MPH Fall 2017: Applied, Accepted, Waitlisted, Rejected!

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swamp.witch said:
I'm currently wrapping up undergrad and will be 22 when I matriculate. Applied to programs in the fall but also spent a lot of time/effort/blood/sweat/tears applying for full-time employment at the same time (October-January). I figured I'd cast a very wide net with both--if I got a decent full-time job, I'd consider continuing that for a few years before grad school, especially if financial aid/scholarships are meager. If full-time employment didn't pan out, then I'd hopefully have a decent grad school option. As of right now, I'm going for the latter.

YMMV, but for me, most jobs in public health stipulated a master's degree as a minimum qualification, so I couldn't even get my foot in the door for an interview. Even entry-level research-assistant type jobs at the local health department passed me over for applicants with master's degrees. It was brutal. I'm currently juggling 3 part-time jobs, 2 of which I could have done even without a bachelor's. It's been pretty humbling but I'm glad to go into grad school knowing that it's the right choice for me if I want any opportunities in the future. I have had enough public health experience & education to know that my career goals will require at LEAST a master's degree, if not also a PhD (much) later down the road. So, I figure if I'm going to do it eventually, might as well be now.

Sorry for the very long-winded rambly post, but I'm seeing a little bit of negativity directed toward those applying straight from undergrad and wanted to give my perspective on it.

tl;dr: Master's degree is the new bachelor's, and the current job market is a hellscape where I live.
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I completely agree with you regarding the negativity toward grad students who come straight out of undergrad. Not everyone was partying for four years and then suddenly wondered how they were going to get employed and therefore decided to get a master's haha.
 
late_apply said:
Actually, most students who had to work full time in undergrad then go on to work full time afterwards. Of course there are exceptions, but if you're working so hard to pay for college you'll probably want to to pay off remaining student loans with a full time job. Getting even more education and taking on even more loans is a pretty big burden. There is a reason several programs and departments won't accept students without two or more years of work experience.
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I'm not sure how you came up with that statistic? I knew a lot of people like myself who were working full-time while in school and a lot of them are pursuing graduate school (like me lol). Also, I wasn't working full-time to pay for college, I was working to pay my rent and other bills. And I did have more than 2 years of work experience, which is kind of the whole point I'm trying to make
 
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I actually think one of the coolest things about getting an MPH is the variety of ages a person will be studying with! Whether it's someone who is right out of undergrad, someone who has been in the workforce, or someone who is changing their career path, I think the more type of people attending a program the better!
 
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It's definitely not easy to get an "entry level" public health job in every city. A lot of them go to those with an MPH, or people who have been working in the field for a long time and don't change jobs. I also think that people can have a lot of valuable public health experience while in school. I did 9 months of service learning/research as a senior, and to me it was just as valuable as the work experience I'm getting now in the health access field. I also think that a lot of the entry level positions are direct service related, and I cannot see myself doing direct service for another year. Just because people are less than 2 years out of undergrad doesn't mean they're inexperienced, or don't know what kind of financial risks they may or may not be taking!
 
Arztin said:
Accepted to the U.C. Berkeley 11 month interdisciplinary MPH! Anyone else that is considerng this program or UCB in general? Thoughts? I'm an international so any tips or input would be much appreciated.
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Congrats! When did you hear back? I'm still waiting for them 🙁
Anyone else waiting for HPM at Yale, JHU, or Berkeley?
 
sheywest said:
Congrats! When did you hear back? I'm still waiting for them 🙁
Anyone else waiting for HPM at Yale, JHU, or Berkeley?
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Thanks! I heard on Friday, email telling me to create a CalNet ID and the decision letter was on there. Previously I had been checking the UCB page where I had submitted my application which said it would update with a decision but it still hasn't.
 
Marie1287 said:
Me too...31, already have a Master's, but decided I want to change fields.
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36. I graduated the first time in 2004, but returned to school to change career paths (second bachelor's earned last year). I think it's always such a relief to meet other non-traditional students! I have made many 20-something friends, but I find I'm often more of mom/mentor than a peer - it's always so nice to connect with other people with more similar life circumstances! I'm hoping graduate school will be a bit more like that....
 
I think whatever path people take is great! Personally, I was going to do grad school (a PhD, no less) right from undergrad, but decided to go abroad and work for an international organization. While there, I talked with people who had the jobs I was aiming for and they gave me a lot of good tips for what to look for in a program, general career advice, etc, so I felt just being in the public health environment and meeting people helps. they did tell me that I wouldn't really advance too far without a grad degree, so I might as well get one sooner rather than later. But I'm really interested in gaining experience during grad school, so I looked for programs that had connections or would allow me to work at certain places!
 
123publichealth said:
I think whatever path people take is great! Personally, I was going to do grad school (a PhD, no less) right from undergrad, but decided to go abroad and work for an international organization. While there, I talked with people who had the jobs I was aiming for and they gave me a lot of good tips for what to look for in a program, general career advice, etc, so I felt just being in the public health environment and meeting people helps. they did tell me that I wouldn't really advance too far without a grad degree, so I might as well get one sooner rather than later. But I'm really interested in gaining experience during grad school, so I looked for programs that had connections or would allow me to work at certain places!
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I hope you're considering Columbia! There's so many opportunities here that it makes it difficult to choose one place to work. I love working at the DOH, but I turned down other really great places to do so
 
What does everyone think of these rankings:

http://www.usnews.com/education/best-global-universities/social-sciences-public-health

I'm not one to blindly follow rankings, but I think the global universities perspective is a good one. As someone with a background in the social sciences that wants to pursue the social sciences/research side of public health (and hopefully work for an NGO), I think this is pretty interesting!

I'd just like a little more perspective from everyone else 🙂
 
seeseeb said:
What does everyone think of these rankings:

http://www.usnews.com/education/best-global-universities/social-sciences-public-health

I'm not one to blindly follow rankings, but I think the global universities perspective is a good one. As someone with a background in the social sciences that wants to pursue the social sciences/research side of public health (and hopefully work for an NGO), I think this is pretty interesting!

I'd just like a little more perspective from everyone else 🙂
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"Topics include communication, environmental studies, political science, social work, sociology, law, education, and tourism and hospitality."
I fail to see how tourism and hospitality (nothing against this industry!) is related social work or public health? Admittedly, I have not read their methodology report, but it seems like they just modge podged a bunch of different disciplines and grouped them under "Social Sciences?"

If you're interested in this sort of data, I really enjoy reading The Chronicle of Higher Education's reports, because higher education is their speciality.
http://www.chronicle.com/section/Data/58?cid=UCHETOPNAV

I think a year or two ago someone on SDN (Montreux?) took a close look at rankings and realized that high ranking had a strong, positive correlation with a large class size (which may be partially why JHU and Columbia which are massive, are ranked so high, while smaller schools like Yale are ranked lower -at least for public health). The rankings probably give you a very general idea of the quality of an university's education, but I don't place much stock in them beyond that. I believe that what you do while you're in school, the skills you gain, the people you meet, and of course, your happiness, are far more important than if your school is ranked #1 #5 #10 or #20.

Oh, and I noticed that the vast majority of these tops universities are in the U.S., U.K., Australia, or Canada . Global indeed U.S News... 😛
 
eek_ said:
"Topics include communication, environmental studies, political science, social work, sociology, law, education, and tourism and hospitality."
I fail to see how tourism and hospitality (nothing against this industry!) is related social work or public health? Admittedly, I have not read their methodology report, but it seems like they just modge podged a bunch of different disciplines and grouped them under "Social Sciences?"

If you're interested in this sort of data, I really enjoy reading The Chronicle of Higher Education's reports, because higher education is their speciality.
http://www.chronicle.com/section/Data/58?cid=UCHETOPNAV

I think a year or two ago someone on SDN (Montreux?) took a close look at rankings and realized that high ranking had a strong, positive correlation with a large class size (which may be partially why JHU and Columbia which are massive, are ranked so high, while smaller schools like Yale are ranked lower -at least for public health). The rankings probably give you a very general idea of the quality of an university's education, but I don't place much stock in them beyond that. I believe that what you do while you're in school, the skills you gain, the people you meet, and of course, your happiness, are far more important than if your school is ranked #1 #5 #10 or #20.

Oh, and I noticed that the vast majority of these tops universities are in the U.S., U.K., Australia, or Canada . Global indeed U.S News... 😛
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Thanks for your input! I definitely agree that it's more about what you put into your education, I'm just always interested to see what's being said about the different programs, and where they fall in these rankings, no matter how shoddy they may be. I'll check out The Chronicle of Higher Education. 🙂
 
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Anyone had any experience where they've heard back from a school fast? Just curious...and anxious. I'm not even a week waiting yet lol.
 
AshKoshBGosh said:
Anyone had any experience where they've heard back from a school fast? Just curious...and anxious. I'm not even a week waiting yet lol.
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I heard back from The George Washington University in less than 3 weeks! I applied in early December and heard back before the holidays.
 
AshKoshBGosh said:
Anyone had any experience where they've heard back from a school fast? Just curious...and anxious. I'm not even a week waiting yet lol.
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GWU got back to me less than a week after I applied, and UPenn got back to me around 2 weeks post-interview!
 
AshKoshBGosh said:
Anyone had any experience where they've heard back from a school fast? Just curious...and anxious. I'm not even a week waiting yet lol.
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I heard back from Tulane and GW within just a few days (though this was in December so their workload may have been different). Good luck!
 
Any updates from UNC Health Behavior for those who applied before 12/1 (MPH)? I'm PM'ing a girl who was told she'd hear by (last) Thursday and she didn't - and then when I emailed, I was told beginning of March. -_-

I'm starting to lose hope since it seems like I'm in the last batch, which is never a good thing...

It's so stressful when literally tens of thousands of dollars are on the line (I'm in-state NC and didn't get aid for any other school yet) and something so tiny as one more point on the GRE could've saved me all that money 🙁 I don't think I'll forgive myself if/when I'm rejected
 
anxious123 said:
Any updates from UNC Health Behavior for those who applied before 12/1 (MPH)? I'm PM'ing a girl who was told she'd hear by (last) Thursday and she didn't - and then when I emailed, I was told beginning of March. -_-

I'm starting to lose hope since it seems like I'm in the last batch, which is never a good thing...

It's so stressful when literally tens of thousands of dollars are on the line (I'm in-state NC and didn't get aid for any other school yet) and something so tiny as one more point on the GRE could've saved me all that money 🙁 I don't think I'll forgive myself if/when I'm rejected
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Fingers crossed for you-but try not to beat yourself up if you don't get into to UNC! You are worth so much more than a school's silly admission criteria. You did your best and put yourself out there, so try not to worry about the things you cannot change and focus on the possibilities instead 🙂 (I know easier said than done!)
 
Undergrad School: George Washington University
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.5/4.0; GPA in public health major: 3.8/4.0
Major/Minor: Public health/ sociology
GradGPA (if applicable):
Grad Studies (if applicable):
GRE (including date taken) or Other Test (if applicable): GRE: V:157, Q:157, AW:5.0
Experience/Research (please, be brief): Various public health internships, currently serving through AmeriCorps


Interested in: Dual MPH/MSW
Applied: Columbia, Hopkins/UMD (UMD is the MSW part)
Accepted: Columbia; Hopkins/UMD
Rejected: none
Waitlisted: none

I am really struggling where to go to school. I know Hopkins is the better MPH program but 2/3 years I will be doing MSW. I also live near NYC and have family/friends here so going to Baltimore would be much more difficult.

Does anyone have advice? Thanks!
 
is anyone considering the Cross-Continental MPH program at NYU? i'm deciding between that program and traditional 2-year programs at Emory, Columbia, and UNC and i'm really struggling to make a decision!
 
Rejection from UNC MSPH-PhD in Health Behavior. Well wishes to everyone else and especially those waiting to hear from UNC, they roll out decisions slowwwwwly.
 
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Does anyone know post-grad employment stats for UCLA? I can't find it on the website. I will be going to the admitted students day so hope to find out then, but thought I'd see if anyone here has already uncovered this info 🙂

I am trying to choose between UCLA, Columbia, and BU, and obviously have a number of factors to consider so if anyone has additional insight they'd like to share I would welcome your input!
 
Just got waitlisted by NYU for HPM! Please anyone who knows that they will not be attending, tell them! This is my first choice if I got in 🙂
 
Has anyone heard more info from Columbia about their Admitted Students Days? Trying to make plans to go up for the first one on 3/3, but it's stressing me out a little that it's less than two weeks away and I've heard anything since my acceptance notification
 
For those still waiting to hear back from JHU -- did your Mypath portal change today by any chance? My link for checking the status on my application disappeared...
 
cestmoi92 said:
Undergrad School: University of Maryland
Undergrad Major: BSN
GPA:my overall GPA is a 3.2, my major GPA is a 3.1 (pretty low I know)
GRE: Verbal 158 Quantitative 151 Writing 4.0
Work Experience: RN almost 2yrs at Emory Univ Hospital on an acute care unit, i'm the co-chair of one committee on my unit
Research:
2 evidence based practice research projects to improve clinical outcomes for patients that were presented at a conference for Emory Healthcare in which one of the projects was implemented on my unit
Certifications:
HIV testing& counseling certified
Peritoneal dialysis certified
I'm currently studying for my HIV/AIDS Care Registered Nurse Certification (ACRN)
Internships:
2014 Interned with a large non-profit in DC& National 4H council and helped with strategic planning for international organizations . I also helped coordinate 2 fundraising events with members of congress.
2014 Interned with a health organization in Tanzania for 1 month and interned with another health organization in Haiti for 2 months
In 2013 I interned for a major clinic in Haiti and worked with nurses and other health care workers to improve their quality and delivery of care
In 2011 I interned for two hospitals in Haiti that were partners with USAID. I worked as a translator and also provided general care to patients with HIV/AIDS and TB
Extracurriculars:
Events and funding officer for Nurses for Global Health at my university and organized various events throughout campus including a major global health conference.
From 2010-2012 I was the events coordinator for the Caribbean Students Association at my university and organized various events throughout campus.

I'm planning on applying to dual MSN/MPH programs. For the MPH portion im looking to get into a program with a global health focus. I want to work in implementing HIV/AIDS infection prevention programs in developing countries. My GPA isn't great but i'm hoping my clinical background and experience makes up for it.

Applied: (edited) Emory MSN/MPH, Yale MSN/MPH, Johns Hopkins MSN/MPH, UPenn MSN/MPH, Duke
Accepted: Emory MSN/MPH, UPENN MSN/MPH, Johns Hopkins MSN/MPH
Rejected: N/A
Waitlisted: N/A
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I have an interview at Duke tomorrow, i'm debating between Duke and Emory I have to work during school and Emory isn't as flexible as I hoped it would be however I attended the admitted students day for the MSN portion and Emory itself is freaking amazing and has everything that i'm looking for. It's such a hard decision to make
 
sev321 said:
Has anyone heard more info from Columbia about their Admitted Students Days? Trying to make plans to go up for the first one on 3/3, but it's stressing me out a little that it's less than two weeks away and I've heard anything since my acceptance notification
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They said they're not going to send out a more detailed agenda until the week of. However, I did contact them to find out the general run time - 10am-6pm. I'll be attending that date, too.
 
Anyone else waiting on Hopkins 11 month MPH? I was accepted to Yale (2/2) for HP and Columbia (2/17) for HPM-- yes, that email debacle was horrible. Hopkins is my number 1 and I'm going crazy not knowing!
 
wonkette7 said:
Anyone else waiting on Hopkins 11 month MPH? I was accepted to Yale (2/2) for HP and Columbia (2/17) for HPM-- yes, that email debacle was horrible. Hopkins is my number 1 and I'm going crazy not knowing!
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I'm still waiting! Limbo is the worst. I'd rather just know. 😵
 
Oh man! So much to catch up on with this forum. First of all, heard from University of Arizona today, if anybody was waiting on them!

Secondly, I'm 27, but I'll be 28 when I start school. I honestly don't think I was mature enough to handle even undergrad while I was there, and as much as I love school, the experiences I've had in the ensuing years have only reinforced my belief that I made the right choice in waiting to go back. However, I know everyone is different and I applaud all of you that feel that you can jump right from undergrad to your Masters!

kcirulli said:
is anyone considering the Cross-Continental MPH program at NYU? i'm deciding between that program and traditional 2-year programs at Emory, Columbia, and UNC and i'm really struggling to make a decision!
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I was admitted with a small scholarship, which had me considering it for a hot second, but that price tag is just too much for me at this point in my life. I still have loans from undergrad, and I've got some more-suited-to-me options that I think would be better financially.
 
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ellb39 said:
Hello 🙂

Undergrad School: Ivy
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.7/3.8
Major/Minor: Public Health
GradGPA (if applicable): N/A
Grad Studies (if applicable): N/A
GRE (including date taken) or Other Test (if applicable): V 165 Q 153 W 5
Experience/Research (please, be brief):
- 2 years full time employment in public health/social work at managerial level w/ focus on preventative health + infectious disease
- Work experience in non-profit, private, and start-up environments
- International work + research experience in Gambia, India, and Peru.
- Founding executive member of public service start-up recognized by UN, Forbes, and Business Today

Special factors??? Honors in major, bilingual (Spanish), published poet.

Interested in: Social epidemiology, community driven health practice, health equity, social determinants of health, stigma.
Applied: (in no particular order) MPH: UW (COPHP), Harvard (SMS), UIC (HPM), Brown (EPI), Yale (SBS), Drexel (CHP), Columbia (SMS), BU (Equity, Social Justice), UC Berkeley (SBS); MPH/MSW: UPitt (Community Health Sciences/Organization +Advocacy)
Accepted: BU (+ 20k merit), UPitt, UIC, Drexel (+ funded Public Health Fellowship), Yale, Columbia, UC Berkeley, U Washington
Rejected: n/a
Waitlisted: n/a

Still waiting on Harvard, Brown.
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Accepted to U of Washington COPHP program! Am replying to my original post bc I don't know how to do the fancy thing you guys are doing where you post your stats in your signature...
 
I'm a bit confused with the financial aid process...it doesn't seem likely that I'll know by April 15th what aid each school I was accepted into can offer me. Do most people make the decision of what school to attend based off of one or two school's offers, even if it means not hearing about packages from each school? If anyone can shed light onto the process, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks!
 
publichealthplease said:
I'm a bit confused with the financial aid process...it doesn't seem likely that I'll know by April 15th what aid each school I was accepted into can offer me. Do most people make the decision of what school to attend based off of one or two school's offers, even if it means not hearing about packages from each school? If anyone can shed light onto the process, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks!
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Why is it unlikely? Financial aid offers are typically released sometime in March. Schools know how important finances are to students in making a decision, so you'll have some time to compare offers before the April 15th deadline.
 
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