hellohopeful

Hello! So I will be going to McMaster this September for their PH program. Very excited. Fellow Mac students, I'm assuming you got Fran's email this afternoon. Anyone commuting from the GTA? What do you guys think about living in Hamilton vs commuting for 3 days? I feel like I just moved so I so didn't really want to have to move back for 3 days...but the commute can be brutal sometimes..

If you've already tried contacting them through phone calls and emails, just wait a few more as it's only been three days. They could be looking into it on their end, which may be why it says Pending Review?

That's such a good idea!

Yes thank you! I didn't want to drive myself crazy checking my email/mailbox every 5 minutes

May I ask, did you already get your official offer from SGS? If you did, how long did they take between the recommendation and the official offer?

Hey, No I didn't take any second year courses, my last year was a mix of 3rd and 4th year. Do you know if the certificate will appear on your transcript? I think that you may be OK considering that you also have a CV and a Letter of Purpose to talk a bit about your certificate. I would definitely list it under Education with the year that your started and finished it and then maybe give an example of a few courses that relate to public health, and then in your Letter I'd just write a little bit about how you certificate "gives you an advantage"/ how it can be applied to the program. Personally I'd give you extra bonus points for doing it at the same time! I know for most graduate programs they want to see the highest grades in courses that relate to that graduate degree, but as long as you meet the minimum average they won't reject you right away.

Congrats!

So I received an email for recommendation today for McMaster!! Does this mean "I'm in"?

they should tell you

wow..that's a tough decision...does tuition make a difference? What about the courses they offer, which ones are you most interested in and you think will give you a leg up to what you want to do in Public Health? Or if you're doing a thesis is there anyone that you're interested in working with? Maybe answering these questions might make your decision easier. Queen's is an amazing school with a great program, but I also think it would be interesting to be part of a pilot program.

hahahaha the first time I read this I saw it as "best of f*ck to you!"

So I've officially been waitlisted for Mac as of Tuesday! Really disappointed. Do you guys think that it would be ok to ask if it's a ranked waitlist or how far down I am on it? Or should I just wait it out?

Jut spoke to someone from the McMaster MHP office, and they said that they are in the process of finalizing their class and it should be completed by next week! That being said fellow MHP grads, if you have happily accepted your offer to another school you should withdraw your offers from schools you're waiting to hear from.

Thanks for the reassurance! I applied for the thesis stream! I actually did my undergrad thesis on priority setting in global health (i was in the health studies program!) and I loved doing the research. So I applied for the thesis-option; hopefully they can place me, but yes, I would love to do a PhD in the future, very interested in health policy.

Congrats guys! Which stream did you apply for, thesis or course-based. I haven't heard anything from Mac yet and I'm getting so anxious. It's my alma matter