MPH / MSPH 2021: Applied, Accepted, Waitlisted, Rejected, Attending

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PriFromThePNW said:
I got the same email about a missing FAFSA... but they were the first school on my FAFSA list, which I’ve submitted twice at this point! (Original and a revision) wondering anyone is going through the same issue with Columbia? Other schools have confirmed they have my FAFSA.
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I got the same email and submitted my FAFSA in early January!
 
PriFromThePNW said:
I got the same email about a missing FAFSA... but they were the first school on my FAFSA list, which I’ve submitted twice at this point! (Original and a revision) wondering anyone is going through the same issue with Columbia? Other schools have confirmed they have my FAFSA.
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SAME!! I just emailed them and called them but no answer yet!
 
ka786 said:
SAME!! I just emailed them and called them but no answer yet!
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WOW ok just received a response saying they don't have my social security number.... I confirmed with admissions last week if they had my social security number and admission said yes.
 
ka786 said:
WOW ok just received a response saying they don't have my social security number.... I confirmed with admissions last week if they had my social security number and admission said yes.
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I emailed and got a response back! They said to upload my SSN but I'm not sure where/how to do that 🤔
 
tepall said:
I emailed and got a response back! They said to upload my SSN but I'm not sure where/how to do that 🤔
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Yeah the person (Eric) said to upload it to my "student portal" but I can't find that anywhere. I went to the admissions page and the netportal and there is nowhere to add my social security.
 
ap123 said:
what are your thoughts on Emory vs Yale? would like to hear someone’s perspective on a decision between both
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just boosting bc it didn't get answered, hopefully, one of you can give me some insight. Do you choose ranking over Ivy league?
 
Is anyone else deciding (or has decided) between Johns Hopkins (11-month) MPH and Harvard (65-cr) MPH? I'd love to chat about your thoughts since I am torn between these two programs...
 
Dear Forum!
It is my first time writing here and i honestly need an advice. I am an international student and I was one of the Harvard rejected applicants yesterday and it was a huge hit. My SO was accepted at Harvard two weeks ago and we were already searching for apartments. It was too soon I guess.
I have being accepted to Columbia and JCU (without financial aid for now), to Yale (with 30 k scholarship) and to BU (with a possibility to receive the dean's scholarship). By now I don't know what to do. The name of Yale and Columbia I believe eventually can be helpful because of the Ivy status, but I don't know if I am receiving the best education. On the other hand I have BU with minimum 30 k scholarship that can convert into 100%, but because is not an Ivy and it's ranked No 7, I think I will be waistung the opportunity to attend Hopkins and Columbia (1st and 4th).
I think rankings are misleading but I would love the American insight in this situation. I aim for the best education as a foreign student and I would gladly receive your advice!!
 
In Columbia fin aid portal they estimate the cost to be $71,485 including extras like housing and insurance. I assume that is just for one year? The tuition alone on my portal says $42,208 (around $84,000 for two years)
When you look just at the price for tuition for two years on the general website it says $79,576...

Anybody know what the actual tuition is for the full 2 year mph program?
 
To everyone else who got a Yale scholarship - does anyone know if this is the final/total financial aid? I know it is merit, but are we also waiting on need-based? Or was that everything?
 
epihopeful627 said:
To everyone else who got a Yale scholarship - does anyone know if this is the final/total financial aid? I know it is merit, but are we also waiting on need-based? Or was that everything?
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The Yale scholarship is purely merit-- I don't think they've released FAFSA financial aid packages yet
 
viviannneeee said:
Is anyone still waiting on Boston? I applied months ago, and I am still waiting. I am contemplating emailing them and asking when to expect a decision, but I don't want to be a bother
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Yes, I am! My application was routed for review on 1/11. I emailed them twice thus far for an update. For the first follow up, I sent the email to the asksph distro at the end of January, and I received a vague response. For the second follow up, I sent the email last week to the Assistant Director, who was more helpful; he told me that my application is still waiting for review and that the 5-6 week time frame is just an estimate. It does give some reassurance knowing that not hearing back by now may simply just mean that the application has not been reviewed yet. Hope this helps!
 
epihopeful627 said:
To everyone else who got a Yale scholarship - does anyone know if this is the final/total financial aid? I know it is merit, but are we also waiting on need-based? Or was that everything?
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My scholarship letter also included the federal loans I was eligible for, but I’m not sure if that’s the total financial aid package.
 
1234DrRDOM said:
Dear Forum!
It is my first time writing here and i honestly need an advice. I am an international student and I was one of the Harvard rejected applicants yesterday and it was a huge hit. My SO was accepted at Harvard two weeks ago and we were already searching for apartments. It was too soon I guess.
I have being accepted to Columbia and JCU (without financial aid for now), to Yale (with 30 k scholarship) and to BU (with a possibility to receive the dean's scholarship). By now I don't know what to do. The name of Yale and Columbia I believe eventually can be helpful because of the Ivy status, but I don't know if I am receiving the best education. On the other hand I have BU with minimum 30 k scholarship that can convert into 100%, but because is not an Ivy and it's ranked No 7, I think I will be waistung the opportunity to attend Hopkins and Columbia (1st and 4th).
I think rankings are misleading but I would love the American insight in this situation. I aim for the best education as a foreign student and I would gladly receive your advice!!
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Hi! As someone who went to a 'State School', I can tell you ranks just feed into the elitism of higher education. There's much more to a school than ranks. When I looked into schools for undergrad, I wanted a school that broke boundaries for me and truly showed care for their students on top of quality education.
So, my first question is did you go to an American university for undergrad?

The reason I ask is assimilation. I went to Michigan State which is known for its large program for International Students. They offered so many resources for International Students that many of my friends who were international students said made the cultural transition a lot easier! I would definitely look at the resources provided by each program for international students if this will be your first time living in the United States. The balance between being an entirely different culture and balancing academics can be really difficult. I think it'd be important to have that support!

The next thing I would do is take virtual tours of each campus. As cheesy as is, which one feels like home? You're going to spend the next two years of your life there so making sure you enjoy the environment is essential!

Compare the programs! Did you apply to different concentrations? Look at the course offerings, which courses appeal to you the most? Which one offers assistantships or research opportunities that excite you?

Overall, the experience is what you make it! I feel like the main argument for Hopkins and Yale I've seen is employability. Is an extra 10K a year worth the extra debt? You'll likely end up in the same jobs as those with a degree from Hopkins or Yale. So pick whatever best fits you!
 
rtr2020 said:
In Columbia fin aid portal they estimate the cost to be $71,485 including extras like housing and insurance. I assume that is just for one year? The tuition alone on my portal says $42,208 (around $84,000 for two years)
When you look just at the price for tuition for two years on the general website it says $79,576...

Anybody know what the actual tuition is for the full 2 year mph program?
Click to expand...
Yes, the $72K is for one year. I believe the portal has a higher amount because it is using an estimate of next year's tuition x 2 to estimate total cost (tuition goes up every year). The lower estimate you saw on the website probably used last year's tuition x 2. When I spoke to the financial aid office they said next year's tuition is only finalized over the summer, so I assume what's on the portal is just an estimate. I also heard from another prospective student that they overestimate cost of attendance, but unsure if this would be reflected in a higher tuition estimate or a higher personal expenses estimate... Either way, tuition goes up slightly every year but if you are wondering how much, you could probably take a look at past years' numbers to get a rough estimate.
 
ap123 said:
just boosting bc it didn't get answered, hopefully, one of you can give me some insight. Do you choose ranking over Ivy league?
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I would personally check if their goals align with yours or if you fit in. What are you looking for? Maybe attend a webinar or try reaching out to alumni. Also, don't just look at whether it's an Ivy or high ranking; just do what best fits your needs.
 
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re Columbia fin aid, do they require FAFSA for merit scholarships? Dartmouth and Northwestern didn't...
 
1234DrRDOM said:
Dear Forum!
It is my first time writing here and i honestly need an advice. I am an international student and I was one of the Harvard rejected applicants yesterday and it was a huge hit. My SO was accepted at Harvard two weeks ago and we were already searching for apartments. It was too soon I guess.
I have being accepted to Columbia and JCU (without financial aid for now), to Yale (with 30 k scholarship) and to BU (with a possibility to receive the dean's scholarship). By now I don't know what to do. The name of Yale and Columbia I believe eventually can be helpful because of the Ivy status, but I don't know if I am receiving the best education. On the other hand I have BU with minimum 30 k scholarship that can convert into 100%, but because is not an Ivy and it's ranked No 7, I think I will be waistung the opportunity to attend Hopkins and Columbia (1st and 4th).
I think rankings are misleading but I would love the American insight in this situation. I aim for the best education as a foreign student and I would gladly receive your advice!!
Click to expand...
Are you willing to compromise for 1 or 2 years and having a long-distance relationship? Thing is, you might end up finding networks in different cities, too, and might have to work in different cities as well. So the 1~2 years long-distance might extend to a longer period. Especially when the networks you two are going in will both be outstanding. Like when your SO has the Boston connections while you have the NYC network. It might be harder to give up then. but PH can be a small world, too, so it might not matter that much. Just something to think about.
Do you want to work in the US or your home country after graduation? I have a feeling that the reputation of a big name school might matter a little more outside the US. Maybe check and see if it's true with your home community?
Just my 2 cents.
 
hmm okay is anyone else in a similar boat with Columbia?

I filled out my Fafsa in December 2020 and listed Columbia in my application. Right after I was accepted (about a 1-2 weeks ago) I emailed admissions to confirm they had my social security number-- they told me they did and no additional documents were needed. I received an email this morning from financial aid saying that my FAFSA was missing because they don't have my social security on file. Financial aid told me to add my social security on my student portal. I told them that I don't have access to a student portal and that admissions confirmed with me just last week that they had my SS #. They told me to reach out to admissions to get access to the student portal. -___-

Does anyone know if Columbia's aid package / need-based scholarships are on a rolling basis? I made sure to submit everything right after I submitted applications for this reason.
 
1234DrRDOM said:
Dear Forum!
It is my first time writing here and i honestly need an advice. I am an international student and I was one of the Harvard rejected applicants yesterday and it was a huge hit. My SO was accepted at Harvard two weeks ago and we were already searching for apartments. It was too soon I guess.
I have being accepted to Columbia and JCU (without financial aid for now), to Yale (with 30 k scholarship) and to BU (with a possibility to receive the dean's scholarship). By now I don't know what to do. The name of Yale and Columbia I believe eventually can be helpful because of the Ivy status, but I don't know if I am receiving the best education. On the other hand I have BU with minimum 30 k scholarship that can convert into 100%, but because is not an Ivy and it's ranked No 7, I think I will be waistung the opportunity to attend Hopkins and Columbia (1st and 4th).
I think rankings are misleading but I would love the American insight in this situation. I aim for the best education as a foreign student and I would gladly receive your advice!!
Click to expand...
I agree with what both @OnePotatoTwoBobs and @jo2000 said. I will say that, as someone who went to an Ivy for undergrad, I don't see attending BU as less of an opportunity than attending Columbia or Yale at all; just different, and possibly a better fit depending on interests. If you want to go into research or continue in academia, the most important thing with grad school is fit. Are there faculty at BU that fit your research interests? If so, don't give it a second thought. Even if you want to move way from research or academia after your MPH, attending BU is not going to hurt you. In fact, I would say that it going to help you equally as much as the "Columbia" or "Yale" names will - BU is a great school, and Bostin is a wonderful place to be for all types of career goals. Not every school can be ranked #1, and it's likely that the actual difference between #1 and #7 is extremely small in this case.

I want to especially echo @OnePotatoTwoBobs in their point about your relationship. Are you willing to have a long distance (though not too long of a distance) relationship throughout your MPH and perhaps beyond it as well? For me, the answer is no. My partner is an essential part of my support system. This may differ for those who are younger or who have very supportive families or other major contributors to their support system, but there is nothing wrong with recognizing the importance of being close to a supportive partner, especially if you don't actually have to give up any aspect of your career to do so. This might be an especially important consideration this year, when the COVID-19 pandemic has likely negatively affected the mental health of many and may have isolated us from other parts of our support systems. Additionally, the pandemic could continue to affect the ability to travel, which could have some bearing on whether having a long distance relationship would actually be feasible or enjoyable. I just want to point this out because a lot of people often feel pressure not to let relationships hold them back from their career, but I also think that we should be careful to not necessarily hold ourselves so blindly to this idea that we allow the pursuit of our careers to destroy meaningful, supportive relationships (and again, BU is such a great school that you aren't really sacrificing anything by staying in Boston!).

Finally, the money factor. If you're receiving the most money from BU, then it's even more of a no-brainer. Don't go into debt for your Master's, especially when you have such a great school offering you decent funding.
 
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Finally got a decision back from JHU MPH/MBA! Rejection! Although I’m disappointed, I guess that means I get to go with Emory which I am so super stoked with because I was leaning towards them anyhow. Still waiting to hear back from UCLA but I’m like 80% committed to Emory!

thank you all for the support and your positivity in this forum. I don’t know y’all, but I love you!
 
epihopeful627 said:
To everyone else who got a Yale scholarship - does anyone know if this is the final/total financial aid? I know it is merit, but are we also waiting on need-based? Or was that everything?
Click to expand...
bluecoffee12 said:
My scholarship letter also included the federal loans I was eligible for, but I’m not sure if that’s the total financial aid package.
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The Yale scholarship you are offered is final. I spoke to Ms Farkas and she said that Yale overspends Scholarship money knowing several students will decline. She said it cuts down on the renegotiating time when funds are cleared up by just over-extending scholarships in the beginning.
Edit: it includes merit/need
 
TR_ZHG said:
Yes, I am! My application was routed for review on 1/11. I emailed them twice thus far for an update. For the first follow up, I sent the email to the asksph distro at the end of January, and I received a vague response. For the second follow up, I sent the email last week to the Assistant Director, who was more helpful; he told me that my application is still waiting for review and that the 5-6 week time frame is just an estimate. It does give some reassurance knowing that not hearing back by now may simply just mean that the application has not been reviewed yet. Hope this helps!
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viviannneeee I'm still waiting too...one of the last two schools I'm still waiting on and I applied to all schools around mid Jan.
 
Gavinchy said:
Hi Guys,

Long time lurker here who went through all 152 pages of this forum. I'm an international student and have just been rejected from Harvard MPH-45(Global Health). I have to say this was kind of a let down but I am definitely thankful that I had gotten into JHU and Emory earlier. I am leaning a bit towards JHU's one year program since I am thinking of applying for a PHD down the line. Would JHU be better for that route or would I fare better after going to Emory's program? I do know that JHU's program size is pretty large and hence the one on one attention for research might not be available. Thank you so much guys. It always heartened me to see the support in the community here.
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I'm no expert here, but if I were you, I'd figure out what program is best for my concentration...which one has the classes you're most interested in and look at the faculty background/research areas because it'll be important for your PhD candidacy. With JHU only being one year, you'd have to commit and start reaching out to faculty soon to get those research opportunities once you arrive (1 year isn't a lot of time to get your research in...vs you have 2 years at Emory). You'll save money with a 1-yr at JHU and it seems like a good contender since you already know you want to go into a PhD program...but with a 2-yr program, you have more time to do research and you'll do a practicum too with gives you more opportunities to build relationships with potential employers and get letters of recommendation.
 
___futureofglobalhealth said:
How does waitlisting work? If a space is available in another dept you didnt apply for can you still be accepted even though you applied with another? In other words, is space available for waitlisted students only by the dept they applied for?
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I'm pretty sure you're waitlisted for the department that you applied to. Once you're in, you might or might not be able to switch concentration (you'll have to look that up for the school).
 
ka786 said:
hmm okay is anyone else in a similar boat with Columbia?

I filled out my Fafsa in December 2020 and listed Columbia in my application. Right after I was accepted (about a 1-2 weeks ago) I emailed admissions to confirm they had my social security number-- they told me they did and no additional documents were needed. I received an email this morning from financial aid saying that my FAFSA was missing because they don't have my social security on file. Financial aid told me to add my social security on my student portal. I told them that I don't have access to a student portal and that admissions confirmed with me just last week that they had my SS #. They told me to reach out to admissions to get access to the student portal. -___-

Does anyone know if Columbia's aid package / need-based scholarships are on a rolling basis? I made sure to submit everything right after I submitted applications for this reason.
Click to expand...

Schools use your fafsa submission date to the fed to prioritize your aids. If you have issues at the school with your ssn that cause your fafsa to not be pulled at the school level, this delay should not affect your aids' priority. But be sure to follow up with the financial aid office to make sure you will receive your aids package in a timely manner.
 
___futureofglobalhealth said:
How does waitlisting work? If a space is available in another dept you didnt apply for can you still be accepted even though you applied with another? In other words, is space available for waitlisted students only by the dept they applied for?
Click to expand...

If you are waitlisted, you will need to be accepted to that department first. Once you are accepted, you can request to change concentration. Your app will then be reviewed by the department that you want to transfer to. If they accept you, then your request to change conc will be approved. If not, you are still accepted to the original conc.
 
tepall said:
I emailed and got a response back! They said to upload my SSN but I'm not sure where/how to do that 🤔
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You could email admissions to request them to call you so you could provide your ssn verbally over the phone. Some programs will do this for you. It is the quickest way to have your ssn entered into the system. Once admissions enters your ssn into the system, you can contact the financial aid office to pull your fafsa. Once your fafsa is pulled, you will wait for them to package your financial aid award.
 
TLDR: Columbia SMS or Yale SBS??

Need help making a decision: to be transparent about my goals I am a premed but loved public health, wanted to do my MPH during my gap to get a real, immersive dive into public health before going into medical school. I am so so excited to be choosing between Columbia SMS, Yale SBS (those are my top two), BU, GWU, and UPitt. My only concern with Mailman is the curriculum is more rigid/structured than Yale's and Mailman seemed to have reservations about research opportunities whereas I want to have a heavy emphasis on research during my time as a grad student. Any advice would be helpful! I do not know my financial aid packages yet, but evaluating the two options without that information.
 
skyun said:
TLDR: Columbia SMS or Yale SBS??

Need help making a decision: to be transparent about my goals I am a premed but loved public health, wanted to do my MPH during my gap to get a real, immersive dive into public health before going into medical school. I am so so excited to be choosing between Columbia SMS, Yale SBS (those are my top two), BU, GWU, and UPitt. My only concern with Mailman is the curriculum is more rigid/structured than Yale's and Mailman seemed to have reservations about research opportunities whereas I want to have a heavy emphasis on research during my time as a grad student. Any advice would be helpful! I do not know my financial aid packages yet, but evaluating the two options without that information.
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I would choose Yale. If your goal post-mph is to pursue medical school, Yale is a good option. You will be in a close-knit community whose faculty and admins truly care for your success.
 
skyun said:
TLDR: Columbia SMS or Yale SBS??

Need help making a decision: to be transparent about my goals I am a premed but loved public health, wanted to do my MPH during my gap to get a real, immersive dive into public health before going into medical school. I am so so excited to be choosing between Columbia SMS, Yale SBS (those are my top two), BU, GWU, and UPitt. My only concern with Mailman is the curriculum is more rigid/structured than Yale's and Mailman seemed to have reservations about research opportunities whereas I want to have a heavy emphasis on research during my time as a grad student. Any advice would be helpful! I do not know my financial aid packages yet, but evaluating the two options without that information.
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If you want that research under your belt then Yale is the option. The small cohort size allows better opportunity to find a position. You would have to actively avoid position at Yale as others have mentioned here. Just make sure there are faculty with interests similar to yours. Even if Yale had the research opportunities, it would not help if you disinterested in what work is being conducted.
 
Does anyone know if you can change concentrations at Yale? I emailed them a few days ago, but haven't gotten a response. I want to change from Epi EMD to Health Policy.
 
MPHSeekerrr said:
Does anyone know if you can change concentrations at Yale? I emailed them a few days ago, but haven't gotten a response. I want to change from Epi EMD to Health Policy.
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It is apparently easy to change? one of the student ambassadors came in as SBS?? but now she is Chronic Disease Epi and she barely on her 2nd semester in the program. so she must've changed concentrations before matriculating or during her 1st semester
 
jvrichard said:
Is anyone else deciding (or has decided) between Johns Hopkins (11-month) MPH and Harvard (65-cr) MPH? I'd love to chat about your thoughts since I am torn between these two programs...
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Hey! Also currently deciding between the 11-month MPH at Hopkins (concentration in Health Systems and Policy) and Harvard 65 (Health Policy). Would love to chat with you or anyone else in the same boat.
 
crashfan said:
It is apparently easy to change? one of the student ambassadors came in as SBS?? but now she is Chronic Disease Epi and she barely on her 2nd semester in the program. so she must've changed concentrations before matriculating or during her 1st semester
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MPHSeekerrr said:
Does anyone know if you can change concentrations at Yale? I emailed them a few days ago, but haven't gotten a response. I want to change from Epi EMD to Health Policy.
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I actually just got off a call with Becca Melnick and she said that it’s typically not difficult to change after your first semester - the other department will re-review your file and your reason for wanting to change has to be legit. She did mention that if you are switching into Biostat (which I am considering), you should wait until you have all of the pre-reqs (linear algebra and multivariate calculus) to try to change because otherwise it would be unlikely.
 
Sunshine2021 said:
Have you contacted Ms. Mary Keefe, the director? She is genuinely kind. Yale is lucky to have her as its director.
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crashfan said:
It is apparently easy to change? one of the student ambassadors came in as SBS?? but now she is Chronic Disease Epi and she barely on her 2nd semester in the program. so she must've changed concentrations before matriculating or during her 1st semester
Click to expand...

epihopeful627 said:
I actually just got off a call with Becca Melnick and she said that it’s typically not difficult to change after your first semester - the other department will re-review your file and your reason for wanting to change has to be legit. She did mention that if you are switching into Biostat (which I am considering), you should wait until you have all of the pre-reqs (linear algebra and multivariate calculus) to try to change because otherwise it would be unlikely.
Click to expand...
Thank you all so much! I emailed Mary right before @epihopeful627 replied, but thank you!!
 
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