Hey, I'm on Anschutz too and I did not get an email, so it must have been CSU. And just a heads up, I emailed admissions and they told me financial aid information would not be released until May, so it seems like we have a lot of conflicting information here.
MPH Fall 2016: Applied, Accepted, Waitlisted, Rejected!
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Hey, I'm on Anschutz too and I did not get an email, so it must have been CSU. And just a heads up, I emailed admissions and they told me financial aid information would not be released until May, so it seems like we have a lot of conflicting information here.
Has anyone gotten a financial aid package from Berkeley yet? I'm not expecting anything other than loans, but I'm curious as to when they'll be released (for students who are confirmed going to Berkeley, that is).
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Great response! JW, what was the size of the class that you sat in on? I'm also deciding between Columbia and another school (BU) but I feel a bit apprehensive about being able to distinguish myself rather than being another face in the crowd. BU is also a fairly large program but Columbia's just seems huuuge and somewhat daunting. Also, did you get a sense of the students' backgrounds and where they came from (e.g. just out of college/out of workforce for a few years, mostly from NYC, etc), and what sort of community there was among the class/students?Hi there! I actually found myself in the same dilemma this cycle, albeit for Epi, so please feel free to take my words cum grano salis. For me, it came down to potential research/networking opportunities (the costs of attendance were pretty much equated for me, because I was fortunate to receive a merit award from Columbia, so my advice will not include financial considerations--but that does not make those considerations any less important!). Both are wonderful places with much to offer, so I found myself drawing up lists of pros and cons: Yale's small class size greatly appealed to me because there seemed to be a stronger chance of developing more solid relationships with faculty and with my peers. On the other hand, the deliberately small size of the school worried me a little because it seems that it might limit possible research opportunities. Columbia is a much larger and apparently impersonal school, which is daunting, but it is very well-recognized in this field, has an intensive curriculum, and provides a broader range of research, in my opinion.
I think it ultimately comes down to what you are looking for in your program and the environment that you feel best suits you. I recommend talking to as many people from either institution as you possibly can and objectively assessing the information they give you. I spoke to both a professor and student from Yale who gave me a good picture of the school, I felt. Then, I visited Columbia and sat in on a class, not so much for content as much as to observe the class dynamic; an Epidemiology professor also reached out to me and was able to speak to me by phone about public health and research at Columbia. I personally felt that the class was very respectful towards the lecturers, asked thoughtful questions, and made meaningful contributions to their discussion. Class dynamic is especially important to me (I've been in too many science classes where students seem to try to one-up each other, vying for the professor's attention in increasingly irksome manners, and I'd love to see more collaborative than competitive environments as I go forward in my education). I also really appreciated the professor's willingness to talk to me (not so impersonal as I'd initially assumed), and, more minor consideration, I love New York City while I'm young and still have the energy for it, so all that decided me--I ended up committing to Columbia Epi.
This isn't a cunning advertisement for Columbia, though, I promise! I truly mean it when I say that you should speak to as many people as possible before April 15th. I know that sounds like a very generic answer, but it's the best I have to offer, and it is what worked for me while making this decision. Ask yourself: what school will provide me the opportunities I want for my professional future? Along whom would I like to learn? With which professors might I like to study (actually, if there is a particular person whom you might be interested in knowing/working with/learning from at a given school don't discount that)? And truly ask yourself what environment is most conducive to your learning and see which place better fits that.
This might have been a longer answer than you expected, and it may not have all the information you wanted, but I hope that it is useful in some capacity, or at least that you find another soon-to-be MPH candidate's perspective somewhat helpful.
But honestly, whatever your decision, it can't be a bad one; you have two fantastic options. Congratulations on your acceptances and good luck!
Finally got rejected by Harvard. Decided on University of Minnesota since I have in-state tuition and it's a good fit for me. Sad to say goodbye to Columbia and Emory, but I can't afford to get into that much debt.
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Yes, I heard from admissions a few weeks ago so not sure what the delay is.
Check your spam folder, mine was there.
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Your reminder led me to check my spam box where I found a revised fin aid letter from Columbia that provided me with more aid!
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Yeah I really struggled with UPenn as well... like you said, their MPH program isn't ranked great (though it's relatively new and one of the first multidisciplinary programs out there), but it's housed in their medical school, which is awesome obviously.
But though it was a tough decision, I ultimately chose Michigan.
Same here. I can't believe that they are 3 weeks late without giving us any reason. I hope that we will hear this week about it.
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Did anyone get their financial aid package from Hopkins yet?
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Haha I am 20 as well !!!
hey! yeah I called today and got the same-- they also said the our campus has like 1% assisantships haha bc CSU has more undergraduate... they have more opening? made about -4% sense to me but whatever haha
D
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For those of us waiting on financial aid decisions from HSPH, I emailed the office to ask and they said we should be receiving an email on the package by the end of this week. Fingers crossed!
I got the $2000 REAl grant as well. I find it pitiful lol!
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Yes, I am.
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Yup, waiting for financial aid.
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Also just saw my Emory financial aid on OPUS. $4k REAL grants and $33k direct unsubsidized loans for the year.
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Same. Ick. :/
Any international students accepted to BU? I'm trying to turn down their offer, but they won't let me until I provide financial documents for my F-1 Visa because they want to start the process of getting me my visa....which I don't understand since I won't be attending.
I've already accepted Hopkins, and Hopkins only asked for my financial documents to process my visa AFTER I accepted.
I find it really odd BU wants more documents from me after accepting me even though I plan to not attend.
Some people were telling me that if BU starts processing my F1 visa like Hopkins currently is, I might have issues getting a visa at all cause it looks weird to the embassy that 2 schools are doing it..
Anyone having the same problem and can give me advice?
I've already accepted Hopkins, and Hopkins only asked for my financial documents to process my visa AFTER I accepted.
I find it really odd BU wants more documents from me after accepting me even though I plan to not attend.
Some people were telling me that if BU starts processing my F1 visa like Hopkins currently is, I might have issues getting a visa at all cause it looks weird to the embassy that 2 schools are doing it..
Anyone having the same problem and can give me advice?
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Me too :/ anyone set on Emory with similar fin aid situation? How are you going to finance the rest of cost of living? I have 12k undergrad debt and am really scared the loan forgiveness program will be capped in the next couple of years when the first people to get their loans forgiven start in 2017.
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I'm an international student and I turned down BU's offer too. There should be a declaration of intent form attached to your acceptance email, in which you can two options, just click I choose not to attend and send it back. You only have to send your financial documents if you decide to commit to BU.
Hope that helps!
When I was visiting BU they said to respond through the applicant gateway, and so I emailed them saying I couldn't access the applicant gateway, which is when they asked me to send in financial stuff!
Thank you so much!
You should contact them and let them know that your declaration of intent isn't there so they can fix it for you!
Yes, I went to an information day and they told me that. At Anschutz there's more competition because it's all graduate students, vs CSU which is mostly undergrads.
No I haven't but they said we should receive them by the end of the month.
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Has anyone gotten their USF financial aid, if so, how long did it take?
Currently debating between Duke's MSc in Global Health and Columbia's MPH in Population & Family Health with a Global health certificate. Any thoughts on pros/cons of doing a MSc vs MPH? My current background is very research heavy, which initially draws me to the MSc but it seems that Columbia also offers many research opportunities.
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So I have a question that may be stupid, but I'm going to ask it anyway.
With Penn, they don't offer financial aid for their MPH program. So does this mean I also can't get one of the direct unsubsidized loans like I've been offered at the other schools? Do those have to originate at the school? Do I have to just do Grad PLUS loans or private loans instead?
With Penn, they don't offer financial aid for their MPH program. So does this mean I also can't get one of the direct unsubsidized loans like I've been offered at the other schools? Do those have to originate at the school? Do I have to just do Grad PLUS loans or private loans instead?
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I'm here too!
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Hi all. Anyone admitted to the Harvard 65-MPH in Global Health still considering? Would love to talk to someone about their thoughts, especially since it's a new program. PM me if you'd be interested to chat...PLEASE!! haha.
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No you can still get them as long as u put the schools FAFSA code in. Federal direct unsub loan come from the US dept of edu and do not go through the school. This is my understanding let me know if I'm wrong!
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Boston is definitely a great city, especially to study public health/healthcare, but I think after 20+ years (I grew up, went to college, and currently work here), it's time for a change. I feel like I'm not learning as much as I could than if I were in a new environment that excited and challenged me. I've met a lot of great people studying/working in Boston and had a great time at BU's accepted students day, but I'm leaning toward Columbia for that reason. At the same time though, I can't ignore the fact that I really like the academic culture at BU. Both schools have the courses that I want to take, although I feel like Columbia will be better at keeping me close to my social science roots. I plan on visiting Columbia again next week to sit in on a class and get an official campus tour. Crossing my fingers that that'll help me make up my mind about which school to choose. We're getting closer and closer to decision day, people!I loved it too! It was so well-organized and full of events that actually informed me instead of "filler" events to take up time. I thought the faculty members were all so helpful and friendly, but at the same time knowledgeable and credited in all public health fields. The other accepted students were all great too and I could definitely picture myself attending! I'm originally from Maryland, so Boston is the furthest school I applied/was admitted to, and I think it's definitely the change of scenery I need. Maybe you've stayed in Boston this long because it's too perfect to leave haha
I've emailed OFA last week and the representative said that she's still waiting for my department to finalize the fin aid packages. It's been almost 4 weeks since admittance! Hope we all hear back soon. Btw, has anyone received a hard copy version of the admission letter from Harvard in the mail?
Officially declined offers from BU and GW. Still having a tough time deciding between Columbia and Emory, though
I am deciding between Emory and Columbia as well. This decision is daunting...
WAHHHH give me LESS competition, PLEASSSSSSSSE!
I have not received anything hardcopy from them.
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Agreed! The way I see it is Ill be done when Im in the midst of retirement (or not cause of SS checks), so I guess when were dead
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Honestly, its like pulling teeth to try to get any financial aid info from schools. Definitely a power imbalance.
Very daunting, indeed! What are your thoughts so far/what school are you leaning towards?
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Hi!
The class was pretty small, definitely fewer than 20 people...though I don't believe that it is necessarily representative of all Columbia MPH classes (i.e. core courses, where you'll be in a cohort of 100); it was an Epi elective. That said, it looks like there are elective classes that are nice and small, despite the very large program at Mailman, and even in a department as popular as Epi. Honestly, I could not tell you much about the students' backgrounds; I did not speak to any student at length while I visited (the most I can tell you about the students themselves in that particular class is that they were really pleasant, respectful, and mostly female. Except for one lone male. Who seemed to be doing just fine. That's literally all I have for you from that particular class, I'm so sorry).
BUT I did speak to a student about a week later and she gave me a better sense of the community there-- she told me that students come from pretty diverse backgrounds and that diversity is greatly appreciated at Mailman. She also told me that the environment was more collaborative and gave me a couple personal anecdotes about how that environment had enhanced her experience at Mailman. She herself is an international student who had come straight out of undergrad to Columbia, but I'm sure others have different backgrounds. She ended that discussion with, I quote verbatim: "This may sound like a cliché, but your classmates at Mailman are people who just want to make the world a better place." She seemed so earnest about the positive spirit of public health at Mailman, which I found very encouraging.
I can absolutely relate to being apprehensive about the large program, and I have been told by more than one person that Columbia is what you make of it, so yes, it is incumbent upon you to make yourself distinctive in this program. I'm also more shy, so knowing that made me incredibly nervous about attempting to navigate Columbia. THAT SAID, you were accepted to Columbia and BU--clearly you must have made yourself distinctive in undergrad and as an applicant to get this far. If you were able to form solid relationships with your peers and with your professors (and you must have--there were rec letters involved in this process), it may seem daunting, but I'm sure that distinguishing yourself is well within your capacity
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Finally heard back from Harvard on their MPH-65 and I was put on the Wait List. I probably won't accept it but it's just nice to have all the decisions in. Now I think I'll decide between Columbia and UPenn.
D
