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

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So I ended up emailing Columbia last Friday asking timeline about financial aid since I got an acceptance a month ago now but still have heard nothing about financial aid. I heard back this morning, and while they didn’t really answer my question beyond “the next few weeks”, they sent a whole long thing about financial aid some of which may be helpful for us all!

“Our office began reviewing candidates for financial aid last week once we received our finalized budget for 21-22.

All admitted students are considered for all institutional, academic and professional merit scholarships.
However our office must adhere to criteria imposed by the institution and the donors who create the scholarships. While we can review offers from other programs, we are not able to match offers.

To be considered for need based aid, you must file a fafsa. Part of the requirements is having a low expected family contribution, being eligible for pell grant funding or receiving subsidized loans at the undergraduate level. This is information that is reported by the Dept of Education once your fafsa has been received.

The typical candidate for consideration of a academic merit scholarship had an overall undergrad GPA of 3.75 and above. Because the standardized exam is optional for 21-22, we will also review your admissions application holistically. Endowment/professional merit scholarships require students to meet very specific criteria created by the donor’s organization. These awards can range from $5,000 per year to $20,000 per year.

We are also aware of the potential financial burden required for a graduate degree program. Along with the federal unsubsizied loan, the University offers several ways to pay your bill including applying for a federal grad plus loan (application becomes available through our office in the summer) this summer or a monthly payment plan that often helps students when budgeting for school costs.

I also encourage you to research outside sources of funding. There are two sites dedicated to scholarships exclusively in the realm of Public Health: Masters in Public.com and the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health.


Here are some additional scholarship search engines:

• Find Scholarships for College for FREE - Fastweb
• http://www.finaid.org/
• Scholarships.com Search Free College Scholarships Financial Aid Grants Scholarships College Scholarship Free Scholarships
• http://www.fastaid.com/
We will be sending out award offers via email throughout the next few weeks. Please let us know if you have any questions.”
 
mphjl said:
Sent GW my BU financial aid offer to appeal! I feel like they still won’t offer me anything but oh well .... are you guys willing to go to a school that doesn’t give you any scholarship?
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misterdonut said:
I sent an email asking for more aid with no leverage so I’ll let you know what happens. Doesn’t hurt to ask haha
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If you don't mind me asking, but what did yall say in your appeals. I want to appeal my offer to Emory and JHU but I don't know how to go about doing that.
 
Anya230 said:
If you don't mind me asking, but what did yall say in your appeals. I want to appeal my offer to Emory and JHU but I don't know how to go about doing that.
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I was kinda unsure on what to say too so hopefully I didn’t mess it up lol!! I was looking for examples online too. I first stated how grateful that I was for my admission offer. GW is my top choice so I mentioned that based on location specific interests in the concentration. Then I brought up the specific aid offer i received from Boston (attached a pdf of the email from them) and how financial aid is a factor of my final decision. I ended saying I appreciate again any reconsideration they can give me, and if they were able to offer comparable aid to BU I would accept my admission offer immediately (since again it is my first choice so I would despite it still being expensive). So that’s what I did tried to walk the line confidence/firm and appreciative
 
westonsided said:
Out of curiosity, what did y’all put in your statement of purpose as the thing that made you want to pursue public health? Interested to hear people’s stories 🙂
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Im a little late to the game but thought I would answer.

I went into college completely uninspired and burnt out from high school, and having no idea what I wanted to study. I think I was actually a business major, following in the footsteps of my family members, and knowing I would at-least have financial security and connections.

I took a personal health class as an elective my first semester recommended as an "easy A" by one of the orientation leaders. Turns out the professor was the head of the public health department, and would often bring up connections between personal and public health in the class. Before that I really did not know public health was a field (sounds silly I know)- In high school I was a strong science student, but could not see myself working in a lab all day, and did not understand what type of jobs could come from bio, chem, or physics. I changed my major after the first semester and was in love. I excelled in all the classes because I genuinely had so much passion and curiosity for what I was learning. I discovered I wanted to work with addiction and harm reduction after a class taken while studying abroad, and my interest in policy was probably most impacted by the unrest in the US the past 4 years. Working in public health policy allows me to work in policy without completely selling my soul to the devil 😉.

Overall, I am very privileged to not have been impacted by public health issues growing up. What drew me to public health was my true interest in the field, and my compassion for those at a disadvantage.
 
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Does anyone have any thoughts/information on Brown's MPH in epi? I was recently accepted and am really thinking about it. I know it is pretty expensive, even with the scholarship. It's a pretty small program so it seems hard to find people who have been in the program or know someone who is/was. Any information and thoughts are appreciated! 🙂
 
rtr2020 said:
I took a personal health class as an elective my first semester recommended as an "easy A" by one of the orientation leaders.
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Lol this was the case with my school too. The public health classes were seen as easy As, so I had quite a few intellectually challenged classmates who were simply majoring it JUST to have a degree in something. People always asked me "oh did you pick that because its easy" i was like um no....I actually want to work in this field 🙄
 
jo2000 said:
GW dreams crushed🥺 I just heard back about awards and all I received was the First Generation Grant. I’m applying to some outside scholarships, but for those appealing their aid, how do you go about doing so?
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I didn’t receive anything from them. I did get a scholarship to BU so I’m going to try and appeal. Not sure what to say though
 
westonsided said:
Out of curiosity, what did y’all put in your statement of purpose as the thing that made you want to pursue public health? Interested to hear people’s stories 🙂
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Little late to this but so many things made me pursue public health. My big life factor was that I grew up in a middle-class area of Metro Detroit. My parents are both blue-collar workers who provided my sibling and me with the best possible childhood, however, it wasn't the case for many of my friends growing up. Many lived in poverty or lower middle class, over 50% of my school district was on a free or reduced lunch program. Being so close to Detroit, we also had many students from Detroit who lived with aunts or extended families to achieve a better education during the school year. Growing up made me really upset that even if we lived in the same neighborhoods or even a 20-minute drive away, we didn't get the same opportunities. When I got to college, it was a big wake-up call that many of my classmates didn't realize a large portion of our communities were living like this. It gave me a real appreciation for what I had and lit a passion in me to make sure every person has the opportunities to succeed. I want every child to shoot for the stars and have the resources to do so. I want to fight for others' chances to dream. I didn't realize I could connect this to Public Health until high school and throughout college. I talked about that a lot in my personal statement as well, but I don't want to drag on in this post! I am really excited for the future and advocate for my future patients in this field( I plan on going to Med School after my MPH!). It's really cool seeing so many people equally as passionate about public health on this forum!!! :,-)
 
I received the presidential scholarship and the first-generation scholarship from GW despite declining my admission offer. I hope someone deserving like one of you gets my funds. I’m shocked because it’s cheaper that BU at this point, but I know I’d be happier closer to home!
 
dnaligase said:
I am so sorry to post here again but it seems like this is the most active thread and I really need help ASAP. If anyone here is kind enough to answer any of the questions below I would be so thankful.

1. If I submitted my SOPHAS application without LORs by around end of Feb (LORs could take a few weeks to over a month) how long would it take for schools to get and evaluate my app?

2. Do top schools realistically admit people after their priority deadline has passed? How common is this? Some schools I’m currently looking at: Columbia, Emory, Michigan, BU, Berkeley, UCLA, GWU, Yale, Pitt, USF, Brown, UPenn

Also if there are any top schools that don’t have priority deadlines or where they particularly don’t matter as much please let me know! Also if any schools give out scholarships late, I know it’s a long shot but just thought I’d put it out there!


3. Is there a “top tier” for MPH programs? If so what schools are in that tier and is the quality of education and job placement significantly better for top tier compared to tier 2 and beyond? Sorry still learning


4. Is there a significant difference in quality of education and job placement between an in person and online MPH program? I’ve noticed a lot of top schools have online MPH programs also, and with multiple start dates. Is this still a legit MPH or is it a money making scheme? Is it worth applying to online programs?
4. Any tips on what schools typically look for in their personal statement/what should I highlight? I know public health experience is good, but any other tips??


5. Any big things I should avoid talking about in my app or avoid doing in general during this app process?? I was premed for college and only decided to switch to MPH recently.. should I avoid mentioning this and if so how do I craft my narrative?


Literally any other tips or advice would be appreciated as well! Thank you!!
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Hi! I'll try my best to briefly answer some of your Q's -

1 - Depends on the school.
2 - Yes. I recommend looking into each school and their review process. Some schools admit on a rolling basis, so they are admitting until they fill all of their spots.
3 - Yes. Search Public Health School Rankings. Anything top 10 are "Top tier." Dare I say anything top 25.
4 - It depends on the school. Make sure the online program is CEPH accredited. You are still required to do some internship/practical experience even if you are online. The key is to find a program (Online or in-person) that fits with your future career goals. I'm almost mid-career, so I'm learning to online programs although I applied to both.
5 - Watch the Emory statement of purpose webinar (YouTube). I found it extremely helpful. The key is to establish who you are, why public health and why the school.
 
chocfullokat said:
I'm still waiting too for health policy...they emailed saying my app was complete 2/1...
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Yes, I am getting worried. i applied 11/25 and heard nothing besides my application was under review on 1/25. Although on here people who applied in January have already heard back, which makes no sense. I emailed the admissions office inquiring and they said at the latest I would hear early March. I applied for GH.
 
mphjl said:
I was kinda unsure on what to say too so hopefully I didn’t mess it up lol!! I was looking for examples online too. I first stated how grateful that I was for my admission offer. GW is my top choice so I mentioned that based on location specific interests in the concentration. Then I brought up the specific aid offer i received from Boston (attached a pdf of the email from them) and how financial aid is a factor of my final decision. I ended saying I appreciate again any reconsideration they can give me, and if they were able to offer comparable aid to BU I would accept my admission offer immediately (since again it is my first choice so I would despite it still being expensive). So that’s what I did tried to walk the line confidence/firm and appreciative
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Thank you for sharing! I hope that your appeal goes well 🤞🏾
 
ok hold up....I didn't know there was a separate form to fill out for UIC scholarships...oh well lol. not considering them anymore anyway.
 
mph_applicant43796 said:
ok hold up....I didn't know there was a separate form to fill out for UIC scholarships...oh well lol. not considering them anymore anyway.
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Which form? I received a scholarship from UIC and don’t recall filling out anything that wasn’t on SOPHAS or their grad app.
 
tooicy said:
Hi, did they provide you with the scholarship info in the acceptance letter?
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I got an email from my dept (HPA) that I was accepted and that email had 2 letters attached – an acceptance and a scholarship letter. A few weeks later I got the official acceptance from UIC, and I don't remember if the scholarship was mentioned in it (I don't think it was). This may vary by dept, but this was my experience with HPA!
 
Hi! I am contributing late! I am very on the fence about where to go.

Undergraduate School/School type: Middle size research university in the south
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.87 (SOPHAS)
Major/minor: Public Health
GRE(including date taken): Didn't take haha

Interests: Global health, I would like to go to medical school following getting my MPH

Applied: JHU (MSPH in International Health), Harvard (MPH-65), UNC (MPH Global Health), Columbia (Global Health - SMS), Emory (MPH BSHE), Yale (MPH Global Health), Vanderbilt, USC
Accepted: JHU (MTS - 75%), UNC, Columbia (40K), Emory, USC
Rejected:
 
calmhysteria said:
has anyone NOT heard back from schools (michigan, emory, jhu, gwu) regarding financial aid? ive been admitted to these schools and havent heard about aid or scholarships yet (besides michigan loans). starting to panic a bit!

the only school that i've received aid from is bu (35% off tuition) and am also wondering if bu has department scholarships on top of this?

note: i applied a few days before the priority deadline for all my schools.
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The only school I've heard back from on financial aid so far is Yale and MTS at JHU. I'm waiting on Emory (though I doubt they'll offer me any merit scholarships at this point), UMich (still a little hopeful about this one), and GWU (I really hope they give me some money because I really do want to go here).
 
westonsided said:
Out of curiosity, what did y’all put in your statement of purpose as the thing that made you want to pursue public health? Interested to hear people’s stories 🙂
Click to expand...

What drives me to public health is the thinking that I can help many people, not just a group or two. I simply want to make this world a better place for everyone. I have medical background, a strong leadership ability, a very strong tech ability, and an even stronger passion to make a difference in many people's lives. That was how I found public health.
 
dancergirl11119 said:
The only school I've heard back from on financial aid so far is Yale and MTS at JHU. I'm waiting on Emory (though I doubt they'll offer me any merit scholarships at this point), UMich (still a little hopeful about this one), and GWU (I really hope they give me some money because I really do want to go here).
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I believe someone posted last week that Emory shared with them that they had already notified all merit scholarship recipients 🙁
 
noneedtoworry said:
I believe someone posted last week that Emory shared with them that they had already notified all merit scholarship recipients 🙁
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I think there's still a chance if people turn them down. Emory says to notify them asap if you decided to go somewhere else so they can consider the next deserving applicant, as it says in my scholarship email. But people have until April 15th to accept soooo who knows lol
 
mapsmi said:
Hi! I am contributing late! I am very on the fence about where to go.

Undergraduate School/School type: Middle size research university in the south
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.87 (SOPHAS)
Major/minor: Public Health
GRE(including date taken): Didn't take haha

Interests: Global health, I would like to go to medical school following getting my MPH

Applied: JHU (MSPH in International Health), Harvard (MPH-65), UNC (MPH Global Health), Columbia (Global Health - SMS), Emory (MPH BSHE), Yale (MPH Global Health), Vanderbilt, USC
Accepted: JHU (MTS - 75%), UNC, Columbia (40K), Emory, USC
Rejected:
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When did you apply to Columbia and when did you hear back about your funding? Just trying to get a sense of when I should expect any information from them!
 
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