MPH Fall 2018: Applied, Accepted, Waitlisted, Rejected!

[LG0331]

Has anyone switched their concentration at Emory? Is this allowed/is it likely that they will allow me to switch?

I can't tell if you mean a switch as in general to global or a complete departmental switch but, I did a departmental switch and it went smoothly! I just emailed the ADAP of the department I was interested in (I switched from MPH EH to MPH Epi) and listed why I felt it would be a better fit and asked if it was possible that my application be considered for that program. For a departmental switch, your application is reviewed traditionally, as any other applicant applying to the respective program, and you're notified in the same method as your original decision.

Edit: As @Cassatrass mentioned, they definitely recommend (may have mentioned this at Visit Emory?) that you do it sooner rather than later. Sorry I can't be more specific with that time frame but I'd submit the request as soon as you decide you'd like to switch!

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[Cassatrass]

I can't tell if you mean a switch as in general to global or a complete departmental switch but, I did a departmental switch and it went smoothly! I just emailed the ADAP of the department I was interested in (I switched from MPH EH to MPH Epi) and listed why I felt it would be a better fit and asked if it was possible that my application be considered for that program. For a departmental switch, your application is reviewed traditionally, as any other applicant applying to the respective program, and you're notified in the same method as your original decision.

Edit: As @Cassatrass mentioned, they definitely recommend (may have mentioned this at Visit Emory?) that you do it sooner rather than later. Sorry I can't be more specific with that time frame but I'd submit the request as soon as you decide you'd like to switch!

Even for going from general epi to global epi they put me fully back under review. But yeah, go for it! The worst they can do is decline the switch, in which case you still stay admitted to your current program.

 

[Michelle Faux Fur]

Now that decision day has passed, I am continuing to research scholarships online. I have been researching those suggested by various schools -- fastweb, scholly, scholarships.com, etc. -- but all of them seem to be connected to monthly subscription services for which you need to pay. Has anyone had luck finding other services, preferably free?

 

[peachplumpear85]

Finally decided a few days ago that I'll be pursuing an MHS in infectious disease epidemiology at JHSPH next year! Declined offers from BU and Yale. It's kind of exciting to finally be able to make plans for the year ahead

 

[casespace]

Guys, I need help.

I've been watching this thread forever but this is my first time posting, because I feel a little stuck. I've been accepted to UPenn, Brown, and WashU. I know none of these programs are US News ranked, but I am not only looking to complete my MPH but my premed requirements as well, as I hope to continue on to med school.

Right now, it seems as though Brown has better research opportunities and a lot of connections due to having an actual school of public health while Penn is an interdisciplinary program. Obviously Penn has a better medical school, but I am worried that students will not get as much attention.

 

[pugluvr57]

Me too! I called and emailed this week and their response was that students who applied the 2nd round won't know until May 1st. I didn't receive an answer otherwise.

I applied first round so I’m gonna assume that’s a rejection :/ best of luck to you!!

 

[wwmmkk]

Guys, I need help.

I've been watching this thread forever but this is my first time posting, because I feel a little stuck. I've been accepted to UPenn, Brown, and WashU. I know none of these programs are US News ranked, but I am not only looking to complete my MPH but my premed requirements as well, as I hope to continue on to med school.

Right now, it seems as though Brown has better research opportunities and a lot of connections due to having an actual school of public health while Penn is an interdisciplinary program. Obviously Penn has a better medical school, but I am worried that students will not get as much attention.

What requirements do you need to fulfill for premed? I can't imagine doing med school prereqs on top of a full time MPH course load, internship requirements, and research experiences. My understanding is that the two do not overlap. Post-bacc programs are a better choice for fulfilling prereqs and MS programs are a better choice if you are interested in preparing for a medical research career. I think it makes more sense to do an MPH during residency or as part of an MD/MPH program as it's often free. But if you're going to do it now, choose from your MPH options based on your fit with the programs, not how they will look on an application since I don't think having an MPH really detracts or adds much to a med school app.

 

[havvajava]

Anyone who committed to UCLA know if they applied for the Graduate Opportunity Fellowship Program?

 

[macko126]

lol just got in at Oregon State..... lil late hahah

 

[dodgers4life]

I accepted my offer to go to NYU over Columbia on Saturday! NYU was a better fit and their financial aid package was better.

 

[skcolley]

Wow, I probably would've lost my life savings if I had bet on your Columbia vs. UNC decision. Guess I'll see you in the fall!

Haha! You are definitely not the only one...my family was SHOCKED when I told them!

Yes!!! See you this fall!

 

[atmcgraw]

After a long wait, I finally received an acceptance letter to UMD (MPH- physical activity)!

 

[atmcgraw]

Has anyone out there committed to UMD? I just confirmed a few days ago and wanted to see if anyone on here also had plans to attend

I haven't committed yet, but I will be! I will be in the MPH in Physical Activity program. I went to UMD for undergrad, so if you have any questions feel free to message me

 

[Pbhlth222]

I haven't committed yet, but I will be! I will be in the MPH in Physical Activity program. I went to UMD for undergrad, so if you have any questions feel free to message me

I am at UMD for undergrad as well and just got into their HE MPH program waiting on other schools tho, so I have not made my decision yet.

 

[Pbhlth222]

Does anyone know how long Emory takes for me to get a supplemental application? I called and admissions said it takes 4-6 weeks after SOPHAS verifies it but I think the lady misunderstood me...because why would It take that long just to receive a supplemental application if SOPHAS has already verified my application. Boston took a week to send me my supplemental app, so I am just really confused.

 

[Cassatrass]

Does anyone know how long Emory takes for me to get a supplemental application? I called and admissions said it takes 4-6 weeks after SOPHAS verifies it but I think the lady misunderstood me...because why would It take that long just to receive a supplemental application if SOPHAS has already verified my application. Boston took a week to send me my supplemental app, so I am just really confused.

There is no supplemental application for Emory, the woman you contacted probably thought you were asking how long a decision would take

 

[Pbhlth222]

There is no supplemental application for Emory, the woman you contacted probably thought you were asking how long a decision would take

Even better, thank you!

 

[spacewitch]

Anyone who committed to UCLA know if they applied for the Graduate Opportunity Fellowship Program?

I'm pretty sure you are automatically considered for the fellowship. When I got accepted I was asked to send a letter to the financial aid dept about my financial need and professional accomplishments so if you haven't done that maybe email the fin aid dept.

 

[Pbhlth222]

Even better, thank you!

Lol it's weird how things work...just got accepted to Emory BSHE! (I have no patience lol).

 

[Vslyph]

Late to update everyone, but committed to attending Columbia!!

This thread has been so incredibly helpful and supportive. If any of you are joining me in NYC in the fall, please don’t hesitate to get in touch!

 

[sweetgirl964]

Hello everyone! I don’t know if this has been discussed already but what is like the average amount of loans you are taking on for your degree? I’m debating between my in state school and Emory’s BSHE program, but Emory is so expensive lol. Is 80k in loans worth it, especially if I know I want to go on to get a PhD or go to professional school?

 

[mexeldrexel]

Committed to Harvard!

I’ve really appreciated the community here on this forum (which is more than I can say for the rest of SDN). Now that I’m completely done with the process, I posted my stats are below. I benefited a lot from those who chose to stick around and mentor us from the previous cycle so future applicants reading this, feel free to pm me as I want to return the favor!

UGPA: SOPHAS 3.3
Major/Minor: Chemistry
GradGPA (if applicable): all P (medical school H/P/F)
GRE (including date taken) or Other Test (if applicable): 160V 156Q, 4.5W

Experience/Research (please, be brief):

• RA on HIV/AIDS patients and caregivers study (2yrs)
• headed research project on rehab effectiveness (.5 yr)
• basic science lab experience with stems cells (1yr)
• Co-author on 2 papers, presented 3 poster sessions

LOR: 2 professors, 1 attending
Concentration: Health & Social Behavior, Sociomedical Science, etc
Special factors: Hispanic, medical student, strong SOP

Applied: Harvard (45 credit MPH, 11/18), Yale (Advanced Professional MPH 11/18), Columbia (Accelerated MPH 11/18). I was limited in the schools that I could apply to because the academic calendar had to match up with my very strict med school schedule

Accepted: Columbia (1/22) +$$, Yale +$$ (1/29), Harvard (2/22)
Attending: Harvard
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For those applying next year and stalking the 2018 thread , here are 2 videos of a panel of admissions officers discussing the application process. I watched them and thought they really helped:

1. Public health admissions panel: U. Iowa, UCLA, Hopkins, Harvard, Tufts, U. Hawaii, Claremont ()
2. Public health admissions panel: UC Berkeley, Columbia, Touro, SFSU, NYU, UC Davis ()

 

[Vslyph]

Has anyone gotten anything but stock confirmations after submitting their deposit to Columbia? Anything like a welcome letter?

 

[aethermist]

Has anyone gotten anything but stock confirmations after submitting their deposit to Columbia? Anything like a welcome letter?

4 days ago I received an email titled "Welcome to the Mailman School of Public Health!" but it was pretty vague and just said in May there will be more emails. I got 2 before that to confirm they received my response and payment received.

 

[outdamnedspot]

After a lot of deliberation between JHU PFRH, Yale CDE, and Columbia PopFam, I submitted my deposit and committed to Columbia on Sunday!!

It was super hard to turn down JHU and Yale--I was in love with all three of the programs--but what it ultimately came down to is that I have a massive support system in NYC compared to Baltimore and New Haven and know that I would be happiest in New York. Anyone for the 2018-2019 cycle reading this: feel free to PM me if you have any questions about my choice!

 

[outdamnedspot]

Has anyone gotten anything but stock confirmations after submitting their deposit to Columbia? Anything like a welcome letter?

I haven't received anything but confirmations either! Hoping for something a bit more welcoming soon, lol

 

[fwm88]

I accepted my offer to go to NYU over Columbia on Saturday! NYU was a better fit and their financial aid package was better.

See you in the fall. What's your concentration?

 

[sweetgirl964]

Wondering people's thoughts on going into more debt to attend Emory versus saving 30,000+ dollars on a good but not as well known in state-school?

Hey I’m in the same boat as you! What did you end up deciding on?

 

[sploosh]

Hello everyone! I don’t know if this has been discussed already but what is like the average amount of loans you are taking on for your degree? I’m debating between my in state school and Emory’s BSHE program, but Emory is so expensive lol. Is 80k in loans worth it, especially if I know I want to go on to get a PhD or go to professional school?

I'm taking on around 60k in debt, though I hope to work part time to minimize my expenses.

I will say that it was a bit of a different situation for me in that I would be taking on sizable debt regardless of where I went between my final two choices, and I didn't think that 5k to even 10k was enough money for it to be a real differentiating factor. I've accepted that I would be taking on debt for this degree to go to the program I liked best.

One more mitigating factor, though - I know that salary will likely be a factor in my post-graduation job search, so if you know you're going to be doing a lot of nonprofit or otherwise low-paying work after school, I would discuss this with someone else who feels the same!

 

[sweetgirl964]

I'm taking on around 60k in debt, though I hope to work part time to minimize my expenses.

I will say that it was a bit of a different situation for me in that I would be taking on sizable debt regardless of where I went between my final two choices, and I didn't think that 5k to even 10k was enough money for it to be a real differentiating factor. I've accepted that I would be taking on debt for this degree to go to the program I liked best.

One more mitigating factor, though - I know that salary will likely be a factor in my post-graduation job search, so if you know you're going to be doing a lot of nonprofit or otherwise low-paying work after school, I would discuss this with someone else who feels the same!

That makes sense. In the grand scheme of things, even 10k isn’t a lot! For me, the difference between my state school and my other option was 20k, and the difference between that and Emory is an additional 20. The thing is with my state school, my research interests don’t really match up with theirs, while at Emory they have a lot more options. It’s super stressful because I’m not really sure where I want to be working after graduation either. These are all huge numbers, and it’s been stressing me out so much

 

[kcarlson518]

I've chosen London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). Turns out that those $600 + application fees and GRE were all for nothing, haha. I chose it because I want to work internationally, its only 11 months, and its cheaper than the others. I'll be taking on $35,000 in debt.

 

[LG_MPHD]

Really? A lot of the doctoral programs I've looked up on, mainly in California, waives the GRE if you have a masters I believe. There are other considerations I've seen where the GRE can be waived for Ph D programs.

Which PhD programs in California did you find waived the GRE requirement? I’m doing my MPH part time and I’m not looking to take that test ever again!

 

[ms.medhumanities]

Hi all! Is anyone still waiting to hear back from Berkeley's MPH program? I feel like I've been waiting forever! Has anyone heard any news?

 

[phclarinetist]

Hi all! Is anyone still waiting to hear back from Berkeley's MPH program? I feel like I've been waiting forever! Has anyone heard any news?

I had to email 3 different people over the course of a couple of weeks to finally get an answer. I was finally notified only 2 weeks ago that I was rejected. I would contact the head SPH admission person to assist you. That's the only way I finally got an answer. The department representative was not helpful at all.

 

[ms.medhumanities]

I had to email 3 different people over the course of a couple of weeks to finally get an answer. I was finally notified only 2 weeks ago that I was rejected. I would contact the head SPH admission person to assist you. That's the only way I finally got an answer. The department representative was not helpful at all.

Thanks for the info If i don't make it to Berkeley I will be going to Boston U!

 

[numbersloth]

Just got off the waitlist for JHU MSPH in Global Disease Epidemiology and Control! Anyone attend the revisit day for this program and can give me a recap and overview of your thoughts on the program?

 

[Cassatrass]

Just got off the waitlist for JHU MSPH in Global Disease Epidemiology and Control! Anyone attend the revisit day for this program and can give me a recap and overview of your thoughts on the program?

I wrote up a review on that program a while back (March 13th, page 87)! Ultimately came down to Hopkins GDEC vs Emory GLEPI and I chose Emory-- but they're both fantastic programs!

 

[megarita]

Just got off the waitlist for JHU MSPH in Global Disease Epidemiology and Control! Anyone attend the revisit day for this program and can give me a recap and overview of your thoughts on the program?

I’ll be attending Hopkins’ GDEC Program! If you look at the Hopkins MSPH 2018 thread, I wrote up my thoughts on the visit day.

 

[JDGBruin1317]

Which PhD programs in California did you find waived the GRE requirement? I’m doing my MPH part time and I’m not looking to take that test ever again!

What programs are you looking into? Some that I've seen waives the GRE if you have a masters I believe, but it depends on the department and/or school. If you were applying to PhD programs straight after undergrad, the GRE would be required.

 

[phclarinetist]

Thanks for the info If i don't make it to Berkeley I will be going to Boston U!

Well perhaps I will see you in Boston if Berkeley doesn’t turn out!

 

[Ohiogirl]

Hi im new to the MPH world. Can anyone who applied to Tulanes MSPH program share how long it took for them to record an application decision? Thanks!


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[MPHer2018]

Currently live in Baltimore, steps away from Johns Hopkins SoM and SPH. If you want any info on living in the city, housing, or all thing Bmore, feel free to send me a message!

 

[alexiabee2020]

Does anyone know if there is a Columbia thread ?

 

[numbersloth]

Currently live in Baltimore, steps away from Johns Hopkins SoM and SPH. If you want any info on living in the city, housing, or all thing Bmore, feel free to send me a message!

Could you comment on how tough it would be to commute from DC? I've always lived in big cities and am not too excited about living in Baltimore.

 

[skaballet]

Could you comment on how tough it would be to commute from DC? I've always lived in big cities and am not too excited about living in Baltimore.

I live in DC as well and although I know there are tons of people that commute, I would not do so without a really good reason (ie: family). If you get the 'express marc' (no stops) that is 45 minutes on the train. Then you need to take shuttle to hopkins which is 15 mins. You also need to factor in however long it takes you to get to Union Station. The marc does not run all that late and is really infrequent on weekends so you may miss out on a lot of networking/social events. Personally I'm excited to live in Baltimore, it may be smaller but my rent will also be way cheaper. I lived in a college town for my prior masters and loved it. It was SO much better than being in a huge city because everyone was socializing together which really helps to form relationships. Just my perspective...

 

[Vslyph]

Was not expecting this at all, but just got a modest scholarship from Columbia!!!!

 

[numbersloth]

I live in DC as well and although I know there are tons of people that commute, I would not do so without a really good reason (ie: family). If you get the 'express marc' (no stops) that is 45 minutes on the train. Then you need to take shuttle to hopkins which is 15 mins. You also need to factor in however long it takes you to get to Union Station. The marc does not run all that late and is really infrequent on weekends so you may miss out on a lot of networking/social events. Personally I'm excited to live in Baltimore, it may be smaller but my rent will also be way cheaper. I lived in a college town for my prior masters and loved it. It was SO much better than being in a huge city because everyone was socializing together which really helps to form relationships. Just my perspective...

How would the commute be driving?

My biggest reservation is, as a woman, not feeling safe walking around my own city at night. I know Baltimore has come a long way but it still is not the safest of cities (for reference I've lived in Boston, NYC, and DC) and I fear I would feel a bit like a prisoner in my own town.

 

[Vslyph]

Does anyone know if there is a Columbia thread ?

Let’s make one!!

 

[MovingForward]

I got my acceptance to Arizona this morning! Still waiting on a wait list update from NYU, so hopefully then I can make my decision!

 

[r2b2]

Hello,

I have made my decision, and after a difficult process, some pros and cons list, I have decided to attend UW COPHP program this fall. I know there are a few of you who will also be attending. Feel free to reach out to me

In the end Seattle and UW are:

a) West Coast = Best Coast
b) Different from my current experiences, but still social justice oriented.
c) Similar to the YAY area where I went to school.
d) More opportunities for future funding than other schools.
e) Close enough to visit my family if needed(Socal) or my sister in Sacramento.

I felt that Yale, just didn't make enough of an effort to deserve me. 70,000 dollars in debt when I make less than 10,000 a year right now, it just doesn't make sense. Anyway, good luck, and this forum has been great

Hello, fellow incoming COPHP-er here!! My reasons for picking the program are very similar to yours. Let's connect!