Ph.D Epidemiology

[edge2125]

I realise this is mostly an MPH board, but judging from the number of thread views, there does seem to be a fairly healthy population of lurkers.

Anyone out there applying to doctoral programs in epidemiology? I've applied to Hopkins, Berkeley, Michigan and Harvard. Still waiting to hear from Michigan and Harvard -- anyone in the same position?

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[Stories]

I've been through the application process, if you have any questions or concerns, I can definitely help! I know the feeling, though, it's definitely a little different than applying for the MPH!

If you haven't already gone on all your interviews, just remember to relax and be yourself. Talk about your research interests carefully and know who you are talking to! Those will all help your strengths shine through

 

[utph]

I applied and was accepted to PhD epi program at UNC, but it's a different situation for me because I still have to complete my masters education there if I go. The rest of my applications were for MS/MPH.

 

[edge2125]

Thanks for the replies, Stories and utph.

It's been a busy and stressful couple of months, but I've been accepted at Hopkins and Berkeley so far, so I'd say it's definitely been worth it. No news on funding etc. yet though. I've only had the one interview (Hopkins), which - although I was a bit nervous - was relatively informal and ended up going pretty well. Given that we're almost in March, I'm starting to feel that no news is bad news, with respect to Harvard and Michigan, but I am thrilled to have acceptances from two good schools.

Stories, any knowledge/thoughts on the Epidemiology departments at each of those four schools? I'd say Hopkins is my first choice, with Harvard a close second. My research interests are relatively undefined at the moment, but broadly, I'm interested in substance use epidemiology. As importantly though, I want to enrol in a program which offers as comprehensive and rigorous a training in epidemiologic concepts and methods as possible, so that whatever my eventual focus, I'll be well-equipped to do solid research.

 

[Stories]

Stories, any knowledge/thoughts on the Epidemiology departments at each of those four schools? I'd say Hopkins is my first choice, with Harvard a close second. My research interests are relatively undefined at the moment, but broadly, I'm interested in substance use epidemiology. As importantly though, I want to enrol in a program which offers as comprehensive and rigorous a training in epidemiologic concepts and methods as possible, so that whatever my eventual focus, I'll be well-equipped to do solid research.

Hopkins and Harvard are both HUGE. So you have your pick of the litter in terms of research interests. Sounds like you're interested in social epi, and for that, I know Hopkins is well regarded in that area. I don't know much about the cutting edge of social epi research, though, so keep that in mind.

As for epidemiologic methods, any school will offer comparable training. The biggest question is, how much do you want to delve into the statistical side of things. What you decide to take on the biostatistics side is probably more rigorous and difficult than any strict epidemiology design courses. Again, these methods don't really change no matter where you go.

Probably, the most important thing you can figure out is, how much emphasis does each program place upon you being able to do research (case ascertainment, data collection, analysis, manuscript writing) while a student? The most important thing (absolutely #1) is that you publish while you're there. Nobody cares how many classes you take or how many A's you get, the only thing that matters is the number of papers you publish when you're looking for a job.

EDIT: As for funding: no school is worth the trouble if you don't get funding. Taking out loans to complete a PhD is asinine. They should be paying you to do the work. Be up front with people and use acceptances at other schools to leverage funding. Schools will often match or exceed funding packages to compete with other schools (I had a friend who used his acceptance to Yale to have Berkeley match Yale's funding package--even though he ended up here at Yale). The amount of money we make after graduation (including the time we're post-docs), makes it not worth the financial trouble of loans (particularly if it's $50k/yr we're spending).

 

[utph]

Thanks for the replies, Stories and utph.

It's been a busy and stressful couple of months, but I've been accepted at Hopkins and Berkeley so far, so I'd say it's definitely been worth it. No news on funding etc. yet though. I've only had the one interview (Hopkins), which - although I was a bit nervous - was relatively informal and ended up going pretty well. Given that we're almost in March, I'm starting to feel that no news is bad news, with respect to Harvard and Michigan, but I am thrilled to have acceptances from two good schools.

Stories, any knowledge/thoughts on the Epidemiology departments at each of those four schools? I'd say Hopkins is my first choice, with Harvard a close second. My research interests are relatively undefined at the moment, but broadly, I'm interested in substance use epidemiology. As importantly though, I want to enrol in a program which offers as comprehensive and rigorous a training in epidemiologic concepts and methods as possible, so that whatever my eventual focus, I'll be well-equipped to do solid research.

Congrats! You have two great acceptances.

I was accepted into Hopkins as well, and even though it was for the MPH, may I ask your impression of the environment at Hopkins while there for your interview? Why is it your first choice?

 

[socialepi]

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[sevogose]

I am going to UC Berkeley to start my DrPH Fall 2010 (MPH in EPI from UMinn). I couldn't agree more with what Stories mentioned about funding above. Students should not even consider a school for doctoral work that doesn't offer funding. The situation is getting ridiculous to the point where they are taking advantage of doctoral students. As an example, UMinn EPI used to have a departmental rule that NO doctoral students were allowed to be admitted without funding set up ahead of time. Last year, I personally know students who were admitted with no funding or only partial funding (i.e. crappy RAships that don't cover all the costs). Apparently, they just gave up on this rule so that they could continue to accept the same number of doctoral students even though the department's funding is down overall due to the recession and other factors.

 

[curious14]

utph, I was accepted into the MsPH/PhD progam in epi at UNC too and only masters programs at other schools (other top choices are Columbia, UW, and Michigan). Where else are you looking? What are you considering?

I'm having a hard time really giving other schools a chance when UNC would basically offer funding from the get go. Another plus would be that I wouldn't have to go through the super stressful and expensive applications process again and could just focus on research from the beginning.

Other PhD'ers do you have any advice or thoughts on this? Is funding and a spot in the PhD program reason enough to pick one school over another? From what I've heard, UNC, UW, and Michigan all have equally strong epi programs, with Columbia as a close second (their program should be really strong in a few years under the direction of Sandro Galea, recruited from Michigan to chair Columbia's program) so it seems like for all other considerations, the schools are equal. In terms of research interest though, UNC and Columbia are the best matches.

My other concern - and this is going to sound really petty - is whether the public schools (UNC, UW, Michigan) are well known abroad. Personally I don't care if I go to a "name brand" school but I feel like if I want to work internationally, name recognition matters more. Does anyone have any experience with this? Outside of relationships made by schools in specific countries, will these schools be recognized internationally as having strong programs? Or are Harvard and Hopkins the only ones universally recognized?

Thanks for the help and congrats to everyone on acceptances!

social epi - Take what I say with a grain of salt. However, I doubt name is going to mean much, I don't even know what name means to ppl in general. I feel in terms of knowing a school, Harvard is Harvard, everyone knows Harvard.

Anyway what I'm really trying to say is: Who gives a crap about your school name? It's all about you. What you want to do and whether your school can support that. If I were in your position, I'd most certainly take the PhD and run with it lol (only if it's funded of course). Name is only going to get you so far, if you're not going to put in the hard work and dedication, name will still mean nothing.

 

[utph]

utph, I was accepted into the MsPH/PhD progam in epi at UNC too and only masters programs at other schools (other top choices are Columbia, UW, and Michigan). Where else are you looking? What are you considering?

I'm having a hard time really giving other schools a chance when UNC would basically offer funding from the get go. Another plus would be that I wouldn't have to go through the super stressful and expensive applications process again and could just focus on research from the beginning.

Other PhD'ers do you have any advice or thoughts on this? Is funding and a spot in the PhD program reason enough to pick one school over another? From what I've heard, UNC, UW, and Michigan all have equally strong epi programs, with Columbia as a close second (their program should be really strong in a few years under the direction of Sandro Galea, recruited from Michigan to chair Columbia's program) so it seems like for all other considerations, the schools are equal. In terms of research interest though, UNC and Columbia are the best matches.

My other concern - and this is going to sound really petty - is whether the public schools (UNC, UW, Michigan) are well known abroad. Personally I don't care if I go to a "name brand" school but I feel like if I want to work internationally, name recognition matters more. Does anyone have any experience with this? Outside of relationships made by schools in specific countries, will these schools be recognized internationally as having strong programs? Or are Harvard and Hopkins the only ones universally recognized?

Thanks for the help and congrats to everyone on acceptances!

Sent you a pm.

 

[erikalindsay]

I finished my MPH in '09 and applied to the University of Minnesota (where I got my MPH, as well) for a PhD in epi. I was accepted officially at the end of January (with funding, and that letter came about 3 weeks later). There was no interview. I have an almost 7 year old child and am pretty unwilling to move, so that's why I only applied to one school, in addition to having faculty here who are willing to work with me and on my topics of interest. Good luck!

 

[edge2125]

Stories: thanks for your detailed reply. I completely agree about the importance of getting at least adequate - if not generous - funding, especially as I'll be an international student. Detailed funding information hasn't been made available yet, so I'm trying to keep that in mind, and remain relatively neutral about my options, as I weigh one school against the other. With respect to biostatistics, my academic background has actually been mostly quantitative, so I'm more concerned about picking up the epidemiological tools and relevant subject-specific knowledge in order to do meaningful research. But, as you say, the major issue is getting substantial research experience while being a student, and that is something I'll be trying to get as much information on at the visit days.

utph: As mentioned above, I'm an international student, so my interview with Hopkins was actually a phone interview. I've never been to Hopkins, or Baltimore; I'll be attending the March visit day in a couple of weeks, so I'm hoping to get a better sense of the school and city at that time. It's been my first choice, based on research interests, academic quality, opportunity for collaborative and international research, and the universal recognition of the Hopkins name in public health and research circles. I think though that Harvard (from where, happily, I got an acceptance e-mail from today ) is right there with it, so I've definitely got some more thinking to do.

Good luck to all of you, and thanks again to those already in Ph.D programs for your advice and comments. I've not actually posted much on this forum, but I have read through many of the threads, and it's been an invaluable source of information.

 

[Stories]

utph, I was accepted into the MsPH/PhD progam in epi at UNC too and only masters programs at other schools (other top choices are Columbia, UW, and Michigan). Where else are you looking? What are you considering?

I'm having a hard time really giving other schools a chance when UNC would basically offer funding from the get go. Another plus would be that I wouldn't have to go through the super stressful and expensive applications process again and could just focus on research from the beginning.

Other PhD'ers do you have any advice or thoughts on this? Is funding and a spot in the PhD program reason enough to pick one school over another? From what I've heard, UNC, UW, and Michigan all have equally strong epi programs, with Columbia as a close second (their program should be really strong in a few years under the direction of Sandro Galea, recruited from Michigan to chair Columbia's program) so it seems like for all other considerations, the schools are equal. In terms of research interest though, UNC and Columbia are the best matches.

My other concern - and this is going to sound really petty - is whether the public schools (UNC, UW, Michigan) are well known abroad. Personally I don't care if I go to a "name brand" school but I feel like if I want to work internationally, name recognition matters more. Does anyone have any experience with this? Outside of relationships made by schools in specific countries, will these schools be recognized internationally as having strong programs? Or are Harvard and Hopkins the only ones universally recognized?

Thanks for the help and congrats to everyone on acceptances!

Personally, UNC is a strong school where I would have absolutely no qualms about suggesting you to stay there for all of your studies, especially since you'll have funding support from the get go. However, be ABSOLUTELY sure that's what you want to do. Judging by your applications to other masters level programs, you might be unsure whether the doctorate is something you want to pursue. Once you figure out if you're willing to dedicate the 6+ years it'll take you to do the doctorate, make your decision.

When it comes to school name, it is important to go to a reputable school, but in any biomedical discipline, the most important factor is what work you do. Unlike fields like the humanities where the school name is of utmost importance, scientific fields the most important factor is the work that you do and demonstrate. You need to find the PI(s) you want to work with that will enable you to do the research at a quality level because that is how future people will base their hiring decisions. That's why you see when faculty move universities, their grad students will often follow them.

And yes, funding is a good enough reason to choose one school over another. The last thing you want to do is to have to work while doing your doctoral studies and sacrifice valuable time you could use doing research.

 

[socialepi]

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