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

[Jasmine Chou]

May I ask some questions about financial aid package? First, does it include financial support like merit-based scholarship, or it only includes loans and fellowship. Second, for programs that offer scholarships to graduate students (such as MPH in HMP at UMichigan Public Health), will they still send the scholarship decision to notify there is no money if the applicant hasn't selected for scholarship, or there will be nothing to hear. Not familiar with the financial aid issues in the US, so really need help from you ~

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[mrmeeseekslookatme]

I was just accepted into JHU MSPH program and wondering if anyone has experience with their financial aid? Do they offer any scholarships and when should I expect to hear back?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Houston1014]

Although almost made my decision to go to Michigan, I'm still waiting for Brown, and just want to get more choices before final decision. They said if I still haven't heard any decision by 15th this month, I can contact them. Now it's already 13th and should I email them now or should I wait for a another day ? (T＿T)

I would just wait it out for another day. Couldn't hurt... right?

 

[guybrush]

May I ask some questions about financial aid package? First, does it include financial support like merit-based scholarship, or it only includes loans and fellowship. Second, for programs that offer scholarships to graduate students (such as MPH in HMP at UMichigan Public Health), will they still send the scholarship decision to notify there is no money if the applicant hasn't selected for scholarship, or there will be nothing to hear. Not familiar with the financial aid issues in the US, so really need help from you ~

I can only speak personally - I've heard from three schools about scholarship offers but nothing about loans, and those scholarship offers did not mention anything about additional financial aid.

I wouldn't count on any schools telling you you're not receiving a scholarship, although you may want to reach out and ask if that kind of funding has already been allotted.

 

[grapesandstrawberries]

Rejected from Berkeley MPH Epi-Bio today via email!

 

[runsdmph]

Rejected from Yale (finally)

 

[meckssh0]

Rejected from Yale (finally)

I'm sorry! Which program?? I'm still waiting on chronic disease epi.

 

[ha4cb5ed]

Does anyone have experience waiving the UC system’s student health insurance (SHIP)? I just discovered that if I’m able to waive it for Berkeley (given comparable insurance from my spouse’s employer), it would represent a savings of nearly $10k over two years. This is likely the same for other California public schools, but I’m unsure of the specifics.

 

[cherry.wine]

May I ask some questions about financial aid package? First, does it include financial support like merit-based scholarship, or it only includes loans and fellowship. Second, for programs that offer scholarships to graduate students (such as MPH in HMP at UMichigan Public Health), will they still send the scholarship decision to notify there is no money if the applicant hasn't selected for scholarship, or there will be nothing to hear. Not familiar with the financial aid issues in the US, so really need help from you ~

So at UMichigan Ann Arbor's visit day, they mentioned that their financial aid would only only include loans and work study. Their financial aid office only handles federal aid. Departments are in charge of handing out scholarships and whatnot. Hope that helps!

** I forgot to add- on the admitted facebook page, the departmental coordinator for HBHE wrote that individuals will only be contacted if they were selected for a scholarship. If you were not contacted, you did not receive a scholarship from your department. Not sure if this applies to all departments, but I imagine it would.

 

[runsdmph]

I'm sorry! Which program?? I'm still waiting on chronic disease epi.

SBS. Received the app complete email 1/31

 

[spacewitch]

Does anyone have experience waiving the UC system’s student health insurance (SHIP)? I just discovered that if I’m able to waive it for Berkeley (given comparable insurance from my spouse’s employer), it would represent a savings of nearly $10k over two years. This is likely the same for other California public schools, but I’m unsure of the specifics.

I graduated from a UC last year and it was pretty easy to waive this. At Davis, the cost was much lower though (about 5K for two years) so hopefully it will be as easy to waive it at Berkeley. You receive an opportunity to fill out a SHIP waiver in like July/August before fees come out. However, one time I was late to waive the amount and as soon as I submitted my documents, they took the charge off of my account.

 

[spacewitch]

Does anyone have advice on getting off the waitlist for a school? I was put on the waitlist at Columbia for HPM and would like to get off of it as soon as I can so I can start figuring out financial aid. I don't want to be too aggressive with the admissions office but I also don't want to be a sitting duck.
**Gentle reminder to decline admissions offers when you know you will not be attending**

 

[runsdmph]

Has anyone applied to Tufts? I had originally planned on going to school on the west coast but some things have changed so I'm looking into more programs in the Northeast. I haven't really heard anything about this program so would love the hear if anyone has any insight!

 

[Cassatrass]

In case anybody else has changed their interests slightly since applying:

After visiting Hopkins for GDEC, I was pretty sure I wanted a global health emphasis on my epi degree. Since the other program I am strongly considering right now is Emory, I reached out and asked about switching from Epi to Global Epi and explained my rationale. After a few emails back and forth confirming that it wouldn't affect my scholarship and further explaining my rationale, I was just notified that the admissions committee approved my switch! I'm pretty excited.

 

[Marisol562999]

Hello,

I believe I just received my financial aid package from UW, which included mostly loans and 5,375 dollars in workstudy(random number). Emory notified me I got a "Path" scholarship, but has not yet released anything else.
I am disappointed it seems, especially UW is not providing a more generous package. I do not know if this varies by program, but it seems no help whatsover. Is this anyone else's experience with UW?

 

[Vslyph]

Because I'm still hopeful about Public Service Loan Forgiveness, does anyone know what the status is on the legislation? I heard that, the way it is written it would only affect new loans taken out after July 2019. Does this mean that I could potentially have half of my education forgiven if I start this fall? Or will it only be for people who are currently in school now?

 

[cherry.wine]

Hello,

I believe I just received my financial aid package from UW, which included mostly loans and 5,375 dollars in workstudy(random number). Emory notified me I got a "Path" scholarship, but has not yet released anything else.
I am disappointed it seems, especially UW is not providing a more generous package. I do not know if this varies by program, but it seems no help whatsover. Is this anyone else's experience with UW?

I just received my financial aid package from UW, and unfortunately/disappointingly it was entirely loans with 0 work study so my experience with UW isn't much better on that front.

 

[phclarinetist]

Hello,

I believe I just received my financial aid package from UW, which included mostly loans and 5,375 dollars in workstudy(random number). Emory notified me I got a "Path" scholarship, but has not yet released anything else.
I am disappointed it seems, especially UW is not providing a more generous package. I do not know if this varies by program, but it seems no help whatsover. Is this anyone else's experience with UW?

I just received my financial aid package from UW, and unfortunately/disappointingly it was entirely loans with 0 work study so my experience with UW isn't much better on that front.

I got loans only too. Which is unfortunate since I really liked the school. It seems now the best option for me is BU which is still a ton of money.

 

[confusedstudent19]

Yeah! Here is the link

YOU ROCK!!! I've been trying to get estimates for cost of living!!

 

[pusheen323]

Hello,

I believe I just received my financial aid package from UW, which included mostly loans and 5,375 dollars in workstudy(random number). Emory notified me I got a "Path" scholarship, but has not yet released anything else.
I am disappointed it seems, especially UW is not providing a more generous package. I do not know if this varies by program, but it seems no help whatsover. Is this anyone else's experience with UW?

Same thing happened with me. And I even got an email a while back telling me that I was one of their top applicants and to apply for certain fellowships and stuff and I didn’t even get any of that.

 

[pusheen323]

Does anyone have advice on getting off the waitlist for a school? I was put on the waitlist at Columbia for HPM and would like to get off of it as soon as I can so I can start figuring out financial aid. I don't want to be too aggressive with the admissions office but I also don't want to be a sitting duck.
**Gentle reminder to decline admissions offers when you know you will not be attending**

Thank you for the reminder. I was putting it off, but now I think I’m going to decline the offers to the universities that I am nowhere near attending. Hopefully it’ll clear up some spaces!

 

[ha4cb5ed]

I graduated from a UC last year and it was pretty easy to waive this. At Davis, the cost was much lower though (about 5K for two years) so hopefully it will be as easy to waive it at Berkeley. You receive an opportunity to fill out a SHIP waiver in like July/August before fees come out. However, one time I was late to waive the amount and as soon as I submitted my documents, they took the charge off of my account.

Thank you! That is super helpful.

 

[fwm88]

Rejected from Berkeley MPH Epi-Bio today via email!

Me too. For the same major. This morning at around 10:20am. Looks like we both got our rejections at the same time

 

[JDGBruin1317]

Rejected from Berkeley MPH Epi-Bio today via email!

Sorry to hear that.

 

[guybrush]

I was just accepted into JHU MSPH program and wondering if anyone has experience with their financial aid? Do they offer any scholarships and when should I expect to hear back?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I assume it's department specific. But for reference, I just got notice of award for the MHS in HBS three days ago from Hopkins.

 

[pusheen323]

They offered me loans and $5400 in work study. I will likely turn down their offer tonight.

I just turned down their offer. Great school and program, but zero funding? I just don’t feel good about that. I’ve already basically decided on another place anyway.

 

[Michelle Faux Fur]

Turned down Brown, CUNY, and Mt Sinai. Hopefully those seats and funding will go to one of you deserving applicants-in-waiting.

 

[(orpheusloves)eurydice]

For those that applied to Tulane, University of Minnesota, Ohio State, or University of South Florida, how long did it take to receive the decision?

I applied to two of the schools you mentioned, so here's my timeline:
Minnesota - applied 12/1, accepted 12/22
Tulane - applied 12/6, accepted 1/5
Hope that helps. If it's taking longer, I wouldn't worry too much. I applied on the early side (especially for Tulane, which has rolling admissions), so that might explain why they got back to me fairly quickly. Good luck!

 

[mickey24]

I just got an email today from UC Irvine saying I need to resubmit my transcripts and letters of rec because they do not have them. I have already been admitted to BU and USC, but does anyone have any input on UCI’s Epi program?
I am trying to decide if it’s worth it to contact all of my recommenders to have them resubmit my letters, especially since my professors are starting finals now.

 

[Houston1014]

I just got an email today from UC Irvine saying I need to resubmit my transcripts and letters of rec because they do not have them. I have already been admitted to BU and USC, but does anyone have any input on UCI’s Epi program?
I am trying to decide if it’s worth it to contact all of my recommenders to have them resubmit my letters, especially since my professors are starting finals now.

Does UCI not utilize the SOPHAS portal?

 

[pusheen323]

I just got an email today from UC Irvine saying I need to resubmit my transcripts and letters of rec because they do not have them. I have already been admitted to BU and USC, but does anyone have any input on UCI’s Epi program?
I am trying to decide if it’s worth it to contact all of my recommenders to have them resubmit my letters, especially since my professors are starting finals now.

I have worked with an Epi professor at UCI and it honestly seems like a small program that is ok and would give you some good training, but it has almost zero name recognition with public health. Plus, the department is housed in the medical school and they’re going to start building a “school of population health” or something soon, but it’s not established now.
My research advisor went to USC for Epi for her MPH and PHD and she says that it was ok, but, once again, it’s housed in the medical school and the area is pretty bad. Honestly, I think BU is the best out of those three because it has a good reputation in the field and seems like a far more robust, well-organized program.

 

[pusheen323]

Does UCI not utilize the SOPHAS portal?

I believe they do for MPH, but not the MS or PHD in Epi.

 

[Daydreamer23]

I applied to two of the schools you mentioned, so here's my timeline:
Minnesota - applied 12/1, accepted 12/22
Tulane - applied 12/6, accepted 1/5
Hope that helps. If it's taking longer, I wouldn't worry too much. I applied on the early side (especially for Tulane, which has rolling admissions), so that might explain why they got back to me fairly quickly. Good luck!

Okay so about a month! My apps got verified 2/27, so hopefully I hear back within the next two weeks! What school are you aiming for?

 

[mickey24]

Does UCI not utilize the SOPHAS portal?

They do but there is also a supplemental application and you have to send everything separately to them as well

 

[mickey24]

I have worked with an Epi professor at UCI and it honestly seems like a small program that is ok and would give you some good training, but it has almost zero name recognition with public health. Plus, the department is housed in the medical school and they’re going to start building a “school of population health” or something soon, but it’s not established now.
My research advisor went to USC for Epi for her MPH and PHD and she says that it was ok, but, once again, it’s housed in the medical school and the area is pretty bad. Honestly, I think BU is the best out of those three because it has a good reputation in the field and seems like a far more robust, well-organized program.

Thank you so much for your input! I have been leaning towards BU for the most part but being from the LA area and having some connections here was keeping USC in consideration for me.
However I had similar reservations to what you mentioned such as being a part of the medical school (they give zero funding to MPH)

 

[pusheen323]

Thank you so much for your input! I have been leaning towards BU for the most part but being from the LA area and having some connections here was keeping USC in consideration for me.
However I had similar reservations to what you mentioned such as being a part of the medical school (they give zero funding to MPH)

I felt the same way about UCLA. I’m also from SoCal and at first I was dead-set on staying in the area and going to UCLA because it’s a great school and it’s close to everything I already know, but then I realized that there were better schools in other parts of the country and maybe it’s time for a change anyway. And thus, my journey went from being 100% set on going to UCLA and never leaving to another state—especially not across the country—to wanting to move across the country to a great program! I honestly felt that going to UCI (also applied for MS in Epi and was accepted) would be selling myself short and I felt that I wouldn’t like living in LA for UCLA and that it was time for a change. Good luck in your decision

 

[JDGBruin1317]

I felt the same way about UCLA. I’m also from SoCal and at first I was dead-set on staying in the area and going to UCLA because it’s a great school and it’s close to everything I already know, but then I realized that there were better schools in other parts of the country and maybe it’s time for a change anyway. And thus, my journey went from being 100% set on going to UCLA and never leaving to another state—especially not across the country—to wanting to move across the country to a great program! I honestly felt that going to UCI (also applied for MS in Epi and was accepted) would be selling myself short and I felt that I wouldn’t like living in LA for UCLA and that it was time for a change. Good luck in your decision

I went to UCLA for undergrad and after living in LA for a few years, I feel like it is time for a change in scenery. Maybe my rejection from UCLA was a sign that I need to step out of my comfort zone.

 

[grapesandstrawberries]

Sorry to hear that.

no problem! west coast schools hate me! lol just kidding.

I felt the same way about UCLA. I’m also from SoCal and at first I was dead-set on staying in the area and going to UCLA because it’s a great school and it’s close to everything I already know, but then I realized that there were better schools in other parts of the country and maybe it’s time for a change anyway. And thus, my journey went from being 100% set on going to UCLA and never leaving to another state—especially not across the country—to wanting to move across the country to a great program! I honestly felt that going to UCI (also applied for MS in Epi and was accepted) would be selling myself short and I felt that I wouldn’t like living in LA for UCLA and that it was time for a change. Good luck in your decision

I went to UCLA for undergrad and after living in LA for a few years, I feel like it is time for a change in scenery. Maybe my rejection from UCLA was a sign that I need to step out of my comfort zone.

I feel the same way about Seattle but I am still crying over it T.T

 

[mickey24]

I felt the same way about UCLA. I’m also from SoCal and at first I was dead-set on staying in the area and going to UCLA because it’s a great school and it’s close to everything I already know, but then I realized that there were better schools in other parts of the country and maybe it’s time for a change anyway. And thus, my journey went from being 100% set on going to UCLA and never leaving to another state—especially not across the country—to wanting to move across the country to a great program! I honestly felt that going to UCI (also applied for MS in Epi and was accepted) would be selling myself short and I felt that I wouldn’t like living in LA for UCLA and that it was time for a change. Good luck in your decision

Good luck to you too with your decision and the new adventure out of SoCal!

 

[alexiabee2020]

Does anyone know if Columbia has a MPH facebook page for the 2020 class? Also after i've paid my deposit to Columbia does anyone know what the next steps are?

 

[purpleninja]

Hi everyone!

New to this forum. Have had a look through some of the posts but couldn't really find a proper answer for this.

How important do people think it is to go to a "prestigious" school in the US? I have been fortunate enough to get accepted in John Hopkins and Columbia for a one year MPH. (Waitlisted for Harvard and still nothing from Berkeley?).

I have also been accepted into London School of Hygiene and tropical medicine and Queen Mary College Despite the costs of living in London they are both significantly cheaper than the US schools.

I hope to work in Africa with health policy. Is going to Hopkins or Columbia worth the massive price tag? Maybe for networking or job opportunities later on? Have gotten no funding as an international student :/

And thanks to everyone who has posted reviews of the admitted student days!!

 

[She-Hulk]

Hi everyone!

New to this forum. Have had a look through some of the posts but couldn't really find a proper answer for this.

How important do people think it is to go to a "prestigious" school in the US? I have been fortunate enough to get accepted in John Hopkins and Columbia for a one year MPH. (Waitlisted for Harvard and still nothing from Berkeley?).

I have also been accepted into London School of Hygiene and tropical medicine and Queen Mary College Despite the costs of living in London they are both significantly cheaper than the US schools.

I hope to work in Africa with health policy. Is going to Hopkins or Columbia worth the massive price tag? Maybe for networking or job opportunities later on? Have gotten no funding as an international student :/

And thanks to everyone who has posted reviews of the admitted student days!!

I think it helps a little going to a "prestigious" school if you want to do work in some country in Africa and maybe it will help a little bit if your school brings some name recognition, like Harvard, Tulane and Hopkins known in many places abroad, and others. I think that the LSHTM is the best public health school in the world, and it actually stands apart from the top 5 or so in the US as there are a lot of international students in LSHTM and so you might meet people that you'd be working with in the future. I am unsure if the Columbia name is as well known abroad.

I'd say go to the LSHTM definitely!

 

[skaballet]

Hi everyone!

New to this forum. Have had a look through some of the posts but couldn't really find a proper answer for this.

How important do people think it is to go to a "prestigious" school in the US? I have been fortunate enough to get accepted in John Hopkins and Columbia for a one year MPH. (Waitlisted for Harvard and still nothing from Berkeley?).

I have also been accepted into London School of Hygiene and tropical medicine and Queen Mary College Despite the costs of living in London they are both significantly cheaper than the US schools.

I hope to work in Africa with health policy. Is going to Hopkins or Columbia worth the massive price tag? Maybe for networking or job opportunities later on? Have gotten no funding as an international student :/

And thanks to everyone who has posted reviews of the admitted student days!!

I would reach out to LSHTM and ask about careers to understand where people end up. I currently work in global health and have worked for an organization that works in Africa. It can be very challenging to get a position in-country right out of school especially if you are younger. Most of the expat positions go to very senior staff. What is your plan if you can't get a job in Africa? Would you try for a position with NGO or government in Europe or the UK? You say you're international student, but not your citizenship so I would specifically ask about international students and the ability to get positions with US or EU orgs for non-citizens (assuming this is the case). My impression is that it's very challenging in EU. I'd also ask about the possibility of research positions. I'm not sure if these are available to international students if you're on a student visa that doesn't allow you to work.

Also, be very sure to carefully calculate the cost of living in London. I know tuition is cheaper but the COL can really add up especially if your bank account is not in GBP. I say this as someone who lived in London with a bank account in USD and not working. You lose money on every transaction....

 

[JDGBruin1317]

I feel the same way about Seattle but I am still crying over it T.T

Look on the bright side, there's always a rainbow after a raining day (not sure of the exact words of this well-known statement lol)! You got into plenty of awesome schools to choose from! Good luck with your decision! Do you have a good idea of where you want to go?

 

[PublicHealthisLife]

Did anyone who was accepted to an MHS program at Hopkins receive a notification about forms to fill out regarding financial aid? I remember some JHU admits were discussing this but I can't find any financial forms!

 

[skaballet]

Did anyone who was accepted to an MHS program at Hopkins receive a notification about forms to fill out regarding financial aid? I remember some JHU admits were discussing this but I can't find any financial forms!

As far as I know the only thing is FASFA.

 

[pusheen323]

Did anyone who was accepted to an MHS program at Hopkins receive a notification about forms to fill out regarding financial aid? I remember some JHU admits were discussing this but I can't find any financial forms!

I was admitted to the MHS in Epi about 3 weeks ago and haven’t received any info regarding that.

 

[epi5452]

Did anyone who was accepted to an MHS program at Hopkins receive a notification about forms to fill out regarding financial aid? I remember some JHU admits were discussing this but I can't find any financial forms!

I received an email the other day about needing to fill out an application. I emailed and asked about it, and they told me where to find it! If you go to your SIS page, and click on Financial Aid Summary, then you'll see a drop down menu that says Menu on the top left. Click that and then select To Do List, and you'll see an option to fill out the PH Student Aid Application! Once that's filled out, everything should be complete for them to start putting together a financial package!

 

[cowboyupyall]

I remember some JHU admits were discussing this but I can't find any financial forms!

So I applied to MPH and there was a 9-question financial aid application we had to fill out which basically asked how many credits we were planning on taking, other scholarships we expect to receive, etc. This was entirely separate from FAFSA. The form was hidden on a menu in sis.jhu.edu...I'm not sure if they do it differently for MHS but I don't see why they would since it's all for general federal funding.

If I were you I would double check under the "Summary" tab in your SIS site for the "Public Health Student Aid Application." For "optimum consideration" you are supposed to fill it out by today (March 15). If you don't want federal loans or work study then it's not necessary.

 

[sploosh]

Did anyone who was accepted to an MHS program at Hopkins receive a notification about forms to fill out regarding financial aid? I remember some JHU admits were discussing this but I can't find any financial forms!

I was admitted to the MHS in Epi about 3 weeks ago and haven’t received any info regarding that.

I received an email the other day about needing to fill out an application. I emailed and asked about it, and they told me where to find it! If you go to your SIS page, and click on Financial Aid Summary, then you'll see a drop down menu that says Menu on the top left. Click that and then select To Do List, and you'll see an option to fill out the PH Student Aid Application! Once that's filled out, everything should be complete for them to start putting together a financial package!

I was also accepted to the MHS in Epidemiology on Saturday, and on Tuesday I got an email from the financial aid department giving me some instructions on how to access financial aid information, just like epi5452. Maybe I received this email because I'd already sent them a FAFSA? Back in January when I completed my FAFSA, I submitted to every school that I'd applied to because I figured even if I didn't get in, it wouldn't really be a problem.

Regardless of that, accessing using cowboyupyall's instructions above should also work fine.