MPH 2020: Applied, Accepted, Rejected, Waitlisted

[deleted1009686]

It does depend on the state. For example Michigan told me it's very unlikely that a student will get in-state the second year but all you have to do for NC you do have to transfer your license (and etc.) and live there for a year.

Gotcha. On the UCLA website I believe if you do those 3 things you can get in state tuition for the following school year

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[cmsf2020]

Does anyone know how to access the virtual tour for emory?

 

[#godogs]

Does anyone know how to access the virtual tour for emory?

Wondering the same thing!

 

[basalganglia_]

Anyone in Hopkins MHS Epi program want to start a Facebook page until they create an official one?

 

[nelljell]

Thanks for the fill-in. Feel free to take it with a grain of salt.

In general, I would say:
1) It never hurts to obtain more information about a university. To determine which program best fits your scholastic needs and/or prepares you best for your career aspirations, contact as many students or alumni you can. Juxtapose all the pros and cons.
2) MPH programs are no longer than two years long, but I understand that obtaining higher education typically involves sacrifice. Given the info you gained from point 1, ask yourself whether or not your place of residence takes precedence over your ability to attend a school that best fits you. You do not want to look back and say that you wish you went somewhere else. I feel like your answer to this question will heavily influence your decision.

If your decision remains cloudy despite doing the aforementioned, here are some further steps you can take with Hopkins and Yale. If I had to take a guess, you probably know more about UNC than the other two because you attended their ASD, so I didn't include anything for them.

Hopkins:
1) I would get in contact with current Hopkins MPH students and inquire about their experience taking online classes. This should be able to tell you quickly if this is something you wish to do.
2) I would ask if you can become a full-time MPH student since JHU's full-time MPH program is 11 months long as opposed to two years. While it means you have to leave Boston for a year to be onsite, you get to go back sooner. You can email Marie Diener-West, the Chair of the MPH program, about this.

Yale:
1) I would ask if you can obtain a scholarship/need-based aid only if Yale is the best fit for you and the decision comes down to money. I can help you with the process since I was successfully able to appeal for merit aid at JHU. Affordability is a huge factor, indeed.

I apologize for the long response, but this is an important time for you and I want to provide my best assistance. Hope this helps!

Thank you so much for such a detailed response - I'm always blown away by the support and positiveness of this community. I've spoken to a lot of students and professionals in Public Health, and everyone has been so supportive. I know that this is going to be a tough decision to make, but I know that wherever I end up going, I'll be able to make a really positive impact on public health. Thank you so much for your help!

 

[HomoSapienSapien]

To the prospective Hopkins MPH students: I received word from Marie-Diener West that if the idea of taking classes online doesn't sound that appealing to you, do not worry. The university is willing to work with you and your learning preferences and you can start your classes in the fall, in-person. However, you do have to complete the summer online orientation, meet with your advisory group online, and take 1-2 credits (e.g. Intro to MPH Studies class, which is only offered online and helps plan your MPH path once you're on campus) prior to coming on campus, but the traditional CORE curriculum can be completed at a different time. She mentioned that you could take these classes during the Winter Institute (May 2021 graduation) or the following summer (Aug 2021 graduation).

I will update you when I get more details.

 

[epiman94]

Anyone still waiting to hear back from UCLA or any UCs in general? I applied before the priority deadline but feel like I've been forgotten about, especially since so many programs are having their online admitted students days.

 

[m2p0h_20]

Does anyone know how to access the virtual tour for emory?

Wondering the same thing!

Have you checked your email? I got an email with the link. The video wasn't that long though. Only 6 minutes long.

 

[collegestudent29]

Anyone still waiting to hear back from UCLA or any UCs in general? I applied before the priority deadline but feel like I've been forgotten about, especially since so many programs are having their online admitted students days.

Still waiting to hear back from UCLA as well. I also applied before the priority deadline, and have sent a few emails and never heard back.

 

[#godogs]

Have you checked your email? I got an email with the link. The video wasn't that long though. Only 6 minutes long.

Yea I ended up getting the email a bit later, thanks!

 

[Dkernest]

Congrats!! I got into their Epi & Biostats program. I also got an email indicating we are responsible to prepare in advance for statistics. How are you preparing for the biostatistics coursework? Are there any courses we can take online (free/affordable) to get well trained prior to starting a program?

Hey! So I actually took 2 bio stats classes as a student at UC Davis and did relatively well in them, so as of now I am not looking at taking extra classes to prep. However, I did do the practice exam that SDSU emailed me and I kept my notes from my UCD Bio stats classes, so I will definitely be using those if necessary once classes begin!

 

[Dkernest]

Still waiting to hear back from UCLA as well. I also applied before the priority deadline, and have sent a few emails and never heard back.

I just emailed Sagoo yesterday and she responded saying she would check with the department and get back to me regarding my application's status. So I would recommend writing to her.

 

[collegestudent29]

I just emailed Sagoo yesterday and she responded saying she would check with the department and get back to me regarding my application's status. So I would recommend writing to her.

Thank you! I have emailed her twice, but have gotten no response. Maybe I will try again

 

[GlobalAmbassador]

To the prospective Hopkins MPH students: I received word from Marie-Diener West that if the idea of taking classes online doesn't sound that appealing to you, do not worry. The university is willing to work with you and your learning preferences and you can start your classes in the fall, in-person. However, you do have to complete the summer online orientation, meet with your advisory group online, and take 1-2 credits (e.g. Intro to MPH Studies class, which is only offered online and helps plan your MPH path once you're on campus) prior to coming on campus, but the traditional CORE curriculum can be completed at a different time. She mentioned that you could take these classes during the Winter Institute (May 2021 graduation) or the following summer (Aug 2021 graduation).

I will update you when I get more details.

This is very good to know. However, I'm worried about the on-site CORE courses timetable. I DO NOT believe, taking courses in May/August 2021 (perhaps, if I'm not wring, it is the final semester/session) is a very good idea especially when many components of CORE courses are required to understand other auxiliary/optional courses. Besides; who are interested in TA/RA, will have tough time to find such opportunities, if core courses are not in their belt. I'm not quite sure though. If someone have any thoughts; please do enlight us.

 

[sgbio123]

Does anyone know if there are any schools where financial aid packages transfer over to the next year if you are deferring?

 

[SeattleSonics]

HI all, trying to decide between Columbia and Yale for Health Policy, any thoughts/insight on the two experiences? I like Columbia's proximity to health systems and opportunities in NYC, but have heard the classes will be massive. I'm also hoping to continue to medical school after if that invokes any further insight to people. Cost wise, looks like Columbia will total out to 140k Yale at 100k. I'd love any advice.

 

[jj23boston]

Just got off the waitlist Harvard MPH-45 Health Policy!

 

[AdGradMPH]

From what I remember it is 1.5 years, it starts around August and ends in December -- however, you can't be awarded your degree until March or something, so there's a bit of an awkward gap in terms of starting jobs. There should be exact-ish dates on their academic calendar. I know they technically teach in quarters, though some classes are full semesters. None of the schools at Harvard really line up calendar-wise, which is annoying too https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/registrar/calendar/

I talked to someone in Harvard’s HSB about the MPH-65 timing and it’s basically August start for a fall semester, winter mini-semester, spring semester, summer practicum, second fall through December, and then like awkward administrative inbetween time until March when we’d actually graduate. So some students start working and some stay on campus to do research work, but it’s a timing that is still being finalized..

 

[TD2018]

did they give you your offer yet?

For financial aid? I received my provisional award letter, all loans, but to be honest I wasn't expecting much else. I'm in state, so tuition isn't terrible. If you haven't received yours, make sure you go into myucla and add your SSN, they can't pull your FAFSA info if your SSN isn't on their site.

 

[HomoSapienSapien]

This is very good to know. However, I'm worried about the on-site CORE courses timetable. I DO NOT believe, taking courses in May/August 2021 (perhaps, if I'm not wring, it is the final semester/session) is a very good idea especially when many components of CORE courses are required to understand other auxiliary/optional courses. Besides; who are interested in TA/RA, will have tough time to find such opportunities, if core courses are not in their belt. I'm not quite sure though. If someone have any thoughts; please do enlight us.

You raise an excellent point. How this will work has not been determined yet. If enough people decide to start in August, perhaps the CORE Classes will be offered in the fall as well.

 

[HomoSapienSapien]

Does anyone know if there are any schools where financial aid packages transfer over to the next year if you are deferring?

Johns Hopkins

 

[SeattleSonics]

Anyone still waiting to hear back from UCLA or any UCs in general? I applied before the priority deadline but feel like I've been forgotten about, especially since so many programs are having their online admitted students days.

I heard back from them for a decision, but nothing for financial aid, E-mailed through their online system and got no response and still haven't

 

[amr2297]

Officially committed to Yale last night! Has been surreal to decline offers from schools like Columbia and Emory, and this entire process has been such a rollercoaster! Grateful to have had this thread to go through it all with. Wish you all the best of luck in your final decisions and long term careers! See you in the field

 

[AW26]

Any international applicant who committed to Johns Hopkins MHS program?

 

[Sez_M]

Thank you for appreciating my thoughts. However, I do not believe, enough ppl will commit for their August/fall'2020 start. Have you noticed
Paul Whong's recent post in their facebook group page: only 314 members in the group and half of them are current students/alum and from rest, not all of them are gonna join JHSPH and you know why. So roughly we can extrapolate that: 160 facebook members+some minorities (lets say, 50 students) who are yet to join in the group= max 200-210 (approx) student might have committed to JHSPH MPH/MSPH program (not sure though).

Have either of you (@HomoSapienSapien or @GlobalAmbassador ) heard any more information about options for JHU international students? For example, it seems possible to me that classes go back for 1st term at the end of August, but consulates are still closed and there are still travel plans that prevent international students coming in person?

 

[CNM2PhD]

Hi all,

Does anyone have recommendations on how to write an appeal letter requesting a higher scholarship? If you only applied to one program so don’t have other offers, is there a way to politely persuade more? Should I just appeal generally? Is it too bold to request a specific %? I have strong stats but applied on the later side. Thanks!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[jj23boston]

Hi all,

Does anyone have recommendations on how to write an appeal letter requesting a higher scholarship? If you only applied to one program so don’t have other offers, is there a way to politely persuade more? Should I just appeal generally? Is it too bold to request a specific %? I have strong stats but applied on the later side. Thanks!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hi!

I wrote 2 appeal letters last week. Both programs responded and said they will consider my appeal and get back to me. I have not heard back yet, so no word on if it was successful...

My general approach was to include the following in the letter:
-why the school is a top choice
-why I think I am a good fit
-that I am grateful for the aid I was offered
-kindly asking if it is possible to request an appeal for additional funding
-asking whether there are other forms of funding I can look into (RA, GA, etc.)

In one case, I asked more generally for additional funding. In another case, I noted the aid amount I was offered by another program.

 

[Tmcc113]

Hi! Long time lurker here. I was admitted to CUNY SPH and NYU for Health Policy and Management. I’m leaning towards CUNY in terms of affordability but I wondering if anyone has more information or personal experience on the program in terms of networking, research, and student life. Also, the same for NYU and if anyone knows if securing a job with NYU while in the program contributes to lower tuition or not. I’m very hesitant to take out large amount of loans and figure out how to live in NYC at the same time lol. Thanks and congrats to everyone

 

[leocadca]

Hi! Also long time lurker here. I was admitted to GWU Epi with a presidential scholarship, BU Epi with 35% off, Emory BSHES with 25k, and Columbia initially with a 10k substance use fellowship. Just wanted to let people know that appeals do work sometimes! Columbia was my top choice so I sent an email 2/26 right after I received my financial aid package using info some have posted earlier as well as PDFs of my other scholarship offers for leverage. I was not specific about what I was hoping to get, but asked for a more competitive offer. They finally responded 4/7 giving me an additional 30k for a total of 40k! I've officially turned down my offers from all other schools and will commit to Columbia on Monday!

 

[HomoSapienSapien]

Have either of you (@HomoSapienSapien or @GlobalAmbassador ) heard any more information about options for JHU international students? For example, it seems possible to me that classes go back for 1st term at the end of August, but consulates are still closed and there are still travel plans that prevent international students coming in person?

There will be a webinar tomorrow at 12 PM EDT discussing the idea of an August start, and I am sure international students' concerns will be addressed. You should have received an email from Dr. Marie Diener-West a day or two ago regarding this.

 

[HomoSapienSapien]

Thank you for appreciating my thoughts. However, I do not believe, enough ppl will commit for their August/fall'2020 start. Have you noticed
Paul Whong's recent post in their facebook group page: only 314 members in the group and half of them are current students/alum and from rest, not all of them are gonna join JHSPH and you know why. So roughly we can extrapolate that: 160 facebook members+some minorities (lets say, 50 students) who are yet to join in the group= max 200-210 (approx) student might have committed to JHSPH MPH/MSPH program (not sure though).

While your point may be true, I do not want to estimate the true number of incoming students from the Facebook page alone. It could very well be the case that people may not know the page exists and is utilizing another platform to obtain information (e.g. the JHU MPH/MSPH WhatsApp). Perhaps many people are communicating with the program directors only via email. Anywho, we'll see what happens during tomorrow's webinar with the MPH Chair and the Senior Program Manager.

 

[HomoSapienSapien]

Just a friendly reminder to those who have committed to a program to also decline the others you got accepted to, especially if you were awarded scholarships. Deserving, passionate individuals are asking for additional aid/scholarships, as evident in this thread, from the universities you elected not to attend. Let's help out our fellow MPHers/MSPHers/MScers and give them the opportunity to access higher education in the hottest field more affordably.

 

[uk__med]

If you accept federal work study can you be paid more money than offered if you work more hours? if you work as an RA are you paid with FWS and the remaining amount is paid by the PI? I'm a little bit confused because I didn't have FWS but worked as an RA in undergrad for $10/hr which was paid by a grant. Anyone have any experience with this?

 

[global_Premed3]

In at NYU !!! But.. with no funding. Its really sad because I received my graduate certificate from NYU in public health and still no love from them. So I will likely decline at this point.

 

[SunshineWings]

Some general info about federal work-study, from a student who has used it for a while:

• You can use FWS for jobs on campus and with outside organizations. I am not sure if it is required or just strongly recommended, but, you are encouraged to work for nonprofits that serve public interests. I think you can work for private for-profit companies if it aligns closely with your course of study.
• At my schools, students have been paid by the school, and the employer pays the school
• For nonprofits and governments, your employer will pay about 73% of your wage, and the government (as administered by the school) will pay the other 37%.
• Your employer sets your hourly wage, but they cannot offer you a higher wage because they don't have to pay all of it
• You get what your earn.
  • For example: if you are paid $20/hr and have $5,000 in work-study, you can work up to 250 hours
  • If you only work 100 of those hours, you only get paid for the 100, and the rest of the money disappears at the end of the work-study period
  • If you work more than your allotted amount, your employer pays 100% of your wage for anything exceeding your FWS

I hope the above info is helpful. Keep in mind, I am NOT an expert on this, I just receive FWS myself

I do just want to add that Hopkins limits workstudy students to work only 19 hours per week. I have also heard some negative things about the career center being really slow to pay students. One of the students I talked to said she went three months without getting paid.
I received 1k in workstudy but I think I will decline it just to avoid the career center issue. You can still get a job as an RA or TA without being on workstudy.

 

[zvarn]

Some general info about federal work-study, from a student who has used it for a while:

• You can use FWS for jobs on campus and with outside organizations. I am not sure if it is required or just strongly recommended, but, you are encouraged to work for nonprofits that serve public interests. I think you can work for private for-profit companies if it aligns closely with your course of study.
• At my schools, students have been paid by the school, and the employer pays the school
• For nonprofits and governments, your employer will pay about 73% of your wage, and the government (as administered by the school) will pay the other 37%.
• Your employer sets your hourly wage, but they cannot offer you a higher wage because they don't have to pay all of it
• You get what your earn.
  • For example: if you are paid $20/hr and have $5,000 in work-study, you can work up to 250 hours
  • If you only work 100 of those hours, you only get paid for the 100, and the rest of the money disappears at the end of the work-study period
  • If you work more than your allotted amount, your employer pays 100% of your wage for anything exceeding your FWS

I hope the above info is helpful. Keep in mind, I am NOT an expert on this, I just receive FWS myself

I process payroll for the biology department at a university, and you are correct! You cannot work beyond your allotted work study unless you are rehired through a different channel such as "student hire", etc. Students can be paid 1/2 by work study and 1/2 out of a professor's grant, or some other fraction, but this is on a case-by-case basis (it's rare at the university I work with). Hope this insider info is helpful to those wondering.

 

[gabatha]

Hey everyone!

So I've officially narrowed it down to Columbia, Rutgers NB, and CUNY (SMS, Social and Behavioral, and Community Health, respectively). I just declined Tufts and BU - I definitely cannot take the extra expense of living in a high-cost city like Boston with the financial aid packages I received.

I'm still waiting on my Rutgers NB package. The people I've spoken to have been extremely helpful, even though I've run into a LOT of different issues regarding my portal. If my package is what I'm hoping it'll be, I'll most likely be going there. I like the structure of the curriculum and when I visited Admissions, they told me that I could double up on certificates! I really like this flexibility, especially because I would love to possibly get a certificate in biostats or epidemiology if I love the intro courses.

Also: I've emailed Rutgers and CUNY about getting an extension on the deposit deadline and they were extremely understanding and seem flexible. I just emailed Columbia about the same thing and will update with what they say!

Update: Columbia has an Enrollment Extension Request Form. They responded with a link to it

 

[eed888]

Hey everyone!

So I've officially narrowed it down to Columbia, Rutgers NB, and CUNY (SMS, Social and Behavioral, and Community Health, respectively). I just declined Tufts and BU - I definitely cannot take the extra expense of living in a high-cost city like Boston with the financial aid packages I received.

I'm still waiting on my Rutgers NB package. The people I've spoken to have been extremely helpful, even though I've run into a LOT of different issues regarding my portal. If my package is what I'm hoping it'll be, I'll most likely be going there. I like the structure of the curriculum and when I visited Admissions, they told me that I could double up on certificates! I really like this flexibility, especially because I would love to possibly get a certificate in biostats or epidemiology if I love the intro courses.

Also: I've emailed Rutgers and CUNY about getting an extension on the deposit deadline and they were extremely understanding and seem flexible. I just emailed Columbia about the same thing and will update with what they say!

Update: Columbia has an Enrollment Extension Request Form. They responded with a link to it

I was able to get a one-month enrollment extension deadline from Columbia via the form. They responded quite quickly and updated my portal with a new deadline within the day. GW also offers extensions at two weeks at a time if anyone is wanting to seek an extension there!

 

[mph2020epi]

I've officially narrowed it down to Yale or Emory. I'm considering Yale for EMD (and the public health modeling concentration) and Emory for Global Epi. I'm interested in infectious disease epidemiology. Yale definitely has a smaller cohort size and the modeling concentration, but Emory has the CDC opportunities. Anyone have any thoughts or advice?

 

[gabatha]

I was able to get a one-month enrollment extension deadline from Columbia via the form. They responded quite quickly and updated my portal with a new deadline within the day. GW also offers extensions at two weeks at a time if anyone is wanting to seek an extension there!

Good to know! Thank you.

 

[BelieveMCH08]

Officially accepted my offer at BU due to an increase in scholarship funding to 45% off of tuition! Additionally, I'm really inspired by faculty such as Dean Sandro Galea and the commitment to equity and activism at the school. I'd love to connect with anyone else who is committed to BU!

So glad to see someone else going to BU! I also officially accepted my offer today as well .

 

[uk__med]

Some general info about federal work-study, from a student who has used it for a while:

• You can use FWS for jobs on campus and with outside organizations. I am not sure if it is required or just strongly recommended, but, you are encouraged to work for nonprofits that serve public interests. I think you can work for private for-profit companies if it aligns closely with your course of study.
• At my schools, students have been paid by the school, and the employer pays the school
• For nonprofits and governments, your employer will pay about 73% of your wage, and the government (as administered by the school) will pay the other 37%.
• Your employer sets your hourly wage, but they cannot offer you a higher wage because they don't have to pay all of it
• You get what your earn.
  • For example: if you are paid $20/hr and have $5,000 in work-study, you can work up to 250 hours
  • If you only work 100 of those hours, you only get paid for the 100, and the rest of the money disappears at the end of the work-study period
  • If you work more than your allotted amount, your employer pays 100% of your wage for anything exceeding your FWS

I hope the above info is helpful. Keep in mind, I am NOT an expert on this, I just receive FWS myself

That was perfectly explained. Thank you SO much!

 

[uk__med]

I do just want to add that Hopkins limits workstudy students to work only 19 hours per week. I have also heard some negative things about the career center being really slow to pay students. One of the students I talked to said she went three months without getting paid.
I received 1k in workstudy but I think I will decline it just to avoid the career center issue. You can still get a job as an RA or TA without being on workstudy.

I got the same too.. I didn’t know that about the career center. If I already accepted it can I go back and decline it?

 

[mcb1997]

Does anyone know if the deadline to accept aid is also april 15th? aid being federal loans etc?

 

[mungyoon]

For those of you who got accepted into Columbia, did you guys hear anything from the school after you've paid your $500 deposit?

 

[nfrockwell]

For those of you who got accepted into Columbia, did you guys hear anything from the school after you've paid your $500 deposit?

I haven’t. I just noticed the name of the portal changed to FA 20 Enrolled or something like that.

 

[jam504]

For those of you who got accepted into Columbia, did you guys hear anything from the school after you've paid your $500 deposit?

Got an email confirming my payment and my portal now says “FA ‘20 Reserved”. That’s all.

 

[LiveTheMoment98]

For those of you who got accepted into Columbia, did you guys hear anything from the school after you've paid your $500 deposit?

nope, nothing, did you?

 

[jayecee]

I am an absolute mess right now with trying to decide where to go. Right now I am between Emory, BU, Tulane and USF and I am really leaning toward Emory because I know it is an excellent program and seem to be so well put together (for lack of a better term), but I am interesting in infectious disease but was admitted to the BSHES program. I have no clue if that degree will get me to where I want to be in life, where as I was admitted to infectious disease/communicable disease at BU and USF. I cant shake the fact that Emory is Emory and right next to the CDC. Emory is also the most expensive option (I can swing it but will need to take out loans). I have made countless pro/con lists, rated where I want to go but this decision is so stressful. Was anyone else redirected to another program and not sure what to do? I want to go to the best program but I also want to be able to work with infectious disease.

 

[rap15]

I am an absolute mess right now with trying to decide where to go. Right now I am between Emory, BU, Tulane and USF and I am really leaning toward Emory because I know it is an excellent program and seem to be so well put together (for lack of a better term), but I am interesting in infectious disease but was admitted to the BSHES program. I have no clue if that degree will get me to where I want to be in life, where as I was admitted to infectious disease/communicable disease at BU and USF. I cant shake the fact that Emory is Emory and right next to the CDC. Emory is also the most expensive option (I can swing it but will need to take out loans). I have made countless pro/con lists, rated where I want to go but this decision is so stressful. Was anyone else redirected to another program and not sure what to do? I want to go to the best program but I also want to be able to work with infectious disease.

I am not sure how helpful my response will be but here’s my two cents. They are all good schools and I think that you will find your way to your dream job someday no matter which path you take these next two years. I’m sure this is part of your pro/con but think about what city you want to live in for the next 2+ years. Oftentimes, it’s easiest to get connections for future jobs in the city you’re attending school in. Do you want to pay the crazy high rent of Boston? (I lived there in college and rent is ridiculous) Do you prefer the NOLA weather?

You said Emory is the most expensive and you’d have to take out loans. Are you saying you wouldn’t have to take out loans for the other programs? Have you set yourself a limit on how much debt you want to take on, including debt for living expenses? Which programs allow you to get a part time job (at the school or otherwise)?

I hope that gave you a new perspective. If not, I stand by what I said about finding your way to your dream job no matter what!