2013 Public Health Application Thread

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mle1989 said:
I strongly suggest you contact the admissions office at Hopkins about this.
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I already did.But i guess it would take atleast 3 days for them to reply and after 3 days it will be saturday:(:(:(
application deadline is 1 december!!
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I have a question. I sent both my GRE test scores to UC Berkeley. SOPAS shows that they have received these scores. However, I want UCLA to only see my most recent GRE scores. Is that possible or will SOPHAS forward UCLA both my GRE scores?
 
blackmetal said:
I have a question. I sent both my GRE test scores to UC Berkeley. SOPAS shows that they have received these scores. However, I want UCLA to only see my most recent GRE scores. Is that possible or will SOPHAS forward UCLA both my GRE scores?
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You send the scores to the schools, not SOPHAS. So, whatever scores you sent to UCLA wouldn't those be the ones they see?

Some get the impression that ETS sends (GRE) scores to SOPHAS. They don't. You send them to the school, and the school sends them to SOPHAS.

On ETS I believe it is possible to designate which score(s) you would like to send to which school(s). Whichever score(s) UCLA receives from you will be the score(s) that SOPHAS receives.
 
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porkbunsrule said:
You send the scores to the schools, not SOPHAS. So, whatever scores you sent to UCLA wouldn't those be the ones they see?

Some get the impression that ETS sends (GRE) scores to SOPHAS. They don't. You send them to the school, and the school sends them to SOPHAS.

On ETS I believe it is possible to designate which score(s) you would like to send to which school(s). Whichever score(s) UCLA receives from you will be the score(s) that SOPHAS receives.
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Thanks. I was under the impression that once SOPHAS received GRE scores from one SOPHAS participating school (Berkeley in this case), SOPHAS would then forward those scores to other schools I apply to. I thought you didn't need to order more than one score report?
 
blackmetal said:
Thanks. I was under the impression that once SOPHAS received GRE scores from one SOPHAS participating school (Berkeley in this case), SOPHAS would then forward those scores to other schools I apply to. I thought you didn't need to order more than one score report?
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Each school that asks for GRE scores requires its own score set.

Yes, I agree that it seems ridiculous and useless to send multiple (potentially similar) scores to schools since they will have to send them to SOPHAS, anyway. But how else will ETS make profit? And as in your case, how can students send different types of scores?

I sent my scores to each school that requires it - and each school sent it to SOPHAS.
 
porkbunsrule said:
Each school that asks for GRE scores requires its own score set.

Yes, I agree that it seems ridiculous and useless to send multiple (potentially similar) scores to schools since they will have to send them to SOPHAS, anyway. But how else will ETS make profit? And as in your case, how can students send different types of scores?

I sent my scores to each school that requires it - and each school sent it to SOPHAS.
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I see. In that case there's not a problem but are you sure? I've read online that SOPHAS will forward your GRE scores to all schools so long as one SOPHAS participaring school receives them.
 
blackmetal said:
I see. In that case there's not a problem but are you sure? I've read online that SOPHAS will forward your GRE scores to all schools so long as one SOPHAS participaring school receives them.
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Try calling SOPHAS to verify.
 
WHAT THE HECK. I just got my GRE final scores and writing score was a 4.0! How is that even possible!? 49th percentile... wow. This doesn't make any sense... my verbal is 88th... Ugggg, will this hurt my app?
 
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gumbyj said:
I need everyone's opinion here::)

Took GRE unprepared on 11/5

Score: 159V (80%) 153Q (56%) and 4.0 (49%)

I am concerned about both my Quant and Writing scores. I can take it again on 12/11, so scores would be in around 12/25. My application is pretty much complete as of now besides GRE scores. Earliest of my deadlines is 1/1/12. I know I would be cutting it close.

Should I re-take?
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Where are you applying?

If you think you can do better - within the time frame you have and the schools you are applying to don't want old scores - then there is no harm.

If you will be cutting it fine, then it's best to apply with your current scores than to have an application without any scores at all...
 
Gumbyj, I don't know what your app looks like in terms of GPA, extracurriculars, work experience so it's hard to make a call, but if it was me, I'd re-take the GRE. I think I've seen you on the forums before and you're applying to Epi, right? I would be more concerned about the Q score myself with Epi since they're looking more at quantitative skills. I don't think schools put that much weight on the writing section. I know that for Health Management and Policy, Michigan's (admittedly they are in the top 5 PH schools...not sure where you're applying) accepted students got an average around ~70th percentile in quant and ~80th in verbal, so I can imagine it's similar for Epi. Just for your peace of mind, I'd try again if you're really worried about it! If you didn't prep before, you could definitely raise both your scores with some extra studying :)

I think, correct me if I'm wrong, you are able to e-submit your SOPHAS app before your scores are in. So you can technically get everything in now, they can verify it in the meantime and then you can send in your score when you get it back in December. That should put you in before your school deadlines in January for sure.
 
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gumbyj said:
I'd be cutting it close. I have a good GPA, 3 years of research and public health experience with a bunch of abstracts and a publication, so my extracurriculars are solid.

The EARLIEST I could re-take would be 12/11/12 and it looks like that wouldn't leave enough time for scores to arrive at schools for 1/1 deadlines

So no retake, here's to hoping!
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Fair enough. If you've got solid experience with research then you still stand a good chance.

You could add an explanation for your scores in the additional section of the SOPHAS application if you feel it is warranted. You've used statistics before if you have published/presentations - so you clearly have an aptitude for numbers.
 
Suf12 said:
I already did.But i guess it would take atleast 3 days for them to reply and after 3 days it will be saturday:(:(:(
application deadline is 1 december!!
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You still have 2 more weeks until December 1st, and it sounds like you're already done with the application so you should be fine even if the office doesn't get back to you until next week.
 
gumbyj said:
I'd be cutting it close. I have a good GPA, 3 years of research and public health experience with a bunch of abstracts and a publication, so my extracurriculars are solid.

The EARLIEST I could re-take would be 12/11/12 and it looks like that wouldn't leave enough time for scores to arrive at schools for 1/1 deadlines

So no retake, here's to hoping!
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I'm not sure if other people will agree, but I think that you may be worrying yourself too much about just 1 aspect of your application. It sounds like the rest of your application is good, so it's good that you decided not to re-take it because a late application will definitely hurt your chances.

Am I wrong? Or do test scores have more weight than I think?

I'm in the same boat. I only had time to take the GRE once, and I'm not happy with my scores but I don't have time to re-take it because my first deadline is Dec 1st. But I'd rather go with the scores that I have than turn in a late application. Like you, I'm happy with the rest of my application so all I can do now is put my best foot forward and turn everything in on time.
 
mle1989 said:
I'm not sure if other people will agree, but I think that you may be worrying yourself too much about just 1 aspect of your application. It sounds like the rest of your application is good, so it's good that you decided not to re-take it because a late application will definitely hurt your chances.

Am I wrong? Or do test scores have more weight than I think?

I'm in the same boat. I only had time to take the GRE once, and I'm not happy with my scores but I don't have time to re-take it because my first deadline is Dec 1st. But I'd rather go with the scores that I have than turn in a late application. Like you, I'm happy with the rest of my application so all I can do now is put my best foot forward and turn everything in on time.
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I agree with you. Gumby has better stats than me and is applying to some of the same programs as me. It's normal to always want to do better especially if you know you can do better, but I think the scores are pretty good and with the other aspects of the application being so strong, I don't think the scores will bring an app down!
 
xoromanticide said:
Try calling SOPHAS to verify.
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I just emailed them and you do have to send GRE scores to each school. SOPHAS does not forward scores once they receive them from one school. I guess what I read on gradcafe was wrong. Seems like the process could be streamlined (and you could save money) but just having to send one set of scores. I'm not sure why we have to pay them so much.
 
Thanks everyone for your input and advice. I got way too stuck on my Quant score and I'm gonna try to forget about it and focus on the other really strong parts of my app :)
 
Alright... Berkeley's personal statement/personal history statement requirement is bugging me. According to the admission's site, we need both. However, when I go to the specific concentration, it says nothing about a personal history statement. Should I write both anyway?
 
Guys Which one is better(I mean regarding financial grant)
Arkansas or south carolina?
and there is no definite word limit for SOP in SC,ryt!?
 
littlefurrybugs said:
Alright... Berkeley's personal statement/personal history statement requirement is bugging me. According to the admission's site, we need both. However, when I go to the specific concentration, it says nothing about a personal history statement. Should I write both anyway?
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Yes. The personal history statement will help, in part, determine awards for merit scholarships and/or grants.

I am from California, and I can tell you that the UC's place strong emphasis on these kinds of essays. In addition to assessing your writing ability, the essay allows them to get more depth about your background, especially in cases where there is perceived "struggle" (e.g., such as based on race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation/sexual identity, immigration status, family history, etc.) to get where you are now and where you are headed.
 
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Hi--I took the MCAT and scored a 34M. M is in the 10-30 percentile, so obviously not very good. I elected not to retake the MCAT for applying to med school but I'm assuming that writing is more important when applying to masters programs? Should I take the GRE just to show that I am not incompetent and can actually write a coherent essay?
 
So for all my schools, their SOPHAS profile says:

By the Posted Deadline, Applicants Must:
E-submit their application to SOPHAS and all required documents received by SOPHAS

Does that mean that the application doesn't have to mailed to the school by the posted deadline?
 
mle1989 said:
So for all my schools, their SOPHAS profile says:

By the Posted Deadline, Applicants Must:
E-submit their application to SOPHAS and all required documents received by SOPHAS

Does that mean that the application doesn't have to mailed to the school by the posted deadline?
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Yeah they don't have to be mailed by Dec 1. Not sure if LORs have to be received by Dec 1 though.
 
Thanks for clearing that up! Yes, at least 2 references have to be received for it to be considered a complete application.
 
Hi All,

I will be a re-applicant for MPH programs. I did manage to get in the first time round to a few of my top choices (GPA was roughly 3.6), but I also got into law school, and decided to pursue that first before starting with the MPH in health management. Sadly, I had to give up my offers as I wasn't able to defer for that long. I was after some thoughts on my readmission chances - as my GPA in law school has turned out to be surprisingly low. I'm an international candidate and am at a competitive top-tier law school, but I'd be lucky to get my GPA over 3.0 come application time. I was hoping to get into Harvard's MPH in health management and policy, but am very skeptical about my chances now. I do have a few relevant extra-curricular activities, bit of research experience and a clear idea of my career path. Any thoughts/advice? Does grad school really matter?

Good luck to all those applying, and feel free to PM me if you have any questions regarding the admission process. My Stats weren't too flashy - GRE pretty horrible, but did manage to get into a few top management/policy tracks last year so happy to help :)
 
I see most of you are applying to Epi programs, but hopefully someone knows the answer to this! What schools have strong health behavior and education-promotion programs? I am specifically looking for programs that are more focused on developing practitioners then they are researchers! Any help would be great since deadlines are coming up soon!
 
Hi I'm wondering what the word limits are for the statement of purposes.
I'm applying to UCLA and UC Berkeley and I know those have a 1500-word limit for the statement of purpose and 4800-characters for the personal history statement for Berkeley.
Does UCLA need a personal history statement?

Also, is the personal statement word limit for Columbia 500 words?
How about Emory, Yale, and San Diego State?

Thanks very much.
 
lai1737 said:
Hi I'm wondering what the word limits are for the statement of purposes.
I'm applying to UCLA and UC Berkeley and I know those have a 1500-word limit for the statement of purpose and 4800-characters for the personal history statement for Berkeley.
Does UCLA need a personal history statement?

Also, is the personal statement word limit for Columbia 500 words?
How about Emory, Yale, and San Diego State?

Thanks very much.
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UCLA does not require it in general but asks for it if you are interested in being considered for a fellowship. The Diversity Fellowship - Supplemental Application on their graduate application portal requires a "diversity statement" (of at most 8,000 characters).

As for the other schools you mentioned, that can easily be found on their website. I had to ask for Yale's SoP way back. They said 2 pages, which is about 500-600 words.
 
UCLA does not require it in general but asks for it if you are interested in being considered for a fellowship. The Diversity Fellowship - Supplemental Application on their graduate application portal requires a "diversity statement" (of at most 8,000 characters).

As for the other schools you mentioned, that can easily be found on their website. I had to ask for Yale's SoP way back. They said 2 pages, which is about 500-600 words.
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Thanks so much for your reply.
I was looking at the Columbia web page and saw only the 500-words personal statement, but no additional statement of purposes. I'm wondering if that's really it.
 
lai1737 said:
Thanks so much for your reply.
I was looking at the Columbia web page and saw only the 500-words personal statement, but no additional statement of purposes. I'm wondering if that's really it.
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Yes, except when you go to the Additional Questions section of the SOPHAS when you designate a school, Yale will ask for an additional essay if you are applying to the Global Health Certificate.

As for Columbia, I am not sure. One way to find out is to designate it on SOPHAS, look at Additional Questions, and check out what needs to be answered. If you are not ready, simply delete from your designation.
 
porkbunsrule said:
Yes, except when you go to the Additional Questions section of the SOPHAS when you designate a school, Yale will ask for an additional essay if you are applying to the Global Health Certificate.

As for Columbia, I am not sure. One way to find out is to designate it on SOPHAS, look at Additional Questions, and check out what needs to be answered. If you are not ready, simply delete from your designation.
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Thanks so much.
 
chapina said:
I see most of you are applying to Epi programs, but hopefully someone knows the answer to this! What schools have strong health behavior and education-promotion programs? I am specifically looking for programs that are more focused on developing practitioners then they are researchers! Any help would be great since deadlines are coming up soon!
Click to expand...

I'd like to second this question. Any current students who can comment on a program's focus on practice vs. research? Or can comment on a school's health education/health promotion program?
 
Hi. What about south carolina? Do they have any word limit?
 
porkbunsrule said:
UCLA does not require it in general but asks for it if you are interested in being considered for a fellowship. The Diversity Fellowship - Supplemental Application on their graduate application portal requires a "diversity statement" (of at most 8,000 characters).

As for the other schools you mentioned, that can easily be found on their website. I had to ask for Yale's SoP way back. They said 2 pages, which is about 500-600 words.
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Hi
What about South Carolina? Do they have any word limit for SOP?
 
How does SOPHAS indicate that they have received your official transcript?

I submitted mine but it doesn't appear that SOPHAS has received. How can I make sure?

Thanks!
 
Finally submitted an application to Mailman SPH. I still have three more schools to apply to, but now the waiting game officially begins! Good luck to everyone!
 
lai1737 said:
How does SOPHAS indicate that they have received your official transcript?

I submitted mine but it doesn't appear that SOPHAS has received. How can I make sure?

Thanks!
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On the SOPHAS go to Check Your Status. Under Transcripts, it will show.
 
Just received e-mail notification from UPitt that they received my SOPHAS app that was mailed yesterday!
 
If the deadline is December 1st, does that mean I can submit on Dec 1 or do I have to submit on November 30th?
 
I am planning on taking my GRE 12/3, is that too late for January applications?
Also, I know someone mentioned this before, but do we have to have our applications submitted to SOPHAS by the deadline or does it have to be submitted to the school by the deadline?

Thanks ya'll, good luck to everyone!
 
Im nearing the end of completing my application and I was wondering when is there considered enough information to E-submit the SOPHAS application. All I am missing is 1 letter of reccomendation and I have to complete the personal statements. The transcripts and scores are done. Can it be submitted without the personal statements?

Thank you in advance!
 
Tarheel11 said:
Im nearing the end of completing my application and I was wondering when is there considered enough information to E-submit the SOPHAS application. All I am missing is 1 letter of reccomendation and I have to complete the personal statements. The transcripts and scores are done. Can it be submitted without the personal statements?

Thank you in advance!
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Nope, you need to have your personal statements completed prior to submitting.
 
Tarheel11 said:
Im nearing the end of completing my application and I was wondering when is there considered enough information to E-submit the SOPHAS application. All I am missing is 1 letter of reccomendation and I have to complete the personal statements. The transcripts and scores are done. Can it be submitted without the personal statements?

Thank you in advance!
Click to expand...

Someone correct me if I'm wrong I think how it works is that in order to e-submit, you need to upload personal statements to all school designations. However, you can add designations after you e-submit and it will let you upload new personal statements.

So you can only specify one designation now, e-submit and then add more designations later. I hope that made sense.
 
Hi glenvorian that definitely makes a lot of sense thank you so much for your help!
 
I e-submitted my application on November 11 (18 days ago), but it still hasn't been mailed!! I'm becoming frustrated because I'm worried that it won't arrive in time for the Dec. 15 deadline for one of my schools. Is this a normal wait process or should I contact them? I have all of my references in, and my transcript is also in but hasn't been verified.:mad:
 
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