MPH / MSPH 2021: Applied, Accepted, Waitlisted, Rejected, Attending

[tstokton97]

Hi guys,

So I had a pretty low gpa (2.9) due to military commitments early in college. I explained it in my personal statement but now I'm getting back my sophas gpa and they said I have a 2.58 and didn't count 3 of my A's I completed in seven week courses this semester. I sent them an email to review my gpa and too include those credits. My health sciences gpa is a 3.77 and my public health gpa is a 3.58 according to sophas, but that overall just isn't it. What do you think? Is it over for me? I have an internship in the epidemiologist unit of a local health department, a little research, and some solid letters of rec.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[rtr2020]

If I submitted all of my applications late October for Fall 2021 admission am I too late?

Most early applications dont close til Dec 1 or sometime in Jan/Feb. Early means consideration for scholarship. After that there is still the regular application date. This is different at some schools for international students though.

 

[rap15]

If I submitted all of my applications late October for Fall 2021 admission am I too late?

not at all, you’re on the early side in fact...

 

[718347212]

Thrilled to say that I've been accepted into my top choice for my MPH, JHU!
Applied on 09/30, was notified that the application was complete on 10/03 and got SOPHAS verified on 10/14.

Undergraduate School/School type: Honors college at a public university
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.83/>3.9
Major/minor: B.S. in Psychology
Grad GPA (if applicable): Medical school grading = pass/fail
Grad studies (if applicable): Graduate of an American medical school
GRE(including date taken): Not taken

Experience/research: 3+ publications

Letters of Rec: Three LoR from hospital leadership (individuals who have known me since medical school) and one from a PhD

Interests: Infectious disease, applications of public health to IM, social justice/health disparities

Applied: 1 program
Accepted: Johns Hopkins
Rejected: N/A
Waitlisted: N/A
Attending: Johns Hopkins

 

[718347212]

Congratulations on your achievement! What program did you apply to?

Oh, my apologies for not mentioning it in my previous post! Master of Public Health. Thanks!

 

[snemph]

Hey all! I’m a first year MPH student in Epid at Umich on a 75% scholarship. I was in your shoes this time last year, so I’m happy to answer any questions you may have or provide any insight about grad school. I also applied to Hopkins, Columbia, BostonU, and George WashingtonU and was offered a generous scholarship to each one, so if you’d like tips about that I can also share!!

 

[aev20]

Hey all! I’m a first year MPH student in Epid at Umich on a 75% scholarship. I was in your shoes this time last year, so I’m happy to answer any questions you may have or provide any insight about grad school. I also applied to Hopkins, Columbia, BostonU, and George WashingtonU and was offered a generous scholarship to each one, so if you’d like tips about that I can also share!!

When did you receive your scholarships for these schools compared to when you got your acceptances? Also, would you mind sharing if they were need- or merit-based aid? I've heard it's rare to receive anything from Columbia...

 

[snemph]

When did you receive your scholarships for these schools compared to when you got your acceptances? Also, would you mind sharing if they were need- or merit-based aid? I've heard it's rare to receive anything from Columbia...

UMich - accepted 12/13/19, offered 75% tuition 2/13/20
Columbia - accepted 2/4/20, offered either $20k or $40k? (I can't remember and I can't find my letter )
Hopkins - accepted 12/12/19, offered 75% funding for the 2nd year with my acceptance letter
BU - accepted 2/3/20, offered 35% tuition with acceptance letter
GWU - accepted 1/23/20, offered $22k 1/31/20

I think most of it was merit-based dean's scholarships with some additional grants or funding included for being a first-generation student, coming from an underrepresented background, being in-state (Michigan), and participating in one of their summer programs (Columbia). I don't know if any of them were need-based, but I definitely would have qualified for that if they were.

I strongly encourage you to appeal whatever funding offer you receive (even if you don't receive anything at first). I didn't try to negotiate with GWU or BU but I know some people had some success there, I tried with Michigan but wasn't successful (I think 75% is the cap, but I know others who started at 25% and went up), and I was in talks with Columbia but ended up deciding not to go there so I told them not to worry about it. I think it would have been possible to get more from them (a friend of mine did!) but I personally couldn't justify the expense of going out of state in the middle of a pandemic when my in-state offer was so good lol.

Another pro-tip if the school you hope to go to is out of state (or even in-state but you don't want to commute): LOOK INTO BEING A GRADUATE RESIDENT ADVISOR!!!!!!! Not sure if every school is the same but in many cases, the job is minimal and you get a free apartment on campus.

I hope that helps, please feel free to ask any other questions you may have, or if you want some insight on grad school I'm happy to share

 

[aev20]

UMich - accepted 12/13/19, offered 75% tuition 2/13/20
Columbia - accepted 2/4/20, offered either $20k or $40k? (I can't remember and I can't find my letter )
Hopkins - accepted 12/12/19, offered 75% funding for the 2nd year with my acceptance letter
BU - accepted 2/3/20, offered 35% tuition with acceptance letter
GWU - accepted 1/23/20, offered $22k 1/31/20

I think most of it was merit-based dean's scholarships with some additional grants or funding included for being a first-generation student, coming from an underrepresented background, being in-state (Michigan), and participating in one of their summer programs (Columbia). I don't know if any of them were need-based, but I definitely would have qualified for that if they were.

I strongly encourage you to appeal whatever funding offer you receive (even if you don't receive anything at first). I didn't try to negotiate with GWU or BU but I know some people had some success there, I tried with Michigan but wasn't successful (I think 75% is the cap, but I know others who started at 25% and went up), and I was in talks with Columbia but ended up deciding not to go there so I told them not to worry about it. I think it would have been possible to get more from them (a friend of mine did!) but I personally couldn't justify the expense of going out of state in the middle of a pandemic when my in-state offer was so good lol.

Another pro-tip if the school you hope to go to is out of state (or even in-state but you don't want to commute): LOOK INTO BEING A GRADUATE RESIDENT ADVISOR!!!!!!! Not sure if every school is the same but in many cases, the job is minimal and you get a free apartment on campus.

I hope that helps, please feel free to ask any other questions you may have, or if you want some insight on grad school I'm happy to share

Thank you so much, this is incredibly helpful! Thank you to rosemary_ as well!! Would you guys recommend reaching out to financial aid departments to negotiate aid if I receive an acceptance? If not, who? Unsure of how to go about this and am terrified of coming across as rude, but money will likely be a big deciding factor as my parents will not be contributing to my education (despite Columbia requiring their info be included on FAFSA, meaning I had to submit it to all schools). You and rosemary_ both mentioned negotiating with Columbia; how was that experience? They are currently my top choice! I have a ~3.8 GPA and 335 GRE composite score, so really banking on those merit scholarships.

 

[aev20]

You didn't ask me, but I am weighing in anyways.

It has been a few years since I applied for a masters. I received scholarship information 1 to 2 months after I was admitted. Harvard offered me a 50% merit scholarship on the 1st of March, as well as need-based FWS (more FWS than I had the time to use). Columbia initially offered me loans on February 13th, and I followed up to ask about that more funding. 5 weeks later they offered me a 100% tuition scholarship. I have been told Columbia uses GPA and GRE scores to determine merit-based funding, and I had a 4.0 and 90%+ on each GRE section. One of the state schools I applied to also offered me a scholarship, but I can't find the old email with the specifics and date.

Thank you, this is great to know! See my reply to snemph, I would love to hear about how you negotiated with Columbia / who you contacted if you don't mind sharing!

 

[aev20]

Sure. I just reached out to the general financial aid office and told them I was interested in Columbia but I got a better financial offer from other schools. I sent along copies of my award letters as proof. They took a while to respond, and eventually scheduled a call with me to discuss my interest in the program, and sent along a new scholarship offer a week or two after that.

I didn't have to submit my parent's information on my FAFSA. I think it was because my parents were not claiming me as a dependent. That might be something worth double-checking.

Thanks, this is really helpful! Unfortunately, I was a dependent for the tax year used on the 2021-2022 FAFSA but in the meantime have become independent, so just got caught at an inopportune time :/ Columbia's FAFSA policy is a bit unusual though, I have emailed them about it so hopefully that will provide some clarity.

 

[snemph]

Thank you so much, this is incredibly helpful! Thank you to rosemary_ as well!! Would you guys recommend reaching out to financial aid departments to negotiate aid if I receive an acceptance? If not, who? Unsure of how to go about this and am terrified of coming across as rude, but money will likely be a big deciding factor as my parents will not be contributing to my education (despite Columbia requiring their info be included on FAFSA, meaning I had to submit it to all schools). You and rosemary_ both mentioned negotiating with Columbia; how was that experience? They are currently my top choice! I have a ~3.8 GPA and 335 GRE composite score, so really banking on those merit scholarships.

Yes, so just as @rosemary_ said I reached out to the general financial aid office and chatted back and forth with one of the officers. They're honestly really nice and want to help you as best as they can, but it's going to depend heavily on what their applicant pool is like as well as what kind of funding they have available (COVID hit a lot of departments hard). I know it's scary and you don't want to come off as rude, but remember that they accepted you! They clearly want you to come to their school, and if you receive better offers from other comparable schools it's worth showing them that you are hot real estate. Likewise, I've been told time and time again that closed mouths don't get fed, and often times the worst thing that someone can tell you is no. You are your best advocate! They can't and won't rescind your offer or scholarship .

I too sent them my other offer letters and my appeal was pending before I pulled out, but I may have ended up in the same situation as Rosemary. It might help if you connect with someone from the department you are applying to, sometimes they are able to vouch for you and may be able to pull a string or two.

By the way, your GPA and GRE look pretty competitive to me, I think that could help your case when the time comes!! Good luck, I'm excited to hear what happens

 

[krpaek]

Anyone have experience/information with UNC MSPH in Health Policy and Management?

 

[HomoSapienSapien]

Hi all! I am a current MPH student @ Johns Hopkins. Feel free to PM me with any questions related to the program or the SOPHAS application process as a whole.

 

[environmentalhopeful]

Does anyone know if you can apply to both the in person and online Johns Hopkins MPH at the same time? For various reasons I’m not sure yet and won’t know for a few months if I need to do online or can do in person, but don’t want to cut myself out of either yet with the deadline approaching in just a few weeks

 

[JerryBerry]

Undergraduate School/School type: Public School in the Mountain West
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.28/3.50
Major/minor: Health Education & Promotion (Health Science Emphasis)
GRE(including date taken): Not taken

Experience/research:
-Contact Tracer for the State Health Department since June (20hrs/week)
-Undergraduate Teaching Fellow (Fall 2020)- Foundations of Community Health Course
-Research Assistant/Co-Author for an APHA Abstract that was recently presented at an APHA Conference
-OR Volunteer at the local hospital (pre-covid)
-Student Council member for my specific college
-Team President for 2 seasons for the club sport I participate in
-4 year participant as a club sport athlete
-Facility Attendant & Supervisor at the on-campus gym

Letters of Rec:
- professor in my university department who I took a class from and is also the head of the MPH program
- another professor who I took an epi class from, did research with, and am now a UTF for
- individual involved with campus recreation which I am heavily involved in

Interests: Epidemiology; I think hospital acquired infections and antibiotic resistance would be an interesting area to be in. Also intrigued in cardiovascular and cancer epi.

Applied: Utah (9/5), Pittsburgh (9/5), Colorado SPH (9/5), Minnesota (10/20), UT Health Science Center (11/17)
Accepted: Pittsburgh (12/4), Minnesota (12/9), UT Health Science Center (12/17), Colorado SPH (2/2), Utah (2/16)
Rejected: -
Waitlisted: -
Attending: Pittsburgh

For anyone looking back or reading this from future years, you can do it! I honestly was super surprised I got accepted to all because I thought my GPA was too low. I decided on Pitt because they offered me the most competitive scholarship and I loved the area. Hope this helps!

 

[epihopeful627]

Hi all,

I've been lurking on this thread (and last year's) forever and figured I would finally ask a question. I was told today that Columbia is requiring that all applications be SOPHAS-verified by 12/1 - I was under the impression we just needed to submit by then. I am concerned because I'm definitely not ready to submit, and my recommenders are not planning to submit their letters until late November.

Can anyone confirm this is true? Hoping it's not - would love to be able to still submit on 12/1. It would be great if any past applicants can let me know how the dates for Columbia worked out for them!

Thank you!!!

 

[thompson0803]

Just got Accepted to NYU for Social and Behavioral Sciences!

 

[rtr2020]

Has anyone attached their unofficial GRE scores to SOPHAS, but not sent their officials to the school? I did not realize that the school could see the unofficial score, and I was not planning on sending official scores since it is optional.

Do you think schools will be waiting to receive official scores before they review my app? I tried to email SOPHAS but they were no help.

 

[aev20]

Yes, so just as @rosemary_ said I reached out to the general financial aid office and chatted back and forth with one of the officers. They're honestly really nice and want to help you as best as they can, but it's going to depend heavily on what their applicant pool is like as well as what kind of funding they have available (COVID hit a lot of departments hard). I know it's scary and you don't want to come off as rude, but remember that they accepted you! They clearly want you to come to their school, and if you receive better offers from other comparable schools it's worth showing them that you are hot real estate. Likewise, I've been told time and time again that closed mouths don't get fed, and often times the worst thing that someone can tell you is no. You are your best advocate! They can't and won't rescind your offer or scholarship .

I too sent them my other offer letters and my appeal was pending before I pulled out, but I may have ended up in the same situation as Rosemary. It might help if you connect with someone from the department you are applying to, sometimes they are able to vouch for you and may be able to pull a string or two.

By the way, your GPA and GRE look pretty competitive to me, I think that could help your case when the time comes!! Good luck, I'm excited to hear what happens

Thank you, I really appreciate all this advice!

 

[lmarph]

Hi everyone,

I'm not sure if this type of question is allowed here, but I thought it would be a good place to start. I'm applying from Canada to MPH programs in US and I'm confused by the "preferred deadline" at certain schools. What is the difference between preferred and final deadline? We just have a single deadline in Canada. Are you less likely to be accepted if you apply after the preferred but before the final? Thanks so much in advance!

 

[HomoSapienSapien]

Does anyone know if you can apply to both the in person and online Johns Hopkins MPH at the same time? For various reasons I’m not sure yet and won’t know for a few months if I need to do online or can do in person, but don’t want to cut myself out of either yet with the deadline approaching in just a few weeks

Hi there! As a student at JHU, I feel qualified to answer this question. When I applied last cycle, I applied for the in-person program (COVID hadn't dawned upon us yet). When I matriculated in March 2020, all of us accepted into the in-person program were automatically enrolled into the online program. The head of the MPH program, Marie Diener-West, gave us the choice to pursue a full-time online program (analogous to the pace of the in-person program) or transition into the part-time online program (the one that is advertised). Based on this information, I would recommend applying for the in-person program, and then if you get accepted and circumstances change, you can transition to the part-time online program.

 

[ColdSore200]

Hello everyone! Quick question:

I will be applying to my programs with Feb/March deadlines in early to mid December. My fall semester grades will be released by late December. Does including another extra semester to my transcript on SOPHAS make a big difference for my application?

 

[environmentalhopeful]

Hi there! As a student at JHU, I feel qualified to answer this question. When I applied last cycle, I applied for the in-person program (COVID hadn't dawned upon us yet). When I matriculated in March 2020, all of us accepted into the in-person program were automatically enrolled into the online program. The head of the MPH program, Marie Diener-West, gave us the choice to pursue a full-time online program (analogous to the pace of the in-person program) or transition into the part-time online program (the one that is advertised). Based on this information, I would recommend applying for the in-person program, and then if you get accepted and circumstances change, you can transition to the part-time online program.

Thank you very much!! Have you noticed if they are providing more online course options for quantitative or other courses due to more students taking online now? It seems like previously all the online quantitative courses were lower level than the in person and a lot of non-quantitative only offered in person, but I’m wondering if maybe now online options are expanded?

 

[ka786]

Hello all!

I'm applying to MPH programs via SOPHAS and see that the SOPHAS part of the application has the optional question: "Please describe how COVID-19 has impacted your pathway to graduate study (2500 characters). Prompts that may help you get started but shouldn't limit your responses are below"

Is it suggested that I answer it? I'm lucky -- besides needing to move around a lot, I still have a job and no one I know closely has gotten sick. Would it look bad if I didn't answer the question?

 

[ny305]

Just got into the MSPH program at Johns Hopkins in Health Policy!!

 

[Samantha2021]

Hey all! I’m a first year MPH student in Epid at Umich on a 75% scholarship. I was in your shoes this time last year, so I’m happy to answer any questions you may have or provide any insight about grad school. I also applied to Hopkins, Columbia, BostonU, and George WashingtonU and was offered a generous scholarship to each one, so if you’d like tips about that I can also share!!

I am super interested in Umich. Do you know what the acceptance rate is? How many spots in the program?

When I look at people's applications on here in relation to their Public Health related activities/jobs/internships, I am sorely lacking these things. Is this the the case for the majority of applicants for MPH?

 

[fomitesandfrenchfries]

Hello everyone! I've been following this and past year threads for a bit and thought I'd contribute while I procrastinate on writing my last few SOPs.

Undergraduate School/School type: UC Berkeley
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.97 (SOPHAS verified)
Major/minor: Public Health
GRE: 67 V (98th %ile), 165 Q (85th %ile), 6.0 (99th %ile)

Experience/research:

• 3 years (by time program starts) full time working as a data analyst at a large healthcare organization where I use SAS and SQL
• 1 year interning with a city public health department while in college
• 2 years volunteering with a cancer center during college and still help this center with fundraising efforts in a leadership role
• 4 years in college teaching health education to high schoolers - had a leadership role
• TA'd a health internship course
• 1 summer as an undergrad research volunteer in an infectious disease lab
• 1 year so far tutoring with an org that provides educational assistance to homeless and highly mobile youth

I also completed a comparative global health study abroad program.

Letters of Rec: My current supervisor, my mentor at the cancer center, my traveling faculty professor from study abroad, my epi professor in college

Interests: Epidemiology, infectious disease, reproductive health, social determinants of health, global disease surveillance systems

I know I'm applying to a lot of schools, but I'm hoping that I will get offered merit scholarships at a number of them and be able to negotiate for more funding.

Apps all submitted and verified by 12/1

Applied: BU (Epi/Biostats MPH), Brown (Epi MPH), Columbia (Epi MPH), GW (Global Health Epi MPH), Emory (GLEPI MSPH), Colorado (Global Health Epi MPH), Tulane (Epi MPH), Michigan (Epi MPH), Yale (Epi of Microbial MPH), University of Washington (Epi MPH), Harvard (SM80 Epi)
Accepted: Tulane (11/25 + $), GW (12/23 + $$$$), Yale (1/13 + $), UMich (1/15 + $$), Columbia (1/21 + $$$$), Colorado (2/2), UW (2/5), Brown (2/18 + $$), Emory (2/22), BU (3/8 + $$)
Rejected: Harvard (3/4)
Waitlisted:
Attending: Columbia

Good luck everyone!

 

[fomitesandfrenchfries]

Hello all!

I'm applying to MPH programs via SOPHAS and see that the SOPHAS part of the application has the optional question: "Please describe how COVID-19 has impacted your pathway to graduate study (2500 characters). Prompts that may help you get started but shouldn't limit your responses are below"

Is it suggested that I answer it? I'm lucky -- besides needing to move around a lot, I still have a job and no one I know closely has gotten sick. Would it look bad if I didn't answer the question?

I didn't answer this question and had totally forgotten about it until now. Hopefully it doesn't make an impact since it is optional and not school-specific. I interpreted it mainly as a place where folks could explain any irregularities in their application as a result of COVID.

 

[She-Hulk]

Hello everyone! I've been following this and past year threads for a bit and thought I'd contribute while I procrastinate on writing my last few SOPs.

Undergraduate School/School type: UC Berkeley
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.97 (SOPHAS verified)
Major/minor: Public Health
GRE(including date taken): Taken July 2017, submitting anywhere that accepts it this year because I think my scores are pretty good -- 167 V (98th %ile), 165 Q (85th %ile), 6.0 (99th %ile)


Experience/research:

• 3 years (by time program starts) full time working as a data analyst at a large healthcare organization where I use SAS and SQL
• 1 year interning with a city public health department while in college
• 2 years volunteering with a cancer center during college and still help this center with fundraising efforts in a leadership role
• 4 years in college teaching health education to high schoolers - had a leadership role
• TA'd a health internship course
• 1 summer as an undergrad research volunteer in an infectious disease lab
• 1 year so far tutoring with an org that provides educational assistance to homeless and highly mobile youth

I also completed a comparative global health study abroad program my junior year of college where I traveled to several countries, learned from traveling and local faculty, had some field experience, and completed a case study project about HIV. I talk about this experience in my SOP.

Letters of Rec: My current supervisor (strong), my mentor at the cancer center (strong), my traveling faculty professor from study abroad, my epi professor in college (who I didn't know well)

Interests: Epidemiology, infectious disease, reproductive health, social determinants of health, global disease detection systems

I know I'm applying to a lot of schools, but I'm hoping that I will get offered merit scholarships at a number of them and be able to negotiate for more funding. I've got three apps still to submit that I'll finish this coming week. All apps I've submitted so far are verified but not complete, because I only have two letters of rec in so far - I'll get the last one or two in by Dec 1.

Applied: BU (Epi/Biostats MPH), Brown (Epi MPH), Columbia (Epi MPH), GW (Global Health Epi MPH), Emory (GLEPI MSPH), Colorado (Global Health Epi MPH), Tulane (Epi MPH), Michigan (Epi MPH), Yale (Epi of Microbial MPH), University of Washington (Epi MPH)
Accepted: Stay tuned!
Rejected:
Waitlisted:
Attending:

Good luck everyone!

Wow, I think you'll do very well with applying for public health school and you'll get into the majority of these programs! I think you definitely have 'leverage' when it comes to negotiating better tuition rates. There's also UNC and JHU, both top schools and one advantage of Harvard with global health is that people around the world recognize that name. I have the same interests as you, I'd apply to JHU, Tulane, Emory, UNC, Brown and Yale for sure, though it isn't completely just getting into a certain school if you find there is faculty that you'd really like to work with, and going to school where you want to work helps, though definitely schools strong in global health tend to clustered in certain regions.

 

[sweaters1234]

Hi everyone, I was wondering if your chances are significantly lower if you submit your application in mid-December?

 

[MPHSeekerrr]

Just got into the MSPH program at Johns Hopkins in Health Policy!!

Congrats!!

 

[krpaek]

Just got into the MSPH program at Johns Hopkins in Health Policy!!

Congrats! do you receive any funding/scholarship information? When did you submit?

 

[fomitesandfrenchfries]

Wow, I think you'll do very well with applying for public health school and you'll get into the majority of these programs! I think you definitely have 'leverage' when it comes to negotiating better tuition rates. There's also UNC and JHU, both top schools and one advantage of Harvard with global health is that people around the world recognize that name. I have the same interests as you, I'd apply to JHU, Tulane, Emory, UNC, Brown and Yale for sure, though it isn't completely just getting into a certain school if you find there is faculty that you'd really like to work with, and going to school where you want to work helps, though definitely schools strong in global health tend to clustered in certain regions.

Thank you for the vote of confidence! I'm not super into the 11-month format at JHU and can't see myself at UNC for some reason. Someone else on SDN recently suggested the MS Epi program at Harvard to me which I'd overlooked, so I think I'll add that to my list. You make a good point about the name being recognizable worldwide.

 

[rap15]

Hi everyone, I was wondering if your chances are significantly lower if you submit your application in mid-December?

Generally no. Many people don’t even apply until January or later.

 

[epihopeful627]

Hi everyone, I just retook the GRE and got my provisional scores, but I can't decide which set of scores would be better to submit. For context, I'm applying to Epidemiology programs (heavily quant-focused). I didn't do too well in some of my lower-division courses (I majored in Biology at UC Berkeley - GPA: 3.55, Major GPA: 3.63), so I am banking on the fact that programs will consider my GRE score as a measure of quantitative proficiency.

First time scores: 164 V (94th percentile), 163 Q (80th percentile), 5.0 AWA (92nd percentile); total: 327
Second time scores: 161 V (88th percentile), 164 Q (83rd percentile), N/A AWA (not scored yet); total: 325

Basically, my Quant score increased by 1 point (3 percentile), but my Verbal score dropped by 3 points (6 percentile). Clearly, Quant is more important, but I'm wondering if the 327 will look better than the 325 considering the Quant only went up by one point. Obviously, I will need to consider the AWA when it gets scored as well.

Curious what you all think - should I submit my first time scores or my second time scores?

 

[rtr2020]

Undergraduate School/School type: Large, southern, public university. Graduating Dec 2020, Honors college.
Undergrad GPA/Major GPA: 3.95/3.99, SOPHAS verified-3.83
Major/minor: Public Health, concentration in health education and promotion
GRE(including date taken): 155V, 151Q, 4W (July, 2020)

Experience/research:
Summer after freshman year- Volunteering at large hospitals child obesity clinic
Summer after sophomore year-Community health internship at medium sized hospital
Summer after junior year- (Remote) Policy internship with large health nonprofit
During junior/senior- Health peer education

Letters of Rec:
2 professors, and 1 from past summers internship

Interests: Policy, advocacy, alcohol/drugs and harm reduction, HIV, women's health, LGBTQ+

Applied: GWU MPH in Policy (10/23), Brown (11/07), BU (11/07), Emory (11/07), Tulane (11/11), Vanderbilt (11/11) Yale (11/15), Columbia (11/15) , and MSPH at JHU (11/15)
Accepted:
Rejected:
Waitlisted:
Attending:

Would love any feedback/advice on programs and my chances. Worried at my lack in research, and of course full time experience since I graduate this semester!

I have submitted all my applications! MPH in Policy at GWU, Columbia, Tulane, Vanderbilt, Brown, Boston, Emory, Yale, and MSPH Policy at JHU.
Im so nervous that I won't be accepted to any, and I am not very good at waiting either . Feels so good to be done though. I cannot believe how much time I have spent on these applications.

 

[krpaek]

I have submitted all my applications! MPH in Policy at GWU, Columbia, Tulane, Vanderbilt, Brown, Boston, Emory, Yale, and MSPH Policy at JHU.
Im so nervous that I won't be accepted to any, and I am not very good at waiting either . Feels so good to be done though. I cannot believe how much time I have spent on these applications.

You'll be fine and get in somewhere. I really wouldn't worry too much.

 

[rtr2020]

Just got an interview for MSPH at John Hopkins! Anyone know what questions they ask?

 

[ny305]

Congrats! do you receive any funding/scholarship information? When did you submit?

I applied on 10/17, verified by SOPHAS on 10/23, Interviewed on 11/02, accepted on 11/12. I got the MTS scholarship given to students within certain concentrations, and Health Policy so happens to be one of the--75% off of the tuition of your second year!!

 

[HomoSapienSapien]

Thank you very much!! Have you noticed if they are providing more online course options for quantitative or other courses due to more students taking online now? It seems like previously all the online quantitative courses were lower level than the in person and a lot of non-quantitative only offered in person, but I’m wondering if maybe now online options are expanded?

Yes, more courses are being offered online because of the pandemic. However, it is the same faculty teaching the courses regardless of format. Only thing is that lectures are mostly pre-recorded. Duration and content is exactly the same as in-person classes. I am a bit confused as to what you mean by "lower level." If you are referring to "feels lackluster" because of the lack of interaction you get with peers and faculty due to the asynchronous nature, then yes, that is true. But, professors and advisors are more than willing to grant assistance. You just have to be proactive in seeking it.

I am currently taking the Biostatistics 620 series and it is quite rigorous.

 

[krpaek]

I applied on 10/17, verified by SOPHAS on 10/23, Interviewed on 11/02, accepted on 11/12. I got the MTS scholarship given to students within certain concentrations, and Health Policy so happens to be one of the--75% off of the tuition of your second year!!

Thanks! Is there no funding at all for the first year?

 

[jadedray]

Hey everyone,
Did anyone apply to Texas schools? There is not much information out there to learn from.
Advice?

 

[reformedpremed]

Thanks! Is there no funding at all for the first year?

I was also accepted into the MSPH Health Policy program and will be splitting up the MTS between the first and second year. There is the option to take 25% off tuition for the first year and 50% off for the second. Unfortunately, for Health Policy at least, there are little to no other opportunities for funding from what I have been told. The second thing to consider for that program is the salaried full-time second year practicum. It really alters how I have been looking at funding my MSPH/MPH compared to other programs.

 

[rtr2020]

Got into GWU! So excited!

Is it customary to send a thank you email as a reply to the offer letter? I dont want to commit till spring most likely, but I do want to be polite.

 

[JerryBerry]

Hey everyone,
Did anyone apply to Texas schools? There is not much information out there to learn from.
Advice?

I just applied to UT Health Science Center at Houston (Houston Campus) for epi
I did a virtual session today. Although it's not ranked as high as a lot of the schools typically mentioned here, it's tuition is pretty competitive for out of state and very low for in-state. Seems to have a lot of great practicum areas and options (for epi). One thing that is bittersweet is that since it has multiple locations, you may have a class where a professor is located in another city, and they're broadcasted to you live instead of in-person. Hope this helps!

 

[krpaek]

Does anyone have experience with UNC MSPH Health Policy Interview?

 

[bunny jelly]

Hey everyone I am from Malaysia. Is it too late to start applying MPH in Harvard? =(
I am currently editing my statement of purpose, any advice?

 

[rap15]

Got into GWU! So excited!

Is it customary to send a thank you email as a reply to the offer letter? I dont want to commit till spring most likely, but I do want to be polite.

Congrats! What program? I have no idea if most people send thank you letters - I did not, but I also waited a long long time to commit (I even switched concentrations before I committed). I don't think it would hurt!

Sincerely,
A current GW Health Policy student

 

[rtr2020]

Got into GWU! So excited!

Congrats! What program? I have no idea if most people send thank you letters - I did not, but I also waited a long long time to commit (I even switched concentrations before I committed). I don't think it would hurt!

Sincerely,
A current GW Health Policy student

MPH in Policy! Thank you!