Fall 2009 Applications!

[Bizzle4Rizzle]

Hello everyone!

I just thought we could have a thread that could harmonise all the general questions, concerns, suggestions & comments about Fall 2009 applications!

Welcome everyone!

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[pbutter]

Anyone applying to PhD Epi programs this cycle?

 

[erikalindsay]

pbutter- Yep! I'll be getting my MPH in May '09 and am applying this fall to PhD programs for epi... Not sure where I'm applying yet besides my current school (where I'd love to stay).

Not looking forward to round 2 on the SOPHAS.

 

[pbutter]

Awesome! I'm a bit nervous about these applications, just looking at some of the admissions stats is off-putting, e.g. Emory PhD Epi gets around 100 applicants for 5 spots

I'm not sure if you can answer this, but what is the background of a typical PhD Epi applicant? I'm just trying to gauge how competitive I am, but most resources are MPH related.

Thanks and best of luck!

 

[dr37]

hello all..

i am an applicant for fall 09..as international student

GRE:1160
TOEFL:112
GPA:3.53
dentist from India
work ex: 1.5 years along with
volunteer work in india for abt 5 summers
i month community service in USA..

what are my chances.. i am concerned abt GRE????

 

[HPMMajor]

Hey Guys,

I'm applying for Fall 09 for Health administration programs. I graduate from college in December, and hope to go right into a master's program in the fall.

My only worry is my GRE. I have taken two practice tests and scored around 1150 both times. I'm taking a Princeton Review Online course but my score doesn't seem to be going anywhere so I'm a bit worried. Is this normal? Did you guys score better on the real thing than on your practice tests? I hope I do.

GPA: 3.75
Major: Health Policy and Management at an East Coast liberal arts school
Work Exp. : Receptionist at a Free Clinic, Intern at a Children's Hospital, Program Assistant for a childhood obesity campaign.

I'm hoping my GPA and work experience during undergrad will compensate for my mediocre GRE. I'm applying to Michigan, SLU, Minnesota and Iowa

 

[erikalindsay]

Hey Guys,

I'm applying for Fall 09 for Health administration programs. I graduate from college in December, and hope to go right into a master's program in the fall.

My only worry is my GRE. I have taken two practice tests and scored around 1150 both times. I'm taking a Princeton Review Online course but my score doesn't seem to be going anywhere so I'm a bit worried. Is this normal? Did you guys score better on the real thing than on your practice tests? I hope I do.

GPA: 3.75
Major: Health Policy and Management at an East Coast liberal arts school
Work Exp. : Receptionist at a Free Clinic, Intern at a Children's Hospital, Program Assistant for a childhood obesity campaign.

I'm hoping my GPA and work experience during undergrad will compensate for my mediocre GRE. I'm applying to Michigan, SLU, Minnesota and Iowa

You'll probably get in at Minnesota (which is where I go) with those numbers as long as you have a good personal statement. They focus much more on your desire to be in the program and work in that field than if you got a 4.0/etc. The preferred GRE score is just something above 1000.

 

[hydrotaj]

Hi,

I just graduated from a competitive school in New york, and I m looking to apply to MPH program transitioning into a PhD in Health behavior or Epi.
My interests lie in tobacco research and the implementation of intervention programs. I have done two years of independent tobacco research throughout my junior and senior year of college and I was an elected student leader.
however, my GPA is not fantastic, I only have a 3.1 and I am currently studying for my GRE. However, I had a 4.0 and a 3.6 in my senior year. Could this help me?
I am looking at UM, BU, UMN, UMD and other schools in the same bracket.
What do you think my chances are?

 

[erikalindsay]

Hi,

I just graduated from a competitive school in New york, and I m looking to apply to MPH program transitioning into a PhD in Health behavior or Epi.
My interests lie in tobacco research and the implementation of intervention programs. I have done two years of independent tobacco research throughout my junior and senior year of college and I was an elected student leader.
however, my GPA is not fantastic, I only have a 3.1 and I am currently studying for my GRE. However, I had a 4.0 and a 3.6 in my senior year. Could this help me?
I am looking at UM, BU, UMN, UMD and other schools in the same bracket.
What do you think my chances are?

At Minnesota, I know several people who were admitted with low GPAs (though they all had some experience and good GRE scores). Make sure you get at least 1000 on your GRE and have a great personal statement. You can see the admission statistics by major on the school website.

 

[hydrotaj]

At Minnesota, I know several people who were admitted with low GPAs (though they all had some experience and good GRE scores). Make sure you get at least 1000 on your GRE and have a great personal statement. You can see the admission statistics by major on the school website.

Thanks, How do you like the school? do you know of any research on tobacco being undertaken at the school?
What sort of recruitment occurs on campus? is the career services dept helpful?
thanks.

 

[erikalindsay]

Awesome! I'm a bit nervous about these applications, just looking at some of the admissions stats is off-putting, e.g. Emory PhD Epi gets around 100 applicants for 5 spots

I'm not sure if you can answer this, but what is the background of a typical PhD Epi applicant? I'm just trying to gauge how competitive I am, but most resources are MPH related.

Thanks and best of luck!

I am sure that it really depends on the school. I know that at my school (I will get my MPH in May assuming I finish my thesis on time!), you must have an MPH before being able to apply to the epi PhD program. Also, remember that most people apply to more than one school and might be accepted to more than one and turn all of them down, except one. Each school that I've looked into has similar requirements as far as the research proposal goes. I'm getting a bit anxious about it since most schools have a December deadline for PhD applications.

I'm not looking forward to doing the SOPHAS again, though! It would have been nice if they would have kept my undergraduate courses and grades from my application to the MPH program.

Good luck to you, too!

 

[erikalindsay]

Thanks, How do you like the school? do you know of any research on tobacco being undertaken at the school?
What sort of recruitment occurs on campus? is the career services dept helpful?
thanks.

I am happy here, but I also went here for my undergrad.

I am not sure about tobacco as that is not really close to my area, sorry!

Do you mean recruitment for jobs after graduation? I'm not really sure about that, to be honest, I haven't really thought about that yet! Same with career services...

Sorry, I'm not really any help with your questions. I would suggest calling and speaking with the major coordinator for the program you'd like to apply to. They've all been really helpful to me in the past.

 

[arzy]

Does anyone know about law and public health programs? I know a bit about public health but not very much about MPH admissions standards.

I have good academic recommendations, solid grades (3.75 UG, above the median at law school), and I worked for a state department of public health before I went to law school. My JD is from a top 10 law school and I have been working as a health law attorney for a few years. I think that is a pretty strong application, but I have not taken the GRE and will only be applying to schools that waive it for JDs- unfortunately, that leaves me with Harvard, Hopkins, and a few others (basically, the extremely competitive schools). Is it a horrible idea to only apply to these schools?

 

[ChnMnStn]

There were threads in the past that were a collaboration of where people were applying and their stats. I found them of great interest and assistance when I was looking at these threads.

Hopkins
Harvard
UofWash
UCBerkeley
Emory
UNC
All in Global/ International Health- Behavorial Interventions

UG GPA: 3.4
GRE: 1280
PH Work Experience: 1 year for INGO in PH in China- HIV/AIDS
Accumulative of 1 year of PH in Ethiopia- HIV/AIDS
Summer internship with USAID in Ethiopia

If you're applying to any of the same programs feel free to contact me.

 

[watereverywhere]

Hey folks -

Long time been a browser of SDN but never posted - finally joined officially! Anyway, I'm applying for SPH graduate schools for fall 2009. Now for the infamous question: What are my chances?

Cumulative GPA > 3.0
GRE - 700+ quantitative, 600+ verbal
2+ years research experience in public health lab


Also, does anyone know if some midrange schools? So far I've got only highly ranked ones...

Thanks!

 

[dr fairy]

IS anyone planning to apply to UIC school of public health for fall 2009? If anyone of you has info on the MPH- CHS (PEP) program dere please do give in the details.. thanks..
(please pm the replies)

 

[ChnMnStn]

Watereverywhere,

You may want to look at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Tulane is another mid-range school you may want to consider.

What i've heard and read, is that people tend to be surprised at the schools they were capable of getting into so I think if you run the gambit of the top notch schools you're sure to get in somewhere. You may also want to look at schools that specialize in water borne diseases rather then the broad field of PH.

Just my two cents.

 

[watereverywhere]

ChnMnStn,

Thanks a ton for your suggestions and encouragement. I don't know anything about the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, but another thread on this forum popped up and apparently it is difficult to get in.

While I have worked on waterborne disease research for awhile, I also want to have the flexibility of exploring other fields in case there's something that's a better match. Do you happen to know of schools that specialize in waterborne disease research?

Thanks again.

 

[publichealthqs]

There were threads in the past that were a collaboration of where people were applying and their stats. I found them of great interest and assistance when I was looking at these threads.

Hopkins
Harvard
UofWash
UCBerkeley
Emory
UNC
All in Global/ International Health- Behavorial Interventions

UG GPA: 3.4
GRE: 1280
PH Work Experience: 1 year for INGO in PH in China- HIV/AIDS
Accumulative of 1 year of PH in Ethiopia- HIV/AIDS
Summer internship with USAID in Ethiopia

If you're applying to any of the same programs feel free to contact me.

Hello. I am planning on applying to International Health Programs with Behavioral Interventions as well. I'm looking at Columbia, GW, Yale and Hopkins. I haven't taken the GRE yet, but I don't normally do well on standardized tests. My GPA is 3.6 and I have been doing community health programs and malaria research for a community clinic in Kampala for almost a year.

Why aren't you applying to Columbia? I'm only applying to Northern East Coast schools because of family and career possibilities for my husband. But I've heard great stuff about Emory and UNC.

Have you submitted your application yet?

 

[ChnMnStn]

Hello. I am planning on applying to International Health Programs with Behavioral Interventions as well. I'm looking at Columbia, GW, Yale and Hopkins. I haven't taken the GRE yet, but I don't normally do well on standardized tests. My GPA is 3.6 and I have been doing community health programs and malaria research for a community clinic in Kampala for almost a year.

Why aren't you applying to Columbia? I'm only applying to Northern East Coast schools because of family and career possibilities for my husband. But I've heard great stuff about Emory and UNC.

Have you submitted your application yet?

Publichealthqs,

International public health is my focus and all of those schools have departments that focus on global health, with the exception of Berkeley and UNC. UNC has changed their program title to Global health, which is some indication of their departments direction. Additionally, I've worked with FHI in China and they highly recommended UNC's Health Education and Health Behavior (HEBE) program. Berkeley simply because of my bay area connection.

In regards to Columbia, it just doesn't have the international public health appeal i'm interested in. Although, a dual degree with their SIPA program would be something worth considering.

Correct me if i'm wrong, but to me Yale seemed like a nascent program in the process of finding its nitch and trying distinguishing it self from the rest of the pack. I'm sure they do have great programs, just not sure about their focus on international health. UMich was a no go because of my hatred for the cold, although I would find a way to deal with my disposition if I was accepted into Harvard.

This is probably not the right forum to discuss this, but i'm interested to hear how Uganda's public health programs are? Were you working for an NGO? How did they distribute malaria nets and other preventative measures?

No, my applications have no been submitted yet, still putting the finishing touches on the essay.

Best of luck and keep me updated on your application process.

 

[watereverywhere]

.....

 

[cloudchaser]

Hi folks,

I haven't finalized to which schools I am applying, but Emory is my top choice at the moment. I am pursuing an MPH. Something like 93% of those matriculating into the program I want at Emory (Behavioral Sciences / Health Education) were female, and as a bonafide male, I like those odds!

I am also very interested in George Washington U. I had originally intended to apply to Columbia and UC-Berkeley but looking deeper into the programs dissuaded me from applying.

It has been hard for me to find programs...I want to work in mental health issues specifically and many schools do not exactly tailor to this concept. Instead some programs are better outlets than others (Health Policy / Management programs are hit or miss on this topic). This means I have had to spend a lot of time researching the programs themselves and contacting admissions / recruitment folk and faculty researchers tp figure out of the programs are a good fit.

Would anyone here have any advice specifically for someone interested in mental health and mental illness issues in general?

 

[152364]

Cloudchaser, I'm kind of in the same boat you are, except I'm looking at DrPH programs. You may want to look at UNC's epidemiology program. I know that their PhD program in epidemiology allows you to pick a concentration, and one of the concentrations that they offer is in psychiatry and mental health. Their MPH programs may do the same.

 

[Dentgirl09]

Is it possible to get an MPH in 1 year?

 

[cloudchaser]

Cloudchaser, I'm kind of in the same boat you are, except I'm looking at DrPH programs. You may want to look at UNC's epidemiology program. I know that their PhD program in epidemiology allows you to pick a concentration, and one of the concentrations that they offer is in psychiatry and mental health. Their MPH programs may do the same.

Thanks for the heads up. I found a few programs that tailor to my interests. Among them are Johns Hopkins (has a Mental Health department within the school, but it is a Master's in Health Sciences rather than an MPH), Boston U, and the University of South Florida.

 

[watereverywhere]

Although, I will point out that the Epid program accepts very people each year (see their admissions website and they say it explicitly)

 

[zahazie]

I just applied to Harvard for the MPH in International Health. SOPHAS sent all my application material by the end of October.
Does anyone have any idea of when I could expect to hear something?

 

[zahazie]

Is it possible to get an MPH in 1 year?

As far as I know, the professional MPH degrees offered by Harvard, Hopkins and Yale are all one year courses (or even nine months).
But you need some professional experience to be able to apply.

 

[Bizzle4Rizzle]

zahazie

when did u send your app to SOPHAS?
would like to have an idea of how long it takes to process and send to the schools...Thanks!

 

[zahazie]

zahazie

when did u send your app to SOPHAS?
would like to have an idea of how long it takes to process and send to the schools...Thanks!

I waited until all my materials had arrived (ie, at least 2 references and my transcripts) then I e-submitted my application on the 20th of October. SOPHAS mailed my application to the PH schools on the 29th of October.

 

[livelifeloud]

Hello everyone, I just took my GRE, not so pleased with the results (1200)... So I've decided to strike a few high profile schools off my list. It seems everyone is applying to Harvard, Emory, Hopkins... Any suggestions of schools I'd have a chance of getting into? (GPA-3.6, GRE-1200, some unrelated research experience, and a few years of volunteer work)
Also, having long concentrated on med school personal statements, I'm having a tough time writing a good PS for public health school...

 

[nimesis]

I was just wondering where everyone who's applying this year stands in terms of admissions. How many people have submitted their apps and where have you submitted apps to if that's the case? Some of the deadlines are coming up so I wanted to get a sense of where other people are in the application process.

 

[M123]

I applied to UNC, University of Washington and Loma Linda University. I submitted applications at the end of September (although my final rec wasn't received until the last week of October). UNC only updated my application online last week, and the University of Washington updated this week. Apparently, the graduate admissions office at UW is "making some revisions to their database" (whatever that means) in case anyone starts to worry about how slowly they update application status. Had an interview with Loma Linda this past Tuesday (I declared "no religious affiliation" on my secondary app, so I don't know how that happened).

SOPHAS is the absolute bane of my existence - I suggest you submit as early as possible so you have time to correct any issues that may arise. That said, it seems like most schools do not even start thinking about applications until just before the deadline.

 

[watereverywhere]

For SOPHAS, if the school's deadline is December 15th, can I submit it to SOPHAS on december 15th? Or ahead of time?

 

[nimesis]

Just so people don't think that I"m trying to hide anything or get an unfair advantage by getting other people's information, I submitted my applications today for 6 schools: UCLA, Berkeley, Harvard, Washington, and BU.

I'm mostly doing Social and Behavioral Sciences (or the equivalent program) for those schools, so I'm not really direct competition with some of the doctors on this forum I guess. I'm not pre-med and I don't plan on going to med school, I'm just using this forum cause it seems to have the best/most information on MPH programs.

Hopefully this will get other people to share cause I've seen a lot of views of this thread since I've posted, but only 2 responses.

 

[ratonlaveur]

Do people usually get some kind of confirmation after submitting all application materials? I submitted everything in late September to 6 schools and only 2 have sent me some sort of confirmation saying they've received all application info.

 

[ImPublicHealthy]

.

 

[seedont]

I applied to UNC, University of Washington and Loma Linda University. I submitted applications at the end of September (although my final rec wasn't received until the last week of October). UNC only updated my application online last week, and the University of Washington updated this week. Apparently, the graduate admissions office at UW is "making some revisions to their database" (whatever that means) in case anyone starts to worry about how slowly they update application status. Had an interview with Loma Linda this past Tuesday (I declared "no religious affiliation" on my secondary app, so I don't know how that happened).

SOPHAS is the absolute bane of my existence - I suggest you submit as early as possible so you have time to correct any issues that may arise. That said, it seems like most schools do not even start thinking about applications until just before the deadline.

Hey,hv you applied for the MPH or MHA prog?I've applied to the MHA prog in UW n UNC too....hv'nt heard fm either of them as yt though....

 

[seedont]

Hey Guys,

I'm applying for Fall 09 for Health administration programs. I graduate from college in December, and hope to go right into a master's program in the fall.

My only worry is my GRE. I have taken two practice tests and scored around 1150 both times. I'm taking a Princeton Review Online course but my score doesn't seem to be going anywhere so I'm a bit worried. Is this normal? Did you guys score better on the real thing than on your practice tests? I hope I do.

GPA: 3.75
Major: Health Policy and Management at an East Coast liberal arts school
Work Exp. : Receptionist at a Free Clinic, Intern at a Children's Hospital, Program Assistant for a childhood obesity campaign.

I'm hoping my GPA and work experience during undergrad will compensate for my mediocre GRE. I'm applying to Michigan, SLU, Minnesota and Iowa

Hey,
I've applied to U.Mich,SLU,Minnesota,UW n UNC....for MHA fall09....just got done with my interview at SLU a coupla days bk...waiting to hear fm them....wts bn happening at ur end?

 

[M123]

Hey,hv you applied for the MPH or MHA prog?I've applied to the MHA prog in UW n UNC too....hv'nt heard fm either of them as yt though....

Hey, I actually applied to the MPH program. Not sure if the MHA admissions process is the same, but it probably is at least very similar. According to the UNC website, Admissions releases decisions for the MPH in January -- but, according to what I've read on SDN, UNC doesn't actually tend to make offers until Feb/March. No idea when they start to extend interview offers, but the deadline was only on the 1st so I think it will be at least a few more weeks. Waiting is torture :\

 

[mak2005]

I was reading through some of the posts and thought I could answer a few questions:

I've currently applied to about 6 different schools. Typically students do go into the MPH upon completion of their undergraduate degree. I'm currently graduating from U of M. I've already received admission to BU and am waiting to hear from other Universities. I would highly recommend that you call each University to make sure your materials have been received and they are nice enough to tell you that your application is under review or missing stuff. Some of the schools haven't returned anything stating my app is in. And they've been submitted since late September/early October.

 

[johnnyquest2009]

Regarding going into MPH program straight out of undergrad or waiting. The program I am in is a mix. If you look at Peterson's Guide you can see the average age of students for each program.

Average age of students:

Emory: 27
Florida: 31
Harvard: 33
Johns Hopkins: 30
Yale: 26
BU: 29
Loma Linda: 27
Tulane: n/a
South Florida: 33
U. of Washington: 29

Now that does not mean that you cant get into a program straight of our undergrad because many actually do. But it is good to realize that many people in these programs do have experience.

 

[Bizzle4Rizzle]

I have a slight problem - when i log into my SOPHAS page it says under the school designations link that it has been mailed BUT when i click on the link proper it says not mailed yet! Anybody experienced something similar?

 

[pbutter]

Yep, me too. Apparently, the next mailout is Dec. 10.

 

[ImPublicHealthy]

I have a slight problem - when i log into my SOPHAS page it says under the school designations link that it has been mailed BUT when i click on the link proper it says not mailed yet! Anybody experienced something similar?

That happened to me as well. Within a few days, they were all mailed out, though.

 

[watereverywhere]

Speaking of SOPHAS -

Some deadlines are Dec 15th - does this if I submit on SOPHAS Dec 14th, I'll be set to go? OR do I have to wait for SOPHAS to process it, and then when it's done, it will be "submitted"? I'm caught up in final exams right now, trying to organize when I'm going to finish my apps.

 

[Bizzle4Rizzle]

@pbutter

I'm curious to knowhow u came about the 10th of December date? Its good news for me if dats d case!

 

[pbutter]

Hi Bizzle4Rizzle, I contacted SOPHAS and they told me that's their next mailout

watereverywhere, it depends on the school. e.g. UCB (deadline of Dec. 1) stated that you can submit all the way until Dec. 1. Harvard, apparently, wants the package in their hands by Dec. 15, so you have to submit earlier. For internationals, it's much shorter time to verify because SOPHAS doesn't have to calculate the GPA.

 

[HPMMajor]

Hey,
I've applied to U.Mich,SLU,Minnesota,UW n UNC....for MHA fall09....just got done with my interview at SLU a coupla days bk...waiting to hear fm them....wts bn happening at ur end?

I submitted my application about 3 weeks ago to Michigan, Yale, Harvard, SLU, and Minneosta. I am also considering applying to Iowa and Rush to be safe.

I took the GRE and got a 1250 which is a little higher than I expected, hopefully it gets me into one of those schools! My GPA, after my final semester, is 3.75 cumulative.

The only school I have heard from so far is Minnesota, and I am invited for an interview on Feb. 13. I'm still waiting to hear from the other schools (Yale contacted me and said that they haven't received my GRE scores yet)

Good luck with your application cycles! Has anyone heard from these other schools yet?

 

[seedont]

just got notified of my acceptance to SLU MHA program for Fall09