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

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First time posting. Here we go!
Undergrad School: State school in southern US
Undergrad GPA: 3.48 (graduate May 2015)
Major/Minor: Anthropology/Biology (Some elective courses in higher maths)
GRE (including date taken): 158V- 78% / 163Q- 83% / 3.5W- 38% ouch
Experience/Research (please, be brief): 8 Week Anthropology/Nutrition Project (did not publish), Almost 2 years volunteer work for local department of health (Mostly in TB and Epidemiology), A couple other less pertinent experiences
Interest: Social Epidemiology (more interested in numbers)

Applied to: UC Berkeley (Epidemiology/Biostatistics MPH), GWU (Community Oriented Primary Care MPH), University of San Francisco (MPH), UCLA (MPH), U Colorado Denver, Anschutz (MPH, Epidemiology), BU (MPH, Epidemiology)

SOPHAS submitted 11/1, but last recommendation did not come in until 12/1. Got confirmation by email from all programs (USFCa Not Applicable) by 12/5.


Accepted: BU (12/19) +merit scholarship, CU Denver (2/9)
Rejected:
Waitlisted:
 
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Does anyone know if SOPHAS sends reminder emails to those who are writing your letters of recommendation? I have on LOR that is not in yet and my first deadline is 12/15 but I am worried that I will be bugging the professor if I send another reminder myself?
 
Dance321 said:
I just got this email too. So frustrating! I wish they had just emailed out the decisions!
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magnova28 said:
Does anyone know if SOPHAS sends reminder emails to those who are writing your letters of recommendation? I have on LOR that is not in yet and my first deadline is 12/15 but I am worried that I will be bugging the professor if I send another reminder myself?
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I think you may want to email your recommender directly. I don't think SOPHAS will send the reminder automatically though.... ;(
 
magnova28 said:
Does anyone know if SOPHAS sends reminder emails to those who are writing your letters of recommendation? I have on LOR that is not in yet and my first deadline is 12/15 but I am worried that I will be bugging the professor if I send another reminder myself?
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SOPHAS does not send reminders. You will have to send one yourself. It can be a pain to do so, but they usually don't mind. They understand the urgency.
 
magnova28 said:
Does anyone know if SOPHAS sends reminder emails to those who are writing your letters of recommendation? I have on LOR that is not in yet and my first deadline is 12/15 but I am worried that I will be bugging the professor if I send another reminder myself?
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My boss told me they sent her one, probably about 3-4 weeks after the initial request. I reminded mine pretty frequently after a month. The way I did it was I sent them my resume "in case they needed help" asked them if they had any questions. Then, since neither were in epidemiology, I followed up with a link to a description of epidemiology and quoted text from some schools' websites on what they were looking for in a rec (since they were professional references). But it sounds like you don't have a whole lot of time so you might want to figure out a way to expedite it. Good luck!
 
Best of luck! I'm at Tulane right now, and I chose to focus on international health rather than MCH. However, I have tailored my electives and topical courses around maternal and child health. If you have any questions, let me know. Also, Tulane is very well known for their relationship with the Peace Corp, and their MI/MPH program. I'm not in it, though many of the students in my concentration, international health programs, are enrolled in it.

Also, there's a few of us Tar Heels at Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. Just saying, 😉

H_UNC2014 said:
A little late on this, too, but crossing my fingers and hoping for the best. Good luck to everyone else as well!

Undergrad School: Small Private College (took 2 years of classes in high school)/UNC-Chapel Hill
Undergrad GPA: 3.72/3.28
Major/Minor: BS in Psychology/Spanish Minor
GRE: V 154, Q 158, W 4.5 (08/2014)
Experience/Research (please, be brief): since 2010, research assistant with mother and infant stress and health research- maternal drug use and effects on infants, post-partum depression, cardiovascular health of women (submitted a couple abstracts to women's health conferences); for 2 semesters, research assistant with developmental psych administrating memory assessments to elem. school kids

Yet to apply: Boston (MCH), Colorado (MCH)
Applied: UC-Berkeley (MCH 11/29), Columbia (Pop & Fam Studies 12/1), Emory (GH 12/8), George Washington (MCH 12/1), Tulane (Global MCH 12/8), UNC (MCH 12/2) (SOPHAS verified 12/1)
Accepted:
Rejected:
Waitlisted:

Career interests are maternal, child health and global health, so I applied to schools/programs that combined both. Also expressed interest in the Master's International program though Peace Corps (if anyone has any more info on that, that'll be great!). I know Berkeley and UNC really stress MCH experience, so I hope that my research experience helps with that. Although I don't work specifically in public health, I've worked with mothers and infants since I was a freshman. I'm also trying to figure out if I should apply to Yale for SBS with a Global Health concentration.
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magnova28 said:
Does anyone know if SOPHAS sends reminder emails to those who are writing your letters of recommendation? I have on LOR that is not in yet and my first deadline is 12/15 but I am worried that I will be bugging the professor if I send another reminder myself?
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you could call sophas and ask them to resend it, that is what I am going to do but my deadline is January 15th.
 
KPZ said:
My boss told me they sent her one, probably about 3-4 weeks after the initial request. I reminded mine pretty frequently after a month. The way I did it was I sent them my resume "in case they needed help" asked them if they had any questions. Then, since neither were in epidemiology, I followed up with a link to a description of epidemiology and quoted text from some schools' websites on what they were looking for in a rec (since they were professional references). But it sounds like you don't have a whole lot of time so you might want to figure out a way to expedite it. Good luck!
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Thanks for all the responses! I ended up emailing him. He told me two weeks ago he would have it done in a few days so I am not too worried plus I already have 2 letters in and the school with a Dec 15 deadline only needs 2 I just would prefer for his to be one of them.

And to everyone else who may be wondering I asked SOPHAS and they are willing to send reminders if you want to ask them to do so!
 
BPW1088 said:
Best of luck! I'm at Tulane right now, and I chose to focus on international health rather than MCH. However, I have tailored my electives and topical courses around maternal and child health. If you have any questions, let me know. Also, Tulane is very well known for their relationship with the Peace Corp, and their MI/MPH program. I'm not in it, though many of the students in my concentration, international health programs, are enrolled in it.

Also, there's a few of us Tar Heels at Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. Just saying, 😉
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I was accepted into the MS epi program, I don't suppose you happen to know anything about the program?🙂. In general, how do you like Tulane? And how are the class sizes?
 
Hi all!!! I applied to UTSPH a week ago, and I still have not received any confirmation email. It was complete before the deadline, but not verified. Should I be worried?

I also applied to Tulane, and they said that my application is currently under review. Anyone know what the timeline is for sending out their decisions?
 
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explodingcranium2442 said:
Hi all!!! I applied to UTSPH a week ago, and I still have not received any confirmation email. It was complete before the deadline, but not verified. Should I be worried?

I also applied to Tulane, and they said that my application is currently under review. Anyone know what the timeline is for sending out their decisions?
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I applied on 11/13, but they did not send me a confirmation email until the 24th. I received another email on 12/8 saying that they were going to review my application and was actually accepted that same day about 10 hours later!
 
longhorn93 said:
I applied on 11/13, but they did not send me a confirmation email until the 24th. I received another email on 12/8 saying that they were going to review my application and was actually accepted that same day about 10 hours later!
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That makes me feel loads better. Thank you so much, and congrats!!!
 
explodingcranium2442 said:
That makes me feel loads better. Thank you so much, and congrats!!!
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Thanks! There's no hurt in calling the office though and checking. I tried it when I turned in my application, but the one in charge of the applications was not in
 
longhorn93 said:
Thanks! There's no hurt in calling the office though and checking. I tried it when I turned in my application, but the one in charge of the applications was not in
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I'm going to wait till the end of the week. If I haven't heard anything by midday Friday, then I'll give them a call. I would love to get into their epidemiology program!
 
explodingcranium2442 said:
I'm going to wait till the end of the week. If I haven't heard anything by midday Friday, then I'll give them a call. I would love to get into their epidemiology program!
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Good luck to you! I was accepted to their health promotion and behavioral sciences program
 
longhorn93 said:
Accepted to UT Health Science Center-Austin campus! They e-mailed me the decision
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YAYYYY...I'm hoping to here back by January! It's the #1 pick for me besides Tulane!
 
Got my acceptance from Ohio State today!

That felt like a long wait, but I took my sweet time getting to the supplemental application. Once I turned that in, it took about ten days to hear back from them. Their decision deadline is April 15.
 
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BPW1088 said:
Best of luck! I'm at Tulane right now, and I chose to focus on international health rather than MCH. However, I have tailored my electives and topical courses around maternal and child health. If you have any questions, let me know. Also, Tulane is very well known for their relationship with the Peace Corp, and their MI/MPH program. I'm not in it, though many of the students in my concentration, international health programs, are enrolled in it.

Also, there's a few of us Tar Heels at Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. Just saying, 😉
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Woo, Go Heels! I received an email 2 days ago saying that my application is now under review in the specific dept. I guess I'll find out within 2 weeks? Getting pretty nervous! Tulane is definitely one of my top choices because of all the global health opportunities. Have you already completed the practicum?
 
Boxer Boy said:
Got my acceptance from Ohio State today!

That felt like a long wait, but I took my sweet time getting to the supplemental application. Once I turned that in, it took about ten days to hear back from them. Their decision deadline is April 15.
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Congrats!! Did they let you know if you were awarded any fellowship with the acceptance? I submitted my supplemental about 10 days ago so I might be hearing back soon!
 
spidroin said:
Congrats!! Did they let you know if you were awarded any fellowship with the acceptance? I submitted my supplemental about 10 days ago so I might be hearing back soon!
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Thanks! They didn't mention anything about a fellowship. I feel like they probably would have told me if I'd been awarded one, but who knows. Let me know what you hear from them?
 
Is anyone applying to a dual degree in JD/MPH? If so, could you message me? I have questions about what you would do with the JD (need something more concrete than what schools' websites say; "work as an attorney in the private or public sector") and don't want to clog up the board with more off topic discussion. Thanks in advance!
 
Boxer Boy said:
Thanks! They didn't mention anything about a fellowship. I feel like they probably would have told me if I'd been awarded one, but who knows. Let me know what you hear from them?
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Will do!
 
Say_Hey said:
Just got in at Tulane for an MPH in Epi 🙂!!!! So excited to finally hear back from somewhere lol
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Congrats! I'm jelly. Should have applied to more schools earlier. Hearing back is what feels nice lol
 
WHOdriscoll91 said:
Congrats! I'm jelly. Should have applied to more schools earlier. Hearing back is what feels nice lol
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I completely understand lol Tulane isn't my first choice but it is a great school so I am just happy right now 🙂 I'm hoping this will be like a domino effect or something and I'll get in to my first choice haha
 
Say_Hey said:
I completely understand lol Tulane isn't my first choice but it is a great school so I am just happy right now 🙂 I'm hoping this will be like a domino effect or something and I'll get in to my first choice haha
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How long did the decision process take for you?
 
oceanhue said:
How long did the decision process take for you?
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I was verified on 11/17 and I received an email form Tulane on 11/24 stating that they have gotten my application. I got an email today letting me know that I was accepted 🙂
 
Say_Hey said:
I was verified on 11/17 and I received an email form Tulane on 11/24 stating that they have gotten my application. I got an email today letting me know that I was accepted 🙂
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Ahhh, OK. I'm hoping to hear from them soon. I was notified that they started reviewing my application on the 1st and it seems like the average turn around so far is 2.5-3 weeks. I'm so darn nervous :scared:
 
Undergrad School: UC Berkeley (Class of 2015)
Undergrad GPA: 3.71
Majors: Integrative Biology, Molecular Toxicology, Nutritional Sciences, Music
GRE (08/14): 170Q, 170V, 5.5W
Experience/Research:
- 4 years of maternal and child healthcare research in 2 low-income countries (secured grants to expand and continue this for two more years)
- 1 year of behavioral psychology research
- 1 year of clinical research/wet lab work
- 1 year of emergency department volunteering at a trauma hospital

Applied: UCLA (MPH- Community Health Sciences), Yale (MPH- Social & Behavioral Sciences), Tufts (MPH- Nutrition), UMich (MPH- Nutrition), UC Berkeley (MPH- Maternal and Child Health), Columbia (MPH- Sociomedical Sciences), Johns Hopkins (MSPH- International Health- Social and Behavioral Interventions), Harvard (SM- Global Health), Emory (MPH- Global Health Public Nutrition)
[all submitted by 12/1]
Accepted: Tufts [1/6], UMich [1/15], Yale [2/6], Columbia [2/6], UCLA [2/12], Emory [2/21], Harvard [2/27], Johns Hopkins [3/4]
Rejected: UC Berkeley [3/3]
Waitlisted:

Keeping my fingers crossed! I'm not a US Citizen, I was born and raised in India, so I'm not too optimistic about these schools, but you never know!
 
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Undergrad School: Big 10 school
Undergrad GPA: 3.6
Majors: Public Health, Statistics
GRE (08/13): 161Q, 168V, 5.0W
Experience/Research:
- 2 years nutrition research with a professor of epidemiology, submitting for publication the end of this month
- 2.5 years office/research assistant in epidemiology department at my school
- 1 year editor of undergraduate public health textbook

Applied: All for epidemiology (methods) - JHU (ScM, 11/7), Harvard (SM2, 11/21), Emory (MSPH, 11/20), OSU (MS, 12/1), Michigan (MPH, 12/12), Columbia (still yet to send in this app)
Accepted: OSU (12/22), Emory (1/9), Michigan (1/15), Harvard (2/27, $20k/yr offered 3/3), JHU (3/19)
Rejected:
Waitlisted:

Final decision: Johns Hopkins!
 
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oceanhue said:
Ahhh, OK. I'm hoping to hear from them soon. I was notified that they started reviewing my application on the 1st and it seems like the average turn around so far is 2.5-3 weeks. I'm so darn nervous :scared:
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You shouldn't be worried 🙂 You have a great app!! I know you'll hear back soon!!
 
leo08 said:
Undergrad School: UC Berkeley (Class of 2015)
Undergrad GPA: 3.71
Majors: Integrative Biology, Molecular Toxicology, Nutritional Sciences, Music
GRE (08/14): 170Q, 170V, 5.5W
Experience/Research:
- 4 years of maternal and child healthcare research in 2 low-income countries (secured grants to expand and continue this for two more years)
- 1 year of behavioral psychology research
- 1 year of clinical research/wet lab work
- 1 year of emergency department volunteering at a trauma hospital

Applied: UCLA (MPH- Community Health Sciences), Yale (MPH- Social & Behavioral Sciences), Tufts (MPH- Nutrition), UMich (MPH- Nutrition), UC Berkeley (MPH- Maternal and Child Health), Columbia (MPH- Sociomedical Sciences), Johns Hopkins (MSPH- International Health- Social and Behavioral Interventions), Harvard (SM- Global Health)
[all submitted by 12/1]
Accepted:
Rejected:
Waitlisted:

Keeping my fingers crossed! I'm not a US Citizen, I was born and raised in India, so I'm not too optimistic about these schools, but you never know!
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I feel honored just to see your perfect scores lol 🙂!!! You should not be worried at all, you have a great application 🙂
 
@JaneOakmede

I unfortunately am not too well versed in the epidemiology program aside from the fact that I just took Epi 1 this semester. From what I hear, it's a strong program, especially if you're interested in global epi. Tulane as a whole has a strong emphasis on global health, which was the main factor that influenced me to attend.

I'm not going to sugarcoat it, I like Tulane, though it takes a certain individual to like New Orleans. It's taking me longer than I expected, and I'm not one to regret things in life, though I think sacrificing program ranking, applying/going to GW, and staying stationary in Washington, DC might have been a better choice for me. As a whole, I'm very happy and content with the quality of the academics, however there's not many opportunities in New Orleans to gain experience in global health. There are a lot of opportunities to gain working in the community, which is similar to the conditions in developing societies. In addition, it's been very hard for me to find my social niche in both New Orleans and at Tulane. Being a male, I'm one of three in my particular concentration (International Health), and it's been hard not having any camaraderie with other males. Also, the students tend to be much younger than other programs, because Tulane does not have a work experience requirement/ preference like other programs, such as Emory, Johns Hopkins, and UNC-Chapel Hill. This makes it hard to relate to other students, because they lack maturity and real-world experiences, and are stuck in undergraduate socialization mode; i.e. drinking every weekend, and parading around campus about "blacking out". Class sizes are not too bad. Your required cores will have a maximum of 60 students. As you dig deeper into your topical courses and electives, they should begin to bottom out. I haven't had any electives yet, mostly all required courses. Though I'm assuming that 20-35 students should be the norm in those courses.

Overall, I'm secretly glad that I'll be able to expedite the process and graduate in three semesters, and can soon be done with New Orleans and Tulane. With that said, I'm still taking advantage of all of the opportunities that Tulane and the city of New Orleans has to offer; interning at a start-up humanitarian organization that works in Indonesia and Lao on health initiatives, active in SGA, and involved in other facets both within Tulane and outside of the academic environment. I hope my experience and perspective doesn't deter you from attending Tulane, because everyone's experience is different. I know many people who are happy, and others who are in the same state of mind as me.

If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to send me a PM. Best of luck on your decision!


JaneOakmede said:
I was accepted into the MS epi program, I don't suppose you happen to know anything about the program?🙂. In general, how do you like Tulane? And how are the class sizes?
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Hi @H_UNC2014,

There's even a New Orleans Carolina Alumni Club, however it's not as active as the one I left in Washington, DC. I have not, however I'm in extreme search mode right now for locating and securing a practicum for this summer. Other programs like Berkeley place you in an internship/practicum, though at Tulane it really is your responsibility to do all of the leg work and attain one on your own. I'm wrestling with doing my practicum domestically and getting compensated, or paying my way to go overseas and intern for a smaller NGO that will provide me with more practical, hands-on experience in the field.

H_UNC2014 said:
Woo, Go Heels! I received an email 2 days ago saying that my application is now under review in the specific dept. I guess I'll find out within 2 weeks? Getting pretty nervous! Tulane is definitely one of my top choices because of all the global health opportunities. Have you already completed the practicum?
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Has anyone gotten an official acceptance from GWU? I got an email from a professor congratulating me on being accepted but I haven't actually gotten anything from the school. Just curious if this is how GWU is notifying applicants.
 
Also, make sure that you're checking your junk mail. Even though I've added the email addresses that SOPHAS suggested, I've still found some communication from schools (Texas especially) in my Junk folder.
 
mphwannabe said:
Has anyone gotten an official acceptance from GWU? I got an email from a professor congratulating me on being accepted but I haven't actually gotten anything from the school. Just curious if this is how GWU is notifying applicants.
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I think it's safe to assume that you were accepted. Congratulations! 🙂
 
BPW1088 said:
@JaneOakmede

I unfortunately am not too well versed in the epidemiology program aside from the fact that I just took Epi 1 this semester. From what I hear, it's a strong program, especially if you're interested in global epi. Tulane as a whole has a strong emphasis on global health, which was the main factor that influenced me to attend.

I'm not going to sugarcoat it, I like Tulane, though it takes a certain individual to like New Orleans. It's taking me longer than I expected, and I'm not one to regret things in life, though I think sacrificing program ranking, applying/going to GW, and staying stationary in Washington, DC might have been a better choice for me. As a whole, I'm very happy and content with the quality of the academics, however there's not many opportunities in New Orleans to gain experience in global health. There are a lot of opportunities to gain working in the community, which is similar to the conditions in developing societies. In addition, it's been very hard for me to find my social niche in both New Orleans and at Tulane. Being a male, I'm one of three in my particular concentration (International Health), and it's been hard not having any camaraderie with other males. Also, the students tend to be much younger than other programs, because Tulane does not have a work experience requirement/ preference like other programs, such as Emory, Johns Hopkins, and UNC-Chapel Hill. This makes it hard to relate to other students, because they lack maturity and real-world experiences, and are stuck in undergraduate socialization mode; i.e. drinking every weekend, and parading around campus about "blacking out". Class sizes are not too bad. Your required cores will have a maximum of 60 students. As you dig deeper into your topical courses and electives, they should begin to bottom out. I haven't had any electives yet, mostly all required courses. Though I'm assuming that 20-35 students should be the norm in those courses.

Overall, I'm secretly glad that I'll be able to expedite the process and graduate in three semesters, and can soon be done with New Orleans and Tulane. With that said, I'm still taking advantage of all of the opportunities that Tulane and the city of New Orleans has to offer; interning at a start-up humanitarian organization that works in Indonesia and Lao on health initiatives, active in SGA, and involved in other facets both within Tulane and outside of the academic environment. I hope my experience and perspective doesn't deter you from attending Tulane, because everyone's experience is different. I know many people who are happy, and others who are in the same state of mind as me.

If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to send me a PM. Best of luck on your decision!
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Thank you so much for the in depth response! It is great to hear from someone who is actually there and I appreciate your honesty. A younger student body is definitely one of my concerns (I am pushing 30🙂), and am not sure how I feel about living in New Orleans. Certainly sounds like an interesting place to be nonetheless. I applied to GW too, but for the PhD. I definitely loved living in DC for my ungrad. It is definitely going to be a tough decision, great to get input. Hope the rest of your time there ends up being fantastic!
 
leo08 said:
Undergrad School: UC Berkeley (Class of 2015)
Undergrad GPA: 3.71
Majors: Integrative Biology, Molecular Toxicology, Nutritional Sciences, Music
GRE (08/14): 170Q, 170V, 5.5W
Experience/Research:
- 4 years of maternal and child healthcare research in 2 low-income countries (secured grants to expand and continue this for two more years)
- 1 year of behavioral psychology research
- 1 year of clinical research/wet lab work
- 1 year of emergency department volunteering at a trauma hospital

Applied: UCLA (MPH- Community Health Sciences), Yale (MPH- Social & Behavioral Sciences), Tufts (MPH- Nutrition), UMich (MPH- Nutrition), UC Berkeley (MPH- Maternal and Child Health), Columbia (MPH- Sociomedical Sciences), Johns Hopkins (MSPH- International Health- Social and Behavioral Interventions), Harvard (SM- Global Health)
[all submitted by 12/1]
Accepted:
Rejected:
Waitlisted:

Keeping my fingers crossed! I'm not a US Citizen, I was born and raised in India, so I'm not too optimistic about these schools, but you never know!
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I really think you have nothing to worry about. Your biggest struggle is going to be choosing from amongst all the schools that will be begging you to attend. Seriously man, congrats on your impressive stats!
 
After getting that scary email from Tufts on Monday saying "decision ready", I got accepted on Wed (12/10) for Epi & Biostats. I was actually surprised because I didn't get verified until 12/3 so it was less than a week turn around. 🙂
 
For anyone who applied to Emory, I called this morning and they said they started sending emails with logins to their system last night.
 
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