UNC-Chapel Hill: vs other top Programs

[Medfaljay]

Hello everyone,

I've recently been accepted to UNC-Chapel Hill and received the Barnhill-Hatch Scholarship (Merit Award) which provides full tuition, $8000 stipend, medical insurance, and RA position. I couldn't believe it at first when I was informed about it over the phone...I thought I was dreaming...but no, it was no dream, it was for real!

I was looking to stay in the NJ/NY area because my fiance goes to school at UMDNJ, so now I'm really confused because my top choice was Columbia but I haven't heard them yet. However, I've heard from Tulane, GWU, Boston Univ, Michigan, Minnesota, Drexel, UMDNJ, and Emory. Still waiting to hear back from Johns Hopkins, Harvard, Columbia, Yale, and Ohio State.

If you're familiar with UNC's program please give me some feeback. I know it ranks #2 but as you know, ranking is not everything sometimes. Please feel free to share your thoughts.

Thank you!

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[snoofle]

i know someone who got her MPH at UNC and she is currently pursuing her PhD at Emory and she had nothing but wonderful things to say about UNC's program. She didn't really give me specifics about any one program of study since I didn't apply there, but she really loved it

 

[tt13]

congratulations!! =) that's really exciting news. i interviewed with their mha department almost a month ago, and i really liked the school. i've been accepted but am still waiting to hear back about the merit scholarship.

anyways, there just seemed to be so much more personal attention than other schools that i've been in touch with. one of the people on the admissions committee even followed up with me after the interview and really went out of her way to make sure i had everything i needed, etc. i think that's the thing that really swayed me.

i'm not sure about the other department, but it seemed like the health management end of it is a really tight-knit group. the curriculum is primarily team-based... these are all things that i like, but it may not fit what you're looking for. personally, being from a big city, i kind of want to try out a more quiet environment. however, i'm on the same boat as you. i'm considering columbia right now as well.

 

[tt13]

oh and one more thing, i recently got in touch with a friend of a friend who went to columbia for her mph in health policy and management as well.. she said she liked the faculty, but overall, it wasn't worth the costs, and the location was not the ideal part of manhattan. just relaying the info.

 

[Medfaljay]

Yea it was the same thing with me, I had a faculty from the Admissions Committee who called me and answered all of my questions. We were on the phone for almost an hour...they seem to be really nice people out there. The only problem now for me is the location but I guess my fiance and I will work that out.

 

[Senior007]

Hey Medfaljay- what program did you apply for? I'm still awaiting a decision on my MHA application/interview?

 

[Medfaljay]

I applied to the Health Behavior and Health Education program.

 

[snoofle]

oh and one more thing, i recently got in touch with a friend of a friend who went to columbia for her mph in health policy and management as well.. she said she liked the faculty, but overall, it wasn't worth the costs, and the location was not the ideal part of manhattan. just relaying the info.

i heard the same thing..the location is a bit iffy

 

[happyana]

hi! i applied to chapel hill also, but for an mph in nutrition. do you guys mind telling me a general idea of your stats? if not, then that's ok!🙂

 

[Medfaljay]

hi! i applied to chapel hill also, but for an mph in nutrition. do you guys mind telling me a general idea of your stats? if not, then that's ok!🙂

GRE - 1200, Writing - 5.0, GPA 3.3 (Major: 3.5). BUT please be advised that stats are NOT necessarily the deciding factor. Personal Statements are EXTREMELY and equally important if not more important I think. Rec. letters are crucial as well - especially academic recommenders (professors, advisors, etc). Also, relevant work experience and volunteer work can give you the extra boost.

I had held 3 internship positions and I was actively involved in over 5 organizations on campus every academic year.

So the moral of the story is, don't get caught up with GPA's and the GRE's. In my opinion, if you have over a 3.0 and over 1100 GRE score you're fine academically. But then you need to distinguish yourself in your personal statement and rec. letters. Schools look for a best "fit". I heard this from an admissions officer at UNC after I had been accepted.

In anycase, good luck!!

 

[LeafsFan93]

GRE - 1200, Writing - 5.0, GPA 3.3 (Major: 3.5). BUT please be advised that stats are NOT necessarily the deciding factor. Personal Statements are EXTREMELY and equally important if not more important I think. Rec. letters are crucial as well - especially academic recommenders (professors, advisors, etc). Also, relevant work experience and volunteer work can give you the extra boost.

I had held 3 internship positions and I was actively involved in over 5 organizations on campus every academic year.

So the moral of the story is, don't get caught up with GPA's and the GRE's. In my opinion, if you have over a 3.0 and over 1100 GRE score you're fine academically. But then you need to distinguish yourself in your personal statement and rec. letters. Schools look for a best "fit". I heard this from an admissions officer at UNC after I had been accepted.

In anycase, good luck!!

I agree with much of what you said but based on what one of my recommenders told me (she is the pres. of an international research association, and now has an assoc dean of research and grad studies) is that when revieewing applications for grad school, scholarships, fellowships, etc. she doesn't put too much importance, if any on recommendation letters because a) inherent subjectivity (since diff. ppl may have diff abilities to write a reference letter), and more importantly b) virtually every letter she reads "makes the person sound like the can walk on water"
So she basically skims it to see if it says anything blatantly negative (which apparently happens once in a blue moon!!) and if not then it's just a checkmark to make sure it was submitted.....whatr do uy tguys think about the importance of a ref letter????? not what it is should be but rather what it is?

 

[tt13]

if you get a recommendation letter from the president, it's going to be quite different from getting a recommendation letter from your boss at starbucks... =)

however, i don't know how many of us can get such a recommendation.. but just a thought.

 

[happyana]

thank you so much for all of your imput! any other advice you have just throw it my way.

 

[InEssence]

I have an interview with unc next week. Are there any tips/advice that you guys could give me, e.g., how did you guys prepare? Did you read up on articles by the faculty who conducted your interview? How long did the interview last and how was it structured? I've made out a list of questions to ask when I visit the school, but I'm wondering whether asking a lot of questions is a negative...i guess there must be such a thing as too many questions which would make it seem like you've not done any research on your part (though I have!). ...I'm interviewing for Maternal & Child Health department but still your input would be helpful. thanks 🙂

 

[tt13]

i didn't interview with that department, but had the opportunity to speak to someone from that department, since she did research in a country that i am interested in. she was a very sweet lady, so if she is representative of the entire department faculty, you'll have a good time chatting.

i think each department may be structured differently in terms of interview, i did mine with hpaa. we had a three hour block in the morning where we just sat in a common room and a few of us would leave at a time to do an interview with two faculty members (separate from one another). an hour for some presentations, and then an hour for lunch and student panel.

i didn't really prepare much, i looked a bit into the stats for unc and what makes it stand out, but really, the entire time is devoted to you getting to know unc.. so you don't need to know it front to back. there was plenty of time for me to ask current students questions.

 

[Medfaljay]

I didn't have an interview, I'm guessing the Health Behavior & Health Edu. department doesn't require one. If I were you, I'd prepare to talk about:
- Why public health?
- Short-term goals
- Long-term goals
- Why UNC?
- Why that department?
- Research interests / faculty you may like to work with
- Relevant experience or volunteer work (what did you learn from from these that you can apply to your program of choice?)

 

[InEssence]

Thank you both tt13 and Medfaljay for your responses. I don't need to overstress myself about the interview as long as I've done reasonable research about the school. I contacted someone at the dept office today who gave me more info, and it seems it will be a somewhat layed back occasion.

 

[InEssence]

Ok so I went for my unc interview and i think it went well. The faculty who interviewed me felt that I was a "good fit" for the department. I will officially know my admissions status sometime next week after they have a committee meeting. The professor also told me to email with any questions. Is it ok for me to email the professor and ask about departmental awards? I didn't discuss this with the professor during the interview because I had been told by the registrar that departmental awards had already been given out in early february. So my questions are basically: 1. should I even ask about scholarships/awards at this stage or wait until I know for sure whether I'm accepted? 2. Is it ok to email the professor about such a question or does it make me look bad...should I direct this question to someone else?

 

[tt13]

Ok so I went for my unc interview and i think it went well. The faculty who interviewed me felt that I was a "good fit" for the department. I will officially know my admissions status sometime next week after they have a committee meeting. The professor also told me to email with any questions. Is it ok for me to email the professor and ask about departmental awards? I didn't discuss this with the professor during the interview because I had been told by the registrar that departmental awards had already been given out in early february. So my questions are basically: 1. should I even ask about scholarships/awards at this stage or wait until I know for sure whether I'm accepted? 2. Is it ok to email the professor about such a question or does it make me look bad...should I direct this question to someone else?

InEssence, I'm surprised no one asked that question during your interview! =) I think I would wait until you're officially accepted before inquiring about funding, but that's just me. But the registrar is correct, nominations for the limited campus-wide funding was done in early February. Decisions were made last week. I'm not sure whether or not there are other sources for you to tap into.

 

[Adcadet]

At least in Epi, I've only heard very good things about UNC, and it would seem my alma mater (University of Minnesota) likes their PhD grads for faculty positions.

 

[swellday]

Have you heard back from UNC yet? I also interviewed with MCH and the registrar said she would email IF she had good news (an acceptance). I haven't heard back so I'm assuming that's bad news...but hoping maybe she just hasn't sent any emails. Did she tell you the same thing and/or have you heard back after your interview?

Thanks!

 

[Cster0905]

Hey all:

I just graduated from UNC's School of Public Health, from the Dept. of Health Policy and Administration, in 2007.

I'm more than willing to answer specific questions but, in general, all I have to say is it's a great and very competitive institution. The school just opened a new research wing and also received a $50 million gift this past year from a pharma company in nearby RTP.

Classes are great, small-sized, and very group and discussion oriented. Every faculty member is established and nationally-recognized. I did health policy work in DC two summers ago as part of my program and there wasn't a single meeting or event I attended where there wasn't at least one UNC faculty represented.

Can't say enough. I've had the opportunity to visit Harvard and several of the other "top" schools and UNC possesses a pretty unique blend of cutting-edge research and academics without the stuffiness of other schools - a very warm environment.

The kids are super, super smart; being surrounded by such intelligent people helped me learn as much as the classes did. Great school.

 

[trixmd]

Howdy -

I'm a current UNC student, getting the MPH in Public Health Leadership on the HCAP track (the one for physicians and med students). I got into Harvard and JHU, and decided to go to UNC based on lifestyle - ie I can safely walk to school, it's affordable, and the setting reminded me a lot of my college days at Berkeley. Overall, the classes are very good - bios and epi are top notch (these filled most of my electives), so are the policy classes. I've not taken any nutrition or maternal/child health classes. It looks like I'll finish with 3 publications.

Career-wise, I think I'm doing OK too. I won a national award for Prev Med residents, and although I already have a job when I graduate (I'm sponsored by the military), I had a bunch of options had I not already been obligated.

Hope that helps.

Trix

 

[InEssence]

Have you heard back from UNC yet? I also interviewed with MCH and the registrar said she would email IF she had good news (an acceptance). I haven't heard back so I'm assuming that's bad news...but hoping maybe she just hasn't sent any emails. Did she tell you the same thing and/or have you heard back after your interview?

Thanks!

The registrar told me to call her and so I did on Thursday and found out that I've been accepted. Got the letter yesterday. You might want to call them so that you're not kept in suspense.

 

[InEssence]

Does anyone know anything about UNC's maternal and child health program? I'm planning to combine this with the global health certificate since I'm interested in international MCH. I'm split between this program and Tulane's Global Maternal Child Health. Any info on unc's MCH program (e.g quality o f academics, are professors approachable, strengths of program in general, etc) would be really appreciated. Thanks!!

 

[jadelxq]

Hey InEssence,
I'm going into UNC's MCH program and planning on doing a global health certificate as well. I was also really torn between Tulane and UNC until I visited Tulane last week. The bottom line is that I found that the school is in somewhat of a disarray, the location is questionable and it seems like UNC has the better reputation. Even students currently attending had mixed feelings about living in New Orleans and the cost of tuition at Tulane.
I actually went to UNC for undergrad which made me feel really torn about staying, but honestly, the campus is safe, the faculty has far reaching ties based on your interests and people are generally impressed by the fact that you recieved an acceptance to the School. If you're worried about the "global" aspect, I can give a rundown on that as well. Just message me, I've been in Chapel Hill for a long time so I can give you specifics and contrast them to Tulane, its always nice to chat with someone who has my interests 🙂

 

[catladyMPH]

i went to UNC for undergrad. i did not apply for my MPH, but if I can help with this discussion regarding location, lifestyle, etc... Chapel hill is an AWESOME place to live and go to school. I had the best time there. Its safe, affordable, there is plenty of transport around the school, the weather is great. Plenty of fun things to do, see. NC is a gorgeous state - beautiful moutains are 3 hours to the west and awesome beaches two hours to the east. Having a car helps. Good luck with your decision! I didn't apply to UNC because I want to go somewhere new, but I'd say you can't go wrong in CH.

Go heels!

 

[InEssence]

I finally made my decision a few weeks ago and I decided to go with UNC 🙂 Despite Tulane's international health reputation, location was a big consideration and I wanted to be in a place where I would enjoy living and feel relatively safe. Also I did feel, like several of you have said, that UNC's SPH is top notch. I'm not sure about the MCH department in particular but I'm sure it holds its own. And then, too, UNC will not cost me an arm and a leg!

To jadelxq - it's great to finally meet a fellow MCH'er and with global health interest no less 🙂 I will send you a PM. I do have some questions about the global aspects...even though I've already made a decision, I'd still like to have an idea of what I can expect, tips, etc.

It really says a lot when those of you who've attended UNC (e.g., catladyMPH, Cster0905) speak so enthusiastically of the school and the environment 🙂 I'm really looking forward to being there this fall.

 

[tt13]

I finally made my decision a few weeks ago and I decided to go with UNC 🙂 Despite Tulane's international health reputation, location was a big consideration and I wanted to be in a place where I would enjoy living and feel relatively safe. Also I did feel, like several of you have said, that UNC's SPH is top notch. I'm not sure about the MCH department in particular but I'm sure it holds its own. And then, too, UNC will not cost me an arm and a leg!

To jadelxq - it's great to finally meet a fellow MCH'er and with global health interest no less 🙂 I will send you a PM. I do have some questions about the global aspects...even though I've already made a decision, I'd still like to have an idea of what I can expect, tips, etc.

It really says a lot when those of you who've attended UNC (e.g., catladyMPH, Cster0905) speak so enthusiastically of the school and the environment 🙂 I'm really looking forward to being there this fall.

woohoo! It feels great to finally make up your mind, doesn't it? Congratulations, and hope to see you next fall!