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

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ssyw said:
To all the familiar names on this "WILL TODAY BE HSPH DAY" journey with me - I'm relieved y'all finally heard back and can finally move on to the next step of making YOUR decision!!!

Just in case someone out there is wondering if they are the only one still waiting - hi, me too.... 65 HP here.
Click to expand...
same, with SBS 65. everyone hearing back - you're all all stars and im so excited to see where you all end up going 🙂
 
misterdonut said:
Currently a third year medical student applying into emergency medicine. My interest in public health is a later interest, so I have a lot of basic science experience prior to now.

Undergraduate School/School type: Top Midwest University
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.64
Major/minor: Major in Biology, Minor in Music
Grad GPA (if applicable): Pass/Fail at my medical school
Grad studies (if applicable): Third year medical student, East Coast
GRE(including date taken): MCAT 516, didn't take GRE

Bolded most relevant experiences:
Research:
- 1 year neurophysiology lab
- 1 summer in genetics/psychiatry lab
- 1 summer in neurobehavioral lab in Japan
- 1 summer in interventional psychiatry lab
- 3 years in cognitive neuroscience lab
- 1 summer in pediatric neuro/psych refugee health at Karolinska Institute in Sweden. Studied resignation syndrome, which is a neuropsychological condition only affecting refugee children where they deteriorate into a comatose-like state after a traumatic event.
- ~2.5 years research for the resiliency curriculum at my medical school.
Publications: Only a few of these are public health related, most are basic science. All summer research funded by various grants/fellowships.
- 2 publications
- 1 abstract
- 3 oral presentations
- 11 poster presentations. 1st place poster at global health symposium

Work:
- 1 year working in a private dermatology clinic
- Studied abroad in Denmark, medically related program

Volunteer:
- 1 year English tutoring for refugee support organization
- 2.5 years as director of my school's asylum clinic. We provide medical evaluations and write legal affidavits for asylum seekers, and provide expert declarations supporting release from detention centers due to COVID19.
- 2 years working for human rights/aviation NGO. We use donated frequent flyer miles to book flights reuniting refugees families.
- few months temperature screening at local hospital during COVID
- 2 years participation in health policy discussion group at my medical school.

Letters of Rec:
1) Med school psychiatry professor who I work with for the asylum clinic
2) Health policy group facilitator who has had high positions in AMA, Peace Corps, etc.
3) Supervisor for research at Karolinska

Interests: Refugee health and emergency medicine. Looking for programs that have a big social justice focus, particularly in relationship to forced migration and displacement

Applied: Harvard (MPH Global Health), Karolinska Institutet (MSc Global Health), London School of Economics (MSc Health and International Development)
Accepted: Harvard + 25% (2/18/21), LSE (3/4/21)
Rejected:
Waitlisted:
Attending:
Click to expand...
Committed to HSPH MPH-45 Global Health today and signed a lease in Boston. Chose HSPH over LSE and KI for the HuSEHR concentration mainly. For dual degree MD/MPH applicants reading this in the future/anyone applying abroad, feel free to contact me with any questions!
 
PHStan23 said:
Has anyone decided to attend a lower ranked school although they were admitted by higher ranked school? If so, what influenced your decision?
Click to expand...

My heart has been set with Yale even though I have been accepted at Columbia and Emory (higher ranked).

Yale because -

1) Global brand; everyone and their uncle know Yale, while Columbia and Emory is mostly within the US and within the PH community.
2) Small cohort, tight-knit community, options to take classes outside of SPH.
3) Connections I would get from Yale, in my opinion will be better than the other two.
4) They gave me money and the other two did not. It feels great when you are welcomed with open arms.

Z.
 
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PHStan23 said:
Has anyone decided to attend a lower ranked school although they were admitted by higher ranked school? If so, what influenced your decision?
Click to expand...
I was accepted into every program I applied to (Columbia, NYU, Drexel, BU, Rutgers) and I am ultimately deciding between Drexel and BU because of cost. I probably will end up attending BU because their Healthcare Management certificate is accredited.
 
OnePotatoTwoBobs said:
Is it too much oxytocin in the air that I feel so much for y'all?
or am I just ovulating? LMAO
Click to expand...

Lol'ed. No, I agree-- I feel it for everyone as well! I know Harvard was a top choice for many.

This probably belongs more in the pre-med forums, but there is so much support in this thread that I feel comfortable sharing my fears/anxieties/confusion with you all. Honestly, I have no idea what I'm going to do with my school offers and am having doubts about wanting an MPH. I'm a female in my 30s, so time is of the essence with wanting to start a family (thought I would just throw that out there given the ovulating comment lolol). I have always struggled between going MPH or MD, and I rationalized that I could earn both and get an MPH before applying to medical school... but many things changed during this pandemic for me. Part of it was going through the med school app process (which I ultimately decided not to complete given pandemic/MCAT complications), this MPH cycle, and supporting my partner through his own journey as a 3rd year in medical school.

I started off this cycle only considering one-year MPH program, but am waitlisted at my in-state and probably won't get into JHU. I went ahead and applied to two-year programs because I rationalized it would still be an easy decision if I was fortunate enough to get into any schools. But now... I'm embarrassed to even write this out since I know you all put so much heart and soul into this cycle... the more decisions I received the more unsure I became of what to do. Along with JHU, Columbia is a program I have dreamt of attending for such a long time, and I didn't think I would get in.

I hope no one mistakes this post as me being ungrateful of my options or that I only applied to MPH programs to pad my med school candidacy. Public health actually led me towards my journey to medicine and for me, they are very much intertwined. I just really don't know what I am going to do. 🙁
 
For anyone wondering about UCLA's scholarships, here's a message I got after I asked about the financial aid package showing $0 in scholarships:

"Thank you for contacting our department. Please not the Provisional Award Letter (PAL) is only an estimate of the funding you may be eligible for during the 2021/2022 Academic Year. It does not hold concrete figures, as of right now it is only reflecting the federal loan funding you may be eligible for, any scholarships you may be eligible will typically be awarded later down the line. Therefore, the fact that your PAL is showing $0 for scholarships doesn't necessarily mean you will not be awarded any scholarship funding. I hope this information helps provide some clarification."
 
PHStan23 said:
Has anyone decided to attend a lower ranked school although they were admitted by higher ranked school? If so, what influenced your decision?
Click to expand...
I have and I’m also considering staying instate even though I don’t want to. I can’t see myself being in debt 60k+ at 25 years old. I’m down to TAMU, UA, Colorado, and LSU. There program would cost me around 20k before scholarships etc.
 
mphjl said:
How did you go about contacting her? I assume she is part of the financial aid office, but should I just straight up ask to be placed on the list or word it as more of an appeal process?
Click to expand...
I just asked if i was able to negotiate my scholarship amount and then she said

"We cannot guarantee that we can increase your scholarship but we can place you on our scholarship reconsideration list and notify you in mid-March if we are able to increase your scholarship. "

To which I replied "How do I get my name on the list for the scholarship reconsideration? I did not see the process in my admission email."

Where she gave her final reply of "You have to request to be re-evaluated. I have added your name. We will let you know by mid-March if we are able to increase your award."
 
PHStan23 said:
Has anyone decided to attend a lower ranked school although they were admitted by higher ranked school? If so, what influenced your decision?
Click to expand...
That's basically the decision I am trying to make right now and it is purely financial. Also my instate school would allow me to take classes part time while working full time, while my "dream school" (UNC) would be a full time program and I'd have to pay out of state costs the first year.
 
PHStan23 said:
Has anyone decided to attend a lower ranked school although they were admitted by higher ranked school? If so, what influenced your decision?
Click to expand...
I haven't decided, but I am really considering Pitt. It's my alma mater, and the money they offered combined with in state tuition means my total loans would probably be one year at Columbia. I don't want to go back to Pittsburgh, but I am thinking heavily about money.
 
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Pwny said:
Lol'ed. No, I agree-- I feel it for everyone as well! I know Harvard was a top choice for many.

This probably belongs more in the pre-med forums, but there is so much support in this thread that I feel comfortable sharing my fears/anxieties/confusion with you all. Honestly, I have no idea what I'm going to do with my school offers and am having doubts about wanting an MPH. I'm a female in my 30s, so time is of the essence with wanting to start a family (thought I would just throw that out there given the ovulating comment lolol). I have always struggled between going MPH or MD, and I rationalized that I could earn both and get an MPH before applying to medical school... but many things changed during this pandemic for me. Part of it was going through the med school app process (which I ultimately decided not to complete given pandemic/MCAT complications), this MPH cycle, and supporting my partner through his own journey as a 3rd year in medical school.

I started off this cycle only considering one-year MPH program, but am waitlisted at my in-state and probably won't get into JHU. I went ahead and applied to two-year programs because I rationalized it would still be an easy decision if I was fortunate enough to get into any schools. But now... I'm embarrassed to even write this out since I know you all put so much heart and soul into this cycle... the more decisions I received the more unsure I became of what to do. Along with JHU, Columbia is a program I have dreamt of attending for such a long time, and I didn't think I would get in.

I hope no one mistakes this post as me being ungrateful of my options or that I only applied to MPH programs to pad my med school candidacy. Public health actually led me towards my journey to medicine and for me, they are very much intertwined. I just really don't know what I am going to do. 🙁
Click to expand...

You are not alone! Many of us, I am sure, have similar thoughts. I for one, was contemplating whether to augment my experience with public health knowledge, or pivot completely and spend the rest of the career in public health. At times, thinking if this is even the right thing for me given my family commitments, and still not sure. But, I am blessed with a wonderful wife and kids, who are extremely supportive and allowing me to do what I want to do.

Coming from a family of doctors I wanted to follow my dads footsteps and go to med school, but did not do good in school when I was young. Nevertheless in the past 20 years, I have been an engineer, technology geek, people manager and leader, and then human capital management. Along the way, I got myself a Masters degree and an MBA because I wanted to learn and grow. Inspired by some work I did in public health in the business world, and looking to embark on that journey, and see what happens.

Life is quite long to do a lot of things, but time is too short! I would say follow your passion and you will end up exactly where you want to be.
 
Last edited:
ssyw said:
To all the familiar names on this "WILL TODAY BE HSPH DAY" journey with me - I'm relieved y'all finally heard back and can finally move on to the next step of making YOUR decision!!!

Just in case someone out there is wondering if they are the only one still waiting - hi, me too.... 65 HP here.
Click to expand...
I’m in exactly the same boat! Hoping the best for the both of us ☺️
 
zubear said:
My heart has been set with Yale even though I have been accepted at Columbia and Emory (higher ranked).

Yale because -

1) Global brand; everyone and their uncle know Yale, while Columbia and Emory is mostly within the US and within the PH community.
2) Small cohort, tight-knit community, options to take classes outside of SPH.
3) Connections I would get from Yale, in my opinion will be better than the other two.
4) They gave me money and the other two did not. It feels great when you are welcomed with open arms.

Z.
Click to expand...
I was also accepted to other higher ranked programs and am 99.99% sure choosing Yale 🙂 Along with all of these reasons, the kind of flexibility YSPH offers is incredible. I truly feel like I can make my degree my own. In my experiences so far, the faculty are super welcoming and responsive and ready to engage their students in their research which is very important to me too!
 
Pwny said:
Lol'ed. No, I agree-- I feel it for everyone as well! I know Harvard was a top choice for many.

This probably belongs more in the pre-med forums, but there is so much support in this thread that I feel comfortable sharing my fears/anxieties/confusion with you all. Honestly, I have no idea what I'm going to do with my school offers and am having doubts about wanting an MPH. I'm a female in my 30s, so time is of the essence with wanting to start a family (thought I would just throw that out there given the ovulating comment lolol). I have always struggled between going MPH or MD, and I rationalized that I could earn both and get an MPH before applying to medical school... but many things changed during this pandemic for me. Part of it was going through the med school app process (which I ultimately decided not to complete given pandemic/MCAT complications), this MPH cycle, and supporting my partner through his own journey as a 3rd year in medical school.

I started off this cycle only considering one-year MPH program, but am waitlisted at my in-state and probably won't get into JHU. I went ahead and applied to two-year programs because I rationalized it would still be an easy decision if I was fortunate enough to get into any schools. But now... I'm embarrassed to even write this out since I know you all put so much heart and soul into this cycle... the more decisions I received the more unsure I became of what to do. Along with JHU, Columbia is a program I have dreamt of attending for such a long time, and I didn't think I would get in.

I hope no one mistakes this post as me being ungrateful of my options or that I only applied to MPH programs to pad my med school candidacy. Public health actually led me towards my journey to medicine and for me, they are very much intertwined. I just really don't know what I am going to do. 🙁
Click to expand...
I'm completely a PH person yet I still have doubts about my path. Am I going to become a millionaire before my kids are too old to enjoy whatever comfort materialistic wealth can bring them? Heck do I want to devote myself to humanity and just not my kids?
I mean I'm kind of joking but also part serious too.
My dreams or my kids' comfort? Continuous extracurricular, international trips, private tutors, without worrying about bills while me pursuing my "dreams"? Is it fair for them to struggle financially with me, for MY dreams, if I were trapped with loans for years?
How much of an income improvement will a big name bring me, given the specific network and opportunities each of these big names has?
Will I be able to choose a place where my kids also thrive, and not just me getting a stellar education?

I'm genuinely puzzled.
 
OnePotatoTwoBobs said:
I'm completely a PH person yet I still have doubts about my path. Am I going to become a millionaire before my kids are too old to enjoy whatever comfort materialistic wealth can bring them? Heck do I want to devote myself to humanity and just not my kids?
I mean I'm kind of joking but also part serious too.
My dreams or my kids' comfort? Continuous extracurricular, international trips, private tutors, without worrying about bills while me pursuing my "dreams"? Is it fair for them to struggle financially with me, for MY dreams, if I were trapped with loans for years?
How much of an income improvement will a big name bring me, given the specific network and opportunities each of these big names has?
Will I be able to choose a place where my kids also thrive, and not just me getting a stellar education?

I'm genuinely puzzled.
Click to expand...

Love this! I am going to those exact emotions and it warrants a sit-down conversation with my family. Given the options I have, the only reason I would choose Emory over the others would be that I do not have to quit my job for the Exec. MPH.
 
PHStan23 said:
Has anyone decided to attend a lower ranked school although they were admitted by higher ranked school? If so, what influenced your decision?
Click to expand...
Not yet but I will probably end up going to the lowest ranked school I applied to just because it costs way less than all the others. Based on what I’ve heard, MPH rank isn’t important enough to go into that much more debt.
 
OnePotatoTwoBobs said:
I'm completely a PH person yet I still have doubts about my path. Am I going to become a millionaire before my kids are too old to enjoy whatever comfort materialistic wealth can bring them? Heck do I want to devote myself to humanity and just not my kids?
I mean I'm kind of joking but also part serious too.
My dreams or my kids' comfort? Continuous extracurricular, international trips, private tutors, without worrying about bills while me pursuing my "dreams"? Is it fair for them to struggle financially with me, for MY dreams, if I were trapped with loans for years?
How much of an income improvement will a big name bring me, given the specific network and opportunities each of these big names has?
Will I be able to choose a place where my kids also thrive, and not just me getting a stellar education?

I'm genuinely puzzled.
Click to expand...
I have a super similar dilemma, I hope it works out alright for you!
rainieishere said:
For anyone wondering about UCLA's scholarships, here's a message I got after I asked about the financial aid package showing $0 in scholarships:

"Thank you for contacting our department. Please not the Provisional Award Letter (PAL) is only an estimate of the funding you may be eligible for during the 2021/2022 Academic Year. It does not hold concrete figures, as of right now it is only reflecting the federal loan funding you may be eligible for, any scholarships you may be eligible will typically be awarded later down the line. Therefore, the fact that your PAL is showing $0 for scholarships doesn't necessarily mean you will not be awarded any scholarship funding. I hope this information helps provide some clarification."
Click to expand...
Thank you for asking, this has been bugging me!
 
Y’all I was just accepted to Yale! I had been telling myself I probably didn’t even want to go because I’d been waiting so long to hear back, but now that I’m admitted it’s definitely one I’m strongly considering. I never thought I’d get these opportunities and I feel so overwhelmed. Now just waiting out Harvard and JH...
 
MPH1998 said:
I was accepted into every program I applied to (Columbia, NYU, Drexel, BU, Rutgers) and I am ultimately deciding between Drexel and BU because of cost. I probably will end up attending BU because their Healthcare Management certificate is accredited.
Click to expand...
Congrats!!!! When did you hear back from Rutgers?
 
so i had a call with the GWU admissions department today and she asked me about myself and then she told me that gpa isn’t the only thing factored(bc that was like the biggest thing I was nervous about) and she said that experience def matters. She also told me that faculty make the decision for admissions so like it’s kinda up to them. She also said that my decision was under review (applied 1/15, sent for review 1/27)

She then asked me for information about my experience and I told her about my internship that I did and she sounded impressed bc she said, "oh wow that is very cool" but she also was like don’t feel bad if u get rejected get some work experience in and then re apply and stuff like that soooo idk what that means

thanks for letting me pour my heart out to yall appreciate it, if anyone would like to hyper analyze this with me lmk lmao
 
People who are leaning towards committing to Yale APMPH, can you please DM me. I want to get a message chain, and keep adding people, so that we can get ideas and learn from each other. I understand that there is that facebook page that we are part of, but I feel more connected to the SDN community, most certainly.
 
For anyone deciding between the MHA and the MPH in Health Management, what have been the biggest factors in your decision? Does CAHME accreditation matter if you are not looking for an administrative residency? For context, I am looking to do community health management / directing (e.g. FQHC, small clinics). Seems like this role would really require a blend of both MPH and MHA curricula. Feel free to PM me if you want to discuss!
 
Does anyone have any insight for which school would be better for health policy: Emory or Columbia? I'm torn between just committing to Emory or continuing to hold out for getting off Columbia's waitlist.

If any of you have pros/cons for Emory vs. Columbia in general too I'd appreciate anything that can help me make a decision!
 
zubear said:
You are not alone! Many of us, I am sure, have similar thoughts. I for one, was contemplating whether to augment my experience with public health knowledge, or pivot completely and spend the rest of the career in public health. At times, thinking if this is even the right thing for me given my family commitments, and still not sure. But, I am blessed with a wonderful wife and kids, who are extremely supportive and allowing me to do what I want to do.

Coming from a family of doctors I wanted to follow my dads footsteps and go to med school, but did not do good in school when I was young. Nevertheless in the past 20 years, I have been an engineer, technology geek, people manager and leader, and then human capital management. Along the way, I got myself a Masters degree and an MBA because I wanted to learn and grow. Inspired by some work I did in public health in the business world, and looking to embark on that journey, and see what happens.

Life is quite long to do a lot of things, but time is too short! I would say follow your passion and you will end up exactly where you want to be.
Click to expand...

Thanks for sharing. I felt alone in my thoughts and feel much better to know there are others like you who have taken untraditional paths. You were actually the first person that reached out to me via PM when I joined this thread and offered some advice that quelled my pre-application concerns so I definitely want to thank you for continuing to be a supportive presence not just to me, but to others on here! 🙂

There are days when I go back and forth with a potential decision, but I think I have an idea where I am leaning towards. I'm going to sit on it for a few more days and see how I feel.
 
dancergirl11119 said:
I was also accepted to other higher ranked programs and am 99.99% sure choosing Yale 🙂 Along with all of these reasons, the kind of flexibility YSPH offers is incredible. I truly feel like I can make my degree my own. In my experiences so far, the faculty are super welcoming and responsive and ready to engage their students in their research which is very important to me too!
Click to expand...
Have you heard how that process of on-boarding works for doing research under faculty?
I have spoken with 4 Yale students and they all mention doing research but they never mention the process to get that position.
From my dialogues, it seems majority of research is paid.
 
OnePotatoTwoBobs said:
I'm completely a PH person yet I still have doubts about my path. Am I going to become a millionaire before my kids are too old to enjoy whatever comfort materialistic wealth can bring them? Heck do I want to devote myself to humanity and just not my kids?
I mean I'm kind of joking but also part serious too.
My dreams or my kids' comfort? Continuous extracurricular, international trips, private tutors, without worrying about bills while me pursuing my "dreams"? Is it fair for them to struggle financially with me, for MY dreams, if I were trapped with loans for years?
How much of an income improvement will a big name bring me, given the specific network and opportunities each of these big names has?
Will I be able to choose a place where my kids also thrive, and not just me getting a stellar education?

I'm genuinely puzzled.
Click to expand...
These are all very good questions-- it's hard to balance personal dreams with family obligations! I also think about my partner's career, so it's like trying to put together a puzzle knowing that I don't have all the pieces just yet! 😛
 
Completely rejected from UNC! This one stings a little more, just because I'm from NC and it was the only school I was considering when I started this long process. Now to hear back from Emory on my second choice and officially end this cycle. I've really already made my choice, but I definitely want to know all of my options before I start putting down deposits. I'm so ready to start getting situated for the fall 💙
 
Samantha2021 said:
Do you know what UMich departments are getting scholarships notifications and do you know what UMich is offering this year?
Click to expand...
I actually have no clue, it seems to be a mix of departments which is making me nervous. I know someone in the GroupMe got 50% for HME but that's the only amount I heard.

Meh. oh well. Wasn't super heavily considering UMich anyways. If I don't get anything, that makes the decision easier for me!
 
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