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

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
Cheeseboard said:
Does anyone else feel like they can’t really make a sound decision about where to go until schools announce if classes will be online or in person? I’m betting the pandemic will still be raging on by Fall, even if most everyone is vaccinated by then. Plus our decision deadline is SO soon!
Click to expand...
I put my thoughts way back in the early forum of this page and school will 100% be in person for Fall. Every projection we have is saying by the end of JUNE that cases will be below 20k a day. CDC predicted in december that 30% of americans have been infected and eventually there isnt enough people left to infect in conjuction with 1.5 million people being vaccinated a day since January. We are 45 million people vaccinated at least 1 shot. Fall semester August is 6 months away which is an enormous amount of time to get life back on track.
 
lan15 said:
Not sure if this is helpful, but I'm currently finishing up my MSN (starting MPH in the Fall) and I've been online (aside from clinical rotations) instead of in-person. I decided to move to Philly (where my school is based) when I went full-time with my coursework, and I've still been able to bond with classmates & get some valuable experiences online. Obvi it's not the same, but I wouldn't hold your breath for things "being back to normal" with any permanence - it's more likely that programs are hybrid and fluctuate between in-person and online depending on case #s. As much as possible, I would try to take the in-person factor out of this for now and focus on being excited about the acceptances you have in hand! Particularly since the whole idea of in-person classes is very ambiguous for most institutions at this point. My opinion is that deferring is complicated and delays your goals. I do think there's some realistic hope of things being solidly hybrid though! Just my two cents.
Click to expand...
All great points. My issue is I don’t know if I need to be moving, and if so where to! I have a vague budget and timeline in mind but obviously if I don’t have to be in a pricy town due to everything being online, hopefully I can snag something more affordable elsewhere.
 
FWI to everyone waiting for Columbia Financial Aid: I had been waiting since 1/20 when I was accepted. I emailed them at 5:00 pm tonight about the timeline, they gave me the generic "Our office is currently reviewing all students for financial aid and sending out award offers throughout the next couple of weeks" and one hour later (6:02 pm) I got my package.
 
Cheeseboard said:
Does anyone else feel like they can’t really make a sound decision about where to go until schools announce if classes will be online or in person? I’m betting the pandemic will still be raging on by Fall, even if most everyone is vaccinated by then. Plus our decision deadline is SO soon!
Click to expand...
Just based off the numbers in regards to COVID cases, I'm more hopeful these days. I can see there being more in-person options and use of the hybrid model than just straight online. If you know what school you want, you can still make your deposit and wait until August to defer (or whatever their defer deadline is).
 
crashfan said:
I put my thoughts way back in the early forum of this page and school will 100% be in person for Fall. Every projection we have is saying by the end of JUNE that cases will be below 20k a day. CDC predicted in december that 30% of americans have been infected and eventually there isnt enough people left to infect in conjuction with 1.5 million people being vaccinated a day since January. We are 45 million people vaccinated at least 1 shot. Fall semester August is 6 months away which is an enormous amount of time to get life back on track.
Click to expand...
For anyone curious, I listened to Columbia's admitted students webinar today and they said the Fall semester will most likely be hybrid. It sounded like they would have in-person and virtual options for those who want them, but they were understandably pretty vague about it.
 
Does anyone know if Columbia will also be hosting admitted student's day in April or only in March? Cause if I don't hear back in March, I'm giving up.. the suspense is getting to me y'all
 
Advice needed!

I have 51k in private loans and 29,500 in federal loans.
I 100% plan on earning my Ph.D. in Public Health, but I am attending an MPH program in the Fall.

Should I go prestigious or should I go affordable?
Applied: Emory, BU, Tulane, Georgia State, Colorado, South Carolina, Oregon, and I may apply to more but probably not.
Accepted: Emory, Tulane, Colorado
Waiting: Georgia State, South Carolina, BU, Oregon.

Dream school + location: Emory; Best location + price: Georgia state; Best balance: Tulane and UofSC
I plan on going for a PhD at Emory, FL, UofSC, UAB, UNC, or FL-or possibly a school in the north, but I want to do research in the Southeast long-term.

Emory is not generous, Georgia State could be free (scholarships, GA position), UofSC could be cheap (living cost/GA position), and Tulane will give more money than Emory (based on previous students, opportunities).
Emory ranked 5th, Tulane 13th, Georgia state 52nd, UofSC in the 20s?

Do I need to go to a school like Emory to be taken seriously for a competitive Ph.D. program? I feel confident in my ambition to persevere. I didn't go to a prestigious undergrad but was still an R1 and respected in the Southeast (UAB). I also would like to pursue mostly funded PhD's eventually, and I can apply for McNair scholar Ph.D. fellowships.

I absolutely love Emory, but the cost... It's so expensive. I doubt my fin aid package will be more than 40% coverage if I even get that. So $70k+ debt on top of the existing debt... Thoughts?
 
hopehaswings said:
Does anyone know if Columbia will also be hosting admitted student's day in April or only in March? Cause if I don't hear back in March, I'm giving up.. the suspense is getting to me y'all
Click to expand...
Their March admitted students week is March 22nd-25th, so you should hear back by then!
 
Gphmph123 said:
Ahhh I applied the 15 too! What concentration did you apply for? Praying for acceptances for all of us 😬
Click to expand...
I applied (1/15) then reached out to Kamal Kornegay (director of admissions) for a status update on (1/29) he responded on (2/2) that my app was complete. Then on (2/18) I got an email saying my app was complete and submitted to the committee for review and my wait time was 3-4 weeks. then I got my decision today!! so i'm sure your acceptances are coming!! 😀
 
Boba_no_sugar said:
Advice needed!

I have 51k in private loans and 29,500 in federal loans.
I 100% plan on earning my Ph.D. in Public Health, but I am attending an MPH program in the Fall.

Should I go prestigious or should I go affordable?
Applied: Emory, BU, Tulane, Georgia State, Colorado, South Carolina, Oregon, and I may apply to more but probably not.
Accepted: Emory, Tulane, Colorado
Waiting: Georgia State, South Carolina, BU, Oregon.

Dream school + location: Emory; Best location + price: Georgia state; Best balance: Tulane and UofSC
I plan on going for a PhD at Emory, FL, UofSC, UAB, UNC, or FL-or possibly a school in the north, but I want to do research in the Southeast long-term.

Emory is not generous, Georgia State could be free (scholarships, GA position), UofSC could be cheap (living cost/GA position), and Tulane will give more money than Emory (based on previous students, opportunities).
Emory ranked 5th, Tulane 13th, Georgia state 52nd, UofSC in the 20s?

Do I need to go to a school like Emory to be taken seriously for a competitive Ph.D. program? I feel confident in my ambition to persevere. I didn't go to a prestigious undergrad but was still an R1 and respected in the Southeast (UAB). I also would like to pursue mostly funded PhD's eventually, and I can apply for McNair scholar Ph.D. fellowships.

I absolutely love Emory, but the cost... It's so expensive. I doubt my fin aid package will be more than 40% coverage if I even get that. So $70k+ debt on top of the existing debt... Thoughts?
Click to expand...
In my opinion, you should go for the affordable school that most align with your research interests. For PhD the most important thing is to get published and have research experience. Yes, higher ranked schools have more resources but no matter where you go you make your grad experience how you want it.
If Emory is your dream school, you can still go for your PhD and you will have many more funding options. If you try to go to Emory now, you'll probably have $150k+ total debt by the time you graduate which just doesn't seem worth it (again my opinion)
 
epihopeful627 said:
Someone already brought this up and I know this is such a lame reason to complain but does it bother anyone else that graduate students at Columbia don't get to wear the cool hoods during graduation?? Like I know it's not a huge deal but I feel like it would distinguish us from the undergrads moreso than the slightly different sleeves they mention. Such a weird issue but I would really like a hood lol
Click to expand...
I'm genuinely curious about that as well. Students pay for their graduation regalia, so it wouldn't "cost" them to have it available...
 
Boba_no_sugar said:
Advice needed!

I have 51k in private loans and 29,500 in federal loans.
I 100% plan on earning my Ph.D. in Public Health, but I am attending an MPH program in the Fall.

Should I go prestigious or should I go affordable?
Applied: Emory, BU, Tulane, Georgia State, Colorado, South Carolina, Oregon, and I may apply to more but probably not.
Accepted: Emory, Tulane, Colorado
Waiting: Georgia State, South Carolina, BU, Oregon.

Dream school + location: Emory; Best location + price: Georgia state; Best balance: Tulane and UofSC
I plan on going for a PhD at Emory, FL, UofSC, UAB, UNC, or FL-or possibly a school in the north, but I want to do research in the Southeast long-term.

Emory is not generous, Georgia State could be free (scholarships, GA position), UofSC could be cheap (living cost/GA position), and Tulane will give more money than Emory (based on previous students, opportunities).
Emory ranked 5th, Tulane 13th, Georgia state 52nd, UofSC in the 20s?

Do I need to go to a school like Emory to be taken seriously for a competitive Ph.D. program? I feel confident in my ambition to persevere. I didn't go to a prestigious undergrad but was still an R1 and respected in the Southeast (UAB). I also would like to pursue mostly funded PhD's eventually, and I can apply for McNair scholar Ph.D. fellowships.

I absolutely love Emory, but the cost... It's so expensive. I doubt my fin aid package will be more than 40% coverage if I even get that. So $70k+ debt on top of the existing debt... Thoughts?
Click to expand...
I would definitely go with the cheapest option all around. You already have a lot of debt already it could be done if your career pays very well ( 6 figures). I am in the same situation but I cannot see myself paying more than 40k for a master's program, if even that.
 
Boba_no_sugar said:
Advice needed!

I have 51k in private loans and 29,500 in federal loans.
I 100% plan on earning my Ph.D. in Public Health, but I am attending an MPH program in the Fall.

Should I go prestigious or should I go affordable?
Applied: Emory, BU, Tulane, Georgia State, Colorado, South Carolina, Oregon, and I may apply to more but probably not.
Accepted: Emory, Tulane, Colorado
Waiting: Georgia State, South Carolina, BU, Oregon.

Dream school + location: Emory; Best location + price: Georgia state; Best balance: Tulane and UofSC
I plan on going for a PhD at Emory, FL, UofSC, UAB, UNC, or FL-or possibly a school in the north, but I want to do research in the Southeast long-term.

Emory is not generous, Georgia State could be free (scholarships, GA position), UofSC could be cheap (living cost/GA position), and Tulane will give more money than Emory (based on previous students, opportunities).
Emory ranked 5th, Tulane 13th, Georgia state 52nd, UofSC in the 20s?

Do I need to go to a school like Emory to be taken seriously for a competitive Ph.D. program? I feel confident in my ambition to persevere. I didn't go to a prestigious undergrad but was still an R1 and respected in the Southeast (UAB). I also would like to pursue mostly funded PhD's eventually, and I can apply for McNair scholar Ph.D. fellowships.

I absolutely love Emory, but the cost... It's so expensive. I doubt my fin aid package will be more than 40% coverage if I even get that. So $70k+ debt on top of the existing debt... Thoughts?
Click to expand...
It would probably be easier to decide once you get ALL your scholarship and financial aid info from every school. That could be until the end of March, but right now it's hard to advise. Don't be discouraged in thinking you won't get much money, these schools can surprise you.
 
Mlm1986 said:
Yes, I asked them LOL. They refused to waive it, even for COVID. Otherwise, I would have applied. Funny how schools like Johns Hopkins and Columbia waived it, but CUNY didn't. I guess there is a lot of value there. In state tuition is a bargain. SUNY downstate doesn't require it though, but CUNY is ranked higher...
Click to expand...
this is false - i applied to CUNY, was already accepted, and never took my GRE. i'm also a NY state resident. you can 100% apply without it @nunuuuxoxo
 
tcj said:
Has anyone heard about financial aid packages from anywhere? I emailed University of Minnesota last week asking when I might expect information, but only radio silence. I'm between BU and Minnesota at this point (haven't heard from Berkeley but not holding out hope that I'll get in), and I'm really torn because a huge factor is cost - after a 25% scholarship from BU, the tuition costs are pretty similar right now but I know cost of living is higher in Boston. Kinda feel like I'm in purgatory since I can't make a decision yet!
Click to expand...
I emailed Berkeley and they just told me that students who will be offered funding should receive a notification by early March via email.
 
pzap27 said:
FWI to everyone waiting for Columbia Financial Aid: I had been waiting since 1/20 when I was accepted. I emailed them at 5:00 pm tonight about the timeline, they gave me the generic "Our office is currently reviewing all students for financial aid and sending out award offers throughout the next couple of weeks" and one hour later (6:02 pm) I got my package.
Click to expand...
Was this a scholarship package or need-based?
 
Boba_no_sugar said:
Advice needed!

I have 51k in private loans and 29,500 in federal loans.
I 100% plan on earning my Ph.D. in Public Health, but I am attending an MPH program in the Fall.

Should I go prestigious or should I go affordable?
Applied: Emory, BU, Tulane, Georgia State, Colorado, South Carolina, Oregon, and I may apply to more but probably not.
Accepted: Emory, Tulane, Colorado
Waiting: Georgia State, South Carolina, BU, Oregon.

Dream school + location: Emory; Best location + price: Georgia state; Best balance: Tulane and UofSC
I plan on going for a PhD at Emory, FL, UofSC, UAB, UNC, or FL-or possibly a school in the north, but I want to do research in the Southeast long-term.

Emory is not generous, Georgia State could be free (scholarships, GA position), UofSC could be cheap (living cost/GA position), and Tulane will give more money than Emory (based on previous students, opportunities).
Emory ranked 5th, Tulane 13th, Georgia state 52nd, UofSC in the 20s?

Do I need to go to a school like Emory to be taken seriously for a competitive Ph.D. program? I feel confident in my ambition to persevere. I didn't go to a prestigious undergrad but was still an R1 and respected in the Southeast (UAB). I also would like to pursue mostly funded PhD's eventually, and I can apply for McNair scholar Ph.D. fellowships.

I absolutely love Emory, but the cost... It's so expensive. I doubt my fin aid package will be more than 40% coverage if I even get that. So $70k+ debt on top of the existing debt... Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Don't go more into debt... go for the affordable option. If anything, apply to the PhD at Emory after an affordable MPH because PhDs are generally funded.

But I do not recommend going more into debt if you already have that much.
 
chocfullokat said:
I'm genuinely curious about that as well. Students pay for their graduation regalia, so it wouldn't "cost" them to have it available...
Click to expand...

It might be because they dont want to deal with a separate hooding ceremony just for mph graduates. If there is a hood, there should be 2 ceremonies: one just for the mph graduates where hooding takes place for each student on stage (this ceremony takes place first) and one grand Commencement processional march with the larger campus grads where you will be in your full academic regalia (with the hood, of course). If there is no hood, then you wont need a separate hooding ceremony.
 
epihopeful627 said:
Someone already brought this up and I know this is such a lame reason to complain but does it bother anyone else that graduate students at Columbia don't get to wear the cool hoods during graduation?? Like I know it's not a huge deal but I feel like it would distinguish us from the undergrads moreso than the slightly different sleeves they mention. Such a weird issue but I would really like a hood lol
Click to expand...

Hey, you can always put on top of your cap in big bold letters to distinguish yourself from the undergrads with something like: GRAD GRADUATE (then draw your little hood up there) 🥰
 
Sunshine2021 said:
That should prep us to become well-trained disease tracking professionals. 😎
Click to expand...

1614132817713.png
 
Cheeseboard said:
All great points. My issue is I don’t know if I need to be moving, and if so where to! I have a vague budget and timeline in mind but obviously if I don’t have to be in a pricy town due to everything being online, hopefully I can snag something more affordable elsewhere.
Click to expand...
Totally understandable! Maybe you could look into what the experiences of current students at your prospective program are? They might be able to give a better idea as to whether you need to be on campus and probably have more information, especially if there are first going into second years? I have a few friends in grad school who decided to stay in their home cities for the beginning of this year, and gave it through orientation before deciding to move to their school's city. The nice thing is it seems like a lot of schools are very flexible right now. Best of luck!!
 
Anyone apply to Columbia's accelerated 1 year program and hear back? Haven't heard back myself.
 
lan15 said:
Thank you for the input! Are there specific reasons why you would choose HSPH over the other two for my conc?
Click to expand...
Your conc is Health management. MPH is interdisciplinary in general. That means you will have top faculty from various departments to teach you and therefore give you the connections that students elsewhere do not have. That is to name a good thing out of many.
 
lan15 said:
Anyone have thoughts on decision-making for MPH between Hopkins v. Harvard v. Columbia?

For reference, these were my timelines/details if that's helpful for anyone:
- JHU: concentration = health leadership & mgmt, decision = 12/28/20
- Columbia: concentration = HPM, decision = 1/20/21
- HSPH: concentration = health mgmt, decision = 2/18/21

These are all post-Masters 1y programs for me. Also pending fin aid decisions from Hopkins & Columbia, though I think it'd be on par w/ HSPH since my impression is that their aid processes are all similar for these 1y programs (i.e. little to no aid). I've been mentally prepping for financing this on loans since I applied though, so not too fussed if that's the case (I've accepted my fate lol).
Click to expand...

@lan15

In my humble opinion, for Health Management, hands-down HSPH. It is the most suitable one since you can take classes at HBS, under world-class faculty (although you might get second dibs on registering for classes as a non-MBA candidate, and I am so sure of that) and build one of the best connections and network. You can also cross-register at MIT and take some amazing classes. Additionally, if a start-up is something you are looking at, nothing to beat HSPH with the Harvard Innovation Lab. I also believe that with "fixed semester fees" you can take as many classes as you want and load up, if you are into the nerdy thingamajig.

If you want "all things public health" then JHU is the best. The choice of classes you can take is phenomenal and you will never run out of subjects to learn, and the label global now. But the business school is not up there with the top ones.

I am not sure about Columbia, but I would think that if you want just the ivy thingy (which you get from HSPH, anyway) and live in NYC, then it matters but otherwise, not much compared the other two.
 
Last edited:
Sunshine2021 said:
It might be because they dont want to deal with a separate hooding ceremony just for mph graduates. If there is a hood, there should be 2 ceremonies: one just for the mph graduates where hooding takes place for each student on stage (this ceremony takes place first) and one grand Commencement processional march with the larger campus grads where you will be in your full academic regalia (with the hood, of course). If there is no hood, then you wont need a separate hooding ceremony.
Click to expand...
Aha! I didn't know that there was a separate hooding ceremony!
 
Boba_no_sugar said:
Advice needed!

I have 51k in private loans and 29,500 in federal loans.
I 100% plan on earning my Ph.D. in Public Health, but I am attending an MPH program in the Fall.

Should I go prestigious or should I go affordable?
Applied: Emory, BU, Tulane, Georgia State, Colorado, South Carolina, Oregon, and I may apply to more but probably not.
Accepted: Emory, Tulane, Colorado
Waiting: Georgia State, South Carolina, BU, Oregon.

Dream school + location: Emory; Best location + price: Georgia state; Best balance: Tulane and UofSC
I plan on going for a PhD at Emory, FL, UofSC, UAB, UNC, or FL-or possibly a school in the north, but I want to do research in the Southeast long-term.

Emory is not generous, Georgia State could be free (scholarships, GA position), UofSC could be cheap (living cost/GA position), and Tulane will give more money than Emory (based on previous students, opportunities).
Emory ranked 5th, Tulane 13th, Georgia state 52nd, UofSC in the 20s?

Do I need to go to a school like Emory to be taken seriously for a competitive Ph.D. program? I feel confident in my ambition to persevere. I didn't go to a prestigious undergrad but was still an R1 and respected in the Southeast (UAB). I also would like to pursue mostly funded PhD's eventually, and I can apply for McNair scholar Ph.D. fellowships.

I absolutely love Emory, but the cost... It's so expensive. I doubt my fin aid package will be more than 40% coverage if I even get that. So $70k+ debt on top of the existing debt... Thoughts?
Click to expand...
why not UAB for MPH?
 
pzap27 said:
FWI to everyone waiting for Columbia Financial Aid: I had been waiting since 1/20 when I was accepted. I emailed them at 5:00 pm tonight about the timeline, they gave me the generic "Our office is currently reviewing all students for financial aid and sending out award offers throughout the next couple of weeks" and one hour later (6:02 pm) I got my package.
Click to expand...
Did they email it to you, or was it updated on the portal? Hopefully mine will go through in a few days...
 
psepi39 said:
Apologize if it has been asked before but have any schools made any statements regarding whether they will continue with virtual courses or restart on campus classes in the fall? Kind of a big thing to take into consideration
Click to expand...
Wondering this as well! Dartmouth said that they would offer both online and in-person format to meet everyone's individual needs. The UC system has said that they will reopen for in-person (but not sure if it's a 100% sure thing). Definitely hope more schools will make an announcement about what their plan is soon.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

J
MPH / MSPH 2024: Applied, Accepted, Waitlisted, Rejected, Attending
Replies
3
Views
7K
catch-22
catch-22
She-Hulk
MPH / MSPH 2023: Applied, Accepted, Waitlisted, Rejected, Attending
2 3
Replies
103
Views
29K
Nicole Brown
Nicole Brown
D
2024 Public Health Doctoral Programs ( PhD, DrPH, ScD): Applied, Accepted, Waitlisted, Attending, Rejected
Replies
0
Views
5K
drph2024
D
J
MHA 2024: Applied, Interviewed, Rejected, Attending
Replies
5
Views
4K
MHAApplicant2024
M
Z
MPH / MSPH 2022: Applied, Accepted, Waitlisted, Rejected, Attending
22 23 24 25 26
Replies
1K
Views
212K
Nicole Brown
Nicole Brown
Top