MPH Fall 2016: Applied, Accepted, Waitlisted, Rejected!

[pakhtanahamed]

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Still nothing from penn. anyone?

It seems there's still a day to apply to nyu. What chance does a last minute app have. Hard to argue it's the place I really want to be.

Haven't heard back from them... expecting a rejection at this point. But, you can apply to NYU, won't hurt!

 

[emireeee]

Undergrad School: University of California, San Diego
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.2
Major/Minor:Ecology, Beahavior, Evolution
GradGPA (if applicable):
Grad Studies (if applicable):
GRE (including date taken) or Other Test (if applicable): 157V/158Q/4.0
Experience/Research (please, be brief):
- WWF-Thailand as an intern and consultant for different projects: Tiger Recovery, Opposing dams, maintaining ecological integrity for wildlife 1.5 years
- Research assistant for SDSU Faith in Action. Promoting physical education for women by working with churches 1 year
- volunteered in clinic in Ensenada, Mexico 1 yr
Interested in: Global Environmental Health
Applied: GWU, Emory, Columbia
Accepted: GWU, Emory!!!!, Columbia
Rejected:
Waitlisted:

 

[jash14]

hi-Columbia MPH people,
Can some one please help me to figure out the total cost of attendance including tuition, fees, books, room and board, and personal expenses for the Columbia 2-year MPH program? I get too confused trying to figure out how much it will cost for two years. Thanks for your help in advance.

https://www.mailman.columbia.edu/become-student/apply/tuition-and-fees

ALSO, @montreux (along with edits from many others) made a super helpful google doc
https://goo.gl/et0gRp

 

[moonwave89]

Originally, I thought I wouldn't be able to go to BU's open house, with prior engagements, but I've managed to clear it all and attend after all. Anyone else going there on the 19th? It will be nice to look for you.

I will be there!

 

[Bd01323]

So from the beginning they made it very clear that grad student research positions are nearly impossible to come by because they are mostly saved for PhD students. And if you have the Deans Scholarship (I have the 50% one) and manage to get one of these positions, you get 100% of tuition relieved, but your Dean's Scholarship doesn't carry over. So you don't get both at the same time, but if you're holding one of the positions, say, in the Fall, and then you aren't in the Spring, you still get the Deans Scholarship in the Spring, but not the fall.
I was intrigued by the TA positions because you don't have to apply strictly to public health classes.. For example, in May I'll have a BA in Psychology. So maybe I could maybe be a TA for a psychology course and still get tuition relieved for whatever semesters I hold that position. At least, that's how i understood it.
More about ASD below


Thank you! I hope you hear back soon.
I really enjoyed ASD, I'm pleased with how they treated us. They reimburse travel and hotel costs up to $400, so even though I stayed the whole weekend, I stayed at a cheap hotel and they ended up reimbursing me for all three nights, which I didn't expect from them.
Honestly I only have two concerns with the program:
1. There is no Capstone--instead, you do an "exit interview" with your adviser and communicate in-depth with them about how your internship went, and what you learned from it. Although, they seem to emphasize how flexible the program is, and how in many cases you can pretty much 'do what you want' outside of the 30 HBHE credits you need, so I am sure if I talk to my adviser and tell them I want to complete a thesis, that they would encourage me to do so. It's just weird that it's not a requirement!
2. Concerns with the program having too much flexibility. At ASD some of the 2nd year students admitted that the job search is difficult. They talked about how one HBHE student could be doing something completely different from another HBHE student. This has pros and cons, and I think I'll personally be able to make the program what I want it to be, but others who want a more structured curriculum may be better off with Emory. My main concern, of course, is getting a job afterwards. Although according to UMich's own statistics on their program, 96% of students are employed or seeking higher education.

thanks for the great feedback-- I find the finances at umich hard to justify 🙁 I understand its #4 (#3 global) but even with this deans money, its >40K just for tuition! ahhh! Nice to hear if you do get an assistantship that 100% is covered... how generous of them 😉 What did you think about Ann Arbor? I plan to visit in May-- I am a Georgia girl, so this move would be very drastic!

anything else notable? the capstone (or lack there of) is interesting and hearing from the 2nd years about jobs isnt giving me good vibes. yuuuuck :/

 

[PHAspirations]

Just booked my travel (with another lovely red-eye home) for UW! Will anyone else be going to the COPHP admitted day? 🙂

 

[bronney123]

I'm wondering if there is anyone planning to Harvard visit day?
It seems crazy and pricey for an international student to visit schools.
But it's hard to choose between Hopkins and Harvard.

 

[Saji]

Hi all, as you know, this forum has been super helpful to me and hundreds of other applicants looking to apply to the MPH/MSPH. So I'd like to pay it forward and compile some information that I think will help future applicants get a good sense of what the application process is like.

I created a brief survey that I hope will give a good representation of ourselves plus a place where we can give advice to the next cohort of applicants.

I took the survey myself and it took me 3 minutes so if you have spare time, please make a contribution! I'll be sharing the overall results once we get a good sample size.

https://goo.gl/forms/HzbBLCc9MH

Thank you!

Done!!

 

[pgshe]

So from the beginning they made it very clear that grad student research positions are nearly impossible to come by because they are mostly saved for PhD students. And if you have the Deans Scholarship (I have the 50% one) and manage to get one of these positions, you get 100% of tuition relieved, but your Dean's Scholarship doesn't carry over. So you don't get both at the same time, but if you're holding one of the positions, say, in the Fall, and then you aren't in the Spring, you still get the Deans Scholarship in the Spring, but not the fall.
I was intrigued by the TA positions because you don't have to apply strictly to public health classes.. For example, in May I'll have a BA in Psychology. So maybe I could maybe be a TA for a psychology course and still get tuition relieved for whatever semesters I hold that position. At least, that's how i understood it.
More about ASD below


Thank you! I hope you hear back soon.
I really enjoyed ASD, I'm pleased with how they treated us. They reimburse travel and hotel costs up to $400, so even though I stayed the whole weekend, I stayed at a cheap hotel and they ended up reimbursing me for all three nights, which I didn't expect from them.
Honestly I only have two concerns with the program:
1. There is no Capstone--instead, you do an "exit interview" with your adviser and communicate in-depth with them about how your internship went, and what you learned from it. Although, they seem to emphasize how flexible the program is, and how in many cases you can pretty much 'do what you want' outside of the 30 HBHE credits you need, so I am sure if I talk to my adviser and tell them I want to complete a thesis, that they would encourage me to do so. It's just weird that it's not a requirement!
2. Concerns with the program having too much flexibility. At ASD some of the 2nd year students admitted that the job search is difficult. They talked about how one HBHE student could be doing something completely different from another HBHE student. This has pros and cons, and I think I'll personally be able to make the program what I want it to be, but others who want a more structured curriculum may be better off with Emory. My main concern, of course, is getting a job afterwards. Although according to UMich's own statistics on their program, 96% of students are employed or seeking higher education.

Hi @OxBakerTriumphant ! Thanks for you input on the ASD at UMich. I went as well (Epi EMA). I love Michigan's faculty and program, but did you find it concerning at all that according to their stats only "48% are employed by graduation"? My flight unfortunately came in late, so I missed the whole first half of the day, and am wondering if they talked about this at all. My biggest concern is, well, I'm going to have to pay this degree off at some point, but that stat raised a bit of a red flag for me. Just wondering, did they talk about this figure at all?

 

[Laniac16]

Just got a general financial aid message from Emory that said "many have their financial aid packages already." Is this the case for most here? I do not have mine yet...

 

[drbear214]

Just got a general financial aid message from Emory that said "many have their financial aid packages already." Is this the case for most here? I do not have mine yet...

Just got the same email, but it isn't showing up for me either on OPUS. I'm sure it will be soon; they're generally quite efficient.

Is anyone else having trouble logging into Emory's admitted students portal?

 

[pgshe]

Just got the same email, but it isn't showing up for me either on OPUS. I'm sure it will be soon; they're generally quite efficient.

Is anyone else having trouble logging into Emory's admitted students portal?

Yup, haven't been able to log in. 🙁

 

[MPH_DC_2016]

I received this email and called. They said they had my application and materials, so it seems like it was a form email they sent out to everyone?

However, I have not received financial aid information from Emory, Yale, or Harvard yet. I think the Yale admissions office said it would be towards the end of the month and they were still deciding on merit-based scholarships.

Has anyone received their financial aid information from the following schools (need-based, not merit):
Yale, Harvard, Emory

I got an email from Yale with a reminder to turn in financial aid documents that I sent weeks ago, am kind of nervous now that they got lost in the financial aid office. Did anyone else receive this who has already submitted everything to Yale? Thanks!

 

[junnnie]

Got super excited and rushed to view my fin aid package as soon as I got to work/saw the email only to find it has not been updated yet. I didn't finalize my FAFSA until the the end of Feb so not surprised. I just want to know already so I can basically plan out the rest of my life.

 

[clearestblue]

I just want to know already so I can basically plan out the rest of my life.

This is too real.

 

[Bd01323]

got an email from Colorado today-- it said that aid packages are being released based off FAFSA right now AND scholarships are coming out now... anyone received $$ from colorado??

 

[BCHD]

I'm between Hopkins and UNC. I'm having a hard time deciding already! You can't go wrong with either but I'm not sure Bloomberg is worth the debt.

I'm with you there. I'm definitely following the money on this one. And certainly can't go wrong between the two! Especially if you have instate tuition for UNC!

 

[totesk]

Got my official package from Columbia. $33,000 in loans, $66,000 cost. I already turned down their offer, but... that's pretty bad.

I'm hoping Emory's package comes today and that it's not quite as awful.

 

[vlklngboy11]

Same got my columbia package, no need-based aid.

 

[moonwave89]

I know we're all struggling with the idea of taking out 50-90k in loans if we include living accommodations. I have the opportunity to attend a university near my house (outside of DC) with an unranked MPH program and leave debt free, but also with less connections and a less challenging education than if I went to GW or Columbia. I applied for epi and I'm just trying to figure out if our degree is actually worth the loans. Any thoughts?

Have you made any progress toward this question? I'm deciding between schools in Boston (my hometown), which would definitely save a ton, and Columbia, which I think would be a good fit for me academically, yet I'm struggling to justify their CoA and living in NYC in general. Would love to hear what you've come up with so far.

 

[sea123]

I'm wondering if there is anyone planning to Harvard visit day?
It seems crazy and pricey for an international student to visit schools.
But it's hard to choose between Hopkins and Harvard.

I'm in the same boat between hopkins and harvard and I am planning to go to admitted students day for both because otherwise I don't know how I'll make this decision. However, if you can't make it you should be sure to email the academic program managers at both schools to answer any questions you have and receive input on your decision. I've been doing that and the contacts at both schools have been immensely helpful. Also, hopkins has virtual info sessions on 3/17 and 4/5 that you should definitely try to join.

 

[nana2033]

Yup, haven't been able to log in. 🙁

I had to try 3-4 times using the same login before it actually went through. It happens to me every single time I try to log-in. Also, still waiting for my financial aid package! So nerve wracking

 

[montreux]

Damn montreux, back at it again with the usefulness!

@montreux - fantastic work on this forum!

Thanks for the love guys! (and gals!)

So far, I received 70+ responses from the US, Canada, India, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Kenya, Nigeria, Dominican Republic!

When I posted the tuition shared sheet, there were 500+ visits from the UK, Turkey, Japan, Botswana, Nigeria, and Guatemala too!

We're definitely a diverse group of people here and I'd like to hear from more of you! There's some interesting tidbits of information in the report that I hope to post once we get a few more responses so if you haven't already, be sure to take the short survey! This includes lurkers too, don't be shy!

https://goo.gl/forms/HzbBLCc9MH

 

[PHAspirations]

Thanks for the love guys! (and gals!)

So far, I received 70+ responses from the US, Canada, India, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Kenya, Nigeria, Dominican Republic!

When I posted the tuition shared sheet, there were 500+ visits from the UK, Turkey, Japan, Botswana, Nigeria, and Guatemala too!

We're definitely a diverse group of people here and I'd like to hear from more of you! There's some interesting tidbits of information in the report that I hope to post once we get a few more responses so if you haven't already, be sure to take the short survey! This includes lurkers too, don't be shy!

https://goo.gl/forms/HzbBLCc9MH

Donezo!

 

[pgshe]

Just in case this message went to spam for anyone, just received this from Emory re Fin Aid: As a follow up to the previous message about financial aid, I want to offer you a bit more insight about the timeline for financial aid awarding at Emory. The Office of Financial Aid is beginning to package awards for all RSPH applicants who have completed a FAFSA. The financial aid awarding process is continual so please understand that notification timing will vary, with most awards being viewable in OPUS by next week and continuing after that.

 

[HG0215]

Hello! I was accepted to Johns Hopkins (11-month MPH program) and University of Michigan (Hospital Molecular Epidemiology) and am having trouble deciding between the two! I went to admitted students day for Michigan and am attending JH's on April 1. Would like to hear your opinion on either program/for those who committed and had to choose between the two, why you picked the school you did. Thanks!

 

[Saji]

Can anyone tell me in how many days do we get the student ID from Drexel to track our application status on the website? Its been more than two weeks :/

 

[tnot]

Still can't decide between emory and columbia and I've talked to so many people at both schools. I am most interested in logistical operations of humanitarian crisis and refugee health. Right now, I don't know for sure if I want to continue on to get my PhD and work in academics or if I would want to work for an international aid corp (WHO, IRC, etc.) Most likely would work out of the US if I went into international aid route. Which is better for these? As of right now, my funding makes them equal in cost as far as tuition. Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated!!

I have been accepted to Emory too- with partial scholarship last year. I declined. I choose Columbia because that is my first choice and I will be attending CU this Fall. Atlanta is not my favorite city, just my opinion. if you have allergies, you might have problems in spring. I lived in Atlanta, my family live here too.

 

[zoal]

For those of you who heard from Arizona, do you know if they've sent out any scholarships/funding yet? Or when they will?

 

[OxBakerTriumphant]

thanks for the great feedback-- I find the finances at umich hard to justify 🙁 I understand its #4 (#3 global) but even with this deans money, its >40K just for tuition! ahhh! Nice to hear if you do get an assistantship that 100% is covered... how generous of them 😉 What did you think about Ann Arbor? I plan to visit in May-- I am a Georgia girl, so this move would be very drastic!

anything else notable? the capstone (or lack there of) is interesting and hearing from the 2nd years about jobs isnt giving me good vibes. yuuuuck :/

As far as finances go, it seems to be about the same as Emory, and because Emory hasn't given me any scholarships, UMich is going to be half price for me. And I went to community college for two years, so just for some perspective I will only graduate 10 grand in debt from undergrad. I think Ann Arbor is really nice, if not a little pretentious :x I certainly can't afford to live there, but living closer to Ypsi is less expensive

 

[OxBakerTriumphant]

Hi @OxBakerTriumphant ! Thanks for you input on the ASD at UMich. I went as well (Epi EMA). I love Michigan's faculty and program, but did you find it concerning at all that according to their stats only "48% are employed by graduation"? My flight unfortunately came in late, so I missed the whole first half of the day, and am wondering if they talked about this at all. My biggest concern is, well, I'm going to have to pay this degree off at some point, but that stat raised a bit of a red flag for me. Just wondering, did they talk about this figure at all?

Hi! I think it is a little concerning, but 96% are employed or seeking higher education within a year, right? They seemed to emphasize the flexibility while accepting that the difficult time finding a job is a downside of that. They said that they have a really great career center to help people figure stuff out. Don't know how much I believe that, but at the end of the day Michigan is a better option for me personally, as they are paying for half my tuition, so if it takes me a while to find a job, it's not the end of the world.

 

[whateveritis]

Hey guys!
I thought that the U.S. News & World Report was supposed to release new rankings today. I was hoping they would update for public health too but it looks exactly the same as yesterday. I see they've done updated ones for law, business, nursing, etc. Can anyone confirm?? Are they not updating PH grad school rankings this year?

 

[eastbywestcoast]

Hey guys!
I thought that the U.S. News & World Report was supposed to release new rankings today. I was hoping they would update for public health too but it looks exactly the same as yesterday. I see they've done updated ones for law, business, nursing, etc. Can anyone confirm?? Are they not updating PH grad school rankings this year?

It appears they will not be updating PH this year-- beyond the "top six" overall programs they update annually, it looks like they primarily just updated fields that hadn't received new rankings since 2012. The latest PH rankings are 2015, so I would assume there's a decent chance they won't update for at least another year or two. Here's the link to this year's methodology and which fields they updated: http://www.usnews.com/education/best-graduate-schools/articles/how-us-news-calculated-the-rankings

 

[yocavitl]

Can anyone tell me in how many days do we get the student ID from Drexel to track our application status on the website? Its been more than two weeks :/

I was never given an ID before they sent me their decision email. I was emailed a generic "We've received your application" and then their conclusion email includes an ID and a password to check what their decision was.

 

[whateveritis]

It appears they will not be updating PH this year-- beyond the "top six" overall programs they update annually, it looks like they primarily just updated fields that hadn't received new rankings since 2012. The latest PH rankings are 2015, so I would assume there's a decent chance they won't update for at least another year or two. Here's the link to this year's methodology and which fields they updated: http://www.usnews.com/education/best-graduate-schools/articles/how-us-news-calculated-the-rankings

Aw darn, hoping it would make my decision easier!! Thanks for the update though 🙂

 

[mphiowaco]

got an email from Colorado today-- it said that aid packages are being released based off FAFSA right now AND scholarships are coming out now... anyone received $$ from colorado??

Gah really?? Do you know when we're actually supposed to find out if we got anything? I didn't get that email and I haven't heard anything else about aid from them yet.

 

[Saji]

I was never given an ID before they sent me their decision email. I was emailed a generic "We've received your application" and then their conclusion email includes an ID and a password to check what their decision was.

Relieved..I was thinking to send an email, thank you 🙂 !!!! Can you tell me in how many days you got the decision? That will give me an idea for how long I need to wait

 

[yocavitl]

Relieved..I was thinking to send an email, thank you 🙂 !!!! Can you tell me in how many days you got the decision? That will give me an idea for how long I need to wait

They were extremely quick for me. I was verified on 2/1 and they sent me an acceptance letter on 2/13. Even I was surprised.

 

[Pudu2009]

Hey guys!
I thought that the U.S. News & World Report was supposed to release new rankings today. I was hoping they would update for public health too but it looks exactly the same as yesterday. I see they've done updated ones for law, business, nursing, etc. Can anyone confirm?? Are they not updating PH grad school rankings this year?

Why is this an issue? Go by fit, not ranking.

 

[Ani7]

Waitlisted at Yale. Going to remove myself from the list though as I've already made up my mind to attend JHU!

 

[asartoretto]

Thats wonderful!! Congratulations for study as well as job. amazing. You will get positive news soon from Columbia. Seems like they are giving their results fast.

@Saji Thank you!! I hope so...The Columbia waiting is killing me, especially since they haven't contact me for anything, not even interviews :/. How about you?? Still sure on applying for next cycle or are you going to take any of your offers so far?

 

[Bd01323]

Gah really?? Do you know when we're actually supposed to find out if we got anything? I didn't get that email and I haven't heard anything else about aid from them yet.

I read on here somewhere that the aid drop day was 4/1... so I emailed inquiring about the date and the response was really general.. he said stuff was "going out now"... but I havent gotten anything for either FAFSA or scholarship... sooooo idk! No one on here seems to have either?

 

[Bd01323]

As far as finances go, it seems to be about the same as Emory, and because Emory hasn't given me any scholarships, UMich is going to be half price for me. And I went to community college for two years, so just for some perspective I will only graduate 10 grand in debt from undergrad. I think Ann Arbor is really nice, if not a little pretentious :x I certainly can't afford to live there, but living closer to Ypsi is less expensive

yeah-- Ive been reading a lot about umich and the population. One blog was talking about COL in Ann Arbor-- it goes on to say that because its such a great school with >400% out of state markup, there is a large population of extremely fortunate families sending their kids there... therefore contributing to an increasingly higher COL. However, because they are so aware of this, there are a lot of student orgs that cater to the HUNGRY and POOR students hahaha The blog talked about two student orgs that work to sell cheap produce to students-- how real these programs are-- idk? BUT, it does give me hope that there are some neats programs that help us through this time.

Im nervous about funding the 42k in strictly tuition... without any hope of GA/TA. Im definitely struggling between feeding my ego with a public ivy (UM) or feeding my soul in Colorado/Oregon! All are great options/locations/programs and Im just being a typical, indecisive millennial! Too many options! Thanks for all the great feedback about UM!!!! Best of luck to you & keep us updated on your decision!

 

[moonwave89]

Still can't decide between emory and columbia and I've talked to so many people at both schools. I am most interested in logistical operations of humanitarian crisis and refugee health. Right now, I don't know for sure if I want to continue on to get my PhD and work in academics or if I would want to work for an international aid corp (WHO, IRC, etc.) Most likely would work out of the US if I went into international aid route. Which is better for these? As of right now, my funding makes them equal in cost as far as tuition. Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated!!

I'm not sure which program is better, but in terms of cost outside of tuition, cost of living is much higher in NYC than in Atlanta. That's one of the things I'm struggling with, is essentially, whether I want to deplete my savings account by living in NYC. I feel like I have a good plan for paying back the loans (whether I actually want to take that on is a different story!), but the upfront costs like rent in particular, groceries, and other bills are making me anxious about choosing Columbia vs. staying local.

 

[Nomader]

Anyone visit Emory already? Any suggestions for the visit since I won't be going on the Visit Day? I am trying to contact professors last minute to speak with them, since I thought I could go until recently. Also set up the tour. Thanks!

 

[Saji]

They were extremely quick for me. I was verified on 2/1 and they sent me an acceptance letter on 2/13. Even I was surprised.

That was really quick. I should call them next week then🙂

 

[Saji]

@Saji Thank you!! I hope so...The Columbia waiting is killing me, especially since they haven't contact me for anything, not even interviews :/. How about you?? Still sure on applying for next cycle or are you going to take any of your offers so far?

Why don'y you send an email asking for your application status? Have you tried to call them yet?
For me, I am waiting for my other results as NYU will be too expensive for me. I am going to meet the admission staff of NYU regarding work study and other options of financial aid. Hope for the best

 

[navyzebra]

Why don'y you send an email asking for your application status? Have you tried to call them yet?
For me, I am waiting for my other results as NYU will be too expensive for me. I am going to meet the admission staff of NYU regarding work study and other options of financial aid. Hope for the best

I

 

[navyzebra]

I

why do schools do the protracted decision process. The wait is painful. And leaves a bad taste. I'm thinking more favorably of the schools that have been timely(even if I'm wait listed) than those that haven't yet given a decision. Penn!

 

[Saji]

why do schools do the protracted decision process. The wait is painful. And leaves a bad taste. I'm thinking more favorably of the schools that have been timely(even if I'm wait listed) than those that haven't yet given a decision. Penn!

Seriously!!!! Why isn't there any deadline for schools to declare their results like there is one for us to submit our applications?