment? Any other feedback on the schools (or cities they're in because I haven't been to any of them HAHA) I listed would be SO appreciated

I actually have decided to attend UIC (after also being accepted and thinking about UNC) and got to visit about a month ago. I was able to talk to the Epi program director and another professor, along with the academic coordinator. I'm not sure whether Epi is your specific program, but the info I got from the professors was that MPH students are pretty highly sought-after for research projects both within the school of public health and the broader health colleges (medicine, nursing, etc.) because of their analytic capabilities. Also, with an RA position at UIC, you get a tuition waiver, making an already affordable program SUPER affordable. UIC SPH also has a partnership with the Chicago Public Health Department, so internships/work at that department are readily available for students. The professors also seem very interested in leveraging their contacts to get you positions inside and outside of the school- for example, the two professors I talked to were both formerly part of the Epidemic Intelligence Service at the CDC.

 

[beyrutibu]

i know yale said yesterday during the virtual chat that they’re intending on having classes on campus in the fall but noted that the situation is fluid. i really hope we can have classes in person. distance learning my last semester of undergrad has been difficult enough, cannot imagine doing that for my first semester of grad school

Yeah exactly, it's certainly not the ideal situation. I'm wondering if schools would give the opportunity to defer if the first semester becomes distance learning...

 

[beyrutibu]

Also wondering this! I wish I deferred.

Yeah, I would certainly consider deferring if I knew now that the fall semester will be online!

 

[sweetsailormercury]

Hello! So I'm kinda freaking out now that none of the actual visits are happening because I have no idea how to decide. I got accepted to UNC, Yale, BU, UIC, and Emory. Cost wise, UIC is by far the cheapest but I'm having a hard time finding information from past students, so would appreciate any feedback on them (also is there an admitted students facebook page??)!! Also, just a general question, Yale ends up being 63k (while the rest are $53-$59k, and UIC is $34k)... is an ivy league MPH education worth the investment? Any other feedback on the schools (or cities they're in because I haven't been to any of them HAHA) I listed would be SO appreciated

Don’t pick any MPH based on name or ranking, pick your MPH program based on a combination of cost (this is self explanatory), your intended program concentration (some programs specialize in specific areas i.e. doing policy at GW where policy is forefront), and the connections that you can acquire unique to a specific program (look for a program with a large accessible faculty and alumni —studying public health is largely about making connections and collaborating). Academics are important, but understand that SAS is SAS no matter where you learn it, so don’t pick Yale because it’s Yale. Look for schools with visible alumni that work in positions where you would like to end up.

 

[uk__med]

Is anyone planning on emailing programs on the option of deferring?

 

[zvarn]

I appealed based on what previous years have suggested once I was awarded an initial amount of financial aid. Past forums haven't been the best about updating whether or not this has worked for them (people fall off posting once they commit), but I'll try my best to let you know if anything comes out of my various appeals. Here's the basic formula I used for Columbia:

1. Explain to them that their school is your top choice due to x, y, z
2. Thank them graciously for the amount they have offered.
3. Indicate that your choice in commitment will ultimately come down to funding. If you've been awarded a substantial amount to somewhere else: "another top program has awarded me x amount, which will reduce my yearly tuition to y amount." You could also bring up your income here (I did) or cost of living differences.
4. Don't ask directly about matching an offer, I said something along the lines of "avenues of alternative funding" or something like that. Ask straight up for the appeal though!

Remember that you've worked really hard to get where you are, and you deserve access to higher education.

Just wanted to update- this worked for Brown! They offered me an additional 25% scholarship last Thursday (3/26).

 

[cat2212]

Hey guys! Hope you are all doing fine. I think I am going to commit to the University of Washington. Is there anyone committing there? I was also wondering if there is a Facebook group for the students accepted into their MPH program? Any idea about the average rental price in Seattle? Thank you in advance!

Hi there! I'm also committing to UW. As far as I'm aware, there isn't a fb page yet that I've found. I'm wondering if the program will eventually create one, or if other students will make one? If anyone does know of one or makes one please message me, I'd love to be added.

 

[rap15]

Posting this again so people can update it without searching everywhere! Please update it if you are comfortable with sharing the information. I think this will be a useful resource for future years!

Link here for the results spreadsheet